I'm often asked "what is yoga therapy?" and "how can yoga be used in therapy?" so I thought I'd pass on some information from some leading yoga experts:
This article originally appeared in the April 2006 edition of Yogi Times:
"Yoga Therapy: Unlocking the Hidden Vitality" by Antonio Sausys
It's
widely known that Yoga can enhance your physical and emotional well
being, but when Yoga is practiced with a therapeutic intention in the
form of Yoga Therapy, it can help prevent and aid recovery from
physical and mental ailments. Yoga has long been practiced with
therapeutic intentions as way of transforming both the body and the
mind.
According to
classical texts, most of the problems in our health come from a state
of ignorance of who and what we are. From a psychological standpoint, therapy is defined as the
possibility of accessing self-knowledge that will enable us to change
that what we consider dysfunctional. A number of research studies have
proven the effectiveness of Yoga Therapy as developing exactly that
type of awareness.
On a
psychological level, the introspection promoted by yoga is essential to
the self-knowledge process that fuels psychic transformation. The
different relaxation techniques allow the troubled mind to calm and
decrease its activity while promoting stability. A good example would be the way Yoga Therapy can help overcome panic
attacks. By practicing a balancing breathing technique, a sense of
control is gained, combating the fear and anxiety produced by its loss.
To read the article in its entirety, visit:
http://www.yogatherapyconference.com/what_is_yoga_therapy.htmlSome definitions of yoga therapy:
Yoga therapy is a holistic healing art. Rather than prescribe treatments, it invites presence and awareness. Using age-old yogic approaches to deeper presence and awareness, we are able to know ourselves more fully. Out of that knowing, we are more easily moved to embrace the opportunity for change, growth, and enhanced well-being in body, feelings, thought, and spirit. – Michael Lee
Yoga therapy is that facet of the ancient science of Yoga that focuses on health and wellness at all levels of the person: physical, psychological, and spiritual. Yoga therapy focuses on the path of Yoga as a healing journey that brings balance to the body and mind through an experiential understanding of the primary intention of Yoga: awakening of Spirit, our essential nature. - Joseph LePage
Yoga therapy may be defined as the application of yogic principals to a particular person with the objective of achieving a particular spiritual, psychological, or physiological goal. The means employed are comprised of intelligently conceived steps that include …the application of meditation, textual study, spiritual or psychological counseling, chanting, imagery, prayer, and ritual to meet the needs of the individual. Yoga therapy respects individual differences in age, culture, religion, philosophy, occupation, and mental and physical health. The knowledgeable and competent yogin or yogini applies Yoga Therapy according to the period, the place, and the practitioner’s age, strength, and activities. – Richard Miller, Ph.D.
(Yoga therapy is) the use of the techniques of Yoga to
create, stimulate, and maintain an optimum state of physical,
emotional, mental, and spiritual health. - Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D.
This article originally appeared in the April 2006 edition of Yogi Times:
"Yoga Therapy: Unlocking the Hidden Vitality" by Antonio Sausys
It's widely known that Yoga can enhance your physical and emotional well being, but when Yoga is practiced with a therapeutic intention in the form of Yoga Therapy, it can help prevent and aid recovery from physical and mental ailments. Yoga has long been practiced with therapeutic intentions as way of transforming both the body and the mind.
According to classical texts, most of the problems in our health come from a state of ignorance of who and what we are. From a psychological standpoint, therapy is defined as the possibility of accessing self-knowledge that will enable us to change that what we consider dysfunctional. A number of research studies have proven the effectiveness of Yoga Therapy as developing exactly that type of awareness.
To read the article in its entirety, visit: http://www.yogatherapyconference.com/what_is_yoga_therapy.htmlOn a psychological level, the introspection promoted by yoga is essential to the self-knowledge process that fuels psychic transformation. The different relaxation techniques allow the troubled mind to calm and decrease its activity while promoting stability. A good example would be the way Yoga Therapy can help overcome panic attacks. By practicing a balancing breathing technique, a sense of control is gained, combating the fear and anxiety produced by its loss.
Some definitions of yoga therapy:
Yoga therapy is a holistic healing art. Rather than prescribe treatments, it invites presence and awareness. Using age-old yogic approaches to deeper presence and awareness, we are able to know ourselves more fully. Out of that knowing, we are more easily moved to embrace the opportunity for change, growth, and enhanced well-being in body, feelings, thought, and spirit. – Michael Lee
Yoga therapy is that facet of the ancient science of Yoga that focuses on health and wellness at all levels of the person: physical, psychological, and spiritual. Yoga therapy focuses on the path of Yoga as a healing journey that brings balance to the body and mind through an experiential understanding of the primary intention of Yoga: awakening of Spirit, our essential nature. - Joseph LePage
Yoga therapy may be defined as the application of yogic principals to a particular person with the objective of achieving a particular spiritual, psychological, or physiological goal. The means employed are comprised of intelligently conceived steps that include …the application of meditation, textual study, spiritual or psychological counseling, chanting, imagery, prayer, and ritual to meet the needs of the individual. Yoga therapy respects individual differences in age, culture, religion, philosophy, occupation, and mental and physical health. The knowledgeable and competent yogin or yogini applies Yoga Therapy according to the period, the place, and the practitioner’s age, strength, and activities. – Richard Miller, Ph.D.
(Yoga therapy is) the use of the techniques of Yoga to create, stimulate, and maintain an optimum state of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual health. - Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D.