Benefits of Yoga Therapy
According to the International Association of Yoga Therapists, “Yoga Therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the philosophy and practice of Yoga.” The literal translation of “Yoga” from Sanskrit is the union of the individual with the Divine. From the moral precepts of “ahimsa” or non-harming, to the culmination in “Samadhi” or bliss, the focus is on the whole person.
Physical benefits include increased flexibility, strength, balance, coordination and circulation, decreased pain, and increased function. Emotional and spiritual benefits include decreased stress, increased self-esteem, focus, confidence and self-awareness, and connection with nature. Attending yoga classes and committing to a personal practice brings about a deeper level of awareness and transformation. Yoga practice can be modified so each student progresses at his/ her own level, regardless of health conditions and challenges.
Update: 2024
May and June are often my favorite months. Comfortable temperature, lower humidity, greenery, blue skies or nourishing rain, birdsong, frog symphonies and lighter clothing, to name just a few gifts. I learned from Chinese philosophy that after the heavens’ manifest gifts to the earth disappear in the autumn, they return resplendent in the spring and early summer offering gifts for us all to savor and finally harvest, share and store in the late summer.
I write this to encourage us all to keep emerging, just as we see new plants come up and out, no matter their surroundings. These past few years have challenged and limited us, as well as strengthened and expanded us, in ways seen and yet to be seen. We have known fear and isolation, discouragement and courage, hope and disappointment. While we may feel that we’ve moved on, we are likely carrying yet to be fully understood consequences of the pandemic and these politically...