“Yoga that is about more than just physical movement”
What is yoga & psychotherapy?
The integration - integrating Yoga, Psychotherapy, and Psychology
Yoga Psychotherapy combines ancient yoga practices and wisdom, mindfulness and evidence-based psychotherapy. Practicing yoga within therapeutic environments can allow us to better understand ourselves, our patterns, and gain insights into how life challenges (including anxiety) are emotionally and psychologically impacting us.
Yoga techniques may include yoga postures, somatic movement and body-based and self-enquiry, Eastern philosophy, breathwork, mindfulness, and meditation.
Developing your own psychotherapeutic practice and set of tools to support interoception, emotional regulation, and relaxation which can be utilised long after therapy has ended
Sessions are tailored to you as the client, and no two sessions will look the same. In each 60-minute appointment we will work in a trauma informed, anxiety aware, way to blend elements of traditional yoga, humanistic psychotherapy, and evidence-based therapeutic approaches.
What does a session look like?
If you have a body and you have a breath, then yoga psychotherapy is suitable for you. Yoga Psychotherapy is for everybody and every body - of all abilities, including complete beginners. You absolutely do not have to be ‘strong’, ‘spiritual’, ‘flexible’, or a ‘yogi’. I tailor each intervention to your individual needs. You do not need to have practiced yoga before, and we can use a chair rather than a mat if you’d prefer.
Who do I work with?
What might I be doing in a session?
Pranayama (breathing) -each breathing technique has its own benefits and effect on the mind and body and can be a useful tool for you to utilise outside of sessions and after we have ended together.
Simple asana (postures or “seats”) with or without movement - these might be to encourage relaxation or to facilitate the release of tension or emotional stress.
Yoga Nidra/meditation – sessions might include a short meditation, relaxation or yoga nidra (deep rest or yogic sleep) which can be effective in settling the mind and body, or supporting you to increase awareness and access what is happening internally for you.
Yoga Philosophy - Yoga can be a way of life, and goes far beyond what we do with the body or the breath. The Vedic texts provide insight into achieving a balanced state of physical, mental, and emotional health, so we might access some elements of yogic philosophy - which integrates and aligns well with humanistic psychotherapy - during our sessions.
Any physical movement, breathing practices or anything I else I might suggest or offer in a session are always an invitation and a choice, and your physical, emotional and psychological safety are my key priority.