healing is always possible

What is Yoga Therapy?

“Yoga Therapy is a burgeoning field of professional practice that emphasizes personalized, one-on-one therapeutic care. It’s aim is to provide holistic support for a wide variety of life’s many challenges.

Yoga Therapists, informed by the intelligence of the practice of yoga, skilfully witness and accompany clients and patients, in the realm of life shatterings, grief, injuries, trauma and disease. Instead of a prescriptive model or established protocol, the emphasis is on the dynamic holistic health and agency of each unique client.”

(The School of Embodied Yoga Therapy)

What Does a Yoga Therapy Session Involve?

Your first session is an intake session in which our main goal is to get to know each other. We will discuss the factors relating to your overall health, your intention in seeking yoga therapy, and some potential possibilities for working together.

Generally, in following sessions, we’ll start with a check-in to explore how you are feeling in the moment. Then, we can explore yoga practices that may be supportive for your needs. Yoga practices can include movement, meditation, breath practices, guided rest and more. This process is a co-creation, meaning that your responses, limitations and preferences are deeply respected & inform the direction that we take and the pace we move at.

Do you have more questions about yoga therapy and how it may support you?

Yoga Therapy

online & in-person in Nelson, BC

please email me at cassie@nestholistic.ca to book yoga therapy.

 As a trauma-informed yoga therapist, I offering one-on one therapeutic care based on yoga practices and teachings. From a holistic, compassionate and agency-centered perspective, we will curate yoga practices and teachings which can meet your embodied experience. 

Through our sessions, we will explore language of your nervous system and how yoga can support your healing and growth. Based on our sessions, we may co-create practices and tools to incorporate into daily life between sessions when desired.

In order to ensure continuity of care, I am always happy to collaborate with your existing healthcare providers (requires written consent) such as doctors, psychotherapists, physiotherapists, etc.

60 or 90 minute sessions are available upon request. Upon booking a session, you will be sent a waiver to complete in advance of the appointment. Please ensure you have a private space for your session.

Sessions must be cancelled with 48 hours notice (in person) or 24 hours notice (online) in order to receive a refund.

As a yoga therapist, I maintain a holistic view of you as whole person and recognize the interconnection of the layers of the self through the Panchamaya Kosha model — all of which can be nourished and addressed through yoga therapy. Indeed, stress, trauma and suffering can affect all layers of our experience, and so can yoga.

Practices will vary greatly depending on client needs and can include any of the following:

  • Compassionate accompaniment

  • In-the-moment resourcing techniques for mental and emotional balance (coping strategies)

  • Exploration and education to develop an understanding of your nervous system, including triggers and how to move through them

  • Supportive movement and postures (asana)

  • Breath practices (pranayama)

  • Intention setting (sankalpa)

  • Meditation

  • Mantra and affirmations

  • Ceremony & ritual

  • Journalling and reflection (svadhyaya)

  • Mindfulness practices

  • Creative expression

  • Guided relaxation and yoga nidra

  • Storytelling and poetry

  • Visualizations

Areas of study and focus

  • Nervous system exploration and regulation

  • Traumatic stress including sexual trauma, abuse, war/conflict, childhood and complex trauma, dissociative identity disorder

  • Mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety and schizophrenia

  • Neurodiversities such as ADHD and autism

  • Grief, loss and end of life 

  • Chronic stress, exhaustion and burnout

Yoga therapy is NOT a substitute for formal diagnosis and treatment from mental health professionals. However, it can be a deeply supportive complementary therapy. I believe that yoga and yoga therapy has something to offer anyone. We all deserve a compassionate space in which to land.

It is not required to have any particular diagnosis or illness in order to seek yoga therapy. Anyone may benefit from greater embodied awareness and responsive practice.

Learn more about my education and experience here. If you would like to learn more about my approach to see if it is suitable for your unique situation, you are welcomed to book a 15 minute consult call here.

Rates

A 75-minute online session costs $115+GST or $120+GST at Nelson School of Yoga. You can book your session here.

For people facing financial barriers to complementary health services, I offer a sliding scale rate of $75-115/75 min online session. No questions asked. Please email me directly to book sliding scale yoga therapy at cassie@nestholistic.ca