Yoga therapy is an emerging modality that uses the timeless practice of yoga to help restore health physically, mentally and spiritually. Yoga postures, known as “asanas” in Samskrta, help to balance the body’s various systems through a number of mechanisms.
For example, postures can be “prescribed” by an experienced yoga therapist to help put gentle pressure on the various glands and sub-glands of the body, thereby regulating the flow of hormonal secretions in our bloodstream. This can have many add-on effects, including a subtle and profound impact on emotional states.
Research suggests that the postures work to balance the human propensities (such as fear, anger, greed, helplessness and despair), which may become out-of-balance due to our lifestyles, our lack of contact with nature or our exposure to influences around us. By engaging in yoga therapy techniques, we are able to rebalance our connection to heart and mind and find a state of relaxation and tranquility. Postures have physiological benefits as well and are known to slow down our breathing rate, restore our cardiovascular function (by slowing the heart rate), help with muscle tension, nervous system responses, joint flexibility, back pain and more.
Yoga therapy sessions are run by experienced, certified, yoga therapists and can be done as one-on-one sessions or in a group setting.