Yoga. Therapy.
Well these two words aren’t ones you often see together!
Is it yoga?
Yes – meaning it will be the yoga you need for where you are in your life right now.
What kind of therapy is it?
Therapy for ALL parts of you: body, mind, and spirit.
A yoga therapist has extensive ongoing training FAR above and beyond that of a general yoga teacher. Yoga therapy trainings last upwards of three years, whereas all that’s required to teach in a gym or studio is a standard, 200-hour training. A yoga therapist is educated in anatomy, illness, aging, and disease. This extensive training equips a yoga therapist to help with all manner of problems from back pain, to anxiety and depression, to insomnia.
I myself have a 1000-hour Yoga Therapy Certification, and more than 10,000 hours and 18 years of yoga teaching experience, in group, and private settings. I’ve helped clients in a multitude of scenarios from the final phases of terminal cancer to recovering from a hip fracture, to slowly and carefully coaxing a disabling cluneal nerve injury into cooperation, to helping in recovery from different back injuries ranging from lumbar disc “bulge” to sciatica to idiopathic back pain.
Some clients come to me to help with their bodies when they’ve run out of options with physical therapy, or just need an ongoing routine that is fun and engaging, or simply want to combat the inflexibility and balance challenges that accompany aging. There is a foundational mindfulness and ongoing self discovery woven in to my yoga therapy that
empowers a client to problem solve their own bodies in many scenarios we all will encounter moving though life and the world. Injury, illness, and aging are something we all will experience. I help my clients gain tools and skills to navigate these inevitabilities.
Some clients come to me to help with their bodies when they’ve run out of options with physical therapy, or just need an ongoing routine that is fun and engaging, or simply want to combat the inflexibility and balance challenges that accompany aging. There is a foundational mindfulness and ongoing self discovery woven in to my yoga therapy that empowers a client to problem solve their own bodies in many scenarios we all will encounter moving though life and the world. Injury, illness, and aging are something we all will experience. I help my clients gain tools and skills to navigate these inevitabilities.
I myself came to yoga with a myriad of injuries (ulnar neurosis, spondylosis, spondylolestheis), illnesses (chronic migraine headaches, body dysmorphia), and structural problems (collapsed arches, idiopathic neck and upper back pain).
I’ve used yoga to help me with all of my personal challenges, and also to help others work on structural issues such as:
Reducing back pain so we can enjoy activities we love
Learning to breathe more spaciously so we can feel calm and free
Increasing core strength so that the back, neck, and spine are resilient and stable, reducing daily pain and ongoing injury potential
Exploring balance and the ability to stand on one or two feet with utmost confidence
Reducing neck pain to soothe headaches and help with clarity and vision
I ADORE working with adult beginners. There is no time like NOW to begin creating a sustainable, enjoyable relationship with movement and the body. You are never too old, and it is never too late.
Some clients utilize me like a talk therapist.
While I am not certified in this domain, I AM a Holistic Health Counselor, educated at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, and a mentor teacher trained by Ana T. Forrest to coach clients through physical and emotional difficulty. These trainings, along with my decades of being a teacher and educator, supported by higher degrees in education and anthropology have equipped me to help, guide, cheer, and support folks through tricky life challenges.
I’ve heard from some people that they find my capacity for listening, engaging with difficult topics, and midwifing insights quite profound, and often more helpful than years of therapy. I myself have a therapist, and believe deeply in the helpfulness of this modality. I also believe that only talking simply cannot solve some problems, and the engagement of the body is essential.
