Yoga Therapy

Although group classes are made for people of all ages and body types, certain health conditions require personal attention and unique care. Yoga therapy addresses these specific health needs.

A yoga therapist has been trained to work with the movements of yoga and modify them, in order to treat specific health issues. Some health conditions might be back pain, shoulder injury, joint pain, anxiety disorders, asthma, insomnia, autoimmune conditions, obesity, the list goes on and on.

Yoga therapy sessions are typically done in a private setting. In a session, we assess the health conditions, and come up with a unique practice, with asanas, pranayamas, possible dietary modifications, and meditation to address those unique needs. Practices to work on will be given, and follow up sessions to track improvement.

Rathna’s training in both yoga therapy and nutritional science helps her to treat specific conditions with both yogic practices and dietary modifications.

Private Sessions

If, for any reason, you’re not comfortable in a group setting, you can take one-on-one sessions with more individualized instruction. Or if you’re new to yoga and want to start off with a private session to understand the basics and then transition into a group class, that can be done too. Many students take private sessions to deepen their practice as well.

My family attends Rathna’s yoga classes and they really like it. When I started getting lower back issues, I was suggested to try her yoga classes. I initially took a few 1-1, yoga therapy sessions. Rathna suggested some exercises/poses for strengthening the lower back and the muscles around the lower back. I found the sessions to be very informative. It was an eye opener in terms of how we take certain movements for granted, which parts of the body are weak (lower back, neck) that we overuse etc. She didn’t give any false hopes in terms of the problem disappearing magically. It’s a condition that some people have to live with. But, doing the exercises will strengthen the lower back and the muscles surrounding it, which in turn reduces the probability of getting the problem again. But one needs to still exercise caution for movements that involve the lower back. Now, I take the regular weekly group classes. There’s a theme every week and it’s very refreshing overall. Rathna is extremely professional, knowledgeable, friendly and highly focused in her classes. At the same time, the setting is pretty relaxed as how a yoga class should be. Mainly, there’s no pressure in getting a movement right. The whole idea is, the flexibility comes with practice and if you feel some pain while doing a pose, it means the body is telling you something and one shouldn’t over stretch it.

Pradeep, Fremont, CA

Kris Michaels