The heart of Yoga Therapy is adapting classical Yoga practices to suit an individual’s wellness goals.
In regular Yoga classes, the student tries to perfect Yoga practices whereas in Yoga Therapy, the teacher facilitates the modification of Yoga practices for individual needs. In classical Yoga, you go after the pose whereas in Yoga Therapy the pose comes to you via the Yoga Therapist. Function over form in addition to wellness over perfection defines the Therapeutic Yoga approach.
Maggie came to Yoga Therapy as a 25-year-old injured contemporary dancer looking for healing from lower back pain; osteoarthritis of the neck, knees and hips; irregular periods and PMS; as well as chronic anxiety and depression. It has been her most effective healing modality over the past 20 years, making her independent and responsible for her own healing, while working in a complimentary way with other health care practitioners for additional support as needed. This is the attitude towards healthcare that she also promotes with her students.
A Yoga Therapist works in small groups and/or privately, depending on how individualized an approach you are looking for, and whether you are willing to practice at home with a Yoga practice designed just for you. In part, this will be determined by the severity of the problem you are experiencing. Contact Maggie to discuss what will work best for your situation.
Maggie does not do medical diagnosis. She does, however, have over 10 years experience working with all of the below imbalances of the body-mind. She often works as part of your medical team to enhance recovery once your diagnosis and treatment plan have been determined by your MD, physiotherapist, psychologist, and/or other healthcare practitioner. See Healthcare Referrals Page for her favourite practitioners in Vancouver.
Yoga Therapy helps alleviate symptoms and manage living with chronic conditions with a whole person approach to healing. Yoga Therapy practices aim to create positive causes and conditions that allow your body-breath-mind to heal itself. As such, a Yoga Therapist facilitates healing for the following conditions:
- Common Aches and Pains: Feet and ankles; knees and hamstrings; hips; lower back; hands and wrists; neck and shoulders; sciatica; etc.
- Tight Muscles/Fascia/Nerves or Hyperextension (Over flexible/Over stretched ligaments)
- Misalignments: Kyphosis (hunch back/rounded shoulders); lordosis (sway back); asymmetries in hips; pronated feet; scoliosis; etc.
- Injuries: Whiplash; strained muscles, tendons or ligaments; sprained joints (hip, knees, shoulder, ankle, elbow, wrist); prolapsed/slipped discs, etc.
- Post joint replacement surgery: knees; hips; etc.
- Weight gain/loss: Obesity and anorexia
- Arthritis: Osteoarthritis (OA); Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA); and Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS)
- Digestive Disorders: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS): Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD); acid reflux; indigestion; constipation; and diarrhea
- Other Chronic Conditions/Diseases: Allergies, asthma, cancer recovery/remission; carpel tunnel syndrome; Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS); Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD); Diabetes -Type II; fibromyalgia; hormonal imbalances; hypo/hypertension (low/high blood pressure); hypo/hyper thyroid; incontinence; insomnia; stroke recovery; etc.
- Movement Disorders: Multiple Sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson’s Disease (PD)
- Women’s Health: PMS; menstrual irregularities; pregnancy; infertility; menopause
- Emotional Health: Chronic anxiety, depression or stress; healing from grief or loss; dealing with trauma or change; etc.