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Yoga Therapy
Chronic stress leaves the body in a constant state of “fight or flight.” With the tools and practices of yoga we can learn to self-regulate and bring the nervous system back into a balanced state.
What is Yoga Therapy?
Yoga therapy is the therapeutic application of the tools and practices of yoga including breath, meditation, movement, and mindfulness to address a specific condition. Yoga therapy is a self-empowering process that guides an individual toward their own health and healing.
Yoga therapy uses the biopsychosocial model of health and takes into account the physical, mental, social, and spiritual impacts on a person’s health, wellness, and healing.
Education, self-discovery, and nervous system regulation practices help us to discover that we are not defined by our experiences, diagnoses, or circumstances. While we can’t always change health outcomes, we can begin to have a different experience of living our lives with these conditions. We can find joy and peace in living our life’s purpose despite mental and physical challenges.
Ali Webb, Yoga Therapist
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Ali Webb, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP is a certified yoga therapist and trauma-informed yoga teacher, dedicated to empowering individuals through the transformative practice of yoga. Ali’s approach integrates nervous system regulation tools like breathwork, gentle movement, and meditation. Her programs are designed to address anxiety, chronic pain, depression, addiction, PTSD, and other challenging conditions. Schedule a free discovery call to see if yoga therapy is the next step on your healing journey.
How It Works
In yoga therapy sessions, what happened isn’t as important as what you feel (or don’t feel) in the body. With chronic stress and trauma, we can become disconnected from our bodies.
In yoga therapy, we focus on the feelings in the body, the actual physical sensations of your emotions, describing and allowing for these difficult emotions to pass through with curiosity and compassion. You learn to reconnect with and come back home to a sense of safety within your own body regardless of the emotions you are feeling.
Trauma survivors and anyone dealing with difficult life circumstances may have an especially hard time with “top-down” regulation of their autonomic nervous systems because their brain’s frontal lobe (rational thinking) cannot communicate with their amygdala (the fear and survival center).
We can begin to heal that connection through “bottom-up” regulation, connecting the body with the mind. A combination of simple movement, connected with the breath, can help those in a state of chronic stress to self-regulate so they can feel at peace in their bodies.
Yoga Therapy Relieves:
- Addiction & Recovery
- Anxiety
- Autoimmune Conditions
- Chronic Pain
- Chronic Stress
- Depression
- Difficult Relationships
- Difficult Life Circumstances
- Disturbed Sleep
- Grief
- Post-Traumatic Stress
- Other Chronic Health Conditions
What To Expect
Recognize alarm in the body
Before we can heal, we have to become aware of what we're feeling in our body and allow for difficult feelings and emotions to move through us without resistance.
Feel with curiosity & compassion
Allowing for difficult emotions gives us time and space to become curious and learn what unresolved traumas we may be holding on to. With compassion, we can comfort and heal those hurt parts of ourselves.
Rebalance the nervous system
Using our body and our breath, we can start to release the old stories that our bodies are holding on to, bringing us out of a state of chronic stress and back to a state of calm and acceptance.
Join Our Next Group September 9 - October 28
Meets Mondays at 6pm - In PersonOur 8-week program incorporates education, self-discovery, breathwork, meditation, tapping/emotional freedom technique (EFT), and other body-based practices to recognize unresolved trauma held in the body and begin to rebalance the nervous system.
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Yoga Therapy Is Self-Pay (HSA/FSA Eligible)
$50/week for 8 weeks ($400 total) OR
$367 when paid in full (8% discount)
Need-based tiered pricing is available upon request.
Program Description:
When we’re under chronic stress, our body is in a constant state of “fight or flight”. This happens automatically and unconsciously. It’s a sympathetic nervous system response based on an instinctive reflex to protect ourselves from danger.
Using our breath, our bodies, and our minds we can learn to consciously relax the body, regulate our nervous system, and return to a parasympathetic state – “rest and digest.”
Client Testimonials
“I have suffered with anxiety all of my adult life and I enrolled in yoga therapy at the suggestion of my therapist. I enjoyed the classes and Ali kept things positive. I use the practices that Ali taught us several times a week and it does help lower my anxiety level. I really appreciate that the videos of the practices are still available to me online and I can follow along with Ali just like when I was in class.”
“Being in class with Ali made me feel very comfortable to be able to be open about my experiences without feeling judged. Coming to class was something I looked forward to every week as a sense of belonging and getting to be a part of something positive. I am so glad I found this program! It has been a critical part of my therapy journey.”
“Ali has helped me in such a deep and meaningful way. She holds such a gentle, loving, non-judgmental space for me to show up however I am. She guides me to spaces within my heart and mind that I am afraid to go on my own and shows me that it’s not such a scary place. Together, we get to a much deeper space than I can with talk therapy. I recommend Ali’s groups or individual sessions to everyone in my life.”
“I always looked forward to experiencing what Ali so adeptly taught us each week which brought me back to my center layer by layer. I continue to embrace my healing journey through breathwork, journaling, and other practices I have learned in the sessions. I am so grateful I found this group. Game changer!”
Frequently Asked Questions
How is yoga therapy different from a yoga class?
Yoga therapy and yoga classes both involve practicing yoga, but they have different goals and approaches. Yoga classes are usually focused on fitness and general well-being with a yoga teacher instructing larger groups, while yoga therapy is personalized to address specific health conditions in individual sessions or small groups under the guidance of a trained therapist. Instructors in yoga classes are certified yoga teachers, while yoga therapists have additional training in healthcare and work closely in collaboration with other healthcare providers to improve a patient’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Yoga therapy incorporates yoga tools and practices beyond the poses many of us are familiar with. Movement is used as a tool for reconnecting to the body and regulating the nervous system but often doesn’t include traditional yoga poses.
How is a yoga therapist different from a yoga teacher?
Yoga therapy is the therapeutic application of the tools and practices of yoga to address a specific condition. Yoga therapists have completed over 800 hours of instructional training AND over 200 hours of supervised clinical practicum hours while most yoga teachers have completed only 200 hours of instructional training. Yoga therapy training includes the therapeutic application of yoga for chronic health conditions like diabetes, hypertension, nervous system disorders, and cancer care as well as mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, ADHD, post-traumatic stress, and more. After completing the required training hours and the practicum, yoga therapists are certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).
Does insurance cover yoga therapy?
Yoga therapy, like many alternative and complementary healing practices, is not covered by insurance. In many cases though, Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA) funds may be used for yoga therapy. Some insurance companies may require a Letter of Medical Necessity (LMN) from a healthcare provider to cover the expense. If needed, your ZoeRVA provider may write one for you.
Do you offer financial assistance?
There is a need-based tiered pricing structure available for group yoga therapy sessions. This includes several payment levels, based on your ability to pay.
Yoga therapy and the integration of the tools and practices of yoga can have life-changing effects on individuals, families, and communities as a result of learning nervous system regulation, improving emotional wellness, and healing from the effects of individual and collective traumas. While yoga is often inaccessible to many individuals and populations, we at ZoeRVA hope we can help provide these services to anyone in need. But we need the help of the community to do this.
Yoga therapy, like many alternative and complementary healing practices, is not covered by insurance. The full self-pay rate is unfortunately a barrier to many of our clients who would greatly benefit from this service. We hope that as a community, we can all work together, as we are able, to help make these services accessible for all. If you and your family are in a position to be able to pay the full self-pay rate for yoga therapy services, we are grateful for your willingness to do that. Your generosity allows us to provide need-based tiered pricing for those who need some assistance to receive these services.
What if I have another question?
Please submit the interest form below or schedule a discovery call and we will respond to your question ASAP.
