Before I enrolled in Yoga Therapy training, I was already teaching yoga and working in the wellness space. I loved what I did. I loved the connection, the movement, the quiet shifts that happen in a room when people begin to breathe more deeply.
But something was missing.
In group classes, I could see that people were carrying far more than tight hamstrings or stiff shoulders. There was chronic pain. Cancer diagnoses. Burnout. Trauma. Hormonal upheaval. Grief. And while I could hold space beautifully, I knew I didn’t yet have the clinical depth or therapeutic framework to truly support them in a targeted, safe and measurable way.
At the same time, I had my own lived experiences of navigating stress and responsibility within my family. I understood how overwhelming the medical world can feel and how desperately people need support that sees the whole person — not just the diagnosis.
Yoga Therapy felt like the bridge.
During the Training: A Professional Identity Shift
The training fundamentally changed how I see myself.
I stopped identifying primarily as a yoga teacher and began stepping into the role of a clinician in the complementary health space. That shift was not instant — and it wasn’t always comfortable.
The most challenging part was the level of responsibility. Case studies required precision. Mentoring sessions required honesty. I had to question assumptions I didn’t even know I was making. I had to learn to think differently — not “What sequence would feel good?” but “What is clinically indicated here?”
The most transformative element was working with real clients under supervision. The clinical components demanded integration — anatomy, pathology, breathwork, nervous system regulation, trauma awareness and scope of practice.
My confidence changed dramatically.
Before training, I might have offered supportive practices and hoped they helped.
After training, I could assess, plan, adapt and measure outcomes. I could communicate clearly with other healthcare professionals. I could articulate why I was choosing a particular breathing technique, pacing strategy or positional support.
That clarity changed everything.
After Graduation: Concrete Career Impact
I founded my private practice, where I now work primarily one-to-one in therapeutic settings. Rather than teaching mostly group classes, my work is centred around individualised Yoga Therapy sessions tailored to specific health concerns.
I currently see private clients weekly and have developed a specialised focus in supporting women navigating breast cancer treatment and recovery. I work with clients during active treatment as well as in post-recovery phases, addressing fatigue, sleep disturbance, anxiety, posture changes and fear of recurrence.
My sessions are no longer “classes”. They are structured therapeutic interventions.
The Hospice Experience Changes Everything
In addition to private practice, I volunteer at Greendale House, offering Yoga Therapy, therapeutic massage and energy-based support within hospice care.
Hospice changes how you understand support.
Hospital beds are hard to work around. Movement is often far more limited than expected. Pain management can leave people confused or deeply tired. You learn quickly that you are not there to fix anything. You are there to create moments of peace.
Sometimes that looks like breath.
Sometimes it is a foot massage while someone sleeps.
Sometimes it is laughter — which can be surprisingly good medicine.
Hospice also teaches non-attachment. Some patients go home. Sometimes you do not get to say goodbye. You begin to notice how much the staff carry too — this work is demanding in quiet ways, and care is needed on all sides.
This experience has deepened my clinical sensitivity enormously. It has refined my ability to adapt positioning, pace sessions conservatively and respond intuitively within complex medical realities.
A Clinical Story That Reflects My Growth
One client undergoing cancer treatment came to me exhausted, frightened and disconnected from her body. Traditional exercise felt impossible. Group classes felt overwhelming.
Through careful pacing, breath regulation, supported positioning and micro-movements designed to conserve energy rather than deplete it, she began sleeping better. Her perceived fatigue reduced. She reported feeling “like myself again” for the first time in months.
Without my qualifications and training, I would not have had the clinical reasoning or confidence to support her safely during treatment.
Now, I know exactly how to hold that space.
Personal Growth
Yoga Therapy changed me personally as much as professionally.
Hospice, in particular, has softened and strengthened me at the same time.
I approach all of my work now with less urgency and more presence. Less doing. More listening. Meeting people where they actually are — not where I think they should be.
My understanding of chronic illness, trauma and end-of-life care has deepened profoundly. I see more clearly how protective the nervous system is. I understand that symptoms are often intelligent responses, not problems to eradicate.
I listen more. I speak less. I assess carefully. And I trust silence when it is needed.
Advice to Future Students
I would recommend this training to anyone who feels that quiet nudge — the knowing that yoga can be more than a class format.
This path requires humility, curiosity and a willingness to keep learning. It requires you to sit in uncertainty and develop clinical thinking.
But if you are drawn to supporting people with real health challenges… if you want to work collaboratively in healthcare spaces… if you want your work to have measurable, meaningful impact — this training provides the framework.
Stay curious. Stay grounded. Stay willing to be a beginner again.
Today, I stand firmly in my identity as a Yoga Therapist. I am the sole practitioner in my clinic and carry that responsibility with care. My work feels purposeful. Integrated. Deeply aligned.
Yoga Therapy did not just expand my skillset.
It clarified my calling.
