Yoga Therapy and Meditation
About Yoga Therapy and Meditation
Yoga therapy is the use of yoga practices to treat health disorders. Yoga consists of:
asanas (postures)
pranayama (breathing exercises)
dhyana (meditation)
Yoga asanas (postures) are special because they work the entire body. By stretching and moving the whole body, you increase blood circulation and alter the pressure on the tissues, thus maximizing natural recovery and functional rebalancing. Therefore, the postures can treat everything from body aches to endocrine and digestive disorders, and many others.
Pranayama (breathing exercises) in yoga influence health by affecting the central nervous system and allowing for good tissue oxygenation. Breathing is intimately linked to emotions, and breathing exercises profoundly assist in the treatment of emotional health disorders (such as anxiety, depression, and panic) and mental health disorders (such as difficulty concentrating, fatigue, learning difficulties, and memory problems).
Dhyana (meditation) is a yoga practice that works directly with the mind and emotions. It assists in the treatment of various emotional and mental health disorders, as well as in rebalancing the body through mind-body connections.
Who can benefit from treatment with Yoga Therapy and Meditation?
People who suffer from...
Chronic pain and other problems in muscles and joints.
Emotional symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and panic.
Visceral symptoms, such as indigestion, chronic cystitis, and palpitations.
high levels of stress in daily life.
Psychophysical symptoms such as fatigue and insomnia.
What is treatment like with Yoga Therapy and Meditation?
Various postures are practiced that lead to physical and mental benefits.
Stretching and Mobility
Strengthening
Balance
Core
Breathing exercises are performed that influence mental and emotional state.
Meditative practices are performed that deepen the influence on the mental and emotional state.
Attention: Yoga therapy is not about doing amazing poses!
Although many yoga professionals constantly show off their flexibility and strength skills, practicing yoga and meditation isn't about that! The philosophy behind yoga and meditation is about knowing how to live well. The goal is to achieve physical and mental health!
What you can expect from treatment with Yoga Therapy and Meditation:
REGULATED EMOTION
Greater emotional well-being and more balanced emotions.
VISCERAL HEALTH
It improves digestive and cardiorespiratory function.
LESS STRESS
To be able to cope better with life's events and situations.
PHYSICAL HEALTH
More flexibility, strength, vitality, and balance.
MENTAL HEALTH
Less anxiety, depression, and excessive nervousness.
You are capable of going further without suffering!
Yoga is not just a therapeutic technique, but also a philosophy of life. It teaches you to live better, deal with stressful situations, get the best out of life, be your best self, and do your best in this world. All in a gentle and gradual way. This practice should not be painful or excessive; on the contrary, more advanced yoga has much more to do with sitting still and meditating than with super difficult postures. The simpler practices that respect your limits, done with dedication, attention, and over time, are the ones that take you the furthest!
Who will guide you on this journey?
Nice to meet you, I'm Cassandra Lyra. I've been practicing yoga since 1999 (although I'm not as flexible as people expect a yoga practitioner to be) and a yoga instructor since 2012. I use yoga therapy in my work and in my life. I love yoga and I think it fits very well with physiotherapy. I am a physiotherapist (graduated from USP in 2007) and have a PhD in psychology and molecular neuroscience. I specialize in behavioral neuroscience, integrative therapies, and psychophysical disorders.
I am a person who is very close to my family and friends and who loves to study and practice activities such as yoga, cycling and dancing, things that have always helped me a lot to maintain good physical and mental health in the face of life's challenges.
I strongly believe in the power of knowledge and practice combined, which is why my treatments address both practice and a touch of theory (understanding what happens in your body and mind is essential for the evolution of your condition). Having personally experienced anxiety disorder, depression, and panic attacks, with significant somatization, I understand very well what my patients go through and what is necessary to overcome psychophysical disorders.