What Are Some Examples of Yoga Therapy?
While any type of yoga can bring health benefits, yoga therapy involves employing a variety of yoga practices to try to improve a health condition or to ease a natural process, such as pregnancy or menopause.
Among the yogic tools used therapeutically are asana (the physical postures), Pranayama (breathing exercises), meditation, and guided imagery. Although many people don’t realize it, yogis also consider diet an integral part of yoga and therefore of yoga therapy.
What is yoga?
Yoga is an ancient practice that may have originated in India. It involves movement, meditation, and breathing techniques to promote mental and physical well-being. Yoga is a mind and body practice. Various styles of yoga combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation.
Yoga is an ancient practice that involves physical poses, concentration, and deep breathing. A regular yoga practice can promote trusted Source endurance, strength, calmness, flexibility, and well-being. Yoga is now a popular form of exercise around the world. According to a 2017 national survey, one in seven adults in the United States practiced yoga in the past 12 months.
Types of Yoga
Modern yoga focuses on exercise, strength, agility, and breathing. It can helpTrusted Source boost physical and mental well-being. There are many styles of yoga. A person should choose a style based on their goals and fitness level.
Ashtanga yoga
This type of yoga practice uses ancient yoga teachings. However, it became popular during the 1970s.
Ashtanga applies the same poses and sequences that rapidly link every movement to breath.
Therapeutic Yoga
For those who are more accepting of the mind-body connection than is typical in western talk therapy and medicine, therapeutic yoga is an excellent choice. This field of yoga is a beautiful way to work through problems while viewing the mind and body as a whole being.
Bikram yoga
People practice Bikram yoga, also known as hot yoga, in artificially heated rooms at a temperature of nearly 105oF and 40% humidity. It consists of 26 poses and a sequence of two breathing exercises.
Hatha yoga
This is a generic term for any type of yoga that teaches physical poses. Hatha classes usually serve as a gentle introduction to the basic poses of yoga.
Iyengar yoga
This type of yoga practice focuses on finding the correct alignment in each pose with the help of a range of props, such as blocks, blankets, straps, chairs, and bolsters.
Kripalu yoga
This type teaches practitioners to know, accept, and learn from the body. A student of Kripalu yoga learns to find their own level of practice by looking inward. The classes usually begin with breathing exercises and gentle stretches, followed by a series of individual poses and final relaxation.
Kundalini yoga
Kundalini yoga is a system of meditation that aims to release pent-up energy. A Kundalini yoga class typically begins with chanting and ends with singing. In between, it features asana, pranayama, and meditation that aim to create a specific outcome.
Power yoga
In the late 1980s, practitioners developed this active and athletic type of yoga based on the traditional Ashtanga system.
Sivananda
This philosophy maintains that proper breathing, relaxation, diet, exercise, and positive thinking work together to create a healthy yogic lifestyle. People practicing Sivananda use 12 basic asanas, which they precede with Sun Salutations and follow with Savasana.
Viniyoga
Viniyoga focuses on form over function, breath and adaptation, repetition and holding, and the art and science of sequencing.
Yin yoga
Yin yoga places its focus on holding passive poses for long periods of time. This style of yoga targets deep tissues, ligaments, joints, bones, and fascia.
Prenatal yoga
Prenatal yoga uses poses that practitioners have created with pregnant people in mind. This yoga style can help people get back into shape after giving birth, and support health during pregnancy.
Restorative yoga
This is a relaxing method of yoga. A person spends a restorative yoga class in four or five simple poses, using props such as blankets and bolsters to sink into deep relaxation without exerting any effort when holding the pose.
End Words
Yoga is an ancient practice that brings movement and breath together to promote physical and mental well-being. The benefits are varied and include increased flexibility, improved strength, and reduced stress levels.
No matter at what age or condition you are in, there is a yoga for you out there. Even if you haven’t practiced yoga before, it is never too late to start. Specialized classes like “My Body Don’t Bend the Way” developed by PIES Fitness Yoga Studio can help you get started if you are a senior in Alexandria, VA, and the wider DMV metro area.