Yoga Therapy for Chronic Pain

  • “I have had a yoga & meditation practice for 25 years now, but Dena is the first teacher to get me to truly understand the importance of breath work. Her teaching helped me learn to use my breath to mitigate pain & effectively changed my life.”

    — M.P.H. San Francisco

  • "All in all I am pleased with my quality of life compared to 5 months ago. It has taken feeling well to recognize how far I have come. Granted there is much yet to do, but I do feel the swing from pain and anxiety ruling me, to me dictating how much I will let those things affect me."

    — Emily J. Piedmont, California

  • “Now, I know what to do when I am having a flare-up. And more importantly, I understand what is happening with my nervous system. So my personalized relaxation practice actually works for me, and I am able to understand why that is.”

    —Gabriela D, Berkeley, California

  • "Because of our sessions, I finally understood the connection between focused breathing and reducing pain. I also developed a broader understanding of what meditation is (a mind-body practice) versus how it's generally perceived.”

    -Jill C, Mill Valley, CA

Yoga therapy is a missing link in pain care today.

This approach can truly address many of the complex factors that affect the pain experience. Breakthroughs are common during a yoga therapy session. A seasoned yoga therapist offers a world of possibilities in terms of personalizing practices which work with an individual. For example, with the right combination of supportive body positions, breath used as a tool, relaxation techniques — one sets themselves up to change their relationship with pain by gaining awareness, considering their pain narrative and consequently building resilience.

This photo shows an example of a one-of-a-kind pose providing relief to this student's shoulder area, a chronic pain condition. She discovered a way to access movement in her arm and shoulder in a way that she had feared for many years. This was possible through unique positioning in conjunction with a prescribed breathing practice. This was an important piece of the empowerment process to get this student onto a mindful path of regaining movement and nervous system rehabilitation.

Long-term pain management protocols should incorporate yoga therapy as a safe way to move with pain, access the relaxation response and teach multiple body awareness exercises. Movement Therapy has multidimensional effects because it works on a whole-person framework which views the individual's experience on interconnected levels of physical, emotional, energetic and psychological. Our various aspects of self are interconnected and constantly informing one another.

Yoga Therapy for Pain is a Personal Prescription to reduce pain and live the life you want

The Commitment

  • One should be prepared to commit to a minimum of 4 initial meetings to create a shift.

  • Goals are established during the first session. Video conferencing is available.

Reach out to Dena for a 15 minute consultation to learn if you are a good candidate for yoga therapy sessions.