Yoga therapy is a flourishing practice that integrates mind, body and spirit to support holistic health on an individual level. Although yoga is a practice that originated in India thousands of years ago, a modern understanding of yoga therapy began in the early 19th century. I had the pleasure of sitting down with Barb, a Virginia yoga therapist, to learn more about the profession and practice.
HC: What does yoga therapy consist of?
Barb described the practice as complementary to other healing modalities, such as physical and occupational therapy. While other remedial interventions may deal with the physical body only, yoga serves to link the mind, body, and spirit. They don’t interfere with other practices, but rather add onto them. For example, a traditional Western doctor may not be able to locate the cause of pain, surmising that it is psychosomatic.
Barb: Well, yes, it is. It’s in your mind but now it’s stuck in your body.
Sometimes, we can subconsciously hold energy in the body that leads to pain. Yoga therapists examine the clients in a holistic context to promote health. The three goals of a yoga therapist are to get rid of pain, improve sleep, and lower stress.
HC: What was your journey to the profession?
Barb: My career choice was law enforcement, so I started as a police officer. After I had my son, I was looking for something different to do. I was stressed and busy; I had three step daughters, my son, and a full time job, working the midnight shift. So I was cranky, my hormones were off balance, my sleep was off balance, so I was looking for something. So I went and took a yoga class at a studio and I really liked it.
Barb continued to attend classes, which later turned into regular attendance at weekend seminars. Her teacher suggested that Barb get certified, since she had completed a plethora of training. She didn’t want to be a yoga teacher, but had intentions of learning the practice in depth, and went onto obtain 200 hours of additional training.
Barb: So, happenstance took place and I was a certified yoga instructor.
After about ten years, an opportunity rose to attend yoga therapy training. She was interested in working with clients on an individual, personalized level. Close to retirement, she decided to take the leap and complete a one thousand hour course over three years to obtain her yoga therapy certification.
HC: What do your sessions consist of?
Prior to meeting, clients complete an intake form. They answer questions regarding pain, sleep health, work life, family life, medical history and more to establish an understanding of their circumstances.
Barb: One of the main jobs of a yoga therapist is to get to know you. If I know you, and you have confidence in me, you’ll divulge things to me and we can really get down to the nitty gritty of what’s going on with you, and remedy it. A lot of times when you go to your doctor, you get 15 minutes, you don’t know them, they don’t know you. You tell them half the story because you only get 15 minutes, and you walk away dissatisfied. When you come to a yoga therapist, we want to develop a connection with the client so that they feel comfortable talking. We develop that relationship so we can help them heal themselves. As yoga therapists, we empower the client to heal themselves–I don’t do any healing. I give you the tools and you take care of your own problems. You bring yourself back into balance. We empower the client to want to feel better, sleep better, have less stress, and then they get the tools and do the work themselves.
Depending on personal circumstances, the yoga therapist will develop a practice for the client.
Barb: It may have nothing to do with yoga. It might just be visualization, you might be humming something. You might do some physical movement, which is similar to physical therapy, more so than yoga. In fact, most of my clients don’t even do yoga. It’s based on yoga, and the principles come from yoga, but it incorporates so many other modalities. Once we start working through issues, once we get the body free from pain, then we start working on other stuff: calming the mind so they can sleep well, lowering their stress level. And everything takes time, so it doesn’t get fixed overnight. So you have to be patient, and you really have to be dedicated to your own health and wellbeing.
HC: “How do you implement relaxation training into your practice?
Relaxation training is one of the major points in yoga therapy. Stress has been shown to be one of the major underlying causes of many conditions. One way they remedy stress is through the breath, as it has been proven to regulate the nervous system. However, there are many forms of relaxation training such as visualizations, mantras, humming, singing, and chanting. Each practice is tailored to the client based on their needs.
Barb: You have to find what works for the person. Your shoulder issue would be different from my shoulder issue. So your practice would be 100% different from my practice. We base it on the totality of the person. We listen to you and what is going to work in your life. We try to make things workable and doable for the client. We try to make it so that it flows into your life very easefully and it’s not an added stress.
HC: What are the benefits to relaxation training that you have seen in your clients?
Barb focuses on intentional breathing when working with her clients. Breathing to regulate the nervous system is a practice. By practicing, you prepare your body to center in ordinary situations.
Barb: You have to practice. The tools implemented to reach the centeredness is a muscle to work out, like a weightlifter. Practicing the tools is a workout.
When her clients find themselves in situations that stimulate their fight or flight response, a few moments using the tools can regulate their nervous systems. By practicing, your body will remember what you want to accomplish each time you use it.
HC: In a former yoga class, my professor called it your ‘center’ that you could tap into.
Barb: They call it your ‘Self’ with a capital S. That’s what a lot of yoga is about, just connecting you to your Self so that you learn your body. You learn what’s going on in your body, not only mechanically, but mentally, emotionally…I mean, it’s all interlinked.
HC: My professor would tell us during Savasana, ‘This is who you are. This is your true Self.
Barb: Exactly.
HC: What is your advice for someone interested in seeking a yoga therapist?
Barb referred me to the International Organization of Yoga Therapists. She recommends locating a certified practitioner in your area. You can also ask your chiropractor, who may know a yoga therapist to refer you to. Barb practices for her family and friends for free. Her circumstances as a retiree allow her to do this, and she doesn’t want to take away from the businesses of other yoga therapists who make a living off of the profession. She let me know that Surya Chandra Healing Yoga School is beginning yoga therapy training sessions this February in Culpepper, Virginia. They are offering client sessions for free when working with students in the program. If interested, reach out to Barb at Barb@schys.yoga.