What is yoga therapy

Saying I am a yoga therapist requires some time to explain what exactly is that.

And it’s uneasy because first part “yoga” which usually associates ether with spiritual growth, karma, energy and other transcendental concepts or headstand, acrobatic postures and other non-therapeutic images.

It´s interesting that after we start yoga therapy sessions many patients notice that they have already done similar or the same postures, and not necessarily during Yoga classes. They are also well known in fitness, pilates, etc, such as marjariasana, or cat-cow posture is a table pose.

But it didn’t work as well as it works now. And there might be a few reasons:

– the precise cause of the problem was found incorrect. For example, I can name around 10 causes for back pain. And dozens of cat-cow pose variations¨to cure those causes

– the chosen technique was incorrect. In Yoga therapy focus on specific detail and precise alignment is very strong

– holding time and the number of repeats was incorrect. Such as, to build an appropriate strength in quadriceps by standing 30 seconds in chair pose 2 times per week is not possible.

– psychological factors were untaken into account, like patient’s beliefs, emotions and family factors Explanation of typical mistakes in forward bending

Therefore, the clue is not only just to do a posture but also being absolutely precise in alignment, timing and finding a proper reason for the problem.

Yoga therapy is understood as the method of discovering the issue and curing it by methods which were described in traditional texts. Great masters as B.K.S. Iyengar, Swami Kuwalayananda, Swami Shivananda achieved a lot to bring health through ancient wisdom.

My teachers

The method which I use in my effective job is traditionally based on the works of those masters. And I use tools from modern physiotherapy and science as well. That what I learned during my PG program at the Institute of Traditional Rehabilitation Systems (Moscow, Russia). Graduation Ceremony

Running tests for just 10 – 15 minutes helps me to tell one source of pain from the other. For a typical example, a patient complains about sciatica and there is a bulging disc on MRI. But examination shows that SI joint causes those feelings. And the work must be done in another region, not the lower back.

And there are hundreds of remarkable examples from my practical experience and experience of my Teacher and dear colleagues that our successful work might be much more efficient by combining all available methods to help the people.

Every patient is unique, and it makes us using a unique way to solve his issue.

That’s what we respectfully call Yoga therapy.