Yoga Therapy
For the general population, the difference between a yoga practice and yoga therapy is often either not demarcated at all, or poorly understood. Some yoga teacher who have had no or little experience with yoga therapy also have a limited knowledge.
A yoga practice, either at a studio/class with other students, or a home or individual practice, is usually a sequence of yoga asanas and pranayama practices. These practices may have a specific focus or be generalised.
A yoga teacher has had training in how to safely teach yoga asanas with a basic focus on how the body’s anatomy moves. There will also be a basic level of teaching for breathing and meditation. Yoga teacher do have different levels of education and training.
Yoga Therapy (YT) is NOT just a more extensive yoga practice. It may involve a yoga practice that has been devised specifically for the individual. YT takes into consideration all of a person’s lifestyle factors, any physical, mental and emotional presenting factors, current health conditions, and the goals of the person. The YT and the person will work to develop a holistic practice, including all aspects of a person life. The YT acts as a guide, offering specific yoga interventions and supporting the person to explore and develop their own practice and changes to their lifestyle.
A YT does not overrule any therapy the person may be doing. A YT acts as a guide and does not ‘cure’ any condition, nor do they diagnose any medical condition. The YT is focused on developing an individualised practice that will help the person with self-awareness and self-development for practices they can easily introduced into their lifestyle.
YT is not a ‘quick fix’ that is ‘given’ to a person for them to do in a repetitive unaware manner. Any interventions recommended have been developed with a person-centred focus. One of the goals of yoga therapy is to support a person to become aware of their own body and lifestyle needs, so they can develop and implement practices that will enhance their lifestyle for the rest of their life.
A YT that has trained at an accredited school, has had extensive education and experience on many aspects of health and yoga. Always check the training a YT has undertaken before engaging their service.
I trained at the Yoga Therapy Institute, a program that is registered with Yoga Australia. I undertook 745 hour of specialised training that included developing kno0wledge on Functional Anatomy, knowledge of the most common chronic diseases and their conventional treatments, and Yoga principles and philosophies. I have experience as a yoga teacher and provide supervision and mentorship to training Yoga Therapy students. I have over 40 years’ experience as a registered nurse in many areas of the health care system.
I am passionate about supporting a person to manage their own health and remain as independent and as healthy as possible.
Please contact me via my email if you would like further information. I provide face-to-face YT sessions as well as zoom sessions for all ages and abilities.
