Untitled by Sonaly Gandhi

by Beth

My introduction to the emerging field of yoga therapy can be found at What is Yoga Therapy? but the definition of yoga therapy bears repeating: “Yoga therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and wellbeing through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga.” In this post I’ll explore the role of the yoga therapist, what’s in the yoga therapist’s toolbox, and what it takes to become a certified yoga therapist.

What is the Role of the Yoga Therapist?

Here are my top three points central to the role of a yoga therapist:

1. Because science recognizes that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, attitudes, and how we handle stress can positively or negatively affect our mental and physical health, a yoga therapist needs to create a safe learning environment where the student/client can remember their own innate healing potential.

One of the goals of yoga therapy is to introduce the student/client to the yogic principle of svadhyaya, self-inquiry, self-knowledge, and self-awareness, which is the ability to see, understand, and work with conditions/situations, beliefs, habits, and behavior with compassion and without judgment. On the journey to this goal the student/client (and the yoga therapist) learns to consciously choose to make needed changes, remain unchanged with full awareness of the consequences, or find acceptance and peace of mind if change is not possible.

2. A yoga therapist creates a program for optimal health and healing, which is different from curing or fixing. The term “optimal health” means the best level of health that can be achieved based on an individual’s condition/situation. No matter our health status or our mental/social condition or situation we can heal. The word “heal” comes from the Anglo-Saxon word haelen, which means to make whole, to have harmony and a sense of well-being in body, mind, and spirit. Curing is more about fixing problems and eradicating disease. People can be healed even if they are not cured, and many can be cured without being healed.

For example, those with a chronic disease can learn to accept and work with their physical condition to find healing and peace of mind. Conversely, people may have their physical condition fixed or cured but not realize healing on any level. One noticeable effect of healing is a reduction in stress and anxiety, which in turn positively impacts overall wellbeing.

A yoga therapist sees each person as an expression of infinite possibilities and intelligence, and understands that even if it appears distant, the potential for balance and self-knowledge is within each person. The yoga therapist works for the benefit and ultimate spiritual evolution of their students/clients, communities, and the planet.

3. A yoga therapist works to remove their own implicit biases, the deeply held unconscious and subconscious attitudes, beliefs, or stereotypes that affect how we see, understand, and react to what happens in our lives, our communities, and the world. Implicit bias allows us to deny what is in front of our eyes because what we see doesn’t necessarily align with what we believe, say, and do. In the yogic sense we can understand implicit bias through the five kleshas (avidya, asmita, raga, dvesha, and abinivesha):

  • Misapprehensions (avidya):  Not seeing things as they are
  • Confused values (asmita): Perceiving self as the center of life
  • Excessive attachments (raga): Desires
  • Unreasonable dislikes (dvesha): Aversion
  • Insecurity/fear (abinivesha): Levels of anxiety preventing spiritual growth

How might implicit bias affect a yoga therapist’s ability to work with a student/client?

  • If our perception of a situation is wrong (avidya), wrong action likely follows.
  • If our perception is correct but we doubt ourselves (abinivesha), we may take no action or wrong action.
  • If our perception is correct (vidya) and we are clear in our understanding, right action will likely result even if the outcome is not what we expected or hoped for.

It helps to remember that the phrase ‘physician, heal thyself,’ although traditionally applied to the allopathic professions also applies to the emerging profession of yoga therapy. It’s most often the influence and power of our implicit biases that cloud our perceptions and prevent right action. The skill and practice of the yoga therapist must come from an in-depth understanding of this along with all facets of yoga. What a yoga therapist can provide to their students and clients will depend upon where they are in their own journey.

What in a Yoga Therapist’s Toolbox?

A yoga therapist has several lenses through which to view their student/client’s condition or situation. These lenses are used to detect mind/body splits, separation, and imbalances and to suggest appropriate practices to increase awareness, optimal health, and healing. They include but are not limited to:

Who Can Call Themselves a Certified Yoga Therapist?

The International Association of Yoga Therapists requires an applicant to be a member of IAYT, a graduate of an IAYT-accredited yoga therapist training program, and agree to the organization’s professional policies, procedures, and practices. You can find more information at https://www.iayt.org/page/CertEligibility.

A yoga therapist’s goal will always be to meet their students and clients where they are and prepare to give them:

  • Some of what they want by addressing the needs that brought them to yoga therapy
  • Some of what they need, depending on their readiness and willingness to begin their journey toward svadhyaya

 

Beth’s self-awareness newsletter is published six times a year. It features informative, inspiring and entertaining tips for finding clarity, contentment, and resilience in a complicated world. For more information and to sign up for the newsletter go to www.bethgibbs.com.

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