Whole-person care rooted in yoga's ancient wisdom and modern science. Most people think of yoga as movement. It's only one of eight limbs.
Yoga therapy is a therapeutic practice that applies yoga's tools — movement, breathwork, meditation, lifestyle practices, and philosophy — to support specific health goals and conditions. It's not a general wellness yoga class. It's a clinical, whole-person approach to healing that addresses body, mind, and spirit together.
Unlike group yoga classes designed for general wellness, yoga therapy is assessment-based, individualized, and goal-oriented. Sessions begin with understanding your health history, current concerns, and goals. From there, we co-create a practice tailored to support you — practices you do in-session and between sessions, supported by resources, recordings, and ongoing guidance through your client portal.
Yoga therapy is recognized by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) as a distinct profession with rigorous training standards. It's increasingly integrated into hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and integrative healthcare settings as evidence-based first-line care.
Yoga is a practical system for well-being, not a religion. You don't need to adopt any beliefs or spiritual practices to benefit from yoga therapy. The eight limbs aren't steps to climb but interconnected dimensions of practice that address the whole person.
Yamas — ethical principles: non-harming, truthfulness, non-stealing, wise use of energy, non-attachment. Niyamas — personal practices: clarity, contentment, discipline, self-study, surrender to something greater. Asana — physical postures adapted to support your body's needs. The goal isn't perfect alignment; it's building capacity and sustainable movement patterns. Pranayama — breath practices that support the nervous system, calm anxiety, support sleep, or build energy.
Pratyahara — turning inward; withdrawal from overwhelm through restorative yoga, yoga nidra, or quieting practices. Dharana — focusing the mind on a single point: breath, sensation, mantra. Dhyana — sustained awareness and presence. Meditation isn't about emptying the mind — it's about training attention. Samadhi — moments of complete presence; not something you achieve, but something that arises when the conditions are right.
Most people think of yoga as asana — movement. But movement is only one limb of eight. Yoga therapy uses the full framework, which is why it can address anxiety, sleep, chronic pain, life transitions, and nervous system support in ways that movement alone cannot.
Yoga therapy holds two things at once: ancient wisdom and modern science. In practice, this looks like holding two languages simultaneously. What modern science calls the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, yoga understands as prana moving through nadis. What neuroscience calls vagal tone and nervous system fluidity, yoga calls sattva, rajas, and tamas. Different languages, the same intelligent systems.
Sometimes, to best support the work, I thread in additional modalities within my scope of practice: East Asian wisdom traditions (Classical Chinese Medicine, Qigong, Usui Reiki Ryōhō, Daoist practices), somatic practice (Focalizing, Hakomi, Somatic Experiencing principles), Pilates and movement science, and therapeutic innovations like EFT tapping and HeartMath coherence techniques.
These modalities aren't separate from yoga therapy — they're woven in when they serve the work. The through-line is always the same: whole-person care that honors what the body already knows.
Yoga therapy is supportive when you're navigating stress, anxiety, or burnout — providing nervous system support tools that reduce overwhelm and build resilience. When you're dealing with chronic pain connected to nervous system sensitization, stress, or trauma. When sleep is disrupted. When perfectionism or shame are present and you want to meet yourself differently. When you're in transition and need support navigating uncertainty. When traditional approaches haven't been enough. And when you want to build sustainable well-being — not just symptom management.
Yoga therapy isn't just about feeling less bad. It's about cultivating ease, clarity, resilience, and a more sustainable relationship with yourself and your life.