This past June I received my certification as a Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Some of the first teaching moments I remember from the 1980’s were of offering yoga one-on-one to friends and family members. These were sweet moments when something as simple as sharing a useful yoga pose, or a touch of my hand, or a reminder to breathe and that the body mattered, had a perceivable beneficial affect.  Along with a physical assist, an opening would occur within the heart of the person I was with, within myself as well as between the two of us! I have experienced many of these moments in wonder about the divine partnership that unfolds between us which is a by-product of the benefit to the individual student coming for healing.

After 36 years of teaching yoga I continue to see that real yoga is healthful and therapeutic. Yoga Therapy has been an evolving field in itself in which the focus within the yoga process explicitly offers curative and remedial benefits to meet the needs of an individual in a one-on-one setting. With this said, the role of a Yoga Teacher is not to cure but rather to support some kind of positive transformation
in the human being; a Yoga Teacher helps students renew for themselves ways of being that facilitate change.

Yoga Therapy is the application of the ancient practice of yoga to be a catalyst for health and well-being on the physical body, to balance and integrate the body, mind and emotions as well as to awaken and realize the spiritual dimension of Being. Ultimately what makes yoga therapeutic is that it addresses the needs of each individual in the present moment regarding their age, culture, religion, seasonal influence and current physical condition in order to promote optimal balance and healing for body, mind and heart.

From yoga’s philosophical, psychological and spiritual perspective, the root of illness arises out of a lack or weakness in connection with the spiritual aspect of one’s Self. From the view of yoga as a healing art, it promotes a movement away from separation and towards wholeness and unity; the connection with community, with nature and with ones true essence as the means to integration, health and wellness.

In regards to your current life and/or body balance, consider having a private lesson or a series of private sessions to focus more definitively on what you would like to see happen for yourself! Click here: http://shastayogainstitute.com/classes/yoga-therapy/ to see details and contact me at shastayogacenter@gmail.com to make an appointment.
I can help you help yourself with:

• Home practice sequences
• Back care
• Psoas health
• Joint pain
• Scoliosis
• Arthritis
• Stress related issues
• Immune function
• Hormone balancing
• Breathing difficulties
• Energy balancing

   Blessings on your well-being,
                                 Amy Cooper

“…Yoga must always be adapted to an individual’s changing needs in order to derive the maximum
therapeutic benefit…” -Yoga Master, T. Krishnamacharya

A Definition of Yoga Therapy from International Association of Yoga Therapists

“Yoga therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and wellbeing
through the application of the teachings and practices of yoga. The yoga tradition views each
human being as a multidimensional system that includes numerous aspects—including body, breath,
and mind (intellect and emotions)—and their mutual interaction. Yoga therapy is founded on the
basic principle that intelligent practice can positively influence the direction of change within these
human dimensions, which are distinct from an individual’s unchanging nature or spirit. The goals of
yoga therapy include eliminating, reducing, and/or managing symptoms that cause suffering; improving
function; helping to prevent the occurrence or re-occurrence of underlying causes of illness; and
moving toward improved health and well-being.” – from the IAYT website on Scope of Practice