THE PROCESS:
Evaluation/Intake: Over a phone conversation, you'll be asked to describe not only the particular concerns that's brought you to yoga therapy but, as well, to describe your overall physical and psychological strengths and vulnerabilities. It's from this evaluation that the Initial Practice is created.
Initial Practice: The first meeting begins with a structural evaluation, an assessment of your range of motion and an analysis of movement integration. These will factor into the Initial Practice which will have been structured based on the information imparted during the phone evaluation. The Initial Practice may involve any of the following: specific movements and modifications of patterned movement, postural correction, breath awareness/modification, and meditative techniques. These will be combined in such a way to create a practice that will begin to effectively address the specific concerns at hand. In other words: a custom practice for you.
After this initial session: you will be invited take this practice home to decide if you feel this kind of therapeutic practice is going to be helpful to your healing process, and if yoga therapy is something you would like to make part of your healing process.
Up to this point, the process is free of charge. If you decide to continue, we will, together, determine a way to proceed that best fits your needs. If not, you have this Initial Practice at your disposal to use in any way that you wish!
THE SESSIONS:
The yoga sessions are typically one hour long. The session begins by going through the practice you've been given. If necessary, we fine tune the practice, advancing aspects to further your healing, and modify/discontinue anything that appears counter-productive. In other words, we go through the practice and make modifications to make the practice more effective. In this way, the your curative practice will evolve as it deepens your healing process.
A note on integrating your yoga therapy with your primary physicians and therapists:
It's quite often the case that, those coming to yoga therapy are following up or supplementing therapies recommended by their physician. For example, someone who either is, or has been, working with a physical therapist, we will supplement and advance that work with a home, yoga therapy practice. Or yoga may be recommended by a physician who has suggested yoga/meditation to supplement medication for hyper-tension (for example). In all such cases, I work closely with your primary physician to make sure that what we develop in your therapeutic yoga practice effectively adds to (complements) the other therapies that you are bringing to yoga therapy.
At any time during the week, you are free to contact me. Shifts in your healing process can happen at any time. As such, it can be helpful (and important) to ask questions about any concerns you may have about the practice, or to inform me of any changes that may be taking place (both productive and/or counter-productive) that you feel needs to be addressed. In short, the intent is to make your curative yoga an ongoing and evolving process.
The organization and timing of your sessions are based on 1.) the nature and urgency of the conditions being addressed and 2.) what works best for you in your weekly/monthly schedule.
Sessions can be grouped together (for example, 2 or 3 per week), or spaced out over a number of weeks (or even months). What's important is that the sessions are timed to maximize their effectiveness in your healing - whatever the time frame might be.