Yoga Therapy is not a Yoga Class

Yoga Therapy is where we meet the heart of yoga. The most purposeful, most clinically informed, individually tailored application of yogic practices.

It is not a class or a sequence of postures set in stone. It is not something you attend, it is something you receive. It is not a performance, not a posture, not a pursuit of flexibility or strength, but a profound and ancient technology for coming back into relationship with yourself.

Yoga therapy draws on the full breadth of the yogic tradition, physical postures, breathwork, meditation, yoga nidra, and relaxation practices, and applies them with clinical precision to support specific therapeutic outcomes. A yoga therapist is trained to assess, adapt, and individualise practice for people who are injured, unwell, in pain, recovering, or navigating physical or psychological challenges that a general yoga class is simply not designed to address.

The Yoga Therapy Institute, through which I completed my Graduate Certificate in Yoga Therapy, describes it as a process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and wellbeing through the application of the teachings and practices of yoga. It is recognised internationally as a complementary health modality, sitting comfortably alongside physiotherapy, psychology, medicine, and other allied health approaches as part of a coordinated care team.

My own experience

I have practiced and taught yoga for nearly twenty years and for much of that time I was also managing a body that was struggling in various ways. Years of pelvic instability and SI joint issues. The particular challenges of hypermobility and joints that move beyond their healthy range, creating instability and chronic low-grade pain that a standard yoga practice, if approached without care, can actually worsen. Three pregnancies and the physical recovery each one required.

And then, in 2020, a badly fractured femur following a car accident, ORIF surgery, sixteen days in hospital, and a long, slow process of rebuilding strength and mobility, and learning how to walk again. I know first-hand what it means to work with a body that has a history. To need something more specific, more careful, and more individual than a regular class can offer.

Common misconceptions

Perhaps the most pervasive myth about yoga is that it is for flexible people. That if you cannot touch your toes, fold yourself in half, or hold a pose without shaking, yoga is not for you.

This could not be further from the truth, and in yoga therapy it is almost irrelevant. Yoga therapy is not about achieving postures. It is about using the tools of yoga in whatever form they take for your particular body to support your health and wellbeing. A yoga therapy session might involve gentle supported movement, a breathing practice done lying down, a body scan, a restorative pose held with the support of bolsters and blankets, or a personalised yoga nidra practice. It is designed just for you and your needs.

What to expect

A yoga therapy session begins with a thorough intake and assessment, understanding your history, your current concerns, your goals, and any relevant medical context. From there, we develop a practice together that is specific to you, adjusting and evolving as we go.

Sessions are not about performance or progression in the conventional sense. They are about developing a deeper, more compassionate, and more empowered relationship with your own body, and building a sustainable personal practice that supports your health long after our sessions end.

A minimum of three sessions is recommended, and many clients find that working together over a longer period allows the practice to build meaningfully and the benefits to deepen over time.

If you are curious about whether yoga therapy might support what you are navigating, I would love to have a conversation. There is no pressure and no expectations — just a warm, unhurried chat about where you are and what might help.