Hatha Yoga is the most commonly practiced form of yoga. The breathing practices, physical movement, and relaxation practices of yoga are designed to increase a sense of calm, well-being, and stress tolerance, all of which may minimize depression, anxiety, and stress.

The goal is to help my client to reduce anxiety/depression through hatha yoga practice (asana, breathing practice, and brief meditation). This 45-minute session runs 3 times, the progress (stress level, improvement, negative effect) will be checked with the client before 2nd and 3rd session begins.

Anna is a Japanese female in her late 30’s. She recently relocated to New York from Japan due to her husband’s work. She does not speak English well and does not have many friends yet. She has been dealing with depression, anxiety, and attachment disorder due to her complicated family relationships. She has
difficulty finding her identity, and always comparing herself with others, which leads her to an unstable mental state.

I envisioned working with this client 60-minute weekly session for 3 weeks. Each session started with a guided brief meditation and continued 3-4 rounds of Sun Salutation, followed by 2 restorative poses and a brief meditation. This was my client's first yoga practice but she enjoyed the practice.

The branch of Yoga I used is Hatha Yoga for the practice of sun salutations, restorative poses, and breathing practice.

The simple integral yoga hatha practice which includes asanas, breathing practice, and meditation helped my client to focus on her physical body and mind that she has never experienced before. Restorative Yoga poses assist the body and mind to relax while sun salutation can help to create an uplifting mood
Slow & deep breathing helps us to activate the parasympathetic nervous system to relax the mind and the body, keeping my client stable mental state.

My client mentioned that she was not happy when she moved to New York City because she did not have support living in a new environment. Her husband is busy at work and she mostly stays at home alone. At 2nd session, she said " I have less tension physically and mentally, I feel my neck and shoulders are much
lighter and relaxing. Since she has not done any physical exercise recently, sun salutation was a great way to move her body at her own pace. Also, I gave her information about a Japanese volunteer group where she could meet and talk in her language, and she said she was going to contact them.

I would like her to continue this program daily basis because she noticed the benefit of each practice. Once she becomes more and more comfortable with
this program, I would suggest that she practices other asanas as well. Based on these 3 sessions of practice, I have confidence that she will enjoy the whole Integral Yoga Level 1 class. The other practice is journaling, she mentioned she liked writing, this will help reduce stress, and anxiety and improve her mood.

My goal was achieved, these 3 sessions benefitted her to improve her mental state and she is more active and willing to explore finding her identity and start a meaningful life life in NYC with her husband.
And I think and I hope you can continue practicing, find something she loves, and enjoy her life here in NYC.

This was rare case for me, she is the first client who needs support

I will approach the same way if I face the same situation next time. Because if the client has no experience of Yoga I believe this Integral Yoga Hatha practice would be the best approach, It is not difficult, very practical and most people can do it and also there are modificaiton is available if needed.
If the client has