What Is Yoga Therapy
Yoga Therapy merges Western understanding of anatomy, physiology and mind-body psychology with ancient Eastern Yogic practices. Yoga Techniques, such as postures, breath work, and meditation, are personally tailored to address your individual needs – no two people are the same, and therefore no two therapeutic treatments are the same.
Yoga Therapy assists individuals with physical, mental and/or emotional imbalances return to optimal health. Creating awareness is the first step to cultivating change in your body and mind. Through deepened awareness and increased knowledge, you become empowered with the skills necessary to transform and heal your body, mind and spirit, reducing your need to rely on external influences, such as medications.
As a holistic approach to healing, Yoga Therapy recognizes the interconnectedness of your emotions, thoughts and body; there is no separation between your body, mind and spirit. Therefore, what happens to the mind also happens to the body and spirit – if something is affecting you mentally, it is likely going to show up physically as well. For example, you may feel pain in your physical body from increased tension, which stretching and massage has only helped temporarily. The temporary relief these treatments provide may be because the pain you are experiencing in your body is not caused by issues in your physical body, but rather a result of emotional or mental holdings.
Feelings such as anxiety, fear, anger or sadness can manifest as physical tension and the only way to alleviate the tension is to address the source.
Yoga Therapy explores all layers of your being, rather than solely treating the symptoms, which allows for true healing to occur as opposed to “band-aid solutions.”
There is no specific timeline or recovery time – healing is based on your readiness to make meaningful change and stay committed to the practice.
Techniques that may be offered during Yoga Therapy sessions include:
- physical postures,
- breath work,
- meditation and mindfulness practices,
- Thai Massage, and
- explorations into emotional and mental states through dialogue and visualizations.
Yoga Therapy is beneficial for (and not limited to):
- recovering from physical illness or injury,
- increasing strength, flexibility, and balance,
- correcting structural and postural misalignments of the body,
- healing emotional traumas or holdings such as grief and depression,
- working through trauma such as Post-Traumatic Stress,
- relieving stress, anxiety, and fear,
- cultivating healthier relationships (with oneself and others), and
- improving motivation and energy.
One-on-One Yoga Therapy
Private Yoga Therapy sessions are between 1-1.5 hours long. After an initial intake and physical assessment using the Integrated Systems Model (ISM), Chelsea tailors the sessions specifically to your needs, while ensuring your safety and support throughout the experience. Integrated Systems Model Yoga Therapy focuses on determining the root cause of the issue (the driver), and developing a yoga program based on the assessment so that we can get you back to doing what is meaningful to you sooner rather than later. Working one-on-one, you have the benefit of a practice created specifically for you that includes physical postures, breath work, and/or meditation and visualizations. Through a collaborative effort between yourself and Chelsea, you will go home with a home program that will empower you with the knowledge and skills necessary to continue your healing journey.
In addition to the physical component of yoga therapy, private yoga therapy can include mind-body counseling. Through dialogue and visualization, we begin a deeper exploration of mental and emotional holding and trauma that might be stored in the body.
There is no recipe for healing and often lasting change requires consistent effort. A minimum of 4 one-on-one sessions is recommended, though not required.
Chelsea is available for One-on-One sessions at Chelsea Lee Yoga Therapy (Squamish, BC).