What is Yoga Therapy?

Yoga therapy is the application of yogic principles and practices to promote health and wellbeing for the whole person: body, mind, and soul. According to yoga therapy the root cause of all dis-ease is avidya, or lack of self-knowledge.

Throughout our lives we’ve been conditioned by our experiences from our social environment. Our culture, religion, relationships we’ve had, illnesses and traumas we’ve experienced; all of these influence who we are, how we feel, what we believe about ourselves, others, and how we interact with our world. When we start to question our conditioning, we’re unlocking the door to self-knowledge and transforming ourselves from reactors to becoming witness to our experiences. When we make this transformation, we’re able to pause, reflect, and make choices from a neutral state.

Yoga therapy doesn’t treat the symptoms of dis-ease like allopathic medicine. Instead, it views the person in five layers: physical, energetic, emotional, mental, and spiritual. According to yoga therapy, when all 5 layers are in balance the person experiences wholeness in body, mind and spirit. 

From my personal experience, talk therapy provides clients with a safe container to express their emotions. This gives clients opportunities for connection, reflection, understanding and compassion for themselves and others. However, since only 10% of what we experience turns into conscious memory, most talk therapy techniques are ignoring the other 90% of memory that’s being stored in our tissues and cells.  This is why I started adding yoga therapy techniques to talk therapy sessions. When we can get out of our heads and get back into our bodies, we discover a more balanced state of being and living.

Yoga therapy is client-centered, meaning that each session is personally curated to meet the client’s needs and goals. Each session provides clients with a combination of yoga poses, somatics, breathing exercises, restorative yoga and guided meditation. In both the 6 and 12-week program we use talk therapy to uncover hidden beliefs and yoga therapy tools to release what’s holding you back on a physical, mental and spiritual level.

When we encounter trauma or illness on our life journey, we’re being offered an opportunity to transform and awaken through self-knowledge. The moment we start questioning our conditioning we’ve already started the healing process. Schedule your free phone consultation today.

I’ve only worked with Ashley for a few months, however, in those few months I’ve seen a change in both my physical and emotional well-being.

I tend to have a type A personality and as such my workouts are usually fast paced, physically challenging, and demanding. Prior to my time with Ashley, I also viewed yoga as a workout; therefore, practiced athletic forms like Vinyasa and Astanga. However, after meeting Ashley and experiencing her compassionate way of teaching yoga therapy, I’ve learned that yoga can be a vehicle to emotional and physical wellness.

Working with Ashley, I’ve been introduced to a variety of healing poses for whatever ails the body and mind. Ashley designs the yoga sequence to match how I’m feeling emotionally and physically that day while also addressing the goals that we’ve been working on together since our initial session. She really takes the time to listen and make sure my needs are met in each session. For example, I have neck and lower back issues that we’ve been working to release. She is mindful to address those issues when creating the restorative poses for our sessions that are safe and effective.

Most importantly, Ashley’s spirit, enthusiasm, and desire to help others shine through her teachings and guided meditations have taught me to be more kind and patient with myself. I always leave our time together feeling more positive and sense of inner peace. For these reasons, I would recommend  Ashley to anyone who has a desire to experience an awakening journey.

-Amy