Iyengar Yoga Therapeutic Approach
Iyengar yoga is therapeutic in that the discipline of adding a regular yoga practice to your overall health regime will greatly improve many common ailments, including back, shoulder, neck, and knee pain.
In a therapeutic group class or individual session, I develop a specific sequence of asanas based on your condition. The sequence will include precise alignment techniques, skillful sequencing, and extensive use of props developed by B.K.S. Iyengar and Dr. Geeta Iyengar to improve physical, physiological, and psychological ailments.
Through the use of the same methodological approach as Iyengar yoga, therapeutic classes or individual private classes can address conditions such as:
Musculoskeletal Issues: Maintenance of chronic back, neck, shoulder, and knee pain, as well as scoliosis and spinal disc injuries.
Neurological and Systemic Conditions: Support for conditions like Parkinson's disease, cardiac recovery, hypertension, and gastrointestinal disorders.
Mental Health: Alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, and chronic stress by regulating the nervous system.
As a level 3 certified teacher, I am trained in the art and science of Iyengar yoga therapeutics. Only a level 3 instructor is given the privilege to provide such classes. The approach is universal to the method. First, the teacher evaluates the student in a private session to understand the obstacles that the student faces. A course of action is determined based on three principles: 1) Reduction of pain and inflammation and improving range of motion; 2) Reeducation: learning how to prevent the injury from recurring, or how to integrate the methods into a regular, modified yoga practice; 3) For some, reentry into a regular yoga class is the goal, for others, a regular practice of specific therapeutic sequences is recommended to maintain and improve quality of life.
