What to expect in a One-on-One Yoga Therapy session

It has been on my mind for some time to create a blog post that might help inform those who are intrigued and curious about Yoga Therapy. It has brought me great fulfillment to work with so many individuals over the last several years. Thank you for teaching me how to hold space for you, as you are.

What is Yoga Therapy?

As defined by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT),

“Yoga therapy is the professional application of the principles and practices of yoga to promote health and well-being within a therapeutic relationship that includes personalized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management, and yoga practices for individuals or small groups.”

There is a widespread view in the west that one must be fit, flexible, feminine, etc etc, in order to practice Yoga. This can not be further from the truth. Yoga can be practiced by anyone at any time. As long as you are breathing, you can practice Yoga. One of the biggest benefits of seeking a Yoga Therapist is that the work is done in a 1-1 setting. Therefore, the practice is molded to suit you and your current needs.

A Yoga Therapist is not a licensed medical professional. However they have received over 1000 hours of education and a large part of that education includes understanding anatomy and psyche. Your Yoga Therapist can work alongside your medical team to support your overall wellbeing.

Who should see a Yoga Therapist?

Anyone! No, but really. There is no Yoga experience necessary at all to begin Yoga Therapy sessions. In fact, it may be preferred for someone who would not be comfortable or well-suited for a Yoga group class. Some avid Yoga practitioners may seek a Yoga Therapist for a more customized practice to meet their goals. On the other hand, a complete beginner may seek a Yoga Therapist to support physical, mental, or spiritual needs. Yoga can be done in the studio, in your home, online, in a clinic, or even in a hospital bed.

What are the benefits for Yoga Therapy?

The benefits far outreach what I can put on paper! Yoga Therapy can support muscular imbalances, chronic pain, cancer treatments, grief, trauma-recovery, anxiety & depression, daily aches and pains, stress, and more. Yoga is a holistic approach that addresses the whole being. Your Yoga Therapist might even have lifestyle tips and recommendations depending on their scope of practice and education. Yoga is especially beneficial for soothing the nervous system, which all other systems of the body can benefit from.

Read here about how Yoga can help change the brain when coping with chronic pain.

What can I expect in my Yoga Therapy session?

Before your first session, your Yoga Therapist will send you an intake form. See mine here. The questions asked cover the “5 layers of our being”. The physical, energetic, mind, higher wisdom, and spirit. Your Yoga Therapist would like to get an idea of where you are at at each aspect of being so they can pinpoint a starting point for your sessions. What is most important though, is your own personal goals for seeking a Yoga Therapist. That is what your sessions will be focused on. You can always shift these goals at any time.

The initial session is 90 minutes long. In those 90 minutes, we review your intake, answer any questions you might have and clarify your goals. At times a structural assessment can occur (depending on your goals), a breathing assessment, and joint mobility assessment. A relaxation portion is included in every session.

If you are meeting in person, you might be going to your Yoga Therapists office, a yoga studio, or another space the therapist may be renting and working in. If you are meeting online, you would create a space in your home that is big enough for your mat and a few other props. You might want to check that you have enough space by gently swinging your arms and legs in each direction to make sure furniture is not in the way, if possible.

Thereafter, each session is 60 minutes. You can expect a combination of the following:

• a verbal check-in & deep listening. This helps your Yoga Therapist cater the practice to meet you where you are at on that particular day

• movement: yoga postures and/or flowing movements. Often the practice is more gentle, however it can be rigorous at times. Again, this depends on your goals for yoga

• meditation: guided, silent, mudras (hand gestures), muscle relaxation, and more

• pranayama: breathing practices. Your Yoga Therapist will choose breathing practices that align with your energy and physicality

• home yoga therapy plan: this is a realistic plan for you to do on your own time at home or office. Your Yoga Therapist will co-create this plan with you. It typically is a combination of the above. Over time you may adjust or add to your plan.

What should I do before and after a session?

Because movement is involved, try to not eat a big meal 1-2 hours before your session. If you are online, set up your space with your mat and any props or comfort items you have. Some clients like to bring tea and a candle. Wear comfortable clothing that allows for you to move in all directions comfortably. Afterwards, try to keep in mind what you might have learned during the session and bring it into your day. If you have homework sent by your Yoga Therapist, seek a time that realistically works for you in your day to practice. Often the home practice will be 20 minutes or under. You will get more out of your yoga therapy if you create a home practice. Your home practice might be a handout and/or an audio or video.

Any risks to know?

According to the NIH: 

“Yoga is generally considered a safe form of physical activity for healthy people when performed properly, under the guidance of a qualified instructor. However, as with other forms of physical activity, injuries can occur. The most common injuries are sprains and strains. Serious injuries are rare. The risk of injury associated with yoga is lower than that for higher impact physical activities.”

Working one on one with an experienced yoga therapist greatly minimizes the risk.

I hope this helps answer some questions you might have had about Yoga Therapy!

Work with me online from anywhere or in person in New Haven County, CT.

Supporting Anxiety & Depression - the 3 Gunas - Aspects of Nature

Supporting Anxiety & Depression Through Yoga Therapy

As we enter another lock-down due to COVID-19, the angst in the air is palpable. I have heard from many this week that this time around, they are just not sure how they will cope. With the holidays coming up, it is a new experience this pandemic can add to its long resume. I wanted to offer a case study on how Yoga Therapy can help support our mental health. This is my way of contributing to my community, and the world. I feel called to share.

Jessica* is navigating life in her 20s and all the changes that can come in this youthful, yet sometimes tumultuous decade. She is sweet and speaks softly and presents with a calming, grounding demeanor, although that is far from how she explains her inner experience. Jessica’s goals for seeking Yoga Therapy are to support her anxiety and depression, as it changes each day. She also hopes to feel more connected to her body and feel a sense of belonging to herself.

Jessica can clearly describe where in her body she feels anxiety; chest and belly, neck, face, and eyebrows. and the way depression presents; feels like general heaviness in her body. She also reports feeling a disconnection to her body over-all. Her biggest life challenges right now are recovering from traumatic experiences, unemployment, and navigating medical leave from school. Jessica attends silent retreats of the Vipassanā tradition. She finds the retreats very challenging, but also life changing. I notice Jessica often closes her eyes, even while talking.

 One of the tools of Yoga Therapy is educating the client in yogic philosophy. The intention is to empower one with ancient knowledge and to offer new language outside of the labels of anxiety or depression.

The emphasis is always to first meet ourselves where we are at and then invite in the other quality to balance. 

The Gunas

The Gunas are natures 3 fundamental forces. All the qualities of the world contain the Gunas: Rajas, Tamas, and Sattva. Rajas is the quality of energy, wakefulness, and movement. Tamas is the quality of inertia, stillness, and sleep. Sattva is harmony, balance, transcendence. Sattva arrives when the balance of rajas and tamas is met in each unique being. It is the goal of Yoga. Just like the ever-changing state of energy, Sattva too is always shifting. What brings us balance at one point, may not always. That is why present moment awareness is so important on our journey of wellbeing.

When one experiences both anxiety and depression, an understanding of the Gunas can help them to understand themselves. It gives them a way to check in with the aspects of nature present in their own being each day. From there, their Yoga practice and daily choices can reflect the state of energy they are currently in and what may help bring them to balance.

Excess rajas leads to overwhelm, stress, insomnia, anxiety. Excess tamas leads to lethargy, resistance to change, excessive sleeping, and depression. I explain to Jessica how one may experience excess rajas in the mind and tamas in the body and vice versa. When we feel excess rajas, we want to bring in tamas to balance. When we feel excess tamas, we want to bring in rajas to balance. The emphasis is always to first meet ourselves where we are at and then invite in the other quality to balance. 

Jessica’s Practice       

One session, Jessica let me know she was feeling very tamasic so she decided to have a cup of coffee. That led to her feeling stressed, overwhelmed, jittery, and rajastic by the time she came in to see me. At other times she has come in feeling lethargic (tamas) in the body, and anxious and fearful (rajas), in the mind. Yoga Therapy invites us to practice Swadhaya (self-study) to observe how anxiety and depression can shift and present in an individual on any given day. From there the practice can vary depending on what mood is most predominant.

Slow, yet dynamic flowing movements with even breathing are best when someone is feeling more anxious and the energy needs to integrate. When I notice Jessica’s movements and breath becoming more even and fluid, I invite in static holds for 3-5 breaths. At the end of the physical practice forward folds invite in the energy of tamas to ground. If Jessica was feeling more tamasic that day, I would offer her a restorative back-bend to bring in Rajas to balance. The utilization of props in either case helps to prevent strain on the body and shift the focus on calming the mind. During longer held forward folds the mantra “I am here” supports anxious or depressed minds. I guided Jessica to inhale to the crown of the head, saying silently “I am”, and to exhale to the seat: “here”.

 Silent meditation is usually not recommended for those coping with anxiety and depression. Guided meditations that may include mudras or mantras may be more useful in order to “throw the mind a bone”.  Otherwise, silent meditation can feel overwhelming for one whose thoughts are racing or who tend towards negative self-talk.  We began practices with guided visualization, mudras, or guided breath awareness. A practice such as Breath of JOY with the sound LAM is a staple in Jessica’s Yoga Therapy plan. Breath of Joy is an active breath-centered breathing exercise meant to uplift and energize.

Jessica explains that Yoga Therapy has helped her get to know herself more, connect with her body and mind, and to empower her to find practices and activities that help support her in creating more balance in her mood.

Bhramari (bee breath) with Shanmukti mudra is sattvic breathing practice Jessica really enjoyed. When she was feeling more tamasic (depressed), 1:1 even ratio breathing helped uplift. Even breathing supports balanced energy. When she was feeling more rajastic (anxious), 1:2 ratio breathing was supportive. The longer exhale is more calming. Tradak meditation on a candle flame was a practice I chose for Jessica to invite her to engage with her surroundings with eyes open. Jessica was surprised at how helpful Tradak mediation was for her, since she typically practices silent meditation with eyes closed. She reported it helped her feel focused and centered. Since Jessica’s primarily practice is silent meditation, I often ended with just a few moments of silence together.  This provided her with something familiar.

Moving forward:

Jessica explains that Yoga Therapy has helped her get to know herself more, connect with her body and mind, and to empower her to find practices and activities that help support her in creating more balance in her mood. She looks forward to continuing to attend silent meditation retreats with the new knowledge and tools of breath work, mantra, and movements to prepare to sit silently. She also reports that even if she does struggle with her silent meditations, she now feels that there is not something wrong with her, she just may be out of balance!  

Amy Gaster C-IAYT, RYT 500, practices Yoga Therapy with individuals and small groups through-out New Haven County, CT and from anywhere online via Zoom. Amy works with individuals to support them in their experience of chronic pain, mental and emotional well-being, and back pain, utilizing a client-led approach incorporating accessible tools of Yoga. Find her in Instagram, facebook, and her website: yogawithamylauren.com

*Name has been changed to protect the client’s privacy.

Grief Pondering's

Yoga Sutra Contemplation: Through sincere and consistent effort the practice of Yoga provides: 

“Identification of oneself as living within the infinite stream of life” Sutra 11.47

This is my deepest hearts desire at this time
~

Summers bright and warming sun is turning into cool fall evenings, a transition we go through every year. This year, in my current experience, this transition is a bit more heavy and complicated. 

June 8 2019 I married an amazing man, we went on our honeymoon & just 10 short days later, I lost my little brother suddenly on June 18th 2019. My wedding and the beautiful memories I have of him and our family will always be the last moments I had with Justin.

It was almost 4 months ago. So this fall has been very transitional for many reasons. I struggle with the change because I realize he was here for summer, but he is not coming with us in the fall.

The first 2 months of my mourning I spent sleeping and weeping and isolating. My grief manifested as extreme exhaustion. Most of the time I did not want to hear about healing and for a bit there I thought it best if I never do. I help others heal and inner growth is not only a career, is it the way I live my life. So this was out of character. I knew enough to hold space for myself as grief settled into my bones.

I felt that this dark gaping hole was my new home and I liked it that way. All the while, another part of me knew that I will climb out of this with more awareness and growth then ever. I am still shedding and growing, always. One thing is certain, the path is not linear. There are just as many set backs are their are growth spurts.
My brother is apart of me, and my heart is utterly shattered. I am learning how to continue to have a relationship with him & the divine, wherever he is now. 

What I am experiencing now that I am crawling out of the debilitating period of my grief - is a new found lense for life. One I thought I already had. However, it turns out I haven’t scratched the surface. This lense allows me to see the bigger picture and soak up the little moments where I used to be inpatient, waiting for what comes next. It invites me to open my eyes, look around, and soak up this earth -a very very temporary home. 
The questions: Why are we here? Why am I here? What is this for? What is my hearts deepest longing? Are all apart of my daily contemplations. 
 I don’t know if I will get the exact answer for these questions but the ask is enough for now.

I have found I am more present and that I choose to make space for only what is meaningful for me. I am finding it is more natural to be vulnerable and speak from the heart. I place a higher priority on soaking up the beautiful pieces and people of my life that God has still left for myself and my family, because if I don’t fully embrace them, why else have I been chosen to remain with the living? What could be more important during our time of living, if Love is simply the only thing that matters in the end?  I choose more then ever to not allow a joyful moment to just pass by as if it isn’t the most important thing there is in this world. Love really is all that matters, it is the glue between this world and where we go after. What if that is our only purpose? To love and be loved. To learn to love oneself and offer our authentic gifts to our little corners of this planet. It can be as simple as baking someone something, adding light into the life of a stranger, helping out a friend, etc. Our authentic gifts do not always present as big passion projects. 

All for now..

Soak it up<3

Amy