I have selected Bhakti Yoga: I will use a strap to increase client's muscular flexibility and back strength.

Client suffers from thoracic scoliosis, she has a c-shaped curvature of the spine. She is unable to do the poses on her own, due to her physical limitations. More specifically, she is unable to reach her arms up above her head. The pose that is used involves using a strap to stretch, lengthen, and strengthen her spine to improve her flexibility and mobility. This is a modification of the chair pose. This will help her to increase her ability to tolerate related physical activities in order to better perform her work duties as a physical therapist. The goal is to help her hold the pose from 1 minute, 2 times.

Client is a 66 year-old female. She works as a physical therapist and who lives with her husband and dog. She is employed in a nursing home in the area. Client has suffered from thoracic scoliosis since she suffered an injury at the age of 14. She has been diagnosed by and has been in treatment with a physiatrist who has worked with her from a traditional medical approach. She has been treated with braces and in the past has been done exercises under the care of a physical therapist. She has never undergone surgery. Her's is a functional problem that is permanent, It is not unusual for symptoms to become more severe with advancing age. As a result, it is unlikely for interventions to fully resolve the problem but they can relieve the associated pain and slow the worsening of the symptoms. Client has been attending yoga classes for the last 4 years and she typically attends private sessions 4 times per month.

The major emphasis in the adaptive treatment was to work on strengthening and stretching her trunk. I used bolsters and a strap in sessions. Poses focused primarily on the right side as this has been established as the area of primary concern. Interventions focused on improving the client’s awareness of the problem in order for her to know when her posture is aligned. The strap is used as an adaptive means to stretch back muscles to relieve discomfort.

The branch of yoga that I chose is Bhakti. This was chosen because this client has a great faith in God. She goes to church every Sunday and she often prays to saints during the day when she encounters challenges. Her intense spiritual focus can also be seen by the many religious relics on the walls and on top of her furniture in her home. I

Client enjoys chanting and also the mantras at the beginning of the classes and the end of the classes. She listens and recites Om and Hari Om, she appears comforted by chanting them. She also does five minutes of pranayama exercises as a way to calm and center herself. This is an important part of the routine as she can be very anxious, sometimes with a short temper. Since she began practicing yoga she reports that her mood has improved and she has also found that her relationships with others have improved largely due to her increased patience. Client does not give permission to be touched.

Client was encouraged to practice pranayama once a day in the late afternoon for 10 minutes. She was also encouraged to do child pose every other day.

Yes. I applied the plan and I saw that the goal to alleviate the chronic discomfort was achieved within the session. This was the primary goal that was established during the treatment and, based on the client's feedback at the end of each session, there was a considerable decrease in discomfort after almost all sessions. I always inquired about how she was feeling both before and after the session, for example, if she felt tense, uncomfortable, physically depleted, or tired. Her initial status on any individual day might have affected which goals were then addressed. After establishing our goals for that day we were able to work towards the goals that we had then set.

The client's training and her current professional work as a physical therapist contributed to her being very familiar with the symptoms which include significant back pain and stiffness. The client is very knowledgable in human anatomy and she was able to share with me her knowledge about anatomy and details about movement and physiology. This allowed for a sharing of knowledge that was accepted by both of us. She has treated the syndrome in others from a traditional medical perspective allowing us to compare notes. She was particularly accepting of stretching exercises during which she would identify the muscle groups.

I would approach the in the same way, at least initially, and then see if I was able to achieve similarly positive results. I think that it was especially important in this treatment to begin by establishing a trusting relationship and then to gradually introduce the treatment poses in a calming and reassuring manner. I was able to assess and track her emotional needs during the sessions and to address her anxiety in a manner that communicated respect for her as an independent thinker. Proposed exercises and positions were laid out and discussed before they were taught. Treatment alternatives were also discussed and together we arrived at a decision on what we would do.This was done to enhance her comfort which served to calm her and build a sense of trust. This allowed her to more easily accept therapeutic suggestions. She proved to be particularly comfortable using a strap.