Therapeutic Yoga Method
Move Better, Feel Better, Live Better
What is Therapeutic Yoga?
Therapeutic Yoga is a balanced practice accessible to almost everyone, focused on healing and transformation. The Therapeutic Yoga Method nurtures both body and mind, promoting physical vitality, mental clarity, and emotional well-being. It is designed to restore balance, relieve discomfort, and support overall health.
Welcome to a Different Kind of Yoga
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Unlike many forms of yoga, the goal of the Therapeutic Yoga Method (TYM) is not to push the body into extreme, contorted postures, but to help maintain or return to the natural human range of flexibility, mobility, and alignment.
In today’s modern lifestyle, even younger people often begin to lose their natural levels of mobility and movement, leading to discomfort, limited range of motion, increased stress, poor posture, and chronic pain.
TYM sequences are specifically designed to counteract the harmful effects of a modern lifestyle, gradually restoring the body’s natural functionality and relieving the discomfort that comes from imbalances caused by sedentary lifestyle habits.
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While TYM sequences are generally calming and relaxing, they also incorporate active movements to engage various muscle groups, in order to help to build strength, improve balance, and enhance joint stability.
Unlike Yin or Restorative practices, which are typically fully passive practices, TYM includes strength oriented poses that require active muscle engagement.
This approach not only helps restore range of motion but also builds the strength and stability needed to support mobility in everyday life.
TYM is designed to be both restorative and empowering, making it accessible and beneficial for a wide range of individuals.
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True to the spirit of yoga, the practice is designed to bring a meditative focus to each movement. The poses and sequences create space to cultivate deeper body awareness, calm the mind, and regulate the nervous system, promoting both physical and mental well-being.
These results stem directly from the movements and poses themselves, so we do not include chanting, breath work, or other esoteric spiritual practices. Instead, the focus is on physical alignment and mindful movement, providing a grounded and accessible experience that emphasizes the body’s natural orientation towards healing and balance.
This allows practitioners to cultivate inner calm and presence through the simplicity of the yoga practice itself.
The Use of Props & Adaptability
One of the unique features of the Therapeutic Yoga Method is the use of specific props to help both adapt and enhance certain poses. The props used are bolsters, sandbags, straps, blocks and wedges. See the props section for more info. Utilizing props creates safety, stability and diversity in the practice.
While many forms of yoga primarily focus on stretching and lengthening the muscles, TYM places special emphasis on the joints and fascia. Its sequences are designed to apply healing pressure to the joints while building strength and stability in the surrounding muscles.
All movements and poses in TYM are adaptable to suit almost everyone, with the only requirement being the ability to get up and down from the floor unassisted. Sequences can be made more or less challenging by adjusting the level of active muscle engagement and varying the time spent in specific poses. This flexibility allows the practice to be tailored to individual needs and abilities.
The Therapeutic Yoga Method activates the body's natural healing intelligence through four key systems:
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A common myth is that yoga simply stretches muscles. In reality, muscles don’t stretch in the traditional sense; they release. Current research shows that stretching doesn’t permanently elongate muscles but instead helps the nervous system adapt to handle greater muscle extension without triggering pain signals.
The Therapeutic Yoga Method employs movements and props to apply targeted pressure to specific areas of the body. This pressure helps dissolve restrictions, enhance circulation, and facilitate muscle release, which supports a broader range of motion, improved health, and overall well-being.
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Fascia is a network of connective tissue that surrounds muscles, bones, and organs, containing a rich supply of sensory nerves. These nerves transmit information about the body's position, movement and internal state to the brain.
When the body experiences restrictions, fascia can become dehydrated, inflexible, fragile, and sticky.
In addition to staying hydrated and maintaining healthy lifestyle habits, practicing Therapeutic Yoga helps remodel fascia, promoting the restoration of its natural fluidity.
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Our joints and bones thrive under pressure and compression, which are essential for their health. Movement and pressure help distribute synovial fluid, nourishing cartilage and aiding in the removal of metabolic waste.
Chondrocytes, the cells responsible for maintaining cartilage, benefit from the right balance of pressure. Gentle, controlled pressure applied through Therapeutic Yoga poses helps maintain cartilage health. This is especially important for joints like the knees and hips, where cartilage cushions and absorbs impact.
The Therapeutic Yoga Method offers low-impact, mindful movements that evenly distribute pressure across joints and bones. This pressure encourages healthy circulation, supports joint lubrication, and helps maintain cartilage integrity, reducing the risk of deterioration.
By regularly practicing Therapeutic Yoga, you not only build balanced strength and flexibility but also take proactive steps to support joint and bone health, enhance mobility, and manage pain.
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In modern life, most people are continuously distracted and overwhelmed by information overload. We are often overstimulated and overworked, spending long hours sitting in front of screens.
A sedentary, high-stress lifestyle can push our nervous system into a state of heightened alertness, known as the sympathetic state, or "fight or flight" mode. When this state remains active for extended periods, the body stays in a chronic state of stress, even without immediate threats.
This ongoing stress can negatively impact both physical and emotional well-being, leading to digestive problems, disrupted sleep, chronic pain, fatigue, and a weakened immune system.
Therapeutic Yoga offers a valuable solution to counteract these harmful effects. It helps shift the nervous system from the overactive sympathetic state to the parasympathetic state, or "rest and digest" mode, allowing the body to recover and heal from chronic stress.
With consistent, regular practice, Therapeutic Yoga calms the mind and promotes a more resilient, balanced nervous system.
Meet Ayla, Teacher & Founder of the Therapeutic Yoga Method
My mission is to share a method of yoga that goes beyond exercise—one designed to restore natural mobility, regulate the nervous system, promote ease of movement, and support a pain-free life for as long as possible.
For years, I struggled with chronic pain, broken bones, and traumas that left me feeling disconnected and uncertain about how to heal. It wasn’t until I discovered yoga that I truly began to reconnect with myself and find a path forward.
My approach is the integration of over 15 years of study with diverse mentors and various schools of yoga. Through my work with hundreds of students, I have developed a method that aims to meet people exactly where they are—empowering them to reclaim their health, vitality, and connection to their bodies.
The Therapeutic Yoga Method is devoted to supporting physical, mental, and emotional well-being at every stage of life, helping people move better, feel better, and live with greater freedom and ease.
Your Body is Designed to Heal
FAQs
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The Therapeutic Yoga Method has been designed to help you feel your absolute best!
A large portion of our members have a history of joint pain, major surgeries, or lack of mobility.
Many have seen positive results from a consistent, regular practice.
If you can get up and down off the ground without assistance then you can most likely reap the benefits of Therapeutic Yoga.
Always consult with your doctor or healthcare provider before implementing any new exercise program.
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1. There is a special emphasis on joints
This practice incorporates a selection of poses that gently engage and stretch specific joints where tightness is most common. The Therapeutic Yoga Method uses movements and props to apply pressure to the joints, which increases synovial fluid production for joint lubrication and enhances circulation. By focusing on the intricate dynamics of joints and tissues, Therapeutic Yoga aims to alleviate stiffness, reduce inflammation, and promote overall joint health.
2. This is a floor based practice
While we do incorporate standing poses, the majority of the practice is done on the floor. We generally only make one or two transitions from seated to standing during each class, so you’re not constantly getting up and down off the ground. If you're a little slow to get up and down off the floor that is absolutely ok. As long as you can get up and down off the ground without assistance, you’ll be just fine.
3. There is a big emphasis on relaxation
The Therapeutic Yoga Method focuses on active muscle engagement to strengthen the muscles, but this is not a sweaty practice that will have you breathing heavily. We move slowly and consciously and hold each pose for a significant amount of time. The goal is to give the body enough time to be able to adapt so that you can truly relax and reap the healing benefits.
4. This practice is designed to regulate the nervous system and calm the mind
Therapeutic Yoga has the amazing ability to modify the nervous system's patterns. Given the constant bombardment of stimuli and information in our fast paced society, we are all in need of an outlet that helps us to slow down and regulate our nervous system.
One of the unique benefits of Therapeutic Yoga is that it deepens the mind body connection. It encourages a focused, relaxed concentration. We direct our focus to discover hidden tensions in the body and help them release. This practice promotes improved mental resilience, reduced anxiety, and an enhanced sense of well-being.
5. The Therapeutic Yoga Method is especially beneficial for those with joint pain, injuries, stiffness, or mobility restrictions.
Many members of our local Sedona studio have limited mobility, injuries, or chronic pain. Many have also had hip replacements, knee replacements, or other major surgeries. Many have experienced positive results from consistent, regular practice. This yoga works to counteract the harmful effects of modern living such as sitting and standing for long periods of time, in order to keep you healthy, mobile and pain free for as long as possible.
Freedom in the body and mind is everyone's birthright. The Therapeutic Yoga Method has been designed to help you return to your natural state of health and vitality.
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Yin and restorative yoga are passive practices that do not emphasize active muscle engagement. Therapeutic Yoga not only stretches but also strengthens by targeting specific muscle groups and joints.
Strengthening is just as important as flexibility because it helps create balance in the body and supports overall physical health and well-being.
While flexibility allows for a greater range of motion and can reduce the risk of injury, strength provides stability and support to the joints and muscles, preventing overextension and promoting proper alignment.
In Therapeutic Yoga, strengthening exercises help build muscle tone, improve posture, and enhance overall functional movement patterns. This can be particularly beneficial for individuals with joint pain, muscle imbalances, or limited mobility, as strengthening exercises help to support and protect vulnerable areas of the body.
Having a balanced combination of strength and flexibility leads to better body awareness, improved coordination, and increased resilience against injuries or strain. By incorporating both strength-building and flexibility-enhancing practices, Therapeutic Yoga aims to optimize physical function, promote structural integrity, and support long-term health and vitality.
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Consistency is key! The benefits of Therapeutic Yoga don't just manifest after one class; they build over time.
Every moment on the mat, is an investment in your well-being. By remaining engaged and showing up, even on days when it feels challenging, you're nurturing a relationship with yourself that's rooted in love, patience, care and understanding.
For best results aim to practice at least 2-4x per week. But remember, practicing once a week is better than not at all, so if you currently only have time for one class a week it's still a victory.
Join our Virtual Studio Today!
Get immediate access to our weekly schedule of Therapeutic Yoga classes and replays. Tune in from your phone, tablet, laptop or TV.
Get immediate access to our weekly schedule of Therapeutic Yoga classes and replays. Tune in from your phone, tablet, laptop or TV.