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.
– IAYT Educational Standards for the Training of Yoga Therapists (https://www.iayt.org/page/ContemporaryDefiniti)
Over the course of three introductory sessions, I work with students to find the practices that best support their lifestyle, goals, and any presenting ailments, injuries, or pathologies. This is done utilizing an intake assessment of presenting symptoms and a discussion about personal goals. Students fill out an intake form and I conduct an assessment of the physical body, breathing, and pulse. Students are given a practice to be completed at home daily.
Practice tools include ball rolling, physical movement, postures (āsana), breathing techniques (prānāyāma), self-led meditation (dhyāna), guided meditation, mindfulness-based practices, chanting (mantra), Yoga Nidra, and visualization (bhāvana).
Yoga therapy is the adaptation of yoga practices for people with health challenges. Yoga therapists prescribe specific regimens of postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques to suit individual needs. Medical research shows that Yoga therapy is among the most effective complementary therapies for several common aliments. The challenges may be an illness, a temporary condition like pregnancy or childbirth, or a chronic condition associated with old age or infirmity.
– Robin Monro, Ph.D. Yoga Biomedical Trust (http://www.yogatherapy.org/)

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 & Kausthub Desikachar (https://khyf.net)

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