Integrative Lifestyle Therapy

Yoga therapy is inherently a lifestyle therapy—both as a traditional practice (yoga cikitsa) and in more modern terms (lifestyle medicine)—encompassing physical, mental and emotional health, as well as taking into consideration social, spiritual and environmental factors which influence us on a daily basis.

 

Quality of life and physical and mental wellbeing are closely intertwined, yet our society tends to tease these apart and view them as unrelated. Age-old wisdom has told us that eating for wellbeing, reducing mental and physical pain, and getting sufficient sleep, are all physical "prescriptions" for happiness. By the same token, our state of mind directly impacts our perceptions, emotions, and willingness to engage in living at all levels. For women, particularly, the various roles we may occupy during the course of a lifetime can be fulfilling inasmuch as they are often bewildering, exhausting, and challenging.

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A yoga therapist cannot be the change, or make change happen. However, they can be a guide and catalyst for self-reliance, resilience, and finding equilibrium—a balanced state. The word integrate conveys this outlook: to form or blend into a functioning or unified whole. We provide extended, thoughtful support over months or years, creating a client relationship that adapts and changes as needs, age, and circumstances change—delving into unhelpful lifestyle habits or patterns of thinking, bringing awareness to daily activities, providing a compassionate, open space for discussion of life, living, and perhaps even dying. ​​​​