What is Yoga Therapy?
Evidence-Based Holistic Health. Personalized for YOU.
Yoga Therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga.
Yoga Therapy is a holistic healing modality that focuses on the treatment and healing of the whole person to achieve optimal health, healing, and well- being. As an evidence-based practice that is supported through both by modern clinical research and thousands of years of historical application, Yoga Therapy comes alongside conventional medical therapies and treatments to carefully, safely, and effectively address the suffering, disease, and dis-ease that may arise within any and all domains of the individual experience.
Supported by a growing body of modern medical research for its safety, efficacy, and accessibility, Yoga Therapy involves the professional adaptation and application of Yogic and Ayurvedic principles, practices, and techniques (including movement, breathwork, meditation, relaxation, and lifestyle intervention) to address and ameliorate individual challenges to physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual health. Yoga Therapy helps individuals better manage their condition, reduce symptoms, restore balance, increase vitality, and improve overall outcomes and well-being. Through its holistic, whole-person approach, Yoga Therapy gently invites presence, awareness, and intuition into the healing journey, helping patients establish a more compassionate, loving, and non-judgmental relationship to their individual health, well-being, and healing process.
Within the therapeutic relationship between a professional Yoga Therapist and their patient, treatment is personalized, collaborative, and regularly re- assessed so as to best support the specific needs, goals, and progress of the patient and their condition(s). Yoga Therapy treatment includes personalized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management, and individualized practices that progressively and intuitively aid the patient in achieving their particular physical, psychological, spiritual, or physiological goal(s).
While many people are familiar with yoga as a group fitness class, Yoga Therapy is a highly specialized clinical discipline that uses therapeutic yoga practices to address specific health conditions. Yoga therapists undergo extensive training in anatomy, physiology, mental health, and therapeutic application of yoga practices. Sessions are conducted one-on-one and tailored to each patient’s unique medical history, health goals, and lifestyle.
Yoga Therapy may incorporate a range of targeted therapeutic approaches, including:
• Evidence-based breathwork techniques that help regulate the nervous system
• Somatic movement practices designed to support mobility and reduce pain
• Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) strategies
• Meditation and attention training to support emotional regulation
• Yogic counseling and lifestyle guidance that help build sustainable daily wellness routines
Research in integrative and behavioral medicine continues to demonstrate that yoga-based therapeutic interventions can reduce stress hormones, improve mood regulation, enhance sleep quality, support immune function, and help manage chronic pain.
What Conditions Does Yoga Therapy Help?
• Mental health conditions – including depression, anxiety, trauma, PTSD, grief, and addiction recovery
• Chronic pain and musculoskeletal conditions – including back pain, sciatica, arthritis, and migraines
• Cancer care support – helping manage fatigue, sleep disruption, emotional stress, and quality of life during and after treatment
• Stress-related and nervous system disorders – including chronic stress, burnout, and nervous system dysregulation
• Digestive and gastrointestinal conditions – including IBS and inflammatory bowel disorders
• Autoimmune and inflammatory diseases – such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
• Hormonal and life-stage health – including pregnancy, postpartum recovery, fertility support, menopause, and healthy aging
• Cardiovascular and metabolic health – including hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes management
• Respiratory conditions – including asthma and COPD
• Neurological recovery – including stroke recovery, migraines, and chronic fatigue
One of the most valuable outcomes of Yoga Therapy is learning how to develop a personalized daily wellness routine. Patients leave sessions with practical tools they can integrate into everyday life to support long-term health and nervous system balance.
While acute diseases and conditions fall outside the scope of practice of the Yoga Therapist (such as recent injuries and illnesses), Yoga Therapy is hugely beneficial for the treatment and management of chronic conditions, rehabilitation after the acute phase of injury or illness, and long-term prevention and mitigation of health challenges.
Yoga Therapists work integratively and collaboratively with the entire clinical care team to best support the patient on their healing journey.
Expert Care Customized to You + Your Unique Healing Journey.
Yoga Therapy is personalized to meet the specific needs, goals, and desired outcomes of the individual, therefore treatment duration may vary from short- term support (over the course of several weeks) to providing more long-term management (lasting months or years). The course and duration of treatment depends entirely on the individual patient, their condition(s), and their desired goals and outcomes.
This unique, holistic approach to healing and whole-person healthcare ensures that no Yoga Therapy treatment or session is ever the same. Each session is a dynamic collaboration between Yoga Therapist and client, affording a greater degree of flexibility, responsiveness, and adaptability than many other approaches to health and wellness may allow, ensuring the Yoga Therapist is better able to meet the needs of the individual just as they are.
Yoga Therapy is inclusive, accessible, adaptable, and customizable.
It respects individual differences in age, culture, religion, philosophy, occupation, and mental and physical health, and is applied with great care and intention to best meet the patient where they are, as they are, throughout their unique healing journey.