Therapeutic Yoga for Stress and Anxiety – 4 week course

This 4 week yoga therapy based course is designed to lead you on a journey inwards. Through the process we will learn how anxiety and stress affect our nervous system, and how to use yoga as a therapeutic tool to manage and reduce symptoms. You will have the opportunity to learn about yoga on a much deeper level than most general classes.​

The weekly practice will incorporate a combination of postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), meditation, yoga nidra and relaxation. It is specifically designed to rebalance the nervous system and teach you how to regulate mood and emotions using yoga tools. By practicing mindfully you are encouraged to explore your inner landscape, thoughts, sensations and habitual patterns with compassionate awareness. You will be held in a supportive group environment by a responsible and professional yoga teacher/yoga therapist. There will be time in each session for sharing, although this is not required, and you are welcome to use this time for quiet self reflection and rest.

The weekly sessions will run for up to an hour each Sunday. Each week we will build on the previous and will have a theme. It is necessary to come each week to experience the most benefit.

Aside from the weekly group sessions you will receive some tools or a short practice to do at home. Autonomy and self awareness are a valuable aspect of the healing process. While it is very supportive and beneficial to work in a group setting, the practices you do at home will contribute greatly to supporting you day to day.

No previous yoga experience is required but some understanding of yoga philosophy will help you experience the process more deeply. Due to the nature of the class you will need to be able to get up and down from a mat on the floor.

The group classes will take place at Newquay Orchard in one of the classrooms.

How is Yoga Therapy different from Yoga? ​

This course has been created using yoga therapy techniques designed to address specific symptoms shared by a group. While a general yoga class has the potential for therapeutic effect (such as focused breathing and movement to help release tension), with yoga therapy we are using yoga tools and their known benefits to address very specific symptoms. For example if you suffer from anxiety your nervous system is probably always in sympathetic (fight or flight) mode and your breathing may be shallow rapid or short, to address this we need to learn to breath slowly and deeply to shift into the parasympathetic (rest and restore) state.