Truthfully one must admit that, at its core, all yoga is therapeutic in nature, that is to say, it can relax, strengthen and lengthen the body. It can increase lung capacity, balance, mental acuity and postural alignment. So what then is the difference between the yoga that is commonly practiced and Therapeutic Yoga?

Most yoga practiced in the United States today has been widely commercialized. Classes are attended and conducted with little consideration for the transformative impact a yoga practice can have on the body, the mind and most important, the spirit of the practitioner. In fact, in contemporary settings, very little emphasis is placed on understanding the student’s current constitution or levels of health and what would be the best practices for them individually. The student’s simply show up and take a class without really understanding what it’s doing to or for them. The general responsibility in this situation falls with the instructor to know what the class or individual needs and to tailor the class accordingly. Issues commonly arise when instructors lack the necessary understanding or education in these very subjects.

The field of yoga therapy has been around for centuries and finds its roots with such visionaries as Krishnamacharya and Swami Satyananda Saraswati and filters down to us today through disciples such as B.K.S. Iyengar, T.K.V. Desikachar and Dr. Swami Shankardevananda as well as all the students who follow in their footsteps.

Though its roots run deep, mainstream yoga therapy in the United States is just starting to come into its own. This is due in large part to the fact that Therapeutic Yoga is truly a healing modality. The yoga therapy practitioner utilizes Asana, Pranayama, Mantra and various yogic cleanses as tools to bring about healing and overall balance to the mind, body and spirit, thus facilitating a more holistic level of healing for the client.

Unlike the typical group yoga class, a typical therapeutic Yoga session takes place one-on-one between a client and yoga therapist. A thorough, multifaceted intake process is conducted where the all aspects of the client’s well-being are explored, understood and documented. Once this is complete, client and therapist both begin to work together using specific practices to facilitate the desired outcome of a balanced and whole system.

A yoga therapist ideally has a deep and expansive skill set and has typically studied other healing modalities such as Ayurveda, massage therapy, Medical Astrology etc. This comprehensive skill set allows the therapist to view the client from an interdisciplinary perspective, assessing and addressing the client’s current state of health on all levels including the physical, mental, energetic and karmic aspects of being.

In an effort to further this art, we here at 7 Centers are proud to offer to the community, a weekly therapeutic yoga class every Saturday from 4:30 – 6:00 PM, as well as a monthly donation based yoga therapy clinic, which focuses on a different aspect or system of health and wellness each month.

(Re-printed from Four Corners Magazine)

== COMING UP NEXT MONTH ( I promise )==


“From The Ground Up: The Therapeutic Foundations Of Asana”


Jeff Masters LMT, CYT, MPCT, MSc. (Hon.) is the founder and directory of Thunder Mountain Wellness Center in Sedona. He can be reached at (928) 600-2609 or visit http://www.tmwc.org for appointments or consultations.

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