Although they have gone on to receive additional specific training, all yoga therapists are also yoga teachers. And when you go to a yoga therapy session, you might find yourself doing some of the same things you would do in a class at your local studio or online. You may find the practice healing on a number of levels, too. So what makes yoga therapy distinct from general yoga?
Focus and intention differentiate yoga and yoga therapy
The International Association of Yoga Therapists defines yoga therapy as
The professional application of the principles and practices of yoga to promote health and well-being within a therapeutic relationship that includes personalized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management, and yoga practices for individuals or small groups.
Read the full definition of yoga therapy here.
Writing in Yoga Therapy Today magazine*, Dr. Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani and colleagues explain that a key distinction between yoga and yoga therapy—and between yoga therapy and other healthcare disciplines—is in the approach to client support. For starters, yoga therapists don’t usually prioritize what a pose looks like. They also don’t necessarily focus on someone’s symptoms (although they certainly take physical and mental health conditions into account). And they evaluate clients and their needs based on a holistic model:
The yoga therapy assessment is a co-creative, collaborative process between therapist and client. This is quite different from an assessment that is the yoga therapist’s [or yoga teacher’s] unilateral perspective. To assist someone out of their suffering, it is critical that the client’s point of view and perspectives are taken into consideration. The whole person needs to be understood to help transform the client’s suffering and not merely treat a diagnosis or suppress … symptoms.
… In yoga therapy we are [also] creating space for something bigger to also manifest in the clients’ lives. This manifestation is facilitated by enabling clients to understand their patterns and consciously move away from the tendencies that cause suffering. Yoga therapy then is an ongoing process of transformation in the ever-evolving life journey vs. … mere symptom relief.
This table, adapted from Dr. Bhavanani et al.’s article, summarizes how the emerging healthcare profession of yoga therapy, which has a clearly defined Scope of Practice, supports personal transformation and the alleviation of suffering:
Learn more from Dr. Bhavanani at the 2025 Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research, where he is a keynote speaker.
*See “Shared Foundations for Practice: The Language of Yoga Therapy” in the Summer 2019 issue. (A subscription to Yoga Therapy Today is a benefit of IAYT membership.)
