Beginning a yoga practice (combination of asana, meditation and pranayama) can boot one's Sattva and improve one's overall self-esteem.

My goal is to teach my client the basics of a yoga practice incorporating basic asana, meditation and pranayama and encourage my client to be consistent with the practice dover the course of our work together in order to improve their outlook and overall self-esteem. We will meet weekly for 60 min for 4 weeks.

Description: 50y old female Medical History: history of anxiety, heart conditions and yo-yo weight gain/loss Medications: anti-anxiety meds as well as some heart condition meds (unknown as to which ones), Vit D, Vit B12, Probiotics Symptoms: negative outlook and self-talk, lack of self-esteem w/ career, ability and role in the world Treatment and Plan of Care: anti-anxiety medications and inconsistent yoga practice and exercise routine

I envisioned working with this client weekly for 60 min each session and incorporating several yoga techniques with her (centering, asana, meditation, pranayama and yoga nidra) in the hopes of assisting her to create a more devoted and consistent yoga practice in order to boost her Sattva and her overall self-esteem and outlook on life. Efficacy was gauged through conversations at our first session versus the last session and seeing if there was a difference in her demeanor and overall outlook on moving forward with her practice.

Research has shown that these yoga techniques can help to improve one's overall self-esteem through the devotional practices and teachings of yoga (Deshpande et al., 2009).
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3017961/

The various branches of yoga used included Hatha yoga and Raja yoga. The Hatha branch of yoga supports the use of asana, meditation and pranayama in my work with this client. The branch of Raja yoga supports the Sattva boosting aspect of my work with this client and the psychological changes that were addressed in our time together.

This particular client was someone who really needs something outside of normal western allopathic approaches in order to deal with and manage her anxiety issues and lack of self-esteem. She is someone who is passionate about yoga and all of it's techniques and possibilities and I feel confident that our work together made a difference and that she will continue down the path of yoga as a means to heal her mind.

My follow up suggestions included maintaining a home practice and Sādhanā, as well as to possibly consider taking asana classes at a local yoga studio in order to create a little variety in her practice as well as adding in some guided self-love Metta meditations at home using an app such as Insight Timer or YouTube. I also strongly encouraged maintaining a pranayama practice as part of her daily Sādhanā.

Yes, I was able to keep to my intended plan with this client for each session. I believe our sessions together made a difference and created a strong foundation for her to continue on the yoga path as a means to improve her overall self-esteem, boost Sattva as well as reduce anxiety.

I did not have to adapt anything in my plan - this client was very eager to do the sessions, to learn more and do the work. With this particular client I learned the power yoga has in treating someone suffering from severe self-esteem issues and the delicate nature in which one has to conduct themselves as a practitioner when working with someone like this.

I think that when you're dealing with people with mental issues (depression, anxiety and self-esteem disorders), each person is s vastly different that it's important to take a step back and read the person before making a judgement call on the approach. Therefore it's hard to say whether I'd approach it the same or not. I think the sessions went really well because this client was very open-minded to the sessions. She was easy to instruct, followed cues really well and was open to the work. I can project that not everyone with self-esteem issues would be so easy to work with so I'm eager for the challenge moving forward.