Our Approach

Yoga therapy is a healing movement practice that strengthens your body, calms your mind, and releases tension to give you the strength, energy, flexibility and resilience you need to thrive. Great for anyone that wants to boost their physical and mental strength and wellbeing.

Frequently Asked Questions

The process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and wellbeing through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga. Specifically working with movement, exercises, awareness, breathing, mindfulness and meditation to reduce pain, tension, and discomfort. The approach is more of a transformational approach and not necessarily symptom management. (For a more comprehensive definition from The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), click here.)

Requirements for certification:

800+ hours accredited certification course over 2 years which includes studies in anatomy, physiology, trauma care, pathology, yoga techniques and philosophy, Ayurveda (Yoga’s sister health care science), business and ethics.
150 + case studies reviewed by mentor
Certification ethics and scope of practice exam
24 CE (continuing education credits) required for recertification every 3 years

No. The “Yoga Therapist” designation is not protected and anyone could call themselves one. There are other yoga therapist certifications out there, however C-IAYT is the most robust with the most requirements. If you are looking for a Yoga Therapist ask them who they are certified with and how much training they have completed.

While a yoga class may help you to stretch, strengthen and relax your body and mind it does so in a very generalized way that might not be beneficial for all people in the class. Yoga classes could be thought of as “symptom management” and our aches and pains often return after the class. Yoga therapy takes a very individualized approach considering all parts of a persons being and assessing a person’s specific needs. Yoga therapy recognizes that there are many contributing factors to pain, tension, discomfort and suffering and that the pain/issue isn’t always where the problem is. Yoga therapy attempts to address the root cause of the problem and not just treat the symptoms. For example a client may complain of “tight hamstrings” or “sore lower back” we would ask the questions “why are the hamstrings tight?” or why is the “low back sore” Quite often areas of pain and tension are related to patterns of compensation, areas that might work harder, or brace or take over the work from another area of the body that isn’t quite functioning the way it ought to be. This is actually a good thing, until it is’t. For example if you break your ankle, you need to be able to use another method to “hop around” on 1 foot using crutches. This is quite adaptive during the injury, however when your tissues heal, you want to be able to go back to a more balanced pattern. Yoga therapy can help here. It uses neuromuscular techniques (brain-body connection) such as small movements, self-massage, breathing, and mindfulness to increase awareness around compensation patterns, and quiet compensation and nurture what we’d like to see working instead. Starting small allows our nervous system to adjust to the new pattern. In this way we can change the way we move and how we self regulate. Yoga therapy empowers clients by helping to increase their awareness of mind-body connection and providing tools to increase their self-regulation and support their bodies innate ability to heal.

That depends. If you are looking for someone to “work on you” or “fix” or tell you what to do, then probably not. If you want to feel better, believe that healing is possible and are willing to put in some work, then yes, yoga therapy is a great fit.

Here are some common reasons people work with me:

They experience pain, tension, or lack of ease in your body
They have low energy or feel tired a lot
They feel out of balance
They have a chronic condition that sometimes flares
They’ve tried a lot of different treatments and haven’t made the progress they want
They feel like these things are holding them back

Work with me if:

You believe that healing is possible
You are willing to put in the work to move towards your goals
You have the sense that there is more to your issue than just the “injury” or “condition”
You want to better understand your body and mind and create more ease in your system
You are ready for a change

Many of my clients have experienced the following benefits:

Decrease or resolution of pain, tension
Return to activities they couldn’t do while in pain
Decrease of flare ups
Greater understanding of what contributes to a flare up
Greater understanding of how to get out of a flare up
Increased energy
Improved sleep
Improved mood
Improved emotional regulation
Increase in confidence
Increase in presence
Increase in overall well being
Increase strength and vitality

I’ve worked with people who have many different conditions, diagnoses and many who are still trying to figure out what is “going on” with them. The condition doesn’t really matter so much, as I focus on how the person in front of me is showing up and moving. I don’t treat conditions. Two people with the same condition may have some similarities, but generally will be very different from each other. For example some people with the same degree of osteoarthritis experience pain and some are symptom free. Yoga therapy can help you change and improve your body and mind if you believe healing is possible and are ready to do the work. If you’re a bit unsure, I can help you get there. Sometimes it takes an experience of something different to believe in a new possibility.
Some conditions my clients have: old injuries, surgeries, various forms of arthritis, cancer recovery, MS, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, chronic pain, long COVID, past infections, lyme disease, all kinds of back issues, irritable bowel, insomnia, stress, anxiety, PTSD and many more

Angie's yoga Therapy Process

I believe that healing is possible.

Our bodies have incredible potential to heal. Often that requires us to get a little quiet and listen to what they are trying to tell us. When we live with pain, tension or stress our nervous systems are often in a heightened state of arousal (sympathetic drive) and it is hard to hear the whispers of our bodies through all the noise of the pain. Even if tissue damage has healed and/or pain has decreased we can still feel pain and our system can still feel unsafe or threatened – even if we aren’t consciously aware of it. I help my clients to down regulate (decrease sympathetic activation and increase parasympathetic activation) just enough that they can start to notice and hear the whispers a little more clearly.

When we start to move from a place of ease, pain and tension can resolve. There are many ways to do this and it is highly individualized for each person. What works for one person could potentially activate another. That’s often why you hear “I don’t know why the program didn’t work for me, it worked for such and such a person” In my process there is no “protocol” for “x condition.”

Client driven process: The client fills out a body diagram illustrating areas of their body they are experiencing pain, tension or discomfort or anything else that might be relevant.
Session 1: We meet to discuss their body diagram, history, issues they would like to change or improve, any goals they might have and most importantly what they would like to work on in our time together.
Session 1-3: We work together to determine patterns that may be contributing to pain/tension/discomfort. This includes a personalized assessment looking at the client’s movement
We generally start with small movements to reduce patterns contributing to pain/discomfort. The client learns how to relax the muscles that are contributing to tension, stress and pain and how to nurture and strengthen the supporting muscles that should be powering the movement. The client is guided to feel and sense this in their own body so they can feel the difference. It’s not necessarily about which movement or exercise we do, but often how we do it. During this phase the client will generally feel less tension and pain with the new movement pattern.
Sessions 4-8: We progress each session honing and strengthening the new patterns and adding more complexity to the movements. I love movement, so I draw upon many different realms. Some movements/tools used are similar to physiotherapy, athletic therapy or yoga. Depending on the client and their goals we may also use breathwork, meditation, curiosity, rhythmic movements, self-massage, ayurvedic techniques or movements relevant for specific sports/activities. The client also becomes more aware of what might contribute to a pain flare up and what can help them get out of a pain flare up. This process increases confidence and autonomy in their health and wellness.
Home practice program: at the end of each session the client receives a home practice video which consists of some of the movements/exercises/practices we did together. Practicing at home helps to strengthen new patterns, increase progression and create a wellness routine the client can continue even after we complete our work together.
Most clients not only report reduced pain, tension, discomfort, but they also note improved sleep, a greater sense of agency and gratitude, they are less impacted by stress and they have an increase in overall well being.
At the end of our 8 sessions together (2-3 months) we evaluate the progress and goals of the client and decide whether we will continue to work together. Many clients are so excited by their progress they want to continue on to the next level to see what is possible. Some clients are good with 8 sessions and may come back in the future with something new they’d like to work on.

More information Research links related to Yoga Therapy, Pain, movement:
For resources and articles published demonstrating the application of Yoga Therapy for various conditions of pain and chronic pain, click here.

Our Approach

Frequently Asked Questions

Angie's yoga Therapy Process

I believe that healing is possible.

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