Yoga therapy

 BODY

Yoga offers so much more than physical movements and postures. Although this is part of yoga practice and very important, strength and mobility and flexibility are just the tip of the iceberg of what Yoga has to offer.  Yoga can be used alongside conventional therapies for more than just  physical ailments. The way we do our practice is just as important as the practice itself, this is what distinguishes it from exercise.  Movements are, slow and mindful, with pauses to observe and cultivate awareness.  Wherever possible movements are linked with the breath. We also recognise that the body is intelligent; we learn to listen to it, respect it, never force it and we develop a compassionate, appreciation for it.   We recognise that communication from body to brain is 2 way and that how we feel is extremely important and informative. With practice we cultivate interoceptive awareness, facilitating self-regulation and self-care.

BREATH

Breath is a key component to Yoga as a holistic therapy.  We use breath not just in breath practices but also in postures. The breath brings another dimension to our practice.  From a scientific perspective, we’re taught in physiology that under stress, the breath becomes shallow and speeds up, the heart rate increases, blood pressure rises and muscles tense and this is all under the unconscious control of the sympathetic nervous system, preparing the body for action in a life or death situation. In modern life this response can be triggered by much less. Consciously working with the breath to make it slower and longer, in a very respectful way never forcing, we can consciously reverse this cascade of events of the stress response. With a slow steady breath, the heart rate normalises, blood pressure reduces and muscles relax and the nervous system goes into a parasympathetic, rest digest and repair mode. In working with the breath, we impact and optimise respiratory function but we also access and impact many other body systems: the nervous system, the muscular skeletal system, the cardiovascular system and more. Thus, yoga practice can serve as a holistic form of therapy for many conditions across different body systems.

• Working with the breath opens access to other body systems.
• Awareness of breath brings us to the present moment and engages our mind, giving it a rest from rumination,  bringing a mindful aspect to our practice.
• Breath is also how we connect with and work with Prana, our life force energy.

MIND

According to ancient Hatha Yoga texts ‘As is breath as is mind’ and so a long slow steady breath reflects a calm steady mind. Since breath is an integral part of our postures, in this approach we select postures (asana) to complement the breath patterns and energetic qualities we are trying to cultivate.  We nurture a calm slow steady breath with a view to having a calm slow steady mind, helping to combat stress, anxiety and problems that impact our psychological wellbeing.

We can’t discuss yoga and the mind without mentioning Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra. The Yoga Sutra is a psychological text from over 2000 BC about the human mind that offers ways to reduce human suffering, applicable even today. These teachings and those of Ayurveda (the earliest texts on lifestyle medicine) are the key texts underpinning this approach to Yoga Therapy.