What are the benefits of Yoga Therapy and what does a session with Elevate Therapy look like?
What is Yoga Therapy?
Yoga therapy is a process of empowering you to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of yoga. The purpose of yoga therapy is centered around spiritual practices and cultivating awareness, self-regulation, and higher consciousness.
The three main tools used in yoga are:
Movement of the body.
Focus of the Breath.
Meditation through withdrawing the senses and bringing focus inward.
The principles of yoga can be practiced by anyone; any age, body type, or ability. There are no requirements to begin. As a yoga therapist, Grace emphasizes the importance of Svadhyaya, which in yoga means self-study. In order to Evolve in our own selves and feel aligned and connected to our true power, we have to put in our work. Yoga emphasizes self-study through principles of becoming aware of our own patterns and responses to life as well as how we relate to other people and the community. Through self-study, we commit to ourselves through mental, emotional, and physical practices to help support the life we want to live. This is what is taught and explored in Yoga Therapy.
Who benefits from Yoga Therapy?
Yoga therapy is a commitment. Through weekly or biweekly sessions, you commit to helping yourself grow into a thriving, healthy person. It can help to improve respiratory and cardiovascular function, supplement recovery from and treatment for mental health, reduce stress and chronic pain, and improve sleep patterns. Yoga therapy can be a support and preventative method to the overall health and wellbeing of a person.
Anxiety:
Anxiety creeps into all aspects of our lives. It can be debilitating. If you experience anxiety, you may have constant ruminating thoughts and/or physical pains in your body such as your chest or abdomen. You might have chronic pain or muscle tension often. Anxiety has a strong physical component just as much as a mental component. In yoga therapy, we address both. We have to address the physical as well as the mental in order to help you feel less anxious and more comfortable in life. We want you to go to the social gathering or complete your day at work without anxiety creeping in.
In treating anxiety with yoga therapy, you will be able to become more aware of your true, underlying feelings and be able to cope with them in a way that is best for you. We help you regulate the nervous system, which helps your mind and body feel less anxious, and more calm.
Trauma:
If you have experienced trauma, you may just be realizing that you need to process it and heal or you may have been dealing with symptoms for years. Either way, yoga therapy helps you to bring your nervous system back down to a calm state of being. When trauma has happened in your life, our bodies hold onto the memory and store it in our nervous system. This then enables us to react towards situations in life like we are still experiencing the trauma. Yoga helps release this trauma from our body and minds so that we can heal and move past the pain.
Yoga therapy can help those suffering from trauma by decreasing negative coping mechanisms, such as negative self-talk, numbing out, anxiety, depression and toxic relationship patterns. Yoga therapy helps you replace these negative coping mechanisms with safe coping mechanisms such as finding safe ways to process your feelings, getting into a routine, prioritizing self-care, and releasing the fears associated with the trauma.
Self-Exploration:
Self-exploration is important for individuals who are a healing journey to help you gather your thoughts and feelings and process through how to use them with your creativity. Yoga therapy supports on your journey through guiding you back to your roots; looking at the ‘why’ behind the passions towards your creativity, and finding the answers to the questions you have about yourself.
Yoga can also benefit you by learning emotion regulation through giving you tools to handle whatever emotion comes up. It involves allowing the creative to start rethinking challenging situations which will, in turn, help you navigate whatever you have going on in front of you.
Eating Disorders:
Eating disorders are a form of mental illness that is characterized by a dysfunctional relationship with food and negative body image. Yoga therapy helps you build a stronger relationship with your body so that you can feel more comfortable in your own skin. Sometimes, we have to go from hating our body to feeling neutral about it before we could ever say we like or even love our body. In yoga therapy, Grace meets you where you are in your life and whatever you're wanting to work through.
If you feel disconnected from your body and have a negative self-image, it can be extremely vulnerable and scary to be in your body. Knowing this, we are able to take things at a pace that is right for you. We help you engage with your body in ways you may not have experienced before to help further support you in your health.
What Can Yoga Therapy Look Like Here At Elevate Therapy?
Grace brings in multiple different tools and practices to help you find the best practices for you. She formulates a practice based on what you bring to session that day. Generally, sessions look like talking through what is on your mind and heart at that time and then being guided through a practice of meditation, breathwork and/or physical movement. She might also bring in some mental and emotional regulation tools to help you become aware of your patterns and coping mechanisms.
Meditation (Pratyahara)
Meditation is a practice that guides you to withdraw your senses to become aware of the present moment. The goal is not to have a “blank mind” but to be able to have feelings and thoughts come up, note them, and allow them to pass. Meditation can also be an opportunity to help you connect to your higher power and draw on this connection for further growth and health. It is a truly powerful opportunity for you to connect with your mind and body in a way that promotes deep healing.
Breathwork (Pranayama)
Using our breath is the quickest and most effective way to regulate our nervous system. Breath helps calm the body and the mind when there is anxiety as well as bring energy to the body when there is a lack of energy. Grace finds breathwork invaluable in any kind of growth and healing. There are different ways to work with the breath, and the more you can learn how to work with your breath, it brings a profound connection to your mind and body.
Physical Postures (Asana)
Physical movement and posture allows your body to open up to a situation or to wrap yourself up to protect parts of yourself whether physical or emotional. Yoga postures can help you move through physical or emotional pain and discomfort. You may be experiencing chronic back, hip or neck pain or need to find a way to make yoga work for you in your daily life. Maybe you want to deepen your yoga practice and learn ways to best support your body.
You may be wanting to learn ways to help support yourself on an emotional level and physical postures can help you move energy (emotions) throughout the body to help process them. Whatever you're looking for, Grace can meet you where you are and find what works best.
If yoga therapy is something you would like to begin a journey on, we are accepting new clients here at Evolve Therapy. To get started, use our contact page to send over your details, and Grace will be in touch with you within 24 hours. We hope to be able to support you through your healing journey.
“Yoga is a light, which once lit will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter your flame.” — B.K.S. Iyengar
