Blog: What’s Happening in Yoga Therapy
Circus the yoga way: Adapted for children on the autism spectrum
By Kat Robinson You may be surprised to learn that the internally focused practice of yoga and the externally oriented art of circus have a lot in common: Both include body awareness and proprioception, involve breathing techniques to quiet the mind and create...
The yoga therapy partnership: 50-50
By Monica Le Baron In 2018, I was honored to do a practicum in yoga therapy and integrated positional therapy at La Casa de las Abuelitas, a women’s shelter in El Paso, Texas. Working there was challenging yet rewarding at all levels of my being. I learned four...
Resolution: Compassion
Have you made resolutions for the new year? In the United States 38% to 65% of people make them, yet 45% to 92% don’t stick to their resolve. If you don’t make resolutions, you might set goals at some other time. For many, a mandate for change comes as a result of a...
Just what the yogi ordered: A variety of meditations to balance that holiday cheer
Holidays! This time of year can feel restless. The noticeable shift in so many people’s energy and attention affects even those who aren’t particularly holiday-oriented. Parties, sales, shopping, planning, cooking—all these activities, in abundance and all at once,...
Yoga therapy and cardiac care: A love story
IAYT-certified yoga therapist Sonja Rzepski specializes in yoga for cardiac care. Partnering with cardiologists at Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan, she designed a therapeutic cardiac care yoga program for women. The team then did a research study to evaluate the yoga...
Yoga research: The importance of protocols and a wider community
Western science and medicine professionals are increasingly researching yoga. Robust research not only helps yoga practices to be accepted in Western healthcare (and importantly, delivered to people in need), it also helps yoga therapists and teachers to understand...
Yoga breathing research shows promise for dementia
Research shows that yoga can significantly improve cognitive functioning in people with dementia. These studies primarily used yoga as a movement practice. New research on yoga breathing practices (pranayama) shows that specific breathing patterns can affect...
Gratitude: Mind, body, and relationship medicine
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology has given us tremendous insight into ourselves by producing images of how our brains change in response to how we use them, known as neuroplasticity. This technology has provided scientific evidence to support...
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...
