What Is a Yoga Therapist? Roles, Certification + Types Of Yoga Therapy Explained

If you want to understand how yoga therapists connect with their clients on a deeper and more personalized level by treating physical, spiritual, and emotional obstacles and what a yoga therapist is, you’re in the right place.

In this article, we explore everything you need to know about therapeutic yoga, including what yoga therapists do, how they work with their patients to improve their well-being, who can become a yoga therapist, the educational requirements for a yoga therapist certification, and more.

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What is a yoga therapist?

A yoga therapist is a health professional who uses yoga as a tool to help patients in their healing process. They use an integrative mind-body practice approach and draw from various lineages of yoga teachings to bring their patients back into a more harmonious and balanced state.

While they work with patients of all ages and backgrounds, but they often have specialties. For example, some yoga therapists work with people with chronic pain, anxiety, depression, or insomnia. While others work with pregnant women, cancer patients, or even prison inmates. Using yoga for trauma relief is another common way they work with their clients.

A certified yoga therapist is qualified to work in clinical settings using therapeutic applications of yoga to approach healing from a holistic angle.

Yoga therapists use a variety of yoga techniques to help their patients, including:

• Postures (asana)
• Breathing exercises (pranayama)
• Meditation
• Yoga philosophy principles

3 different types of yoga therapy

There are many different types of beneficial yoga therapy treatments that a yoga therapist may offer. Some common therapies include:

1. Physical yoga therapy: Asana practice that addresses clients’ issues.
2. Mental yoga therapy: Infuses yogic spirituality practices and teachings.
3. Emotional yoga therapy: Meditation and/or breathing techniques.

Yoga therapists' certification

Practicing yoga therapists should have a certification issued by The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), a professional organization that offers registration and certification for yoga therapists.

To work as a C-IYAT, yoga therapists need to attend yoga therapy training that goes far beyond the standard 200-hr yoga teacher training.

The IAYT has set high expectations for entry into yoga therapy training programs. To apply, yoga therapy trainees must be certified d yoga teachers at the 200-hour level (or higher), and the IAYT program is an 800-hour program in itself.

The difference between yoga and yoga therapy

Yoga and yoga therapy both use yoga to improve their students' health and lives, but there are some key differences. Here's how yoga and yoga therapy differ:

• Yoga: A physical practice that focuses on breathing, movement, and meditation. It's been around for thousands of years and is practiced by millions of people worldwide. The goal of yoga is to improve flexibility, strength, balance, and mindfulness.
• Yoga therapy: A more specialized form of yoga used to treat specific health conditions. It's a way to use the principles of yoga to help people with physical, mental, or emotional issues.

Think of it this way: Yoga is like going to the gym for your mind and body, while yoga therapy is like going to a specialist for a specific health issue.

Takeaway on the role of a yoga therapist

I hope this article has answered your questions about yoga therapists. Yoga therapists offer treatments that are much different than the conventional yoga classes yogis attend. Learn more about the differences between a yoga teacher and a yoga therapist, while further delving into this fascinating field.

FAQ about yoga therapy

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