As a Yoga Teacher & Therapist, I can sometimes take for granted that tools and knowledge that I have at my disposal. When I stop and think about how transformative these have been for myself and others, I am reminded of the responsibility I have to share them as widely as possible. And so this blog post is a nudge towards that sharing.
Yoga Therapy is a powerful route towards healing and one that has not yet been fully realised by our healthcare system, although it is starting to catch on in pockets. I am often asked what Yoga Therapy is and I find it more and more difficult to answer! However, In this article I shall endeavour to do just that, and explain how this healing modality can be so helpful in some of the most common health issues of our age; Stress, Anxiety, Burnout & Depression.
What is Yoga Therapy?
At it's core Yoga Therapy is a modality that adapts Yoga practices to the client's specific health challenges, with the aim of improving their current level wellbeing. These practices may involve the physical Yoga postures we see in a Yoga class, but it may well not. Sessions could involve breathing techniques, relaxation, meditation, or discussion and reflection. Sessions will be as unique at the person themselves and reflect the overarching client's aims, as well as any needs that present on the day. I often find definitions of Yoga Therapy a little restrictive, so I also like to focus on the benefits when explaining what it is. The main benefits of Yoga Therapy as a modality is; its holistic and tailored nature, the client-therapist relationship, and the application into the client's wider life.
Holistic & Tailored
When I work with a Yoga therapy client, the magic begins through understanding the client holistically through the various Yogic perspectives. By understanding where the person is physically, energetically, mentally, emotionally & spiritually, you can begin to see common threads and then go on to tailor the sessions to their exact needs on many levels, meaning that felt benefits are often multi-faceted.
Client-Therapist Relationship
Along side this deep, holistic understanding of the client is the relationship that builds between client and therapist. Essential to any therapeutic relationship, is the importance of building a sense of trust. This comes through holding space for the client to be seen, heard & understood. As with many therapies, the aim is for clients to leave feeling empowered in making their own choices for improved health and wellness as they move through their healing journey.
Lifestyle Impact
Yoga Therapy is also unique in that it offers plentiful ways that what is practised in session, can directly impact lifestyle choices. This is hugely powerful! It means that the benefits are not just for the therapy room, but for the person's life as a whole. In fact, because of this it is crucial that a Yoga Therapist keep this notion close to mind as they suggest things for their client to practise at home. If those suggestions are not practical, sustainable, or realistic they will not filter through in to life.
When Would a Person Seek Yoga Therapy?
Yoga Therapy can be hugely supportive for so many health & wellbeing issues. From health challenges such as Arthritis, Fibromyalgia, Postnatal Depression, back pain, Parkinson's Disease, chronic pain, Diabetes, PTSD... In fact, the list could continue for many more health issues. Often Yoga Therapists will specialise in a one or a few related conditions, offering an extra dose of expertise to their work. My area of expertise includes applying Yoga Therapy to those struggling with Chronic Stress, Anxiety, Burnout & Depression. So how and why might Yoga Therapy be of use for those managing these particular challenges?
Stress & Anxiety
Yoga has been repeatedly found to lower perceived feelings of stress and the physiological markers of it. From lowering levels of stress hormones in your body, helping to lower blood pressure and heart rate, at a basic level Yoga literally reduces the effects that stress may be having on your body. The combination of the variety of physical movements and breath work, alongside having your attention mindfully directed to your body, breath, or some other focus, allows a person to come into their 'parasympathetic nervous system'. Quite simply, it puts the relaxation response back into your body, or at least lures you much closer to it. When a person has generalised Anxiety, or is struggling with panic attacks, repeated practise of coming into their 'relaxation mode', over time can help the person's 'stress baseline' to reset at a lower level. This can ease feelings of anxiety and reduce the experience of panic attacks. This of course, is in a Yoga class context and it must be pointed out that not every style of Yoga may be suitable in these circumstances. As with many things, it is about finding the right class and teacher for each individual and their specific needs.
Within a Yoga Therapy context, the person's stress and/or anxiety would be understood on a much deeper level. Both client and Therapist would seek to understand how the stress and anxiety is affecting the person, what in particular triggers feelings of stress/anxiety the most, what thoughts and emotions are related to these triggers, and whether there is some underlying thought or belief at the heart of their stress and anxiety. There may also be some underlying trauma that is at the heart of the person's stress and anxiety, in which case a different approach may be needed. Through careful observation and dialogue with the client, specific practices will be selected, explored at a pace to suit the client and adjusted as needed.
These practices will be as unique as the client is. This being said, practices for stress and anxiety often include physical postures that help to ease tension, as well as those that help a person to feel grounded. They also often include breathing techniques that specifically seek to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, or the 'relaxation mode'. Guided relaxation, as well as mindfulness practices may also be used, as well as discussion & reflection time to help integrate the practices. At the right time, the Therapist may also gently guide the client to explore lifestyle choices that could support them in further reducing unnecessary stress in their lives, as well as empower them to develop strategies and self-care that supports their needs better.
Burnout
In the case of Burnout, research has also shown Yoga therapy to be effective in helping people recover and to improve energy levels. When somebody is burnt out, it refers to a complete physical, mental, emotional and spiritual exhaustion. Burnout currently feels like an epidemic and those in caring professions or roles are often the ones most hit. Because burnout affects ALL aspects of a person's being Yoga Therapy is uniquely placed to support a person on all those levels. The world of Yoga includes many practices that are deeply restorative and relaxing, as well as uplifting and energising. Yoga also provides practices that supports a person's nervous system to get better at regulating itself, building resilience over time. Armed with this knowledge a Yoga Therapist can carefully select the right practices that help a client to recover from burnout and move towards greater balance.
The art in using Yoga therapy as a modality for burnout is in carefully listening and observing the client to know whether they are in need of restoration, or whether they are ready to explore practices that look to energise and uplift. In this way, practices can look very different depending on the client. They may include movement routines that stretch and invigorate, or they may include a lot of supported lying down and practise of relaxation. They may also include helping the client to cultivate compassion towards themselves, if through discussion and reflection they have noticed feelings of guilt, shame, or self-critical thoughts. Guided by the pace of the client, the therapist may also encourage reflections on what led up to the experience of burnout and what changes, or support might be needed in the future.
Depression
Just as stress and anxiety impact the physical body, so does depression. The focus for treating depression in recent years has been on addressing the biochemical differences in the brain - namely serotonin levels, although there are others involved too. Medication alongside talk therapies is the most common route of treatment for those with clinical depression. On this purely physiological level, Yoga has been repeatedly found to boost and help regulate the production of these chemicals in the brain, perhaps one of the reasons people often report that 'feel good' feeling after a great Yoga class. The introspective, mindful nature of Yoga and perhaps being part of a community may also offer benefits too. As mentioned with stress, anxiety & burnout, depression affects all layers of a person, not just their brain chemistry. Depression is not just feeling sad. A person's sleep-wake cycle is often disrupted, usual daily activities become difficult, they can lose interest in things they once found enjoyable, it affects their appetite, decision making, and many more aspects too.
Yoga Therapy for depression would be able to select those specific practices to help support that person's biochemistry as a Yoga class would. These practices may include movement and breathing techniques that seek to uplift, energise and find harmony. Yet on a deeper layer, it would be important for the Therapist to observe how the client responds to these practices and enquire with them a little further. Questions such as; 'what prompted this episode of depression?', could help elicit whether the person is experiencing depression as a response to a traumatic event, whether they are in grief, or have unprocessed emotions that have yet to be acknowledged. Questions about the person's lifestyle and roles can also help the client to uncover areas where they are deeply unhappy, which may also be contributing to their experience of depression. As with all the health challenges mentioned, having a compassionate and empathic approach is fundamental and the discussions and reflections that the client has in session will be just as important as the practices given.
The Yoga Therapy Journey
When entering in to Yoga Therapy, it can be difficult to know what to expect. This is both true for client and Therapist as each person's journey is unique. A person may come along with chronic stress and have the goal of finding greater balance in their day-to-day lives, but after the first few sessions realise that they are actually really unhappy at work and change is needed. This kind of thing is common because it is only when we slow down and connect with ourselves do we really get to grips with how we are truly feeling.
Yoga Therapy is an investment in yourself. It is a way to support whatever challenges you are facing right now through a whole person approach. Within this journey, there will likely be times of greater ease, comfort and relief. Yet there may also be moments of discomfort too. This is all part of getting to the root of things and is an important part of healing. Your Therapist will guide you there gently and will be skilled in knowing if and when the right time comes along.
While it is hard to sum up what you can expect from Yoga Therapy, here is a list of things you can expect:
Connecting with and understanding yourself more deeply
Being heard, seen and empathised with
Space to be yourself and to speak freely
A greater understanding of which yoga styles and practices will be of most benefit to you
Ways to incorporate what you learn about yourself and the relevant practices into your daily life
Feeling, sensing & befriending your emotions
Having the space held with compassion and non-judgement
The Yoga Therapy journey is a fluid, organic process that evolves with you. Your Therapist will respond and adapt the sessions according to whatever unfolds. This is what makes it so powerful, because it adapts to what you need as you change.
I find it such a privilege to hold space for people as they move through this process. I remind myself of that privilege before each session. I believe we all hold the wisdom of what we really need deep with us. With this in mind, my aim when working with a client is to simply hold the space and use the practices from Yoga, to gently support you in finding your way back towards this inner knowing.
Interested in Working With Me?
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Nichola Day
Registered Yoga Teacher & Yoga Therapist
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