Yoga Therapy

Yoga has been practiced as an exercise for the body and mind for thousands of years.  Ancient sages developed sequences of poses, or “asanas”, to help ready their bodies to sit for hours of meditation practice.

Ironically, in our modern world we still do ALOT of sitting, but not necessarily in a manner conducive to reaching enlightenment!  We use our bodies very differently than they did ages ago…We sit: at the office, in our car, in front of the television, at our home computer; we constantly reach forward:  cooking at the counter and stove, gripping the steering wheel, typing on our keyboard, even holding books and newspapers out in front of us while sipping our morning coffee; and we sleep in many contorted patterns in between our tossing and turning.  We develop patterns of movement that wreak havoc on our posture, effecting our overall functioning; gait, movement, digestion, breathing, sleep…even our mental clarity!

Yoga Therapy works to correct these patterns by increasing circulation and breath capacity, accessing flexibility in muscles and connective tissue, building muscular strength and stamina, regaining balance and refocusing the mind. 

Yoga Therapy sessions are tailored to the needs of each individual.  They can be well-rounded practices that get the entire body moving fluidly with the breath, or they can focus on a specific area of concern—like an injury or chronic pattern.  A session may include:

• Specific breathing exercises.
• Dynamic, warming movement.
• Strength-building, balance-building standing poses.
• Restorative stretching.
• Guided meditation.

You can expect to leave your session feeling lighter, stronger and maybe just a little worked out!   Each personalized session aims to define the individual’s limits of movement and strength and to learn how to begin altering those limits.  We must explore our edges before we can find our center! 

Some Yoga Therapists use these physical techniques to facilitate emotional release and enhance counseling or psychotherapy practices.  While it is a very effective tool to reach the mind-body connection, this is not the work that Richelle does.  Her sessions focus on the structural rehabilitation her clients need.  The energetic body often comes closer to the surface and emotional release can occur, but this is used as a way to better access new opening in the physical body, not the other way around.  Also, there is no religious attachment or reference in Yoga Therapy.  Even the deepest roots of the Yoga traditions tie into philosophy before they tie into religion.  People walking all paths should feel welcome to explore this profound treatment modality.