You might have stumbled onto this page because you are looking to soothe your anxiety. Maybe you are lost in thought, your gaze is fixed, and your heart is racing. Your mind is a swirling tornado of words and sounds, and you are out of breath. You simultaneously desire to step off this hamster wheel of thoughts yet are compelled to remain. Most people will experience anxiety at some point in their lives, drawing their full attention to a uniquely stressful situation.
For most people, once the crisis is over, the feeling of anxiety ends as well. However, for some, anxiety can feel like a full-time emotion that leaves us feeling powerless over our thoughts and regretful of overreacting to events, whether real or perceived. Yoga Therapy offers a refreshing counterpoint to this anxious chaos. Instead of adding more and more to our already full lives, it encourages us to turn inwards and let go of the filters through which we see the world.
What is Yoga Therapy
& How is it Different from Yoga?
Going back to the origin of yoga thousands of years ago, all yoga was in theory a therapeutic practice. However, in the way that yoga has evolved and often been stripped down to a fitness exercise, not all yoga as it is being shared today is therapeutic, especially when it comes to mental and emotional health. Traditionally, yoga was also shared one-on-one (one teacher to one student), to ensure the practices were suitable for the individual.
Many group yoga classes offer a stronger sense of community and will teach you general yoga techniques, but it’s typically not feasible to address individual concerns or offer individualized practices.
Yoga Therapy differs from group yoga classes in a few ways:
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sessions are conducted one-on-one or with a small group that has one therapeutic goal (ie. emotional balance, anxiety, trauma-informed, etc)
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the practices shared with you are tailored to you and what you are experiencing in your life right now
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the yoga adapts to you (how much time you have, what you can do, what resonates with you), not the other way around
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Both group yoga classes and individual sessions can be beneficial! It all depends on what you’re looking for and what your intention is.
Yoga allows. It allows calm.
It allows stillness.
Who is Yoga Therapy For?
Yoga Therapy is for everyone! It is for people of all ages, all genders, all experience levels, and all walks of life. If you are a trained yoga teacher, someone that is skeptical about mind-body therapy or someone that has dabbled in the practice. From novice to expert, Therapeutic Yoga molds its delivery to the student it is serving and takes form to the experience and comfortability of the student. Your yoga instructor will work with you to determine a treatment plan that is tailor-made for you and matches your personal comfortability.
Yoga Therapy Heals
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Depression
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Chronic pain
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Chronic health conditions
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Stress mismanagement
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Emotional dysregulation
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Generalized Anxiety Disorder
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
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Somatic concerns
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Insomnia
The Facts: Yoga therapy was developed after several research studies indicated the positive effects of yoga on people suffering from depression and chronic pain. Therapeutic yoga uses traditional yoga postures to treat chronic health conditions. Most practitioners that use therapeutic yoga are also trained in the use of other therapeutic interventions
Why Choose Repose?
All of our Repose instructors are certified and licensed yoga teachers, or yoga therapists. Our therapeutic yoga instructors are qualified professionals that work from a client-centered, LGBTQIA+ affirming, and sex & body-positive lens. Repose has trained yoga teachers who are licensed psychotherapists as well as trauma-informed yoga teachers. At Repose, we encourage all of our clinicians to engage in continuous training, and discussion of their students’ experiences to ensure that any and all obstacles to individual success and healing, conscious or unconscious, are identified and addressed. Our instructors also closely collaborate with our psychotherapy practice to learn and adapt their instruction to be more trauma-informed.
