Yogatherapy
What is yogatherapy ?
Yogatherapy is the professional application of the principles and practices of yoga to promote health and well-being within a therapeutic relationship that includes individualized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management and yoga practices for individuals or small groups.
(Source: IAYT International Association of Yoga Therapists, 2020)
Yogatherapy is the path to our true nature our true nature in a space of inner balance where body and mind become one.
Seen from the perspective of yoga, yogatherapy is a process that offers us clarity.
Physical, psychic or emotional imbalance happens because we are disconnected from our true inner nature.
Yogatherapy is the art of diving into our deepest resources, whether conscious or unconscious, to free ourselves from our conditioning and regain a lost balance.
How does yogatherapy work ?
Although some forms of yoga have been practiced for thousands of years, we are only beginning to understand their mechanisms from a western scientific perspective.
A tool applied in one area – for example a breath – can profoundly affect different parts of the body or mind.
- Researchers believe this works in part because of yoga’s ability to regulate the nervous system and perhaps affect the way the brain processes information.
- Another reason why yoga therapy works well is that it is not a treatment given to an individual – the yoga therapist helps the person to regain their autonomy while tapping into their own innate abilities. The yoga therapist serves as a guide during this journey of self-discovery, while creating a safe learning environment where the person can (re)discover their inner resources.
The skills and practice of the Yoga Therapist require a thorough understanding of all aspects of Yoga.
While all types of yoga are potentially therapeutic, yogatherapy is the specific application of the tools of yoga – postures/exercises, breathing, meditation techniques and much more – to address your needs in your physical, mental and emotional dimensions.
In fact, yogatherapy can help people who can’t move at all as well as those who are active !
“Everyone leads his life at full speed and suffers from expecting everything from the future and being dissatisfied with the present”
Seneca
Course of a yogatherapy session
The yogatherapist has a holistic view on different levels of the group or person he/she is working with :
- On the physical level, in physiological terms and the five elements that make us up (earth, water, fire, air and ether)
- On the energetic level with the study of the breath and the energies that circulate within us
- On the emotional level and personality
- On a mental level and our ability to learn and understand what is going on in our bodies and minds, our ability to access our positive and intrinsic qualities and integrate them into our daily lives
Yogatherapy: a holistic approach
Yogatherapy takes into account all dimensions of the human being : physical, energetic, emotional, mental and spiritual
Its action is based on:
- Breathing techniques used with mudras (hand postures)
- Asanas (static or gently moving postures)
- Working with intention
- Relaxation techniques
- Mediation
- Yoga nidra (yogic sleep, pure jewel of self-discovery)
- A healthy lifestyle
In practice
- Personalised written recommendations
- Breathing techniques
- Postures adapted to your needs
- Self-regulation tools to overcome your stress and anxiety
- Relaxations
- Meditations
- Mudras (hand postures with remarkable energetic and physical effects)
- Yoga nidra or “yogic sleep”, a true gem of self-discovery.
This implies that you can devote 10 to 20 minutes a day to your process and that you are autonomous.
In this way, you (re)discover your essence and you can carry out your life mission
while being aligned with your true nature.
If all this resonates with you, I offer you a 20 minutes telephone call to discuss it.
The yoga therapist offers a programme including specific yoga tools and techniques to rebalance what is not. This is done in the form of an individualised programme (or a group with the same pathology: cancer, Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia, back pain, depression, etc.).
Yogatherapy is not a medical practice. The yogatherapist does not diagnose or cure any disease.
FAQ
YOUR QUESTIONS
What is the difference between yoga and yogatherapy ?
A yoga class offered to the public can easily relieve everyday aches and pains and mood disorders.
But a yogatherapy session goes much further because it is entirely tailored to the individual.
Certified yoga therapists (IAYT International Association of Yoga Therapists) have received extensive training to help them assess and ensure the safety of individuals, and to interact effectively with other health professionals.
When is yogatherapy useful ?
Yogatherapy is a safe way to work with the natural abilities of the body and mind to optimise well-being. It is beneficial in the following cases, among others :
- Pain of various origins
- Neurological problems
- Stress and anxiety
- Serious or chronic illnesses
- Healthy ageing (peri-menopause, menopause)
- End of life and death
Yogatherapy also supports people who are dealing with stress and anxiety or who simply want to improve their general well-being.
Among others, Elisabeth has accompanied people suffering from :
- Stress, anxiety, depression
- Parkinson’s disease
- Hashimoto’s disease
- Back problems (scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis, herniated disc)
- Fibromyalgia
- Stroke
- Cancer
- Digestive disorders
- Sleep disorders