Being into yoga, you must have also come up with the problem of knowing the exact difference between yoga and yoga therapy. Here is a perfect blog that will help you to know the different applications of yoga and yoga therapy. The blog will take you on the ride of understanding the term precisely.
Yoga therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health by practicing the application of the teachings and practices of yoga. It is used to improve a specific condition or boost overall health and well-being by using yoga techniques.
A yoga therapist carries out the initial consultation just like the other practitioners to understand the patient and then guide them towards the custom plan according to their needs. Benefits derived from Yoga and yoga therapy are the same, but yoga therapy is designed keeping in mind the client’s specific needs. Many doctors and healthcare centers recommend yoga therapy due to its benefits.
Objective Of Yoga Therapy
Yoga therapy can be understood as applying yogic principles to a particular person to achieve spiritual, psychological, and physiological goals. Yoga therapy respects individual differences in age, culture, religion, philosophy, and mental and physical health.
- Using yoga therapy to gain power, i.e., muscular power.
- Using yoga therapy to cure specific problems or to eliminate some impurities.
- Using yoga therapy to understand the self and witness the presence of all that is changing.
Principles Of Yoga Therapy
The main principles of yoga therapy are:
- Teaching what is appropriate to the individual.
- Differences in people should be respected.
- Each person needs to be taught according to their constitution.
- The teaching method also depends upon the time of the year and season.
- A teacher must be aware of the endurance they have.
- Teaching should conform to the direction of the mind.
Benefits Of Yoga Therapy
Yoga therapy can help reduce or manage symptoms and improve your overall outlook on health conditions. It helps in treating the following:
Asthma, Scoliosis, Diabetes, Depression, Anxiety, Insomnia, Hypertension, Digestive issues, And Traumas.
Point Of Differences Between Yoga And Yoga Therapy
The Goal Behind Yoga And Yoga Therapy
When people go to yoga instructors, they aim to learn yoga, to know about various philosophies related to it, and to improve their well-being. When one takes yoga therapy, it is for a specific reason. The reason is to get relief from some symptom or specific health condition causing uneasiness.
Performing particular Yoga techniques will help treat specific illnesses rather than learning a form of yoga.
Altering Of Yoga Poses
Yoga involves different forms and techniques to maintain good mental and physical health. But when it comes to yoga therapy, it is all about altering the yoga poses to relieve a condition of uneasiness.
The Expertise Of Yoga And Yoga Therapists
An expert in Yoga teaches different yoga techniques. In contrast, the focus of yoga therapists is less on teaching yoga techniques and more on applying those specific techniques to resolve the symptoms they may be dealing with.
Yoga therapy is about targeting a particular condition with a specific yoga technique. A yoga therapist takes a holistic approach, sees the individual as a whole person, and focuses on their specific needs and demands. Considering their needs, the yoga therapist treats them accordingly. They treat people dealing with chronic pain symptoms, injury recovery, mental health, illness support, healthy aging, and improving flexibility and overall well-being.
Highly Involved With Medical
Yoga therapy is a vital healthcare intervention that is not only for therapeutic purposes but also for preventing and managing specific ailments without the need for Western medicine.
Professionals now highly recommend yoga therapy for its wide-ranging benefits. Like regular practitioners, yoga therapists carry out an initial consultation and create a specific custom plan to meet a client’s needs. Here the benefits and treatment are personalized as it is designed for an individual’s specific condition.
When you go for yoga, there is no such consultation required. There are people in groups who also learn and practice the same yoga you do, so there is no personalization involved.
As A Career Choice
To become a yoga teacher, one must attain a minimum training of 200 hours. But for a yoga therapist, there is an additional 800 hours(1000 hours). The additional training includes the detailed study of specific health conditions and how to apply techniques to address a person’s uneasiness. One can also study deeper and get specialization in a particular area.
Yoga practice is more about physical exercise, which includes breathing exercises and meditation. It has different levels, from beginner to intermediate and finally to advance.
Why Is Yoga Therapy Important?
Yoga therapy comes with enormous benefits both for your physical and mental conditions. Yoga therapy is the greatest achievement for those dealing with chronic physical and mental issues. Also, for people who are surviving acute illnesses such as cancer.
Yoga therapy helps reduce the strain of health services through various mechanisms. It is another support to the patients suffering the illness in particular cases.
Yoga therapy provides more comprehensive well-being that can improve health makers’ broad scope of issues. For example, if you are taking the help of yoga therapy for panic attacks, you will also feel an improvement in your blood pressure levels.
No wonder yoga therapy can help to deal with loneliness and stress; it not only give solution to acute problems but also helps in coping with long-term problems and further development of issues.
Yoga therapy is a self-sufficient therapy that eases the burden on individuals and doctors, and one can independently make yoga therapy a part of their everyday life.
What To Expect From A Typical Yoga Therapy Session?
- The first time when you meet your yoga therapists, you have to discuss your unique needs.
- During the session, therapists will work with you and develop a preliminary daily practice plan. They will recommend you for the initial six sessions, including elements of yoga like pranayama, yoga poses, and meditation.
- Often yoga therapists will prescribe you the therapies to do at home. Yoga therapy teaches the skills one can do independently and become empowered.
- The best part of every yoga therapy session is that it is client-led, client-focused, and compassion-focused. The client is the master of their journey with yoga therapists bringing health and well-being to you.
How Yoga Therapy Works?
Yoga therapy understands clients’ needs and aligns their unique and precise health needs with yoga practice. For example, if one is dealing with lower back pain, specific yoga poses, and postures help reduce the pain and strengthen the back muscles.
Every yoga therapy session combines yoga asanas, meditation, and breathing techniques to help clients deal with their illnesses. One can understand yoga therapy not only for preventive and curative measures but also for managing the illness or facilitating a person to heal at all levels of their illness.
The Bottom Line
Yoga therapy has become so popular that many doctors are supporting it now. Various medical researchers have proved the numerous benefits of the same. Mental health practitioners often recommend their clients for yoga therapy. There is also a practice going on to bring yoga therapy to clinical practice.