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PsychByte: Yoga Therapy

Yoga Therapy

Yoga therapy involves the adaptation and application of traditional yoga techniques and practices, including poses and movement, breathing exercises, relaxation techniques and guided meditations, to help individuals facing health challenges manage their condition, restore balance and move towards optimum overall well-being. Research has shown that yoga therapy can be an effective adjunctive treatment for many conditions. For example, a recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry showed that a 10-week, weekly yoga program compared to supportive therapy can significantly reduce
PTSD symptomatology in women with chronic treatment-resistant PTSD. 
 
A yoga therapy session begins with a thorough intake that includes a review of symptoms, looking at posture and observing range of motion or any limitations in mobility through simple poses chosen for their specific needs. This is not limited to physical movement and poses; this might also include breathing techniques to help someone go to sleep at night or just begin to breathe at a fuller capacity, or guide them through a meditation to get in touch with the pain in their hip or low back. Yoga therapy focuses on the five koshas (e.g., physical, energetic, emotional, intellectual and spiritual), or the entire being. A session is designed to offer support and guidance so clients can work towards healing on their own. A group yoga therapy session is very similar, but targeted to individuals with a similar condition. Oftentimes, a group yoga therapy class is developed in a collaboration between the psychologist and the yoga therapist.
 
To learn more, visit www.embarqueyoga.com/yogatherapy;
 
Reference:
http://www.traumacenter.org/products/pdf_files/Yoga_Adjunctive_Treatment_PTSD_V0001.pdf
 
Contributor:
Alyssa A. Pfennig, E-RYT 200, RYT 500
Yoga Therapist + Founder
Embarque Yoga Therapy, LLC

"PsychBytes” is a weekly educational resource from the Indiana Psychological Association (IPA) provided for psychologists, their colleagues and their patients.