Have you ever heard of it? How to know if you might need it.

When I tell people I’m a Certified Yoga Therapist, people usually say, 'what's that?'

I get it. Yoga Therapy is still a new concept to most people, even those who love yoga. This post is for the curious ones. Whether you’re a long-time student, a healthcare provider, or someone who needs a more customized approach for your needs, I want to pull back the curtain and show you what this practice is really about.

Let’s start with the basics.

So… what is Yoga Therapy?

Yoga Therapy is a personalized, clinically-informed approach to healing that uses the full spectrum of yoga tools to help you feel better in your body, mind, and nervous system.

It’s not just stretching. It’s not about perfecting your Downward Dog. And it’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all flow. It’s an integrative wellness approach that’s grounded in ancient wisdom, adapted to meet modern needs.

Think of it as an appointment with someone who knows how to:

• Understand your symptoms
• Decode the patterns behind them
• Design simple, doable practices that move the needle toward healing

As a Yoga Therapist, I look at the whole person; your physical body, emotional tendencies, energy patterns, sleep rhythms, digestion, posture, breath, and more. Then I give you targeted, supportive tools to bring those systems back into alignment.

But wait- I love group yoga classes too!

Let me be clear: I love group yoga classes. I've taught them since 2005, and I attend them as a student regularly. They’re uplifting, creative, and often deeply healing. They can challenge you, energize you, and get you out of your own head. Plus, I crave that sense of community group classes and workshops provide.

But Yoga Therapy is different. It’s more nuanced.

While group classes tend to focus on general goals, like stress relief, flexibility, or strength. Yoga Therapy is designed around you. It starts with an intake and assessments, not a sequence. It’s based on your body’s signals, not a preset playlist. And it goes far beyond postures.

What It’s Like to Work With Me

Your first Yoga Therapy session is a 90-minute (sometimes 2-hour) consultation where we explore your health history, daily routines, stressors, patterns, and symptoms. You’ll fill out a thoughtful intake form beforehand that gives us a 360° view of your life.

We’ll look at what’s supporting you, and what’s not.

From there, I guide you through assessments and offer a customized practice plan that’s realistic, supportive, and designed to meet your goals. I’ll teach you the tools in a way that feels doable, and we’ll refine them as we go. Between sessions, you’ll have a home plan of care that gives you real traction in your healing journey.

It’s collaborative. It’s intentional. And it’s rooted in the idea that you already have what you need, sometimes you just need the right support to help you uncover it.

The Framework I Use: The Pancha Maya Kosha Model

In Yoga Therapy, we work with a layered model of the human system called the Pancha Maya Kosha framework. It looks at five interconnected dimensions of who you are:

1. Physical body (posture, pain, movement, structure)
2. Energy body (breath, fatigue, nervous system)
3. Mental body (mood, focus, patterns of thought)
4. Wisdom body (intuition, habits, identity)
5. Bliss body (peace, joy, alignment with self)

This model helps us see beyond symptoms to the deeper layers they may be linked to. For example, persistent fatigue might not just be about physical energy, it could relate to breath patterns, emotional strain, or even an outdated belief system. Yoga gives us tools to address all of that. It’s one of the few healing systems that works from the inside out.

Lynn’s Story: A Real-Life Example

Lynn came to me after dealing with hip and back pain on and off for decades. More recently when she laid down to sleep, she noticed difficulty breathing.

During her intake session, we uncovered some dysfunctional breathing patterns and postural habits that were contributing to the problem. While we did a bit of movement (asana), the real focus was on helping her re-learn how to breathe diaphragmatically, engage her core properly, and regulate her nervous system—especially during moments of physical exertion.

The next morning, Lynn called me with an update: she had zero restless leg syndrome, no breathing issues, and no pain that night. She got the best night of sleep she’d had in years and woke up feeling inspired, motivated, and in awe of how something so simple could make such drastic changes to her quality of life.

And this was after just one session.

Sometimes the body is just waiting for the right support to remember how to heal.

Yoga Therapy is an evolving field- here’s what’s next

Yoga Therapy isn’t static- it’s constantly evolving. At this year’s SYTAR 2025 Conference, I was the official conference reporter (!!!) and got to witness some of the leading-edge applications of this work in action.

Highlights included:

• A keynote by a stroke survivor who credits Yoga Therapy with his miraculous recovery
• A workshop on mudras for difficult conversations (yes, hand gestures that help regulate emotion and communication!)
• A deep dive into structural back pain support led by the legendary Dr. Lawrence Fishman

If you're curious about how Yoga Therapy is being used in medical, mental health, and community settings all over the world, I’ll be sharing my full conference report soon. (It’s super fascinating.)

Closing Thoughts

Yoga Therapy isn’t just about “doing yoga better.”
It’s about using yoga to feel better, body, mind, and spirit.
If you’ve been searching for a way to reconnect with yourself, regulate your system, and shift your patterns for good… this may be your next step.

I’d be honored to guide you.

✨ Choose Your Next Step

Whether you’re ready to dive in or just want to learn more, here are a few ways to explore this path with me:

• Book a Private Yoga Therapy Appointment and get a customized practice plan made just for you.
• Read My SYTAR 2025 Conference Report (Coming soon!) Get an insider’s view of the growing world of Yoga Therapy.
• Peruse other blog posts on yoga and related topics