How Yoga Therapy can guide you toward optimal health and well-being

What is Health?

The World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948, defined health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” in 1986 they added that health is “a resource for everyday life, not the object of living”, meaning that health alone is not the end goal of life but that health allows for a life well-lived.

Miriam-Webster defines health as “the condition of being sound in body, mind, or spirit.”

Yoga therapy follows the Biopsychosocial Model of Health which looks at the interconnection between biological, psychological and socio-environmental factors. This model was first advocated by George L. Engel in 1977 and has become an alternative approach to health and healing, addressing the fact that absence of disease is not the only factor in health.

Health from a yogic perspective can be defined as “Enjoying wholesome food and intentional movement. Taking deep breaths, having a willingness to experience a full range of emotions, trusting in your own inner wisdom, practicing selfless service with a connection to others and living a life of purpose.”

Yoga therapy uses tools and practices of yoga including breath practices, meditation, movement and mindfulness to help us really come to know ourselves and recognize that all of our experiences, all of our thoughts and our tendencies create the feelings we have about our own health and well-being. It helps to teach self-regulation and builds resilience so that we can stand strong in the face of these challenges and find growth and purpose through difficult circumstances.

Yoga therapy is a self-empowering process that guides us to our best self. It helps us to explore who we are and what we’re meant to do with our one precious life. It helps us know that we are not defined by our experiences, diagnosis or circumstances. That our purpose transcends all of these and that we can find joy and peace in living our life’s purpose in spite of mental and physical challenges.