Yoga Therapy is a unique modality of healing where we use yoga practices in a therapeutic way to allow people to recognize that they are ultimately the driver of their own healing, and there is in fact nothing that is innately wrong with them. We are all and always have been whole.
In most wellness and healthcare settings, we arrive as patients. We tell the practitioner how we are feeling, they give us a diagnosis, we follow a protocol and/or a treatment plan. Not to say that this is not the wrong answer, but something I have come to see and experience is that the expertise of how to heal lives outside of us in these situations. The answers are coming from someone else, someone who may seem to be better equipped on what to do. At times, this is the case and there is immense value for that kind of care and in a lot of medical situations it is necessary to seek out experts to support our healing journey. However, if this is the only approach we take to healing, it may teach us to distrust our own inner knowing. To hand the entire map of our healing to someone else and wait to be told which direction to go.
Yoga therapy works differently, and this is a huge reason I really love and value this modality.
The Philosophy Behind the Practice
One of the foundational teachings I have encountered in my yoga therapy training at Inner Peace Yoga Therapy is this: the client does not need to be “fixed”, because there is nothing innately wrong with them. The role of the yoga therapist is not to fix or force someone to change. The role is to guide a person back to their own wholeness. To help them re-establish what in Sanskrit is called sukhasana — their comfortable seat within themselves.
In Ayurveda, health is defined by the word swastha - meaning “to be established firmly within the self.” This does not mean to achieve perfection or never experience symptoms of imbalance or dis-ease - but to me, it means a return to yourself, a coming home to your own inner wisdom.
What This Looks Like in Practice
I have reached a point in my training where I have begun to work 1:1 with clients, offering 1:1 yoga therapy sessions. To enter into a session with the knowledge that there is nothing “wrong” with my clients and instead they may just need a bit of guidance back to their own inner wisdom. Perhaps they need to be equipped with tools and techniques to quiet the mental chatter and/or ease physical discomfort so that they can actually hear what their own inner voice is saying to them. Yoga therapy sessions are highly individual and I collaborate with clients on a sustainable yoga therapy protocol that will work for them, given their current life circumstances. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.
The practices we draw on may include movement, breathwork, meditation, visualization, mudra, and self-inquiry (self study). And these tools are only effective if the client is ready and able to integrate them into their life. We work together to find tools that feel actually “doable” for the client.
This is what I mean when I say yoga therapy puts the healing power back in your hands. Not because the yoga therapist steps back and does nothing - but because the whole process is based on your own capacity, your own awareness, and your own knowing.
Why This Matters
We live in a world that is very loud. There is no shortage of advice, protocols, supplements, programs, and experts telling us how to feel better. And sometimes that guidance is genuinely useful and at times even crucial. But it is also important to remember that we are all unique individuals, and what works for others may not work for you, and what works for you may not work for others. Yoga Therapy allows us to be more discerning in our healing and in adopting “advice” from others. It attunes us to our inner voice - the voice that knows us better than anyone else ever could. For people navigating stress, anxiety, or significant life transitions - which is much of who I work with - this orientation can be genuinely transformative.
A Note on What Yoga Therapy Is Not
Yoga therapy is not a replacement for medical care, mental health treatment, or any other form of professional support you may need. It works beautifully alongside these things, as complementary care. It is also not a yoga class - though movement is often part of it. It is a one-on-one therapeutic relationship, guided by your individual needs and goals, rooted in the teachings of yoga and informed by an understanding of the whole person - body, mind, and spirit.
If something in this post resonates with you and you would like to learn more about yoga therapy, I would love to support you. You can learn more about yoga therapy by clicking the link below.
I am currently a 500hr registered yoga teacher and a yoga therapist in training at Inner Peace Yoga Therapy. I am offering 1:1 yoga therapy sessions at a discounted rate while I am in training. I would love to support you in your journey!
