What is Yoga Therapy?

The International Association of Yoga Therapists defines yoga therapy as: “the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga.”

I received my yoga therapy training in the Sri T. Krishnamacharya lineage. In The Heart of Yoga, his son, T.K.V. Desikachar, acknowledges that in some situations and with certain conditions, small group classes are appropriate, while in other circumstances, private sessions with a teacher are ideal: “There is no yoga between one and a million; yoga is between two – the teacher and the student.”

I offer both one-on-one sessions and small group classes with particular focus (i.e. yoga for anxiety).

I’ve never been to a yoga class before. Are your sessions appropriate for beginners?

Both the private sessions and small group classes are absolutely appropriate for beginners. They are, in fact, an ideal place for beginners to experience the practice of yoga for the first time. I am committed to ensuring a safe, supportive, and non-judgmental environment for you to explore movement and breathing as well as the unification of the mind, the body, and the breath.

I’m not flexible. Can I still do yoga?

This is probably the single most frequently asked question. The answer is (unequivocally) YES! Flexibility is not a requirement for practicing yoga. Practicing yoga may well increase your flexibility but it is definitely not a pre-requisite. Krishnamacharya, considered by many to be the father of modern yoga, said: “If you can breathe, you can do yoga”.

I’m not comfortable with touch. Do you do hands-on adjustments?

Hands-on adjustments are used in yoga classes for a variety of reasons including to correct alignment, to deepen a stretch, and to facilitate a release. Some teachers finish class with a brief hand or face massage. That being said, it is perfectly reasonable to opt-out of hands-on touch and yoga teachers should give people this option.

I teach according to the principles of trauma-sensitive yoga, which means that I lean in the direction of no hands-on adjustments. Brief head and scalp massages are occasionally offered at the end of group classes. These are always optional and students will be given the opportunity to decline.

Where do you teach group classes? Where do you offer private yoga therapy?

Although I have taught (and continue to teach) yoga classes at various studios around the GTA, I have a long-standing commitment to bringing yoga to people outside of the studio setting. As a result, I have taught in prisons, health clinics, and other community settings. As I expand my yoga therapy practice I will be offering yoga therapy in clinics that I feel are best suited to supporting this therapeutic work. Please visit my schedule for the most up-to-date information. Please note that I do not offer yoga therapy in people’s homes.