A Day in the Life of a Yoga Therapist

Hi! I’m Sarah, owner of Waterfall Yoga Therapy and your somatic yoga therapist! As a yoga therapist, we pride ourselves on having our own daily sadhana or practice. If we are recommending healing practices to you, our clients, you can bet we have been practicing them ourselves for quite a while! Yoga therapy is a holistic practice that combines the principles of yoga with therapeutic techniques to address physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Yoga therapists are trained professionals who use yoga and mindfulness tools to support individuals with various health conditions or life challenges.

One of the most common questions I get from my clients, is what does your practice look like? Well, here is your answer, a typical day in my life. In this blog post, I am going to take you on a journey through a day in the life of a yoga therapist. You will get to see a behind the scenes view of what I do in my own healthcare routine!

Early Morning:

I begin my day with the practice of atma tattva avalokanam or the practice of awakening with awareness. I check in with my body and do some pandiculation exercises before I ever leave the bed. Then, I head to the bathroom and practice tongue scraping, (Jihva Nirlegkana) an Ayurvedic practice of oral care, where you scrape the tongue to clear toxins (ama) and remove bacteria from the body. I follow that up with a short movement practice, doing one very slow mindful sun salutation focusing on my breath. I incorporate spanda, or a gentle pulsing or bouncing movement within each poses to lubricate my joints. If I am struggling with pain, I may practice some of the common yoga movements, I use in my on- demand videos. You can practice some of them too here.

Morning:

After my movement and mindfulness practice, I enjoy the ritual of making coffee. Everything from the smell to the sounds wakes up my senses. After enjoying my morning drink, I use a pendulum to muscle test what supplements I need in my diet for the day. It seems strange but it works and takes all the pressure off taking a bunch of supplements every day! This signals time for computer tasks. This may include scheduling appointments, responding to emails, writing blogs or social media posts, or preparing for upcoming clients, retreats or workshops.

Mid-Morning:

One of the joys of working for myself is that I can I adjust my schedule as needed for client sessions. Yoga therapists may work with individuals one-on-one or in small groups, tailoring their sessions to each person’s specific needs and goals. If not seeing clients, I have a light brunch and head out for a grounding meditative barefoot walk around the labyrinth. If time only allows a few minutes, I do some form of seated guided meditation or breathing practice. Try one of my free guided meditations here.

Afternoon:

After a large lunch, I try to get in a good work out or a long walk or hike, at least 5 days per week. I then rest a bit and work on professional development such as continuing education or studying the latest research on yoga therapy. Ever since I was little I loved to learn and read and use this time to become better at what I do. I often see a client or two in the afternoon in person or via tele-health before it’s time to make dinner.

Evening:

At the beginning of the week, I teach a Mindful Monday class virtually at 6pm CST. Every other night of the week, I make homemade healthy meals for our family dinners, like this white chicken chili recipe. After dinner, I check on and care for my garden and plants and try to spend time outside in warmer months. A little walk after every meal is so beneficial to our metabolism. I rinse off the day, but not before practicing dry brushing for the lymphatic system. Following my shower or a warm bath, I incorporate a quick mindfulness practice and Ayurvedic technique called abhyanga, which is a gentle massage with sesame oil to lubricate the skin.

A Day in the Life of a Yoga Therapist

A day in the life of a yoga therapist is filled with variety and purpose. It is a profession that requires dedication, compassion, and a deep understanding of yoga. I always say that yoga is a lifestyle, a work-in, not a work-out. Yoga therapists are passionate about helping others and are committed to using their skills to make a positive impact on the world. Therefore, it’s extremely important that your yoga therapist practices what they preach!

We hope this blog post has given you a glimpse into the daily life of a yoga therapist. If you are interested in learning more about how you can start some similar health and wellness routines that fit your daily schedule schedule a free 15 minute consultation. A yoga therapist like myself will help you find the perfect techniques to fit into your schedule and help you reach your unique goals.