A year ago, while on vacation, someone asked me what I did. "I'm a yoga therapist," I eagerly replied. He said, sooooo you sit around and TALK about yoga? It was funny but it drove the point home that most people have no idea what yoga therapy is. OR yoga for that matter. Many people still believe that yoga is about contorting your body into poses no human should be in or being in a 90 degree room with a goat on your back chanting. You're chanting, not the goat. Because of these pre-concieved notions, people are intimidated, turned off or simply not interested in giving yoga a try which is so very sad. The practices of yoga are so beneficial to help relieve stress, lower blood pressure, manage anxiety and depression, provide you with an overall feeling of well-being and stretch and strengthen your body as well as your mind. Stretch the mind? Yes. Trying something new. A pose, a meditation, a breathing practice, being mindful; all of these practices help expand our consciousness and explore alternative possibilties to heal and be happy.
Yoga therapy takes all of these principles one step further and tailors the practice to the specific needs of the individual. These needs can be those in the physical body. Recovery after a back surgery, for example. Physical therapy is over, the surgeon has done his part. Now, you're left with this "different" body. It may feel better, and it may feel worse. You have to find a way to make peace with and accept any limitations you may have. Yoga can definitely help ease the dis-ease by training the mind to see the situation differently and not get attached to your limitations.
There are specific practices to help combat specific issues that we may be suffering from. Yoga therapy can teach you how to incorporate yoga into your daily life to help alleviate those issues. Simply, it's all about re-training your brain to see things differently. To think differently and most importantly to react differently. Not so simply, it takes work! Much the same we you might work your muscles at the gym or run or do math puzzles to keep your brain sharp, the practices of yoga help to work your mind into a more peaceful state. It just takes practice!!
Try a class or call to schedule a personal session to see how truly transformative yoga therapy can be for you. Why wait? A peaceful mind and body are only a breath away.
