Yoga Therapy

Yoga therapy

Yoga Therapy

Yoga Therapy addresses all aspects of your being using mindful movement and conscious breathing as the vehicle. It is a multi-level process that leads you to explore the continuum between movement and stillness, effort and repose, will and surrender. This quest creates strength, flexibility, balance and connection within and between mind, body and spirit, teaching you to relax deeply, listen inwardly and honor what you hear. The result: greater serenity, equanimity and wellness. In the spirit of the word 'Yoga', which means 'Union', Integrative Mindworks incorporates the modern disciplines of Pilates and Somatics into that of traditional yoga to create a powerful therapeutic tool for total well-being.

Traditional Yoga originated in India and dates back thousands of years. People practice the art of yoga to strengthen and stretch the body while quieting the mind, bringing both aspects under conscious control. There have always been various types of yoga using mind, body and breath in different ways, yet all seek to integrate and balance the multi-dimensional beings that we are while bringing us deeper self-knowledge. The paths are many, but all lead to one place: reunion with our essence.

Pilates pronounced pih-lah-teez) is a ‘core conditioning’ system devised by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900's that builds physical strength and flexibility, enhancing structural and postural alignment. A highly effective and incredibly versatile exercise regimen, it enables students to gain awareness of, strengthen and balance the deep muscles of the body (the abs, back, pelvis and thighs) which support all movement. Joseph Pilates originally used his techniques to rehabilitate ill and injured hospital patients during the early 1900s.

In the world of American fitness, you will frequently see Pilates linked to yoga. This is because much of the Pilates matwork is drawn from yoga postures, and movements in both disciplines are coordinated mindfully with the breath, adding a consciously meditative, highly focused component to the process.

The diversity of the Pilates repertoire, using both matwork and equipment, allows a trained instructor to tailor programs for all levels of fitness. Pilates is acknowledged as a preferred exercise system to help dancers and athletes (as well as less active folks) reach their full potential. It is also used increasingly by physical therapists as a rehabilitation tool for their clients.

Somatics is a slow and gentle, but powerful and effective neuromuscular re-education process that releases chronic muscular tension and replaces pathological neuromuscular patterns with healthy ones. It works by reprogramming the brain's control of the body. Somatics is particularly useful in correcting a wide range of conditions, including such common problems as back, neck, jaw, hip and shoulder pain, sciatica, scoliosis, knee and foot pain, poor balance and stiff walking gait.

BioSomatics represents the next generation of Somatic work, created by Hanna Somatic Educator, Carol Welch. It expands on previous traditions, including Hanna Somatics, Feldenkrais, Alexander Technique, Eutony, Body-Mind Centering and Aston Patterning, taking elements from each and melding them into an educational process that helps to reach and gradually free mental, physical and emotional holding patterns that cause distress and dis-ease.

Somatic Release is an intuitively guided amalgam of previous Somatic traditions, designed in the moment for the participant(s) receiving instruction. It restores developmental and organic movement capability to the body, releasing chronic pain and creating ever greater awareness, connection, fluidity, flexibility and comfort. Somatic Release work facilitates and enhances physical and emotional healing.

HypnoSomatic Release combines hypnotherapeutic techniques and processes with that of BioSomatics and Somatic Release work, boosting the power of the mind-body connection to reprogram both mind and body for greater ease, health and well-being.

Through Integrative Mindworks, you will experience 'expanded' yoga designed for your needs, appropriate for your level of experience and physical condition, and helpful for your near and long-term goals. In a yoga session, whether it is private or with a group, you might receive a combination of flowing, gentle 'vinyasas', held physical postures, subtle and relaxing movement explorations, strength-building sequences, stretches of ecstatic dance, chant, breathwork, hand gestures, guided visualization, meditation and/or chakra balancing. Every group class is tailored to the individuals in it; postures and movements are explained and corrections given as needed. No matter what the day's format, though, the deep relaxation period at the end of the session is sure to evoke a sense of peace, serenity and possibly even bliss as mind and body absorb the benefits of your practice.