Mindfulness is a general term for the practice of being present. Mindfulness practices inspire us to observe our feelings, thoughts and physical sensations on a moment-to-moment basis. Normally, mindfulness practices help us to get out of our head and into our body.
However, in the case of someone whose health is compromised, mindfulness practices don’t always work. It’s hard to be mindful when your system is very agitated, scattered, anxious, sick, or in pain. In these cases, we are more likely to be in “auto-pilot” mode.
Yoga Therapy is the clinical application of movement, breathing, and meditation. Yoga Therapy can be effectively applied for people with chronic health conditions. The Yoga Therapy process includes an assessment of the patient’s overall health and well-being. This assessment guides the practitioner in designing a Yoga Therapy routine that will fit with the patient’s overall ability to practice it. Thus, a patient on “auto-pilot” would receive a practice to help reconnect them with their feelings, thoughts and bodily sensations thus spending less time on “auto-pilot”.
Yoga Therapy also changes as the patient changes. So, in the case of someone on “auto-pilot,” their Yoga Therapy routine would change as he or she started to become more reconnected to his or her feelings thoughts and bodily sensations or, from the perspective of Yoga Therapy, as their health started to improve. Herein is where mindfulness practices and Yoga Therapy are so different: Yoga Therapy is specially designed to meet the unique needs of the individual.
For this reason, Yoga Therapy is ideal for people with chronic conditions and illnesses and has proven to be effective in reducing symptoms and alleviating pain for people with chronic conditions, chronic pain, anxiety, depression, sleep issues, low energy, and excessive stress. If you know of anyone that is experiencing these conditions, please have them contact me. I may be able to help.