The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) define yoga therapy as “the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga.”

Some of the teachings and practices of Yoga that are utilized during sessions together include: movements and postures, breath work, relaxation, meditation, hand gestures, mantra/chanting/sacred sounds, mindfulness, guided imagery, intentional visualization, sankalpa (affirmation/ intention), lifestyle practices to find greater balance and ease, writing practices/journaling, and dietary advice according to the yoga therapy framework, education in yoga philosophy, and other practices in the yoga tradition.

These types of tools are offered as we create a customized plan of care to meet you where you are. We don’t have to use all of them at once, but many tools can be supportive for your condition. We will explore together which movements work best for your body and mind and I will inform you of any contraindications for your specific condition, if there are any.

Yoga therapy is unique in that the session is tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Individuals with chronic conditions, including but not limited to anxiety, depression, mental health disorders, chronic pain, multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative conditions, and trauma/PTSD/C-PTSD can benefit from this work because the practices are adapted to you and where you are with your safety in mind.

“It helps to promote all-around positive health, as well as assisting particular medical conditions. The therapy is particularly appropriate for many chronic conditions that persist despite conventional medical treatment.” -Marie Quail, Yoga Therapy and Training Center (Ireland)

Yoga therapy differs from a yoga class because it requires that the yoga therapist be trained in understanding a wide range of medical conditions, contraindications to practice, evidence-informed use of specific practices that are offered, awareness of current research, in-depth knowledge of anatomy and how certain postures effect the structure (ie. the joints and muscles) of the physical body, detailed understanding of the nervous system and how yoga practices influence it, physiological mechanisms involved between the mind-body connection, motivational interviewing skills, and more. My yoga therapy training required a year of clinical experience before becoming certified.

Yoga classes may provide the ability to reduce stress and be presented with similar tools, but the practices will be less personalized to you and your goals.

It is also important to recognize that yoga therapy sessions require the “presence of an individual intake and assessment for each client in the group prior to commencing the session, personalization of the practice(s) based on the individual assessment, and reassessment at regular intervals throughout a series of sessions” according to IAYT.

Before the initial session together, I will send you a few intake forms by e-mail that you will need to complete at least 24 hours before your initial session. These forms help me understand your past medical history and presenting condition(s).

The initial session is 90-minutes long. During the first session together, I’ll start by asking you a few questions regarding your intake forms and you can share your story and any perspectives/questions you have here. This conversation is important so I can really get to know you and we can start establishing a therapeutic connection. We will also create a couple short-term and long-term goals together to focus our work and keep you motivated in continuing sessions. After this conversation, I’ll conduct a breath assessment to gather information concerning your breath rate and breathing capacity to note how stress might be presenting through your breathing.

Next, I’ll conduct an in-depth musculoskeletal assessment where I will guide you through a series of yoga postures and movements to see how your physical structure and posture is effecting your well-being.

The last half of the session will be centered around co-creating a plan of care that considers your specific needs, presenting health conditions, and past medical history. If you have a more chronic condition that you would like support with, this plan of care can serve as a routine you can do daily at home to help you manage your symptoms, reduce stress, and increase your overall sense of well-being.

At the end of the session, I always recap all the tools we used in session and allow you space to ground and integrate the work we just did. Within 24 hours after the session ends, I will e-mail you a plan of care with all of the tools/movements we used in the session so you can confidently practice your routine and meet your goals.

At this time, these services are not covered by insurance. This may change in the next few years.

Yes! I am able to work with children, teens, and adolescents through this therapeutic framework.

Minors in New York State are considered any person 18 years old and under, and would thus need a parent or guardian’s consent before starting therapy together. I send these consent forms with the initial intake forms to your designated e-mail before the first session.

I’ve experienced great success in working with children through many of these practices because young people can be quite open to the types of physical movements and breath practices we present. It keeps the sessions exciting and gives them real tools they can use to relate to the world and reduce stress.

The limbic system of an adolescent is already quite sensitive to input, so applying a form of therapy that considers this can really support children in learning about their nervous system and how to connect to their capacity to regulate and notice sensations.

Currently, my rates are as follows:

Initial Session (Both Online & In-Person): $100

Follow-Up Sessions (Both Online & In-Person): $75

Workshops: These rates will change based on the offerings provided.

Yes, sliding scale rates are offered to some clients who I believe would benefit from this work even if they cannot pay full price. However, these reduced rates are limited to a few clients only.

Yes! Since I offer Telehealth services, I am able to offer services all over the world. Unless you are located in New York, all services are virtual.

If you are located within the Warwick/Greenwood Lake/Monroe/Tuxedo, NY area or Vernon, NJ area, I offer home care and would be willing to drive to you for a therapy session.

Yes. I am experienced in working with a range of people who have experienced different types of traumatic experiences.

For these sessions, it’s important that we take things slow and not overwhelm your nervous system. I always provide you with a sense of agency and freedom. If at any time you want to pause the session or if you start to feel overstimulated or overwhelmed, you can 100% stop and take a mindful walk, and you can even feel free to end the session early. This time together is yours for building that capacity to regulate your nervous system and at any time you can let me know if something doesn’t feel right, and we can work through it.

However, if you really feel activated, we can take a moment to engage in mindful breathing together and ground your physical body using some grounding techniques to see if you can start to feel a little more calm and safe.

I have trauma-informed training and encourage an environment of non-judgement, wholeness, compassion, and radical acceptance in each session.