Questions & Answers

Yoga Therapy

__What is yoga therapy? What is a yoga therapist?

A Yoga Therapist provides individualized, customized yoga therapy sessions or programs which seek to ameliorate chronic pain, assist in recovery, or manage symptoms associated with long-term conditions or illness. Second Nature Yoga Therapy emphasizes self-care and the individualized nature of yoga, supporting each individual as a whole rather than simply addressing symptoms. Sessions are one-on-one with an experienced yoga therapist and include assessment and supportive follow-up. Yoga is therapeutic in and of itself when practiced with a mindful attitude, lack of competitive spirit, and without strain, yet how one does the yoga, why one does the yoga, and who is guiding the yoga influence the outcome and overall benefit gained from yoga therapy.

We are a C-IAYT yoga therapist specializing in NeuroSupportive Yoga Therapy™ for neurological conditions and movement disorders, as well as yoga therapy for chronic pain, therapeutic rehabilitation, and cancer recovery. Our primary interest is to improve client wellbeing and quality of life, focusing on the person rather than merely targeting a specific issue or condition. To learn more about our work, and perspectives on health and healing, please visit this page.

__I am unable to walk or stand on my own. I use a wheelchair. How can yoga therapy help me?

Hatha yoga, in its original form, was an intense practice focused primarily on the breath. Despite the current, modern-day accentuation on exercise and "doing," the foundation and basis of all yoga practice should come from a sense of ease and awareness which comes from the proper use of breath. Regardless of perceived ability or inability, yoga therapy sessions can be modified and tailored to the individual. Sessions can be as simple, yet as important, as working with someone who is bed-bound to increase their ability to breathe freely and with less strain, or providing stretches and gentle approaches to yoga which will benefit someone in a wheelchair or with limited mobility. Learning how to mobilize a sluggish digestive system due to lack of overall movement, restoring circulation to sedentary limbs, and gently mobilizing the spine to ease pain and restore some core support are not small things.

__Do you offer Gentle Yoga or Chair Yoga?

The term gentle yoga is rather open-ended. What may be "gentle" yoga to one person may be challenging—if not impossible—to another. However, people are resilient: If a yoga teacher or yoga therapist assumes that a student or client who is elderly, injured or disabled must always be tethered to a prop or chair in order to practice yoga, something has been lost in translation. It is obvious that some people will, without question, require a chair for support. More often than not, working slowly, carefully, and with moderation, props are rarely needed, and use of a chair may be delayed for years.

__How does a yoga therapy group differ from a regular yoga class?

A yoga therapy group is led by a yoga therapist rather than a yoga instructor. Yoga therapy group-classes are small to ensure safety and proper supervision, and have a specialized therapeutic focus, following the guidelines set by the International Assoc. of Yoga Therapists. The yoga therapist makes an individual therapeutic assessment of each attendee and follows up regularly outside of class hours, including scheduling customized yoga therapy sessions. Yoga therapy classes are gentle, simple, and modified as needed, while emphasis is put on emphasizing ability rather than dis-ability, reducing unhelpful movement patterns and thought patterns, as well as learning self-care and injury prevention. Specialized yoga therapy groups run in three-month modules in Bloomington Indiana.

__If I am a woman over 50, can I do yoga?

We welcome the opportunity to support women of all ages, whether they are 50+ or younger. Yoga is for every Body, every age, as long as it is practiced with understanding of the how-and-why of doing a particular yoga pose or practice, as well as knowledgeable guidance. Yoga for women includes supportive mentoring and lifestyle therapy, using the scope of the yoga tradition as a self-practice for balancing the per diem demands of life and living with overall health and emotional stability.

Yoga therapy for women brings yoga into a woman's life in a manner that they can use on a daily basis: honoring their body, cycles, life-changes, and particular physiology. Unlike a public studio setting, Second Nature offers women personalized yoga therapy and support in a private setting. This can be particularly helpful for women with long-term health challenges or if cultural considerations are a concern.

__Do you teach mindfulness and meditation?

These are very different questions: Mindfulness techniques and learning to observe the activity of mind and body are not meditation. Meditation is defined as engaging in mental exercise for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness. Meditation should be learned from someone who has the ability to guide one both deeply into, and safely out of, a meditation or meditative state. Such a person has themselves been highly trained, either by a spiritual guide or master-teacher, and is able to distinguish between (and teach a student to distinguish) between stream of consciousness, rumination, psychism—and true meditation.

Such training does not occur over a week, but over years, if not decades, of tutelage and introspection. For most of us who do not seek an ascetic life, meditation can be a goal; however, first learning the most basic techniques and methods which might allow one to sit comfortably for extended periods of time, or calm the mind enough to even begin to focus on a single concept or visualization... are an arduous task! First learning mindfulness of the mind and its fluctuations, as well as awareness of the body, can be lifetime pursuits.

This said, mindfulness and awareness are intrinsic to yoga. Mindfulness and awareness techniques can be drawn upon in yoga therapy sessions to help restore a balance between body and mind, as well as encouraging and guiding clients to bring these techniques into a therapeutic self-practice.

Traditional Thai Therapies & Thai Bodywork

__What is the difference between Thai Bodywork and Thai Yoga? Aren't they the same thing?

The terms Thai Yoga or Thai Yoga Massage, Thai Yoga Therapy and Yoga Massage are not Thai terms, and are a casualty of westernized marketing and an attempt to draw direct similarities between India's Hatha yoga tradition and traditional Thai bodywork. Another common claim is that Thai bodywork and therapies are part of Ayurvedic medicine, once again leading to fabricated terms such as Thai Ayurvedic Massage. Traditional Thai bodywork (Nuad Borarn) is solidly rooted in the Thai medicine tradition.

__Why are herbal packs used in Thai Therapy? Do they have added scents or oils?

Herbal compresses are included in Therapeutic Thai Bodywork sessions at no additional charge. We use a fresh, organic, non-commercial blend from Thailand with no added oils or synthetic perfumes. Steamed herbal compresses are part of the Thai medicine tradition, effective in increasing circulation in stiff or swollen joints, reducing tissue inflammation, and easing pain. Their warmth and unique herbs are also calming to most clients, and are appreciated as part of therapeutic bodywork sessions. We will not use them if a client has contraindications or asks that the compresses not be used.

__I am unable to rise from the floor: Do you offer Thai Bodywork on a table?

Although raised platforms are sometimes used in villages in Thailand, they are ample, wide and solid: the practitioner works directly on the platform, thus the effect is the same as working on a thick mat the floor in that the practitioner can use their body effectively and safely, both for the client and themselves. This said, in exceptional circumstances we do use a table—such as for paralysis or for the frail elderly—or when working in a clinic or long-term care facility. However, with patience and care, as well as constructive guidance for getting to the floor and back up (a useful skill set for anyone)—or a Hoyer lift and a second pair of hands—a Therapeutic Thai Bodywork session can usually be done in the traditional manner.

Health & Wellness Programs

__Do you offer Wellness Programs?

It is hoped that all our therapies lend themselves to health and healing, wellness and wellbeing.

Comprehensive Therapy Programs combine the multidimensional aspects of yoga as a therapy (recovery support, therapeutic rehabilitation, mind-body techniques, chronic pain management) with therapeutic bodywork (passive range of motion, neuromuscular therapy, joint mobilization, visceral manipulation) as a means to bring long-term therapy and support to individuals with neurological conditions, a disability, or in recovery, as well as those seeking a self-care program.

Lifestyle Therapy for Women provides personalized yoga therapy, lifestyle therapy, and support for life circumstances, health challenges, and specific concerns such as stress, chronic pain, and disordered eating.

Whole Person Nutrition provides nutritional guidance and counseling based upon healthy lifestyle, wholesome eating, and informed nutrition choices in specific conditions such as Parkinson's, autism, and celiac disease.

Second Nature Yoga Therapy™ addresses more than physical issues, taking into consideration underlying factors which affect health and wellbeing such as habitual movement patterns, lifestyle choices, stress and anxiety, and mental outlook. Yoga Therapy sessions provide personalized therapy to heal or recover, and offer a lifelong means of self-care.

Caregiving & Companion Care

__What type of caregiver support is offered?

As a caregiver, therapist, and health educator, it is a pleasure to bring experienced, supportive care and practical assistance to women with long-term health challenges in Bloomington Indiana and surrounding areas of Monroe County. In-home caregiving and companion care may include therapeutic rehabilitation and range of motion, transportation to medical appointments, accessibility and safety troubleshooting, healthy meal planning and preparation, essential errands, and more.

Training & Workshops

__What trainings do you offer?

An intensive, specialized yoga therapy training and IAYT APD course is open to C-IAYT yoga therapists with a specific interest in supporting clients with neurological conditions. NeuroSupportive & NeuroPalliative Yoga Therapy™ Training is provided by a C-IAYT yoga therapist.

__Can we host a Yoga Therapy workshop at our clinic or wellness center?

Introductory yoga therapy workshops focused upon long-term neurosupportive yoga for therapy may be arranged for practitioners and staff directly involved in neurosupportive / neuropalliative care who are working within neurology centers or are part of in-clinic integrative wellness programs.

General Information

__Where are you located? Where do you offer appointments?

We are based in Bloomington Indiana, offering therapeutic services, comprehensive therapy programs, and caregiving / companion care in a broad area including Indianapolis. Therapy appointments are in-home with no travel charge for locations within Bloomington (east of I-69). Please contact us for scheduling options and long-term therapy programs.

Yoga therapy sessions are primarily offered one-on-one in a client's residence, or in-clinic when offering a program through a hospital, integrative health / wellness center, or rehabilitation center. Specialized Yoga Therapy Groups are formed by request from a group with a specific therapeutic need, or by a clinic or integrative health center.

__How do I pay for appointments?

Payment is due at time of appointment. We accept cash and credit cards.

__Do you accept insurance?

Some insurance providers may partially cover fees associated with yoga therapy or therapeutic bodywork sessions with a physician's referral. We are not responsible for claims which are not reimbursed: Please check with your insurance carrier and be sure you understand what your policy covers. HSAs (Health Savings Accounts) or Flex accounts may cover therapeutic bodywork and yoga therapy sessions up to a designated amount. Again, please review your policy or contact your provider.