Nava Yoga Therapy

03/12/2024

Globally, approximately 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the population live with significant disabilities. Over 1 billion individuals experience some form of disability, including more than 100 million children. In the UK alone, over 14 million people are disabled, according to the charity Scope.

Visible disabilities are physically apparent and easily identifiable, such as mobility impairments or the use of assistive devices. In contrast, invisible disabilities are not immediately noticeable, such as mental health conditions or chronic illnesses.

Individuals with invisible disabilities may face additional challenges due to scepticism or lack of acknowledgment from others. For instance, they may find it difficult to explain their condition and feel misunderstood or judged.

Up to 70% of disabilities are invisible.

While yoga is often seen as a universally accessible practice, traditional forms may include movements and poses that are not ideal for individuals with limited mobility.

Yoga therapy extends beyond physical movement to include all eight limbs of yoga and uses the Panchamaya Kosha model as a framework. This model views the physical body as just one layer among many, all of which are interconnected and mutually influential. This enables a more profound and comprehensive understanding of health and healing. By broadening our perspective, healing can be approached in a more integrative and meaningful way.

Yoga Therapy is adaptive and unique to each individual, working alongside their current functional abilities and emphasising personalised practices over achieving traditional postures.

Yoga Therapy offers gradual and intentional progression with unique applications tailored to individual outcomes. By offering individualised modifications and supports, yoga honours and becomes accessible and inclusive to individuals of all brains, bodies and abilities.

Please visit my website to find out more about this on my blog and how I can work with you.

https://navayogatherapy.co.uk/no-limits-yoga-for-every-body-brain-ability/
https://idpwd.org/

14/11/2024

Research suggests that yoga offers significant therapeutic benefits for diabetes management:

Glycemic Control and Insulin Sensitivity
Yoga can improve blood sugar regulation, helping to lower fasting and post-meal glucose levels and HbA1c. It may also reduce insulin resistance, improving glucose tolerance in Type 2 diabetes.

Lipid Profile and Cardiovascular Health
Yoga has shown benefits in lowering LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and total cholesterol. Additionally, it can enhance heart function and decrease blood pressure, helping reduce cardiovascular risks tied to diabetes.

Weight Management and Body Composition
Yoga supports weight control and improves body composition, essential for diabetes care. Through mindfulness, yoga encourages healthier eating and reduces emotional eating, aiding weight loss and general well-being.

Stress and Mental Health
Yoga reduces stress, which is often linked to poor eating habits in diabetes. It can decrease emotional distress, enhance mindfulness, and improve coping skills, boosting resilience in diabetes management.

Blood Pressure and Oxidative Stress
Yoga may help regulate blood pressure and reduce oxidative stress, which are critical in managing Type 2 diabetes and slowing related complications.

Nervous System and Lung Health
Practicing yoga may reduce sympathetic nervous system activity, benefiting overall nervous health. It may also improve lung function, enhancing physical wellness for those with diabetes.

Quality of Life and Sleep
Yoga practitioners often report better mood, sleep, and overall quality of life. Enhanced mindfulness and reduced diabetes-related anxiety may lead to better disease management and, in some cases, less reliance on medication.

Preventive Potential
For those with a family history of diabetes, yoga may lower risk by improving insulin sensitivity and heart health.

In summary, yoga shows promise for managing and potentially preventing Type 2 diabetes. Visit my website blog or worlddiabetesday.org for more information.

29/10/2024

Stress is a natural part of life, but sometimes it can feel overwhelming. When we're stressed, we may overestimate the severity of the stressor and underestimate our own ability to cope.

This often triggers a cycle known as "stress reactivity," where we become so accustomed to feeling stressed that it becomes almost a habit and our bodies can become highly efficient at staying in "stress mode." Unfortunately, this state can have far-reaching negative impacts on both our mental and physical health.

In essence, stress is the mind's interaction with the environment. A certain amount of stress is necessary for growth—it sharpens our awareness and enhances our ability to adapt. Stress, when managed well, can shift us from a state of languishing to one of flourishing.

The ancient philosopher Marcus Aurelius observed that stress isn't in the event itself but in how we interpret it. This perspective remains valuable today; it reminds us that we have some control over our reactions to stressful situations.

Interestingly, the mind’s response to stress mirrors the body's digestive system. Just as the digestive system breaks down food for nutrients, the brain (particularly the limbic system) processes and "digests" experiences. If we fail to process our stress, it may linger, much like undigested food. But when properly managed and "digested," stress can be transformed into wisdom, enriching our life.

Studies have shown that mind-body practices like yoga can be effective in managing stress and improving symptoms of conditions worsened by chronic stress. Yoga-based interventions help improve vagal tone, which is associated with better heart rate variability, mood stability, and digestion.

Yoga therapy follows a structured course for stress management:

Reduction: Stabilising the mind through coordinated breath and movement or mantra.
Integration: Developing harmony between mind and body.
Building: Growing a toolkit of practices to call upon in times of future stress.

If you would like to know more, please visit my website where you can find my blog "Using the Ancient Practice of Yoga to Manage Modern Stress" and isma.org.uk

20/10/2024

02/09/2024

02/09/2024

New Class starting 9th September 2024!

Mondays 4-5pm at Apta Vita - North Shields, (Term-time only), £8 per child.

Therapeutic yoga classes aim to support the physical and emotional wellbeing of children and teens ages 9 to, helping them to build resilience and capacity as they grow and navigate the world.

Classes integrate yoga posture, visualisation, breathing and relaxation strategies and are structured around the 8 senses with a focus on sensory processing and integration.

Classes include games and creative activities and are all about having fun and getting to know ourselves better in a supportive and non-competitive environment.

Therapeutic yoga can provide your child with the tools to:

· Reduce anxiety & improve mental health
· Strengthen self-regulation and coping skills
· Calm, soothe and reset the nervous system
· Increase self-esteem & self-confidence
· Build inner calmness & centre the mind
· Balance emotions
· Release difficult emotions & tension
· Build body, mind & breath awareness
· Build social & communication skills
· Improve visual & auditory processing
· Develop language & vocabulary
· Strengthen academic skills, focus & concentration
· Advance gross/fine motor skills & co-ordination
· Improve executive functioning
· Boost creativity and imagination
· Improve sleep & digestion
· Strengthen the immune and lymphatic systems
· Improve thyroid & circulatory functioning
· Build Strength, muscle tone, flexibility & balance
· Improve behaviour
· Support sensory needs

All abilities are welcome, however please note that the studio is situated up a flight of stairs and therefore not suitable at this time for children with mobility challenges.

Please book via my website: www.navayogatherapy.co.uk/groups and I look forward to seeing you in class!.

02/09/2024

New Class starting 9thSeptember 2024!

Mondays 5:15-6:15pm at Apta Vita - North Shields, (Term-time only), £8 per person.

Family yoga can create a sacred space in your week for your family to:

Reconnect and strengthen bonds
Learn tools to reduce stress and anxiety together
Increase flexibility, strength and balance
Promote a healthy lifestyle
Allow your child to shine and grow in confidence
Laugh, explore, have fun and create memories
In the busy and often tech-driven world in which we live, these classes can provide Children, Parents and Grandparents a rare opportunity to spend quality time together, leaving behind the pressures of everyday life (and the screens), even if only for an hour!

Classes are structured around connecting your family physically as well as emotionally. Classes incorporate group and partner work as well as honing communication skills by teaching, supporting and trusting one another.

All abilities are welcome, however please note that the studio is situated up a flight of stairs and therefore not suitable at this time for anyone with mobility challenges.

Please book via my website: www.navayogatherapy.co.uk/groups and I look forward to seeing you in class!.

14/08/2024

Global Yoga Therapy Day began in 2019 and is now celebrated annually on August 14th! It's aim is to elevate the visibility of yoga therapy worldwide.

Although all yoga is potentially therapeutic and healing, IAYT certified yoga therapists specifically apply yoga tools to address an individual‘s physical, mental, and emotional needs. Yoga therapy is care for the whole person, not just the physical body!

Practices used by yoga therapists could include breathing exercises, meditation techniques, and yes, physical postures or exercises. Although many people first learn about yoga through those physical poses, the discipline isn’t just about stretching or movement. In fact, yoga therapy can help people who can’t move at all, as well as active individuals!

The yoga model of health is unique because it addresses every aspect of life rather than considering each body part or system separately.

Yoga therapy is a safe way of working with the natural capacity of your body and mind to optimize well-being. Because yoga itself offers tools that touch on the whole spectrum of human experience, yoga therapy can offer support for a range of concerns:

• Pain from various sources
• Stress and coping with modern life
• Major illnesses, including cancer and its effects
• Neurological issues
• Healthy aging
• Mental health
• Death and dying

Uniquely, yoga therapy can also support people who simply want to be the best possible version of themselves, just as they are!

A general public yoga class can certainly ease everyday aches, pains, and mood complaints, yet one reason yoga therapy works so well is that it’s not a treatment done to a patient—yoga therapists instead help clients to tap into their own innate healing capabilities.

Learn more about how yoga therapy works on the yogatherapy.health blog under the “How Yoga Therapists Work” series. You can also visit my website (link in bio) for further information on how to work with me.