Want to get to the root of your pain and discomfort?
Have questions about working with Anna-Marie 1:1?
Schedule at free 15-minute phone consultation. Call (530) 400-6303
What is Yoga Therapy?
Yoga Therapy is gentle. We never push you, exhaust you, or ask you to do anything that is painful.
How does Yoga Therapy Work?
Yoga therapy is different from physical therapy. This is not a work-out and what we teach you differs physical therapy exercises.
Yoga therapy dissolves pain when no other therapies or medical interventions have helped or when surgery is not indicated.
We focus on releasing (not stretching) the deep tensions in the core of your body. What we do ensures that you are comfortable and at ease throughout a session.
What is involved?
All Yoga Therapy sessions are private, one-on-one sessions
Every yoga therapy protocol includes giving you a practice to do for yourself—a practice specific to your body, abilities, needs, and time constraints.
We teach you how to keep yourself out of pain so that you are not dependent on a therapist.
Yoga Therapy may use one of two techniques or a combination of both in any given session, depending on your needs. The two techniques are:
1. Yoga Poses (Asanas)
You are assisted through a gentle series of therapeutic poses specific to your level of ability, needs, and comfort. These are selected to release tension and alleviate pain.
Each pose is fully supported. You are completely comfortable, allowing for opening and softening into the pose, rather than forcing or imposing the pose upon your body.
This is a gentle, tranquil process.
2. Quintessence Yoga Therapy™
Quintessence Yoga Therapy™ is for those in debilitating pain, who have very limited range of movement, or are recovering from injury or illness. The therapist places you in a comfortable, relaxed position on your back, either on the floor or on a massage table if you cannot easily get to the floor. You are supported by blankets and cushions. The therapy consists of soft, gentle touch on some of your bones which releases the tension in the muscles along your spine. This is a very gentle but deep release of muscle tensions which are causing pain or discomfort.
The benefits of Yoga Therapy are:
- Reduces pain — acute and chronic
- Releases chronic tensions throughout your body
- Helps relieve stress and stress-related conditions throughout your body
- Helps to balance your immune system
- Quiets your mind, thereby allowing greater peace of mind
As a part of yoga therapy, you receive a home practice to do for yourself—a practice specific to your body, your needs, and time constraints. Your home practice allows you to continue to experience the benefits initiated in private yoga therapy sessions. The goal is to teach you how to keep yourself out of pain so that you will not be dependent on me, as a therapist. This includes explaining to you the anatomy and physiological causes of your pain.
Your healing, and the path to greater calm and comfort is in your hands, fully supported by me, as a Contemplative Practice Yoga® therapist.
What our clients say:
When I first came to Anna-Marie, I was desperate to find relief from decades of chronic back pain. I have cancer, a limb movement disorder and had recently fallen and broken my hip. I had tried absolutely everything, both through Western medicine and naturopathic means, to find a way to minimize pain and live more at peace in my body. I was close to giving up when I decided to give Anna-Marie‘s Contemplative Practice Yoga® Therapy a try. I have been working with Anna-Marie for three months. The tension I’ve held in my body for decades is dissolving or diminishing. Many of the physical maladies I experience have just about gone away. My severe and debilitating back pain has been reduced by at least 80%, and on some days, I am actually pain-free. I feel grateful to have found Anna-Marie. I can honestly say Yoga Therapy has changed my life. — Kathy P.
My therapy with Anna-Marie is nothing short of a miracle. I started Yoga Therapy to address my Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). After four private sessions my RLS has diminished dramatically. I believe it will be cured completely with continued Contemplative Practice Yoga. Thank you, Anna-Marie for giving me back evenings of reading. — Chuck S.
“Doing Yoga Therapy and CPY with Anna-Marie changed my understanding of my body, breath, and deep relaxation. Through her specific techniques, I achieved bliss internally, as she helped me relax even the tiniest muscles that were tight. The magic is then that she helps design a curated program for you to achieve this on your own.” — Kasey C.