Yoga Therapy

Yoga can be a great way to relieve stress and improve flexibility. But did you know it can also be therapeutic? Yoga therapy – distinctive from yoga classes – is a science-informed practice that can help people with a range of health conditions, including pelvic pain. Yoga therapists have specialized training to impart a greater awareness of your body and help you move you forward in your path to healing.

What is Yoga Therapy?

Yoga is a practice of breathing, movement, and awareness. It’s a great way to relax, find balance, and reconnect with yourself. Yoga therapy applies the same holistic principles of yoga, but targeted towards a specific health or wellness goal, such as alleviating pelvic pain.

Yoga Therapy vs. Yoga Instructors

While any wisely chosen yoga practice (e.g., yoga classes) can support well-being, yoga therapy is therapeutic, aiming to address specific health concerns through personalized, client-centred, strength-based care. Yoga therapy is an integrative healthcare practice grounded in the traditional holistic yoga system – but informed by current medical research. A yoga therapist has extensive professional training, allowing them to offer services that differ from most mainstream yoga classes.

Yoga therapy and pelvic pain

Yoga therapy can be very beneficial for those experiencing chronic pelvic pain. Pelvic pain often arises from a overactive (overly tense) pelvic floor, putting excessive strain on the bones, muscles and connective tissues in the low back, hips and pelvis. Yoga therapy can help by:

• Increasing the mind-body connection

• Improving flexibility and range of motion

• Reducing stress (stress can trigger the pain response)

• Strengthening core muscles, which are central to our pelvic stability

• Encouraging better posture

Yoga therapists use a holistic approach: focusing on the whole you (mind and body) vs. using a localized “fix-what’s-wrong” approach. By doing this, yoga therapy empowers you with a sense of agency in your own recovery through the development of self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-compassion. Learning how to connect better with your body – especially your pelvic floor muscles – can help you use them more effectively, and move you forward in your path to healing.

At Proactive Pelvic Health Centre, we offer both small group classes and 1-on-1 yoga therapy, with focused instruction on addressing pelvic health concerns.