Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHealth BenefitsYoga and Occupational TherapyOTs and Yoga QualificationsAdding Yoga to OT PracticesOT and Yoga TherapyOT and Adaptive YogaClient Experiences

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Health Benefits

Yoga and Occupational Therapy

OTs and Yoga Qualifications

Adding Yoga to OT Practices

OT and Yoga Therapy

OT and Adaptive Yoga

Client Experiences

With its rising popularity,yogais moving beyond the mat and into healthcare settings. Healthcare professionals are taking yoga classes for their own health and well-being and are bringing it to their healthcare practices as a treatment modality.

Occupational therapists(OTs) are joining other healthcare providers in incorporating yoga into their treatment offerings. OTs bring a unique perspective to yoga and can guide you deeper into your practice for personal health, well-being, and prevention of disease.

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Two men benefiting from OT and adaptive yoga therapy.

Yoga’s popularity is growing in the United States and worldwide, likely due to an onslaught of research showing the many health benefits.Physicians are taking note, and now some prescribe yoga to their patients. Studies show that yoga may be able to lower stress, anxiety, pain, fatigue, depression, andinsomnia, reduce risk forcardiov

scular diseaseandhypertension, alleviate the side effects of cancer treatment, improve recovery from neurological conditions such asstroke, symptoms ofmultiple sclerosisandParkinson’s, prevent or lower risk of disease, and improve a sense of overall well-being.

Several studies show thatyoga postures, also known as asanas, can improve strength, flexibility and functional mobility for a number of conditions that cause chronic pain and disability.Pain medication may be reduced or completely eliminated in certain cases. Yoga may also improve gait functioning in elders and prevent falls.

Yoga and mindfulness meditation practices have been shown to decrease addictive behaviors.Thoughts of self-inflicted harm and disrespect toward oneself were able to change to more loving, caring, and respectful thoughts and behaviors. Yoga has also been found helpful in recovery from eating disorders and improving poor body image.

Yoga and Occupational Therapy

Yoga and occupational therapy can be complementary in their concepts and methodologies. While the less-vigorous forms of yoga have an emphasis on activating the parasympathetic nervous system, occupational therapy encompasses goals and objectives toward functional independence or living one’s life purpose. Both sciences accentuate the use of mind, body, and spirit in daily life in order to function within a new perception and new skills all while being in a calmer state.

When working with an OT trained in yoga, they can assist you with the eight limbs to help you reach your health goals and live a meaningful and purposeful life.

The eight limbs, or stages, of yoga, are:

Not all OTs go on to receive specialty training in yoga and incorporate it into their practices. If you are interested in seeking out this kind of intervention, you will need to find the right OT to meet your needs.

When you do find the right OT, though, they have unique qualities that they can bring to yoga instruction and therapy. These unique qualifications include:

  1. Their schooling

Certified occupational therapy assistants, occupational therapists, and those with a master’s or doctorate degree in occupational therapy receive between two to seven years of education in anatomy and physiology, psychology, biology, the mind-body connection, spirituality, neurobiology, kinesiology, psychosocial components, sensory integration, biomechanics, ergonomics, disease and illness, and how the environment can affect health and healing.

The path to becoming a yoga instructor is less standardized. Some are considered instructors after a quick 12-hour class. Others are an instructor after 200 hours if they are Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) certified.

  1. Their licensing

  2. Their ability to bill insurance

There are several paths that an OT may pursue in combining their knowledge of occupational therapy and yoga.

  1. By using yoga techniques as a treatment modality within a traditional occupational therapy session

This can be done in any setting anoccupational therapist may workin, including:

  1. By providing yoga therapy to clients on a cash basis as an occupational therapist

  2. By providing yoga therapy to clients as a yoga therapist or yoga instructor

Some OTs may provide yoga services outside of insurance regulation and outside of their license and thus would no longer be practicing occupational therapy. These therapists may be practicing as a yoga therapist, which is not subjected to state licensing and regulations.

Yoga therapy is a broad term that has emerged over the past 100 years to denote the specific use of yoga to meet a health goal related to physical, cognitive, emotional or spiritual stress, pain, or trauma. A person may be taught specific asanas, breathing techniques, pranayama, meditation, yoga philosophy, spiritual or psychological counseling, chanting, imagery, prayer, or ritual to reach their health and wellness goals.

Yoga therapy may be used to denote yoga used as a treatment technique within occupational therapy. As mentioned above, OTs may also pursue this as a separate practice.

Adaptive yogateaches universal principles of yoga that are accessible to all students, with any body type, age, ability, or health condition.

Modifying activities for clients to be successful and more fully independent is an integral part of training for occupational therapists. An occupational therapist may use props such as belts, blankets, bolsters, and chairs to help modify the poses for clients. Again, an occupational therapist may utilize adaptive yoga within an occupational therapy session.

Mandy Lubas, OTR/L, RYT, AWCis an ayurvedic wellness counselor who integrates yoga and ayurveda into her OT scope of practice. She shares her experience of incorporating yoga into her OT practice:

“Because of my educational background in occupational therapy, I have a unique perspective and interpretation of yogic philosophy that benefits my patients. For example, if I see someone with a physical injury suffering with physical pain and emotional trauma who can no longer participate fully and optimally in their daily lives such as playing sports, home management tasks, or engage in their work/play life balance, I am able to utilize specific frames of reference I have learned from OT school. I can combine sensory integration, biomechanics, cognitive behavioral therapy, and the model of human occupations (MOHO) with a traditional yoga practice to improve their function and participation in their daily occupations.

“Planning out a yoga class sequence is so much easier as an OT because we know the body so well and we’re able to work at so many levels based on medical/scientific approaches while combining them with Eastern yogic philosophy practices. Our training in reflexes and reflex integration allows us to adapt a combined yoga and OT practice to those with disabilities and those without.

“I worked with a client who experienced three seizures a night over a 10-year period along with regular panic attacks. He was on seizure medication but continued to have seizures despite it. I instructed him to practice daily affirmations and chanting to start. He practiced these nightly and did a yoga pose, Viparita Karani, commonly known as “feet-up-the-wall.” After six treatment sessions, he was no longer experiencing either the panic attacks or seizures. He developed clarity of mind that he did not have before allowing him to sleep longer at night and safely drive longer distances.”

9 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Thompson WR.Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2019.ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal. 2018;22(6):10-17. doi:10.1249/FIT.0000000000000438Mohammad A, Thakur P, Kumar R, Kaur S, Saini RV, Saini AK.Biological markers for the effects of yoga as a complementary and alternative medicine.J Complement Integr Med. 2019 Feb 7;16(1):/j/jcim.2019.16.issue-1/jcim-2018-0094/jcim-2018-0094.xml. doi:10.1515/jcim-2018-0094Woodyard C.Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life.Int J Yoga. 2011 Jul;4(2):49-54. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.85485Khanna S, Greeson JM.A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction.Complement Ther Med. 2013;21(3):244-252. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2013.01.008Diers L, Rydell SA, Watts A, Neumark-Sztainer D.A yoga-based therapy program designed to improve body image among an outpatient eating disordered population: Program description and results from a mixed-methods pilot study.Eating Disorders. 2020;28(4):476-493. doi:10.1080/10640266.2020.1740912Francis AL, Beemer RC.How does yoga reduce stress? Embodied cognition and emotion highlight the influence of the musculoskeletal system.Complement Ther Med. 2019;43:170-175. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2019.01.024YogaJournal.com.Get to know the 8 limbs of yoga.Yoga Alliance Foundation.Teachers.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational outlook handbook: Occupational therapists.

9 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Thompson WR.Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2019.ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal. 2018;22(6):10-17. doi:10.1249/FIT.0000000000000438Mohammad A, Thakur P, Kumar R, Kaur S, Saini RV, Saini AK.Biological markers for the effects of yoga as a complementary and alternative medicine.J Complement Integr Med. 2019 Feb 7;16(1):/j/jcim.2019.16.issue-1/jcim-2018-0094/jcim-2018-0094.xml. doi:10.1515/jcim-2018-0094Woodyard C.Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life.Int J Yoga. 2011 Jul;4(2):49-54. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.85485Khanna S, Greeson JM.A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction.Complement Ther Med. 2013;21(3):244-252. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2013.01.008Diers L, Rydell SA, Watts A, Neumark-Sztainer D.A yoga-based therapy program designed to improve body image among an outpatient eating disordered population: Program description and results from a mixed-methods pilot study.Eating Disorders. 2020;28(4):476-493. doi:10.1080/10640266.2020.1740912Francis AL, Beemer RC.How does yoga reduce stress? Embodied cognition and emotion highlight the influence of the musculoskeletal system.Complement Ther Med. 2019;43:170-175. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2019.01.024YogaJournal.com.Get to know the 8 limbs of yoga.Yoga Alliance Foundation.Teachers.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational outlook handbook: Occupational therapists.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Thompson WR.Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2019.ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal. 2018;22(6):10-17. doi:10.1249/FIT.0000000000000438Mohammad A, Thakur P, Kumar R, Kaur S, Saini RV, Saini AK.Biological markers for the effects of yoga as a complementary and alternative medicine.J Complement Integr Med. 2019 Feb 7;16(1):/j/jcim.2019.16.issue-1/jcim-2018-0094/jcim-2018-0094.xml. doi:10.1515/jcim-2018-0094Woodyard C.Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life.Int J Yoga. 2011 Jul;4(2):49-54. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.85485Khanna S, Greeson JM.A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction.Complement Ther Med. 2013;21(3):244-252. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2013.01.008Diers L, Rydell SA, Watts A, Neumark-Sztainer D.A yoga-based therapy program designed to improve body image among an outpatient eating disordered population: Program description and results from a mixed-methods pilot study.Eating Disorders. 2020;28(4):476-493. doi:10.1080/10640266.2020.1740912Francis AL, Beemer RC.How does yoga reduce stress? Embodied cognition and emotion highlight the influence of the musculoskeletal system.Complement Ther Med. 2019;43:170-175. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2019.01.024YogaJournal.com.Get to know the 8 limbs of yoga.Yoga Alliance Foundation.Teachers.U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational outlook handbook: Occupational therapists.

Thompson WR.Worldwide survey of fitness trends for 2019.ACSM’s Health and Fitness Journal. 2018;22(6):10-17. doi:10.1249/FIT.0000000000000438

Mohammad A, Thakur P, Kumar R, Kaur S, Saini RV, Saini AK.Biological markers for the effects of yoga as a complementary and alternative medicine.J Complement Integr Med. 2019 Feb 7;16(1):/j/jcim.2019.16.issue-1/jcim-2018-0094/jcim-2018-0094.xml. doi:10.1515/jcim-2018-0094

Woodyard C.Exploring the therapeutic effects of yoga and its ability to increase quality of life.Int J Yoga. 2011 Jul;4(2):49-54. doi:10.4103/0973-6131.85485

Khanna S, Greeson JM.A narrative review of yoga and mindfulness as complementary therapies for addiction.Complement Ther Med. 2013;21(3):244-252. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2013.01.008

Diers L, Rydell SA, Watts A, Neumark-Sztainer D.A yoga-based therapy program designed to improve body image among an outpatient eating disordered population: Program description and results from a mixed-methods pilot study.Eating Disorders. 2020;28(4):476-493. doi:10.1080/10640266.2020.1740912

Francis AL, Beemer RC.How does yoga reduce stress? Embodied cognition and emotion highlight the influence of the musculoskeletal system.Complement Ther Med. 2019;43:170-175. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2019.01.024

YogaJournal.com.Get to know the 8 limbs of yoga.

Yoga Alliance Foundation.Teachers.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Occupational outlook handbook: Occupational therapists.

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