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• Improve health and your sense of well-being

• Support recovery from illness, surgery, injury, trauma or challenging life events

• Practical tools for self-care

• Create balance in body, heart and mind

• Open to self-awareness, empowerment and transformation

 

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Client testimonial

''I have been having one-to-one Yoga Therapy with Claire for a while, to help with both movement and emotional difficulties.

She has used her extensive knowledge and empathy to work in consultation with me and my physical and general well-being have

improved immensely. I am achieving more than i could have imagined and i cannot recommend Claire more highly.''

J, Skibbereen

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I love doing one-to-one work with people. I've been blessed with some amazing clients who have dived in deep and embarked on a transformational journey which has affected their lives in unexpected ways.
It's difficult to describe these days what exactly happens in my yoga therapy sessions. I have so many tools in my toolkit that it depends entirely on the person in front of me: what are their goals and priorities, what is calling their heart, what suffering needs to be met or eased? I've a toolkit drawn from over 30 years of practicing and training in yoga, movement and body-based work.

I've sometimes thought of yoga therapy as a kind of holistic physiotherapy, but it is so much more. It can also be inner journey work, a return to the heart of your being, into a new level of awareness and connection. Many people come because of a physical ailment, and find that this opens the doorway to a deeper process which includes heart, mind and soul. As well as supporting well being physically and mentally, I have seen how yoga therapy opens the door for deeper layers of healing and self-awareness.
 

How might it support you?
Maybe you have a specific health condition, a long-term illness, pain or tension? Or do you need support to recover from an injury or surgery? Or perhaps you would like support with your mental health, such as stress, overwhelm, burnout, anxiety or depression?
Or for some it is a journey deeper to the self, towards a more embodied experience of life, a deeper self-awareness and connection with themselves. Often Yoga therapy beckons when a person is undergoing a time of change and transformation, perhaps feeling stuck in old patterns and knowing that a shift is needed.
 

Who is is it for?
Anyone really! A person doesn't need to have any previous experience of yoga to work with me. I can adapt for most bodies, ages, and needs. I have experience working with a vast range of people: with elders, people with mobility difficulties, with neurodiverse adults and teens, with people with long-term chronic illness, with trauma, with pregnant, post-natal and menopausal women ... and many others.
 

Get in touch!
If what I share here tugs at you, if you are curious...maybe because you want to work on something specific ...or maybe your gut is telling you, yes, this is for me! Or do you know someone who might benefit? Do get in touch. I'm happy to have a phone chat without any commitment expected from you.

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Definition of Yoga Therapy​

 

A Yoga Therapist is an experienced Yoga Practitioner who has undergone extensive specialist training to enable them to work competently and professionally with a wide range of conditions (physical, mental and emotional) and to be a guide and support for people who need to make significant life changes.

 

Yoga Therapy is a way of creating ease and a programme of self-care for specific conditions. It is practical and empowering.

Techniques are given to support your journey to health and well-being, or to support you with living with day-to-day challenges.

With the support of your therapist, you are enabled to reflect on and understand your health, lifestyle, personality, thought patterns, feelings and behavioural habits, through a compassionate lense, to develop one's self awareness and thus enable an educated and empowered response to whatever is a source of suffering in our daily life.

Part of yoga's philosophy is to develop awareness, self-knowledge and inner ease, to bring us closer to our whole and true selves and towards balance in body, heart and mind. A yoga therapist is a companion, guide and support on this path. It is a road we travel together.

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For the IAYT (international Association of Yoga Therapists) definition of Yoga Therapy click here

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Yoga Therapy has been shown to successfully support the healing and /or management of a

wide range of conditions, such as: ​

• pain (back pain, pelvic pain, rotator cuff, frozen shoulder, muscular aches and tension)

• mobility issues

• arthritis

• fibromyalgia

• stress

• fatigue

• anxiety

• depression

• respiratory problems (asthma, COPD)

• digestive problems (IBS)

• rehabilitative recovery from illness, surgery and injury

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I also offer specialist support for:

• Women's health (e.g. pregnancy and post-natal support, birth preparation, peri-menopause and menopause, relationships)

• Adults with special needs

• Life transitions, changes and challenges - a yoga therapist can also act as a guide and support during life shifts, healing crises and for giving direction during personal, emotional and spiritual change

• Burn out, fatigue, overwhelm, long term chronic illness

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What happens in a session?

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During a Yoga Therapy session you will work with the therapists towards mutually agreed goals using the tools of Yoga as a support for transformation, relief and management of whatever you wish to work with.

For existing Yoga practitioners, private yoga sessions can also be helpful in developing your own practice if you are already a practitioner and want to take your practice to a different level with mentoring and support.

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1. The client completes a detailed health questionnaire. This covers physical health, medical conditions, mental and emotional issues and lifestyle. The therapist discusses this and uses other diagnostic tools (e.g. postural and movement analysis) to get a clear view of the client's needs and conditions.

2. Other issues may be discussed (e.g. lifestyle) to support the client in getting the best from their home practice and follow up sessions. Remember, yoga is a process of developing self-enquiry and awareness, not just an exercise programme. it is a way towards developing health and wellness on every level of our being, and in our daily life.

3. The therapist teaches a series of yoga practices to the client, based on the clients interests and primary needs. This may include therapeutic movements, relaxation, breathing techniques, meditation, chanting. This sequence is a practice for the client to do at home

4. Massage and manual mobilisation may be used if necessary, with the clients agreement, to assist in releasing tension and developing bodily awareness.

5. You receive transcripts and recordings of practices so you can practice at home.​​

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Follow up sessions

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It is advised to attend for 5 sessions. This enables the therapist to gain a detailed and accurate idea of your condition and personal needs, to develop an initial therapy plan, and then to evolve that plan over a number of weeks. It also supports you in integrating the techniques and practice from the sessions, and receive the support that will help you to commit to a home practice.

There is no quick fix, but by walking this path together we can support you to move towards balance and wholeness.

1. The home practice sequence is discussed. If the client has any questions about or issues with the practice these are taken into account.

2. The therapist takes the client through the sequence again, or offers changes and adaptations, based on the client's needs.  Practices are adapted and evolved over time to support the client's changing needs and progress. The therapist considers the client's enjoyment of the techniques, their effectiveness and changes in the client's condition. 

3. As the client evolves the practice will evolve too, based on the therapist and client's developing understanding of their needs.  We are not fixed, static beings, but evolving organisms; life brings up different challenges, our physical condition/health can change, as can our mental and emotional state. Because yoga can effect powerful and subtle changes in body, heart and mind, the practice needs to be able to shift and evolve with the clients needs.

 

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More about yoga therapy.

 

Yoga Therapy integrates traditional yoga techniques and philosophy with western medical and psychological knowledge, to support people towards health and well being on all levels and according to the needs of each individual.

 

• Being a truly holistic system, a therapist treats each person as an individual rather than using a “one-treatment fits all' approach. 

 

• yoga therapy can work on all levels: physical, mental, emotional, energetic or spiritual. The client works on the level that they need and are interested in.

 

• Yoga therapy works on the principle that our mind, emotions and physical well being are linked.  

 

• Developing self-reflection, awareness, calm, clarity and relaxation supports and empower clients to be actively engaged in their own healing process. (e.g. recognising contributing lifestyle habits, creating personal aims and intentions). This is supported by 'neuro-plasticity' – the scientifically proven fact that we are able to create positive and permanent changes in our mental outlook on life, actually forging new neurological pathways. This is a key way in which yoga differs from other therapies – it's ability to affect these changes, consciously, and all all levels.

 

• The yoga therapist will use a number of diagnostic tools to gain detailed understanding of the client's condition and primary needs. e.g. postural assessment, pain assesment, discussion of mental and/or emotional state, lifestyle, health questionaire, movement assessments.

 

• Combining the therapist's knowledge of yoga, with the clients self-knowledge leads to the practice sequence being created. This is a manageable practice that the client can do at home which may include any of the following – asanas, relaxation, breathing practices, meditation, chanting, mudras and perhaps lifestyle tips e.g. nutrition, exercise, postural alignment, pain management, recognition of contributing habits. The client and therapist continuously work together with this sequence, adapting or changing it, as the client's condition or needs change. This practice is intended to help them to manage and transform their condition in a safe, effective and enjoyable way, whilst encouraging self awareness, personal empowerment and healing.​

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Costs​

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First session: €85 for 90 minutes. This includes a in depth health questionnaire, along with relevant assessments, such as postural, movement and breathing.

Follow up sessions:  €65 for 60 minutes, or €240 for 4 sessions paid  in advance - this does not include your first session.

 

Discounts available for those receiving benefits.

Yoga Therapy and Ante-natal sessions may be claimed through your health insurance - check with your provider.

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Please note:

Bookings need to be made in advance.

Cancellations less than 24hrs from appointment will incur a cancellation fee of 20 euros.

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Articles

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75 Health conditions benefitted by Yoga Therapy and supporting research articles. Download here

 

"The Scientific Basis of Yoga Therapy by Timothy McCall Download here.

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“The sun shall always rise upon a new day and there shall always be a rose garden within me. 

Yes, there is a part of me that is broken, but my broken soil gives way to my wild roses.”
― C. JoyBell.

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