Through the application of the principles and practices of yoga, yoga therapy is a process that aims to empower individuals in improving their health and well-being. As an alternative to merely treating symptoms, yoga therapy is holistic, individualized, and client-centered, with a focus on the person rather than the problem or pathology.

The yoga therapist seeks to understand the individual beyond the suffering or imbalance. Intrinsic to yoga therapy is honoring the body’s inherent wisdom and the clients’ own healing potential. A yoga therapist invites clients to draw upon their inner resources, with the intention of moving toward increased self-reliance to meet life’s internal and external challenges with more steadiness and ease.

Yoga therapy encourages the client to focus on present awareness and their experiential insights, rather than turning outward for relief. This process creates space for new perspectives and enhances clarity and understanding of their current situation. For instance, in the case of a musculoskeletal injury, the clinician recognizes there is more than merely damaged tissue and pain. The same applies if the client is experiencing a loss of purpose, diminished sense of connection, or other psychosocial problems. Yoga therapy works to understand underlying causes, which may not be readily evident or perceptible. Essentially, what affects one part of our being affects the rest. The yoga therapist is interested in issues that may coexist with the problem and how it manifests in the client’s physical, energetic, psychological, intuitive, and spiritual states or layers.
Yoga therapy is especially effective when combined with traditional treatments and therapies, such as medical and/or specialty care, physical and occupational therapies, chiropractic care, mental health therapy, massage therapy and other complementary healthcare approaches. Evidence suggests, yoga therapy can be integral in developing present awareness, cultivating daily mindfulness, decrease stress, and improve health and well-being.