By Monica B Groover
What is a Yoga Therapist
Most Yoga Teacher Training have only 200 Hours of basic training. This means the objective of the training is to do a generic yoga class for generic public irrespective of who is attending the class.
Yoga Therapy is a different ball game.
First of all the training required to be a Yoga Therapist may exceed 500 Hours.
Yoga therapists use yoga for a very specific purpose for healing. They may use Yoga as a tool to help a person move, support healing. Example, Prenatal yoga class, post natal yoga class, yoga class for cancer survivors who have had surgery. Yoga therapists may study how pain produced due to a movement, the mechanics of movement both normally and its deviation during pain, or, when suffering from musculoskeletal issues. It includes studying the body’s posture, and, requires a sound knowledge of anatomy, physiology, and bodily planes, especially of the musculoskeletal system.
Ayurveda Yoga Therapists training may exceed even that of a yoga therapist, and, definitely may need to clock more than a 1000 hours.
Should a Yoga Therapist study more anatomy, more physiology or more Kinesiology?
Whether a Yoga Therapist, or, an Ayurveda Yoga therapist- sound knowledge of anatomy and physiology is crucial, and, at least a basic understanding of Kinesiology becomes absolutely essential. This is ignored and an understudied area in some yoga therapy schools.
Kinesiology is the study of the movement of the body-how muscles move the joints.
Kinesiology is used by health professions like Osteopathy, in sports medicine, by orthopedic surgeons, and Physical therapists amongst others.
Mostly these health professions use a structural knowledge of Kinesiology, rather than functional. This means that they are more interested in what can be seen. They are interested in posture, planes of the body, axes of rotation, the muscles, joints, and, apply methods like surgery to help correct dysfunctions. For example, reconstruction of ACL (Anterior cruciate ligament), post injury to restore function. For osteopathic medicine, study of posture is crucial. For example, an osteopathic medicine may examine how someone sleeps-with their mouth open, or, closed, the symmetry of the two sides of the body, body measurement etc to diagnose postural dysfunctions.
Study of Kinesiology does not necessarily prepare one for clinical professions.
AKA (American Kinesiology Association) describes Kinesiology as the academic discipline which involves the study of physical activity and its impact on health, society and quality of life. There are two schools of kinesiology-structural and functional. Clinical applications focus on structure.
Ayurveda Yoga Therapy School
However, Yoga therapy as well as Ayurveda Yoga Therapy focuses on function, and will customize the practice of yoga to the roga and rogi, the person and their dysfunction. Ayurveda Yoga therapy school should prepare the student with full knowledge of Ayurveda Counselor, and, the science of biomechanics, integrated with modified asana practice, and use of one, two or many props to create a customized asana plans for different doshas, age groups etc.
Ayurveda Yoga Therapy standards prepared by NAMA (National Ayurvedic Medical Association) are stipulating that an Ayurveda Yoga Therapist already posess equal knowledge to that of an Ayurveda Counselor, be a yoga teacher to begin with, as a pre requisite.
That's a tall order.
Ayurveda Yoga Therapy
For an Ayurveda Yoga Therapist, study of Kinesiology, anatomy, physiology and musculoskeletel dysfunction in the three body types- Vata, Pitta and Kapha, the seven dhatus, and, all the srotas, issues with mala, and nidan is crucial.
Ayurveda Yoga therapy may support clients to reduce stress, pain, stiffness when suffering with Ghrdasi, Amavata, or Sandhigata, when integrated with Ayurvedic bodywork and practices.
In Alternative medicine, or methods like chiropractice they may use applied kinesiology, which is a controversial method. They may use muscle testing to identify imbalances in the body's structural, chemical, emotional or other energy, to establish the body's priority healing needs.
Assessment techniques for a Yoga therapist will also involve body measurement, biofeedback from nadi, jihva, and the use of dashavidha pariksha- the ten fold assessment.
Dashavidha Pariksha
The dashavidha pariksha includes, but is not limited to:
1 Prakrti (natural constitution)
2 Vikrti(deviation and imbalance of prakrti)
3 Sara (dhatu)
4 Samhanana (build)
5 Pramana (body measurement)
6 Sattva (mind)
7 Satmya (ability to adapt)
8 Ahara sakti (digestive ability)
9 Vyayama sakti (physical strength and fitness)
10 Vaya (Ayu, Age)
References:
Kinesiology for manual therapy, Dail Nancy
American Kinesiology Association
Lecture by Aparna Dandekar, D.O, Narayana Ayurveda & Yoga Academy