WHAT IS INTEGRATIVE YOGA THERAPY?
Yoga, the original body, mind, spiritual approach to life, reflects a 5,000 year old tradition designed to evoke higher states of consciousness, and connectedness to life. Yoga is typically held in a class situation where the group, following the guidance of the teacher, performs a series of stretches and movements designed to relax various parts of the body and mind, with focus on the breath. Yoga can also be done in private sessions.
Integraive Yoga Therapy is distinctly different and the facilitator brings to the session expertise in supporting client in healing through getting in touch with the physical body, emotional body, psychoemotional body, wisdom body and bliss body, all referred to as Koshas.
The practices offered to support a therapeutic approach to wholeness are many and varied. They may include: Body Scan, yoga Postures, Guided breath awareness and control, Guided Relaxation, Meditation, Guided Visualizaiton, Yoga Nidra, Mudras,(hand gestures) Affirmations and more.
Each session is guided by the specific needs of the client.
Integrative Yoga Therapy is designed to focus on the application of yoga towards one’s own health and well-being. The Yoga therapist is a guide for the client to discover one’s innate healer within, and cultivate their individual and unique path to wholeness. Yoga informs us that disease or illness, be it physical, mental or emotional, begins at the subtle levels of the body then moves through the layers, or koshas until it eventually manifests on the physical plane as illness, accident or crisis.
Integrative Yoga Therapy is not a private yoga class. It may not even involve asanas (poses). It is customized for an individual or group based upon specific criteria. The Koshas are the framework utilized in the IYT (Integrative Yoga Therapy) approach.