Yoga therapy is the professional application of traditional yoga practices, like meditation, breathwork, mindfulness, and philosophy, with adaptive physical postures and techniques to promote healthy living, optimize physical function, and alleviate mental, emotional, and existential suffering in people experiencing chronic health conditions within a therapeutic relationship.

It is often delivered in personalized one-to-one and small group sessions. The personalized nature of therapeutic yoga serves to meet clients where they are in their needs and level of physical function, as opposed to applying a one-size-fits-all protocol to their therapy plan.

Yoga therapy empowers individuals to take an active role in improving their health, often when an illness has left them feeling powerless.

Major health systems such as Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Duke have well-established therapeutic yoga programs.

Yoga therapy is often one-to-one. The instructor of a contemporary yoga class formats content and delivers it to a large, mostly healthy group of people of varying experiences with yoga; however, a yoga therapist personalizes and tailors sessions to the client and his/her experience and their health condition, often at a less strenuous pace.

Whereas the focus of a yoga class may be on the techniques, the focus of a yoga therapy session is on the individual and his/her health condition.

Yes! Yoga therapy meets a person where he or she is and adapts the practice to the person. Many therapeutic yoga practices may be performed in a chair or a reclined position, while still offering many physical, mental, and emotional benefits.

At this time, yoga therapy is not covered by health insurance. However, health savings account funds may be used for yoga therapy.

For more information on yoga therapy, check out: Yogatherapy.health.