A therapist is a Yoga facilitator who takes the client’s cue because the client has intuitive knowing on how to heal themselves, and provides client with helpful tools to bring about their wellbeing. Connecting with the client’s signal is key for the therapist to be able to be a good facilitator.

Client’s goals are to learn to meditate and manage stress, as well as increase flexibility. Client can commit to one hour of daily practice which includes 20 minutes of JAPA,15 minutes of meditation and pranayama, and 15 minutes of spiritual reading such as Praktipaksh Bahavan to change mental and emotional patterns to help control stress.

Client is a 48 year old female and has two adult children. Client weighs 250 pounds. She has diabetes with neuropathy, and pulmonary hypertension. Client smokes a handful plus of cigarettes daily and smokes marijuana. Client has an autoimmune disease that cause her blood to clot. Blood clots in the right lung and heart have cause her to have part of her right lung removed. Client walks to work in the mornings and the walk is good for her. Client is very interested in learning Yoga.

We met for 4 weeks. Intake was completed prior to first meeting.
The following practices and activities where given:
• Pre and Post Survey
• JAPA and Chair Yoga – 20 minutes
• Meditation - 15 minutes
• Pranayama: Nadi Sudi and Dirgha Svasan
• Discussions included the process of stress and the bodily systems involved in the stress response and the yoga tools that we can use to help us to relax. The yoga tools offered included discussions on the benefits and practices on the process of meditation, pranayama and JAPA and Chair Yoga.
• Discussions also included introduction to Ahimsa, Satya, Brahmacarya and Tahpash, as well as Pratipaksha Bhavana and Vairagyam.
• The creation of affirmations, and the use of affirmations as mantras to help the mind remember and establish a new habit.

Raja Yoga was the tool used for the management of Client’s stress and to help the client practice and understand mediation and its benefits. The Yoga Sutras were used to understand specific ideas and behaviors that nourish a positive more sattvic life style.

As per the client’s goal to become more flexible, Hatha Yoga (Chair Yoga and JAPA) were used to help the client increase flexibility, as well as to help her center and focus prior to starting meditation. Pranayama was used to help relax, center and focus.

Many things consume Client’s energy, challenge her health, delay spiritual development, and consume her time and create stress, therefore, the Client was invited to practice Tapas in the form of self-discipline. Client was ‘invited’ to give up one thing that no longer served her. The criteria is: it should benefit her a) health, b) spiritually, and c) benefit her pocket.

W1: Client reports practicing JAPA during down time at work.
W2: Ahimsa and Satya were discussed, and client wanted to discuss Brahmacarya as well, for which she had specific questions about this practice. Client reported meditating for 30 minutes for the first time. Client also reported that she gave up something in her life that no longer served her as per the three criteria listed above. Client was given one Chair Yoga pose to add to her daily practice.
W3: Discussion on Tapas. Client was given a second Chair Yoga pose to add to her daily practice.
W4: Discussion on Vairagyam and Pratipaksha Bhavana; and consistency with practice. Client expressed that she was appreciative of the Yoga Therapy sessions. Client was given a third Chair Yoga pose to add to her daily practice.

I suggested that she continue with what she has begun to develop and to practice her mediation and asana daily (during her ‘protected time’) and to refer to the Yoga Sutras, and Autobiography of a Yogi for guidance.

At the last session, I invited the Client once again give up something in her life that no longer served her, as per the criteria listed above. I felt that she was most receptive to giving up something if it would benefit her in those three areas and that an invitation was the nudge that she needed. She said that there was something else that she was thinking of giving up. I gave her an example of how I gave up something in my life and I replaced it with something beneficial, and I suggested that she could do the same. I reminded her of crafting and using affirmations like mantras to both help us remember and to establish the new habit.

Yes. As per the Pre/Post Survey, the client having learned a meditation technique and having had discussions and reminders on the process of meditation has given her more confidence in her ability to meditate. She also wanted to be more flexible and in this area the response was the same as in the Pre Survey - ‘flexible but want to be more flexible’. And also because I found her to be interested in the teachings.

Additionally, she is making an effort to improve her life, for example she gave up a relationship with a boyfriend who focused on sex when he spent time with her, and that ‘drained her of her energy’. Now she feels better, has more time for spiritual pursuits, and is able to conserve her money. This action came about as a result of an invitation given to the Client to give up something that no longer served her in her life.

I had to adapt the amount of time that I spent with the Client to ensure that she received the tools that could help her. I also had to be flexible with rescheduling the sessions at the Client’s request which was often last minute; additionally, she was often late to arrive for the sessions. As I adapted to these changes, I found myself cultivating and practicing compassion, acceptance and patience. That was a great teaching for me.

The Client was given a copy of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and assigned readings before our sessions. The Client was genuinely curious with the teachings, but she was not able to read them before we met. I found that our sessions went longer than expected as we dived into discussing the readings, giving examples for the teachings, and then follow these discussions with a guided meditation.

Yes, I would approach it in the same way. I gave the relationship with this particular Client a lot of thought because she was so eager for what she could receive from Yoga Therapy and because she wanted to become more spiritual; and, also because I found her health to be very delicate as discussed above.

Client expressed the following on the Post Survey, “As I fully dedicate myself more to learning, studying, practicing yoga and meditation I’m confident I’ll feel more peaceful and grounded.” This informs me that the client is cognizant of the great potential that these teachings have to help her if she applies them.

In addition to the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Client was given an article titled Therapeutic Role of Yoga in Type 2 Diabetes because the Client has Diabetes, as well as videos on The Science Behind Yoga, Gentle Chair Yoga and Yoga for Arthritis. As a guidance for how the Client can use this knowledge, I shared how these are some of the tools that I go to time and time again to help me to move forward and make the changes I’ve been able to make in my life.