Yoga therapy is difficult to define, in part because of the breadth and depth of the tradition itself, and because, like Yoga, the discipline can be approached in so many different ways. Nonetheless, for Yoga therapy to be better understood and accepted, it is necessary to have a reasonable and pragmatic definition understandable to those without experience with Yoga, yet still acceptable to those steeped in the practice and philosophy.
“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. The yoga tradition views each human being as a multi-dimensional system that includes numerous aspects- including body, breath, and mind (intellect and emotions) – and their mutual interactions. Yoga therapy is founded on the basic principle that intelligent practice can positively influence the direction of change within these human dimensions, which are distinct from an individual’s unchanging nature or spirit.
The goals of yoga therapy include eliminating, reducing and/or managing symptoms that cause suffering; improving function; helping to prevent the occurrence or re-occurrence of underlying cause of illness; and moving toward improved health and well-being.”
(IAYT 4/2016 – Scope of Practice for Yoga Therapy)
PHYSICAL:
The applications of Yoga Therapy range anywhere from maintaining health, to recovering from illness. The first stage of healing involves the movement of vital forces in the system. By promoting the flow of prana, or vital force, yoga combats those blockages, restoring the basic condition for health. Common applications for Yoga Therapy also serve structural problems such as spine misalignments or joint function. Deeper applications may even aid more intractable or chronic problems such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, multiple sclerosis, osteo/rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, hypertension and hyperlipidimia.
PSYCHOLOGICAL:
A growing body of research has linked the benefits of a regular yoga practice to the reduction of symptoms in depression, anxiety and addiction. A good example would be the way Yoga Therapy can help overcome panic attacks. By practicing a balancing breathing technique, a sense of control is gained, and fear/anxiety diminish as well. On a psychological level, the introspection promoted by yoga is essential to the self-knowledge process that fuels psychic transformation. The different relaxation techniques allow the troubled mind to calm and decrease its activity while promoting stability. An 8 week study at Virginia Commonwealth University School of Nursing in 2012, entitled:- “Long Term Effects of Yoga for Major Depressive Disorder and Opportunities for Promoting Mental Health in Underserved Population” concluded:
- That yoga is a promising complementary health approach for those with depressive symptoms.
- Yoga practice had both short and long term positive effects on depressive symptoms and ruminations.
- Yoga intervention was feasible and acceptable for the study population.
- Sustained yoga practice, even if infrequent, led to continued improvements in depressive symptoms, stress, and anxiety over time.
- Exposure to yogic practices carried a sustained effect.
SPIRITUAL:
The integration of mind and body is very important for the healing process, but perhaps the main area where yoga is helpful is the inclusion of the “spiritual” realm into the equation. Even if the student or patient belongs to no religion, or even if she or he does not acknowledge the existence of spirit, the practice of these techniques, such as meditation, prayer, mantra recitation and chanting can eventually integrate this aspect of the self.
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What is the difference between a yoga class and a yoga therapy session?
(From an article by Gary Kraftsow)
“When clients seek out a yoga therapist or a therapeutic group, they are usually not coming to learn yoga, but to get help with or relief from some symptom or health condition that is troubling them. In most cases, the instruction focuses on their condition and how the yoga techniques can help them feel better or improve their function, rather than on the techniques or methods of yoga practice. […]”When clients seek out a yoga therapist or a therapeutic group, they are usually not coming to learn yoga, but to get help with or relief from some symptom or health condition that is troubling them. In most cases, the instruction focuses on their condition and how the yoga techniques can help them feel better or improve their function, rather than on the techniques or methods of yoga practice. […]
Rather than focusing on yoga methods and practices, yoga therapists fundamentally focus on their clients’ needs. Their job is to understand why their clients have come to see them and determine what they can do to support them. To help them in their work, therapists are trained to assess clients through listening, questioning, observing, and appropriately touching. Therapists look for ways to help their clients reduce or manage their symptoms, improve their function, and help them with their attitude in relation to their health conditions. After assessing clients, therapists establish appropriate goals, develop a practice intervention, and then teach clients to practice that intervention. In this sense, therapists choose yoga techniques in relation to how they will specifically benefit individual clients.
Please click here to read the full article.
“Yoga therapy is a self-empowering process, where the care-seeker, with the help of the Yoga therapist, implements a personalized and evolving Yoga practice, that not only addresses the illness in a multi-dimensional manner, but also aims to alleviate his/her suffering in a progressive, non-invasive and complementary manner. Depending upon the nature of the illness, Yoga therapy can not only be preventative or curative, but also serve a means to manage the illness, or facilitate healing in the person at all levels.”
TKV Desikachar