Why Yoga Therapy?
We live in a stressful world. Stress, diet culture, old patterns of thinking - these are all contributors to why we feel disconnected from our bodies, and maybe even our lives. We might feel active frustration with our bodies, or we might just feel numb and unplugged. An unhappy or numb relationship to the body ripples out, and can impact how we enjoy life.
Across the vast constellation of experiences, I believe that yoga therapy is a gentle, welcoming path to feeling comfortable and peaceful within our bodies. Yoga therapy looks at the whole person, and the world around us, and meets us exactly as we are without judgement.
Yoga therapy with All Bodies Welcome Yoga supports you in dismantling unrealistic standards and expectations that have taken unwanted root in your view of your body and abilities. Together we can build an outlook of fearless honesty in how you relate to your self.
What is Yoga Therapy?
Yoga therapy uses the modalities of yoga - movement and postures, breath work, meditation, and even philosophy - to the address the challenges in our lives. Yoga therapy is different than yoga classes, and even private yoga sessions, because it follows an individualized agenda that takes into account your whole being - your physical being, of course, but also what’s going on in your mental, social, and lifestyle worlds. Yoga therapy as a profession is growing in recognition within the Western medical world, and taking root within hospitals, rehabilitation programs, recovery programs, and beyond. You can read more about the yoga therapy profession here.
In 2023 I started a multi year program to become a certified yoga therapist. In 2024 I’ll be working as a yoga therapist in training under the supervision of my very knowledgable faculty at Inner Peace Yoga Therapy .
As a yoga therapist, I want to help you progress towards your goals with compassion, patience, and fun, outside of rigid mainstream concepts of “fitness and wellness”. The same principles that have guided All Bodies Welcome Yoga’s teaching ethos continue to thrive in my yoga therapy practice: accessibility, intersectional feminism, dismantling diet culture, and joy!
How Does Yoga Therapy Work?
All of my yoga therapy programming is virtual and practiced over Zoom at this time.
Yoga therapy starts with a consultation - you complete an in depth questionnaire, and then we meet together to discuss the goals you are interested in, what I have observed from the questionnaire, and the potential program that I would recommend. During our initial meeting, I will also observe your posture and mobility, and we will practice yoga together. This practice will include a variety of yoga modalities, and it will be accessible and tailored to you. Consultations take 75-90 minutes.
After a consultation, you can sign up for the frequency of sessions that work best for you. For new clients, it is at minimum a weekly 30 minute session. During our sessions I will introduce practices that you can utilize on your own. I might assign homework or provide you with recordings to supplement your personal practice between sessions. I will periodically ask you to reassess qualities of life like your stress levels, sleep, mobility, etc, to see how we are progressing from your initial questionnaire. Ultimately, I am the program guide, but you are the evaluator, and we move at your pace and as you and your body need!
I do not diagnose physical or mental health disorders, I do not recommend medications, and I do not provide any diet or nutritional advice. There are talented professionals in those fields for those needs! I am able to communicate with your health care team, at your request, and I can review instructions from doctors or physical therapists to weave into your yoga therapy program.