What’s Yoga Therapy and How You Receive it's Benefits
Most people think that yoga and yoga therapy are the same things, or worse, they don’t know that yoga therapy exists, and they are missing out.
If you're curious about what yoga therapy is and how you can receive its benefits even if you're super busy and don’t have time or the energy to add something else to your plate, then keep reading this article until the end.
Yoga therapy is not only the Ph.D. of yoga. It is also a GPS that guides you and your body on the power it has to heal itself.
What is yoga therapy?
“In yoga therapy, we bake from scratch” is what my teacher Joseph Le Page told us at our first yoga therapy training class at Kripalu.
The International Association of Yoga Therapy (IAYT) defines Yoga therapy as “the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga.”
I like to simplify this definition and compare yoga to food because, just like food, yoga can either support or harm your health. Depending on the type of yoga you're practicing, it can either benefit you or do quite the opposite.
If someone has diabetes, will usually be more conscious about limiting their sugar intake, I recommend you do the same with yoga.
And with yoga therapy, you can become your own chef. In private or group sessions, you can learn about the benefits of the yoga ingredients, different recipes for delicious and healthy dishes, cooking styles, and way more. Then, together with your yoga therapist, you explore the best wellness recipes to support your healing and lifestyle.
How does yoga therapy work?
As a Yoga Therapist and Sleep Coach, I teach my clients to fish, cook their meals, and I support them along the way.
In yoga therapy, we meet people where they are and go at their pace.
In the first session with my private clients, either online or in-person, I ask them to fill in an intake form to get to know them better, and we talk about their goals for our time together. Then we move on to practice some tools and create a wellness plan for them to practice independently. Then, in the further session, we adapt what didn’t work and celebrate little or significant progress. Just like you would in a cooking class!
Benefits of yoga therapy?
The first miracle I saw with yoga therapy was my healing journey. That’s why I became a yoga therapist. In a few sessions, my mood improved, and I started sleeping again after years of insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
Yoga therapy uses an integrated healing approach, and we don’t see a client struggling with a health issue. Instead, we work with the person as a whole and balance all the levels of his being (physical, energetic, psycho-emotional, wisdom, and bliss). That’s why more and more western doctors are recommending yoga therapy.
Research has shown that yoga therapy can help with chronic pain, including low back, arthritis, PMS, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome. Mental health (anxiety, depression, trauma, and PTSD, insomnia). Neurological issues and complications of stroke, MS, Parkinson’s disease, and TBI. Support for illnesses (like cancer, diabetes, heart disease). Healthy aging and the overall well-being.
You don’t need to be sick or in pain for yoga therapy to have value!
How do you become a yoga therapist?
The first step to becoming a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) is to take a 200-hour yoga teacher training (YTT) and then take an 800-hours yoga therapy training that includes 100 hours of practice with real clients. Then you need to get the I-AYT validation to become a Certified yoga therapy.
Usually, a yoga therapist has different modalities of healing that complement their practice and supports their knowledge. In my case, I’m certified with Lee Albert as an IPT Professional, a neuromuscular balance certification, and as a reiki practitioner.
Yoga therapy training is not as easy as it looks. Not only did I invest a tremendous amount of time, money, and effort to complete my certification, I also had a very bumpy transformation process, but that story is for another occasion.
Of course, I’m grateful to get to benefit from the process, but oh man! some days I feel like I should be selling ice cream instead.
How to add yoga therapy tools to a busy schedule?
Foot massage with or without yoga therapy balls and yoga Nidra are excellent examples of how easy it can be to incorporate yoga therapy into your busy schedule to support your sleep quality.
If you’re looking, for example, to boost your immune system or to keep your heart healthy, meditation, mudras, and breathing exercises can help.
How to find a yoga therapist near you?
The International Association of Yoga Therapy is a great place to start. You can as well search “yoga therapy near me” or “yoga therapy in [name of your city]” on google, or write in the comments below what type of specialty are you looking for in a therapist, and I will try to connect you with someone I know and trust.
If you would like to work with me but don’t know where to start, you can book a call here to taco-about it.