Yoga-Informed Therapy

Yoga is a broad tradition originating in India that includes much more than physical postures. It may involve movement, breathing practices, meditation, focused attention, ethical principles, self-reflection, and rest.

In yoga-informed therapy, a mental health professional draws thoughtfully from these practices while providing psychotherapy. The therapist may invite you to explore how thoughts, emotions, physical sensations, relationships, and behaviors influence one another.

Yoga-informed therapy is not one standardized treatment protocol. The way it is used depends on the therapist’s clinical training, yoga education, scope of practice, and the needs of the client.

A session might include:

• Noticing physical sensations connected with an emotion
• Using gentle movement to explore tension, energy, or emotional states
• Practicing breath awareness without requiring a particular breathing pattern
• Orienting to the room through sight, sound, touch, or movement
• Trying a seated, standing, or chair-based posture
• Using mindfulness to notice thoughts without immediately reacting to them
• Exploring rest through a guided relaxation practice
• Reflecting on values, compassion, non-harming, or other yoga-informed principles
• Developing a short practice to use between appointments

Yoga-informed therapy will not look like a yoga class. Some sessions may involve no movement at all. Conversation remains an important part of treatment.

How Is Yoga-Informed Therapy Different From a Yoga Class?

A yoga class is generally focused on teaching yoga practices to a group. It may support general health and well-being, but it is not psychotherapy. It is often focused on movement, asanas, or breathwork.

Yoga-informed therapy is provided by a mental health professional within a therapeutic relationship. The therapist considers your mental health concerns, treatment goals, history, symptoms, preferences, and response to each intervention.

Yoga-informed therapy may be included within a psychotherapy appointment when clinically appropriate. It does not require you to attend a separate yoga class.

Is Yoga-Informed Therapy the Same as Yoga Therapy?

No. The terms describe different professional roles.

Yoga-informed therapy is psychotherapy provided by a mental health professional who incorporates aspects of yoga within their clinical scope and training.

Yoga therapy is a separate professional discipline involving the individualized therapeutic application of yoga practices. A registered yoga teacher is not automatically a certified yoga therapist, and a mental health therapist who uses yoga-informed practices may not be a certified yoga therapist.

You are welcome to ask your provider about their mental health credentials, yoga education, training, and how they use yoga within therapy.

Why Include the Body in Therapy?

Emotions are not experienced only as thoughts. Stress, anxiety, grief, trauma, anger, and exhaustion may also appear as tension, restlessness, numbness, shallow breathing, heaviness, difficulty settling, or feeling disconnected from the body.

Talking can help you understand your experiences, recognize patterns, and develop new perspectives. Body-based practices may offer another way to notice what is happening and experiment with different responses.

Yoga-informed therapy may help you become more aware of:

• Early signs of stress or emotional escalation
• Patterns of tension, shutdown, restlessness, or disconnection
• The relationship between thoughts, emotions, sensations, and behavior
• Movements or positions that feel supportive or uncomfortable
• Personal boundaries and preferences
• What helps you feel more present
• How your body communicates needs for movement, rest, space, or support

The goal is not to force calmness or make every uncomfortable feeling disappear. Therapy can help you develop more choice in how you respond to your internal experiences.

Choice, Consent, and Accessibility

Yoga-informed therapy should be collaborative. Your therapist may offer an invitation, but you decide whether to participate.

Throughout any session that incorporates movement or asanas, breathwork, meditation, or grounding practices, you may:

• Keep your eyes open
• Remain seated
• Change positions
• Stop an exercise
• Decline movement
• Choose not to focus on your breathing
• Ask what an exercise is intended to address
• Request another option
• Return to conversation at any time

Practices can be adapted for different bodies, abilities, energy levels, sensory needs, health conditions, and physical spaces. You do not need special clothing, a yoga mat, or the ability to perform a particular posture.

Some people find breath awareness, stillness, closing their eyes, or focusing internally uncomfortable. These reactions are important information, not evidence that you are doing something incorrectly. Your therapist can help you find alternatives.

Yoga-Informed Therapy for Trauma

Trauma can affect a person’s relationship with their body, attention, emotions, boundaries, and sense of control. For some clients, carefully chosen yoga-informed practices can support present-moment awareness and help them notice internal experiences in manageable ways.

Trauma-informed use of yoga emphasizes:

• Choice rather than compliance
• Invitations rather than commands
• Predictability and clear explanations
• Respect for personal space and boundaries
• Options for movement, stillness, and visual focus
• Attention to signs of overwhelm, shutdown, or disconnection
• Avoiding the assumption that a particular practice feels calming or safe

Yoga-informed therapy should not require you to push through distress or remain in a practice that feels overwhelming.

Yoga-Informed Therapy for Neurodivergent Clients

Traditional instructions to sit still, clear the mind, maintain eye contact, or ignore distractions may not work for every nervous system.

Yoga-informed therapy can be adapted for ADHD, autism, sensory differences, chronic restlessness, and other neurodivergent experiences. Depending on the individual, therapy may incorporate movement, shorter practices, external points of focus, sensory supports, repetition, visual choices, or opportunities to change position.

Practices should support self-understanding, regulation, agency, and access to strategies that genuinely work for the individual. The goal is never to “mask” neurodivergence, or to make a neurodivergent person appear calmer or “more typical.”

What Can Yoga-Informed Therapy Help With?

Depending on provider experience and individual fit, yoga-informed therapy may be incorporated into treatment for:

• Anxiety and chronic stress
• Trauma-related responses
• Depression or emotional disconnection
• Burnout and exhaustion
• Grief and major life changes
• ADHD and other neurodivergent experiences
• Difficulty recognizing or expressing emotions
• Physical tension associated with stress
• Body disconnection or difficulty remaining present
• Perfectionism and self-criticism
• Chronic illness or changing physical abilities
• Pregnancy, postpartum adjustment, or parenting stress
• A desire to explore mindfulness or values in a more embodied way

Yoga-informed practices are not a replacement for appropriate mental health or medical care. Your therapist will help determine whether they fit your treatment goals and circumstances.

Yoga-Informed Therapy in Homewood and Online

Mosaic offers yoga-informed therapy in person at our Homewood, Illinois office. Online availability depends on provider training, licensure, client location, and whether the practice can be used appropriately through telehealth.

Virtual sessions may use practices that can be completed safely within your available space, including seated movement, sensory awareness, mindfulness, guided rest, or reflection.