Yoga Therapy
How do you want to BE in your life?
Yoga therapy is a therapeutic process that uses the body as the main point of entry to the present moment, the mind, our behavior, our way of interpreting and moving through the world, and our deepest truth.
It is based on the teachings, research, and practice of yoga, Buddhism, neuroscience, psychology, and Ayurveda (as well as new and emerging systems and research). Yoga therapy is a trauma-sensitive practice.
Who seeks yoga therapy...
-
Discover and work with trauma.
-
Build a deeper relationship with the self in its most authentic form.
-
Engage the body to address conditions such as anxiety, depression, disassociation, dysmorphia, and more.
-
Develop lifelong skills for managing change and stress, and unearth a deep reservoir of emotional resilience.
-
Recognize their power and capacity for transformation, growth, and manifesting their desired life.
-
Learn how to align mind and body to break old patterns and habits and move through life with wisdom and ease.
Yoga therapy is not a yoga class, it's therapy.
Most clients have never practiced yoga and have no intention of starting! It's called yoga therapy because the knowledge system and tradition that forms the foundation for this work is the 1000s-year-old yogic understanding that the best way to the mind is through the body.
A hands-off approach.
Some yoga therapists employ a hands-on approach to yoga therapy. I employ a primarily hands-off approach because I've discovered how profoundly it empowers clients, increases their self-efficacy, and speeds up skill building. This means online clients and in-person clients have a very similar experience of my work. For clients who come to my office, I will offer hands at strategic and poignant opportunities and it's always up to the client in the moment to decide what is best for them.
Yoga therapy is holistic and comprehensive.
Yoga therapy considers every aspect of life rather than considering each body part, system, layer of being, or symptom of the body or life separately. One of the marvelous ways that yoga therapy works, according to burgeoning research, is by toning and providing practices and skills for regulating the nervous system, which impacts every other system and function of the body. If you are interested in digging into the research, be sure to visit the research page on this site, we are slowly cultivating relevant articles.
According to the International Association for Yoga Therapists (IAYT), yoga therapy has been shown to help with:
-
Pain, including low-back pain, arthritis, premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and other types of chronic pain such as fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.
-
Neurologic issues and complications of stroke, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson's disease, and traumatic brain injury (TBI).
-
Mental health, including concerns like anxiety, depression, trauma and PTSD, insomnia, and others.
-
Major illnesses like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
-
Healthy aging, including osteoporosis and fall prevention.
-
Life enhancement!
Qualifications of a yoga therapist:
Yoga Therapists certified by IAYT have done a minimum of 800 hours of training and often more over two years (some earn a master's degree), including observed/mentored practicum hours working with clients and groups, and must routinely participate in continuing education to maintain their certification.
The yoga therapy process is carefully led by a Certified Yoga Therapist in a safe, comfortable, and accessible environment. The process is typically one-on-one, client and therapist. Occasionally, therapy groups are formed around a certain topic or theme to enhance individual learning and experience with mutual community support.
Ways to work with yoga therapy.
Yoga therapy is a powerful tool to help clients BE in their lives in the ways that they seek. For many, it will be the only therapy or embodied method they may need or desire. Some will benefit from working with both a yoga therapist and a talk therapist or another practitioner like a nutritionist or naturopath - this is something your yoga therapist will be happy to discuss and they can provide you with a list of established and aligned professionals for referrals if needed.
OGGI BE provides yoga therapy from our office in South Burlington, Vermont, and online to:
BE FULLY, AUTHENTICALLY, POWERFULLY YOU!
