If you’ve ever wished you could do yoga but worried about being flexible enough, or being able to get on and off the floor, or having the right clothes, or…We have good news: Yoga therapy has no prerequisites!

Yoga’s many documented benefits include reduced stress reactivity, as well as improved sleep, emotional resilience, and musculoskeletal health. No matter who you are, you can begin enjoying these effects right away with a trained professional.

YOGA THERAPY is 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.*

Notice that personalized assessment is one of the hallmarks of yoga therapy—the practice meets you right where you happen to be.

Although the positive effects of regular yoga are clear, the formal research demonstrating these benefits has, of necessity, been conducted on standardized routines. We can expect that individually tailored yoga may have an even more beneficial effect because it fully considers each person’s unique circumstances and goals.

Research backs tailoring

As just one example, a 2025 article from the journal JAMA Surgery demonstrates why personalizing healthcare matters. In “Immune Modulation by Personalized vs Standard Prehabilitation Before Major Surgery,” 58 people who had been scheduled for major elective surgery received either personalized or standard routines to help them prepare.

Those in the personalized prehabilitation group showed improved physical and cognitive function and experienced significantly fewer severe postoperative complications. This randomized clinical trial suggests that “tailored interventions may optimize surgical preparedness and reduce complications.”

Whether you’re preparing for surgery, managing a chronic illness, or simply want to find a sustainable way to keep moving, find an IAYT-certified yoga therapist to individualize YOUR routine.

*Read the full definition of yoga therapy from the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).