• 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.

I’m finding that the client benefits from counseling regarding depression and particularly grief (she lost her house in the 2008 economic downturn; she had a stroke 10 years ago; she lost her career as an artist/painter, etc.), so I have been using strong listening skills. She and I do a fair amount of talking each session. I gave her a worksheet called “Ball of Grief” and had her work on it for homework. She found this to be an enlightening exercise.

o any progress towards goals: Client states she feels more optimistic about her life. Breath of Joy helps improve her energy.
o review and revision of goals: Goals remain the same (improve balance/strength; cultivate positive attitude to life/aging; improve energy)

This is stable. We just did walking meditation in the last session, and she had trouble keeping balance with slow walking. I recommended using her arms to assist with balance. Client had originally wanted to work on upper body strength and strengthening for her right leg, but now she is more interested in the mental/emotional and spiritual work we are doing together.

Client states Breath of Joy is helpful here.

This is where the bulk of our work has been so far. She is beginning to feel willing to look at the anger that is beneath depression.

We haven’t touched on this much yet. We did some work with the “Mission Statement” exercise, but she was not able to stay in the present moment. She kept thinking of what she used to be able to do.

I encouraged her to create her own space at home for prayer/meditation/spiritual reading since she does not feel she fits with any particular church community. In our last session, she had the insight that she might use one of her old, favorite art tables as an altar.

Client greatly enjoys our time together because she does not have people she can talk to about the things that really matter to her. She sees a counselor, too, but states those sessions feel too "clinical." She intends to continue yoga therapy past the original 6 sessions we had proposed together.

Breath of Joy (we had to make the physical movements smaller because they were too intense); Ball of Grief worksheet followed by supine, slow, deep breathing; walking meditation; awareness of how anger shows up as physical sensations in her body as she encounters situations in daily life; working on her space for spiritual practice at home; reading a handout on Raja Yoga (Yoga Sutras).

Not really anything. I don't do a ton of planning before each session. I have some rough ideas of what I might share with the client, but I go with whatever the client presents each day as the topic for focus.

I was really surprised when teaching her walking meditation that she went directly into thoughts/emotions and was not able to stay with basic physical sensations. I instructed her to walk and simply pay attention to the sensations of walking. I expected to walk together quietly, but as we were walking, she wanted to talk about her balance issues. I instructed her to hold her arms away from her body to help with balance. I asked her to describe the sensations in her feet. She said “wobbly,” then launched into a whole “story” about how she used to walk two miles a day and she feels sad that she hasn’t been able to do that. This interaction is a great example of how people perpetuate feelings of depression by letting sensations lead immediately into thoughts of the past, and emotions of sadness.

Very much! This client may continue for a while, maybe enough to become my capstone client.