• Check in, centering, balanced hatha yoga set considering contraindications, relaxation (with imagery as appropriate),
• Balanced pranayama considering contraindications, meditation/centering.
• Include at least one suggestion from Karma, Bhakti, Raja, or Jnana Yoga tailored for this client.

HOMEWORK
Theme: Reclaiming Space for Self and Dharma

Daily Breath Practice (5 minutes):
Inhale for a count of 4, exhale for a count of 6.
Silently repeat the affirmation: “My healing is as important as my work.”

Restorative Pause (1x per day):
Choose one supportive posture — legs over a chair, supported bridge, or reclined bound angle with props.
Stay for 3–5 minutes, noticing sensations and inviting release.

Reflection/Journaling (5 minutes):
Evening prompt: “How did I meet my own needs today?”
At least once this week, expand on: “What small step could I take to reconnect with my dharma — my deeper joy and purpose — outside of work?”

DAILY HOME PRACTICE
Was able to achieve 4 sessions this week, 2 different practices based on how the right hip was feeling.

Affirmation for the Week:
“My healing is as important as my work.”

Practice 1: Good Hip Days (Mobility and Gentle Strength)
Breath & Grounding (5 minutes)
Comfortable seat or reclined with support.
Inhale for 4, exhale for 6, 6–8 rounds.
Affirmation with each exhale: “My healing is as important as my work.”

Gentle Movement (15 minutes)
Supported Bridge Pose – 1–2 minutes with support under sacrum.
Seated Forward Fold (with bolster/table support) – 1–2 minutes, hinge gently at hips.
Supine Knee-to-Chest (single leg) – One side at a time, within a pain-free range.
Supine Twist (gentle) – Knees side-to-side, pillow under knees for comfort.
Legs Up the Wall or Over a Chair – 5 minutes.

Reflection (5 minutes)
Prompt: “Where in my week can I carve out small, non-negotiable spaces for myself?”

Rest and Integration (5–10 minutes)
Savasana with knees bent over bolster/pillow.
Body scan + silent affirmation: “I release what is not mine to carry.”

Practice 2: Flare-Up Days (Soothing and Restorative)
Breath and Grounding (5 minutes)
Reclined with pillows supporting hips/knees.
Gentle breath: inhale 4, exhale 6, letting the exhale soften tension.
Affirmation: “I meet myself with compassion today.”

Restorative Poses (10–15 minutes)
Reclined Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Konasana) with pillows under knees – 3–5 minutes.
Supported Child’s Pose (over bolster or cushions) – 3 minutes, hips only as far as comfortable.
Legs Over a Chair – 5 minutes, with blanket under hips for support.

Guided Reflection (5 minutes)
Prompt: “How can I offer myself ease today, even in small ways?”

Rest and Integration (10 minutes)
Reclined Savasana with full support (pillows under knees, blanket under head).
Body scan, releasing effort with each exhale.
Silent closing: “Even in stillness, I am healing.”

WEEKLY PRACTICES
Weekly Psychotherapy:
In psychotherapy, KR worked on reframing experiences of loss into opportunities for growth. She reflected on the closure of her former business, IronPlate, and the potential sale of her apartment in Jersey City. While both carry emotional weight, she began to recognize that these transitions have also provided space and security for her future and her daughter’s. This mirrors the yogic teaching of aparigraha, releasing what has passed to allow for new beginnings. The themes explored in therapy — around letting go, over-responsibility, and boundaries — align closely with her yoga therapy practices of breathwork, restorative postures, and journaling. Together, these approaches support KR in embodying resilience while creating space for her needs alongside her professional responsibilities.

To integrate these insights into daily life, KR committed to a home practice of 5 minutes of breathwork (inhale 4, exhale 6) or a restorative posture such as supported bridge, legs over a chair, or reclined bound angle. Each evening she reflects with the prompt: “How did I meet my own needs today?” Additionally, a once-weekly integration practice combines breath, restorative movement, and journaling around the prompt: “What is one way these endings (business, apartment) are making space for a new beginning for me and my daughter?” These simple, consistent practices provide KR with grounding tools and reflective space, reinforcing her progress in balancing outer responsibilities with inner healing.

DHARMA EXPLORATION
KR has not yet returned to carving out intentional time for her dharma exploration, despite her awareness of its importance. She continues to recognize the pattern of letting work and studio responsibilities absorb much of her energy, often leaving little room for activities that bring joy or connect her more deeply with her life purpose beyond productivity. From a yoga therapy perspective, this is not a regression but part of the ongoing process — KR is cultivating awareness of the imbalance and steadily moving toward the capacity to shift it. The recognition itself is progress, and with continued support and mindful practice, she is learning to create the inner and outer space needed to re-engage with her dharma in a sustainable way.

Progress Summary
This week, KR demonstrated continued insight into her patterns of prioritizing work and external responsibilities over her personal healing. She named the familiar experience of becoming absorbed in studio demands and planning, while recognizing the cost of unmet personal needs. Although she has not yet fully returned to her dharma exploration, her growing awareness of this imbalance reflects meaningful progress. From a yoga therapy perspective, acknowledging the gap between intention and action is a vital step toward change, as it creates space for discernment (viveka) and re-alignment.

KR’s home practice remained consistent with short breathwork and restorative postures, which she reported as supportive in grounding her nervous system and easing tension in her hips. The incorporation of the affirmation, “My healing is as important as my work,” served as a steady anchor throughout the week, particularly as she navigated high demands. Journaling prompts helped her maintain reflection, even in small ways, keeping her connected to her therapeutic process.

In psychotherapy, KR worked on reframing the loss of her former business, IronPlate, and the potential sale of her Jersey City apartment. She explored the grief associated with these transitions while also beginning to see how they provide stability and opportunity for her and her daughter’s future. This practice of reframing is referred to in yoga therapy as Pratipaksha Bhavana — the intentional cultivation of a positive or constructive perspective to counterbalance negative thought patterns. This approach, paired with the yogic principle of aparigraha (non-attachment), supports her ability to release what no longer serves while opening to new beginnings.

Overall, while KR experienced challenges in carving out space for joyful, dharma-centered activities, she is moving steadily toward that goal. Her self-awareness, combined with the integration of psychotherapy and yoga therapy practices, highlights her resilience and her capacity to keep her healing journey active even amidst external pressures.

REFLECTIONS
KR continues to show a strong capacity for self-awareness and honesty in her healing journey. She recognizes the ways in which work and external responsibilities easily become her refuge, often overshadowing her own needs. This insight is significant — it demonstrates her ability to observe her patterns with clarity, even if she has not yet fully shifted them. In yoga therapy, this kind of recognition is foundational; awareness precedes transformation.

What stands out in KR’s process is her willingness to name the tension between her professional drive and her personal healing. While she has not carved out consistent time for dharma exploration and joyful activities, she is consciously moving toward that intention. The practice of breathwork, restorative poses, and affirmations provides her with accessible anchors, offering the nervous system balance and giving her a felt sense of spaciousness in moments when demands feel heavy.

Her work in psychotherapy complements this process, especially as she explores reframing loss into opportunity. Through the yogic lens, this mirrors Pratipaksha Bhavana — cultivating a constructive perspective when faced with difficulty. Paired with aparigraha (non-attachment), KR is learning to see the closure of her business and the potential sale of her apartment not only as endings, but also as openings that provide stability and possibility for her and her daughter.

As her therapist, I see KR’s reflections and efforts not as setbacks, but as evidence of resilience. She is developing the ability to pause, witness her patterns, and consider alternative ways of responding. This willingness to reflect and reframe represents deep inner work, even in weeks when her practices feel lighter. KR is steadily learning to honor her healing as equally vital as her professional contributions — a shift that, in time, will support greater balance, clarity, and joy in her life.

PLAN FOR THE WEEK/SESSION AHEAD
In the upcoming session, the therapeutic focus will be on deepening KR’s ability to create space for her dharma exploration and joyful practices, even in small, accessible ways. While she has built consistent anchors in breathwork and restorative postures, she continues to identify how her tendency to over-focus on work interferes with meeting her own needs.

As her yoga therapist, my intention is to:
Reinforce Awareness: Acknowledge KR’s insight into her patterns and affirm that this awareness is progress in itself.
Support Reframing: Continue to integrate Pratipaksha Bhavana, helping KR reframe over-identification with productivity into opportunities for self-care and renewal.

Anchor in Practice: Guide her through a sequence of hip-friendly, grounding postures that emphasize stability and ease, reinforcing her ability to rest and restore despite her diagnosis of right hip arthritis.

Cultivate Dharma Exploration: Encourage journaling and guided reflection around how her professional work can coexist with, rather than overshadow, her deeper purpose and joy.

Strengthen Boundaries: Explore the use of short rituals or “non-negotiables” that act as protective containers for her own needs during busy weeks.

The goal for the next session is to help KR embody the balance she is intellectually aware of — reinforcing that healing is not a separate task from life, but an integrated practice that can be woven into daily rhythms.