Blog: What’s Happening in Yoga Therapy
Therapeutic yoga’s difference is key to its effectiveness
When you think of yoga, what comes to mind? Most people in Western cultures think of yoga as a kind of exercise practiced at gyms and yoga studios. Yoga therapy, on the other hand, is typically practiced in a one-to-one or small-group setting—and increasingly in...
Yoga therapy as part of integrative pain management: Valuable, meaningful, purposeful
Major Adhana McCarthy, PA-C, C-IAYT, has served 18 years in the U.S. Army, 11 of those years as a physician assistant. She is also an IAYT-certified yoga therapist and a long-time advocate for integrative and lifestyle medicine. When Maj. McCarthy was a child, her...
Study shows yoga is as effective as traditional therapy for anxiety
New research shows that yoga is equally as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety in older adults. Participants showed lasting improvement in anxiety symptoms, even 6 months after stopping either therapy. Multiple studies have shown that anxiety...
Yoga therapy points the way to addressing burnout in healthcare facilities
By Anne-Laure Peaucelle People choosing helping professions often do so to make a difference and to support others—and for a purpose bigger than themselves. This desire to give and passion to help others can drive us to stretch ourselves thin simply because we love...
The time for yoga therapy is now: How one healthcare provider works without labels to support chronic illness
By Donna Mueller The overall perception of the COVID-19 pandemic being “over” has negatively impacted an already-marginalized group of people in the disability community, who exist day-to-day in a delicate balance in society. Some now fear that a run to the store for...
“How Practicing Yoga Can Help Relieve Your Arthritis Pain Naturally”
Research shows that yoga can help improve the pain and symptoms that accompany osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. But how does yoga work, and what techniques relieve arthritis pain. In this article, Steffany Moonaz, PhD, C-IAYT, answers questions about...
Our top yoga therapy tools for heading back to school
For many families, September marks the start of a new school year—and a call to adjust to different schedules and needs. Transitions can bring excitement, stress, and a call for resilience—and yoga can bring ease and tools for self-care. We’ve compiled a list of top...
How yoga can support creativity
Yoga is widely known to support overall health and well-being—but what about creativity? “Yoga and meditation tap into our psyche and our consciousness, those parts of our being that inspire creative ideas to emerge,” writes yoga teacher Ashton Graham in a recent...
The basics of chronic pain—and how yoga therapy can help
By Sarah Garden Yoga is uniquely positioned to help people suffering from chronic pain. As a yoga therapist whose primary role is treating chronic pain—in both clinical and yoga studio environments—I have found that pain education is a crucial first step in that...
Facing life’s challenges through the breath
By Alicia Barmon Breathing is one of the fastest ways to mitigate stress in the autonomic nervous system. It gives us direct access to a system that is involuntary and reactive—that is, one that functions on its own without conscious thought. When we have a conscious...