By Cheryl Albright

You’re sitting in your doctor’s office, having consulted with them for a chronic problem you’ve had for some time. Toward the end of the visit, they say, “Maybe you should try yoga.” You nod, smile politely, and walk out with no real idea of what to do next.

Do you join a class at the gym? Search for a video online? Are you supposed to lie down and breathe, or twist into a pretzel? For many people, the suggestion to “try yoga” comes with zero guidance—and that’s where things can go wrong.

As both an occupational therapist and an IAYT-certified yoga therapist, I work with a lot of people who were told to try yoga for pain, fatigue, anxiety, arthritis, trauma, or recovery. They’re hopeful but overwhelmed. What they need is a safe, personalized approach—not a general class built for the masses.

Not all yoga is the same

Let’s clear this up first: Yoga therapy is not the same as your average studio class. Yoga therapy is a one-to-one or small-group process tailored to your health goals, your diagnosis, and your lived experience. It’s not about achieving poses—it’s about healing through breath, movement, and awareness.

Yoga therapists go through hundreds of hours of additional training beyond standard yoga teacher certifications. We understand anatomy, pathology, and trauma-informed care. We know how to adapt yoga for people recovering from illness, injury, or chronic stress.

What happens in a yoga therapy session?

We start with a conversation: What brings you in? What are your goals? We look at posture, movement, breath patterns, energy levels, and daily routines. Then, we create a therapeutic plan with you. That plan might include supported poses, breathing practices, guided relaxation, or mindfulness techniques you can use every day.

In short, yoga therapists meet you where you are. Some people are working on joint mobility. Some want to sleep better or manage anxiety. Some are just trying to reconnect with their bodies after a medical crisis or trauma. All of that is valid.

So where do you start?

If your doctor says “try yoga,” consider a few questions:

• Is there a yoga therapist in your area or with whom you can work online? (Look for C-IAYT credentials.)
• Has the person worked with your condition or population before?
• Is this a therapeutic setting, or a general wellness class?

There’s nothing wrong with taking a group class—if it’s the right fit. But if you’ve got a specific medical condition, chronic pain, mental health needs, or physical limitations, you may benefit more from working with a trained yoga therapist.

When should other professionals refer?

Referrals to yoga therapy make sense when someone needs support with regulation, chronic pain, recovery from illness, or mind-body awareness—especially when other therapies have plateaued or hit barriers.

Here are a few examples of situations where referral to a yoga therapist could make great sense:

• A physical therapist notices a patient is holding tension or has anxiety that interferes with progress.
• A mental health professional wants a client to learn grounding tools for panic or dissociation.
• A physician sees a patient struggling with fatigue, sleep, or digestion and suspects stress is part of the issue.
• An occupational or speech therapist sees someone with sensory overwhelm or breath-control challenges.

Yoga therapy doesn’t replace other care—it complements it. We often work alongside other providers to create integrated, holistic plans that really stick.

Final thoughts

Yoga isn’t just about stretching or chanting—it’s a powerful system of self-care that helps people reconnect to their breath, body, and sense of agency. And when delivered by someone trained to work with complex health conditions, it becomes a truly therapeutic process.

So if your doctor (or therapist, or friend) tells you to try yoga, remember: You don’t have to figure it out alone. You just have to find the right guide—and begin from where you are.

Cheryl Albright, OTR/L, C-IAYT, has extensive experience working with individuals with disabilities, including scleroderma. Her use of yoga in clinical practice began in 2009 when she discovered Yoga for All Abilities, and she has since incorporated the techniques into her private practice, Soul to Soul Yoga.