What IS Yoga Therapy - and Why is it Right for Me?

Learn why taking advantage of therapeutic yoga can help you meet your emotional or physical health goals or bring healing to any challenges you are encountering- faster and more effectively than a traditional yoga class.

People ask me all the time, “What is the difference between yoga and yoga therapy?”

That can be a hard question to answer....after all, most yoga is therapeutic, as long as it includes safe and effective asana (yoga poses), some breath awareness or instruction, some meditation, right? Even the definition of yoga therapy, by the International Association of Yoga Therapy (IAYT), the very organization that set the educational and certification standards for yoga therapy training programs/schools and for Professional Yoga Therapists says that yoga therapy “is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga.”

That may not clarify much! Furthermore, though anyone, even UN-certified, 200-hour, or 500-hour certified yoga teachers may legally (though perhaps not ethically) advertise their class as yoga therapy or therapeutic yoga, the IAYT is currently the ONLY organization that has set up an actual YT certification process (as opposed to Yoga Alliance which is simply a registry). In order to receive their designation, a YT must apply with detailed records, including mentored and clinic hours and proof of at least 1000 hours of training (that means certifications) through a certified Yoga Therapy training program, and must continue their education in the ensuing years in order to keep their C-IAYT designation. YT’s are trained more deeply in anatomy and physiology, philosophy, etc. and in working with many health conditions. So look for the C-IAYT designation to assure you are getting what you are paying for! You can find a local Yoga Therapist on the IAYT website directory. Luckily, though there are only a few certified yoga therapists in the entire state of PA, I live in the Lehigh Valley and have easy access to nearby areas (including New Jersey), and am willing to travel, so you won't have to look far! So, what is it exactly that you ARE paying for?

Following are some of the differences between what you might expect, and what you might not, in a therapeutic yoga class or private session.

• YOGA THERAPY CAN BRING HEALING and ADAPTS TO MANY CONDITIONS

First of all, there is an intake process with more detailed questions about what brings you to yoga therapy. Most people are looking for healing from some kind of condition, which could include anxiety, depression, grief, PTSD; to musculoskeletal injuries or pain such as back, neck or knee pain, sciatica, pelvic floor conditions; or ongoing or chronic conditions such as arthritis, MS, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and fibromyalgia just to name a few. Clients may be recovering from pregnancy, accidents, injuries or surgeries, or even treatment for cancer.

• YOGA THERAPY IS PERSONALIZED

A yoga therapist will gather information regarding health history, goals, health habits (exercise/movement? sleep? diet?, etc) and even a bit about their beliefs about their health or condition and will consider common symptoms or even side effects of their condition - perhaps as a result of the treatment for their condition. We may speak to your physician or clinician to get further details, if necessary, to design a safe and effective program specifically for YOU and YOUR condition or concern. This may require additional research so that we are aware of things that might impact your practice (i.e. dizziness, elevated blood pressure, etc.)

Often the therapist meets or speaks with the client before the first session to clarify their history, goals, etc., to help set up a safe and effective program designed with an eye toward healing any of the things that impact their health and happiness. There is often some assessment involved: postural, breath, movement, Ayurvedic dosha, just to name a few, to uncover imbalances. There are often other“tools” of yoga therapy that are not normally used in a traditional yoga class that are applied to bring the client back into balance and good health. Many traditional and non-traditional props are available. Some yoga therapists are trained in additional modalities outside of traditional yoga and bring their own unique complementary modalities into the practice (as many of my clients will tell you!)

The classes are kept very small, ideally a maximum of 6 to 10 people (or one-on-one) so that there is a considerable amount of personal attention, and the plan may change based on the session to session outcome (especially in private sessions), despite the best planning. It is tailored to the individual(s) in front of me in THAT session, on THAT day. No need to fit yourself to the teacher's plan for the day, which is quite a feat in mixed level classes even with modifications or props; in this case the therapist will fit the plan to you. This is not a “cookie-cutter” approach.

• YOGA THERAPY APPROACHES HEALING FROM MANY ASPECTS

Yoga Therapists design practices that include ALL of the limbs of yoga, and many other modalities that speak specifically to the condition of the group (or individual) being addressed. The imagery, meditation, affirmations, and more are tailored, and are used as necessary dependent on the group focus. There is usually an educational component about the condition or challenge and what a client might (or might not) want to do to assist in finding relief, possibly including Ayurvedic recommendations for diet, activity, sleep, etc. “Homework” is often assigned so that the practice becomes YOURS. Those of you who have been challenged, for example, by knee pain or back pain will know that many of the yoga classes or programs designed for your condition just don't work for you, at least not right now. In yoga therapy that will not happen. There is always a back-up plan to the back-up plan because everyone is NOT the same, and some may have multiple challenges that need to be considered.

• YOGA THERAPY PROVIDES SUPPORT

You may actually find some support, make some friends, or build a community of like-minded individuals! In the workshops you are all working with the same or similar challenges. Clients will also have the support of the yoga therapist as well, through handouts, feedback, homework, email, phone or even Skype/Zoom, if necessary. Once the sessions are complete students can always come back to “fine-tune” any modifications or practices as you gain strength, skill, mobility, etc., or go deeper into your practice at home or in a group yoga class.

• YOGA THERAPY PROVIDES FEEDBACK AND EMPOWERS

Assessments toward the end of the program allow clients and therapists to see what progress or transformation has been made. You are empowered by the end of the sessions or workshop to continue to bring healing to the condition through a continued practice designed exactly for you, and through the awareness you develop.

Yoga therapy “is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga.”

• WHAT YOGA THERAPY IS NOT....

Yoga Therapy is NOT designed to diagnose a condition. Yoga Therapists are trained to work in partnership with your Physical Therapist and/or Physicians or other health care providers, and to take into consideration any imbalances that we may find as a result of approaching the client holistically, but we do not diagnose and we do not “treat”. We do, however, work within the parameters of what is safe and effective for a specific condition, drawing together the many “limbs” of yoga practice to bring relief to the practitioner at each “level” (physically, mentally or emotionally, often through habits and beliefs that impact the client, etc.) to bring effective relief from many of the things that impact your health and happiness. Yoga Therapy is a wonderful “bridge” or transition for individuals “pre-habbing” for strength or mobility before procedures or surgery, or who are coming out of treatment or physical therapy into the world of yoga or fitness, with the guidance of a highly trained, professional yoga therapist to guide you.

*Updated from my original article published in Natural Awakenings, October 2017, Lehigh Valley Edition.

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