Think you know what yoga has to offer? Well, it can go far beyond what you’d get out of a typical class when used as therapy. Even more, when applied incorrectly, yoga can cause more harm than good. But with thousands of yoga classes available all the time, how can you find the right practice for you?

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Jory Serota has been in love with yoga for over 20 years. As the founder of Applied Yoga Integration, Jory has established the link between yoga, physical therapy, and personal training. By combining his in-depth knowledge of yoga and with neurokinetic therapy, Jory takes a novel yet comprehensive approach to healing people’s bodies. Additionally, he has trained thousands of yoga teachers and bodyworkers and has become an influential figure in shifting the movement and therapy paradigm.

In this interview, Jory sheds light on the many therapeutic roles of practicing yoga. Breaking down common misconceptions that can lead to injury and explaining just how yoga can make us all feel better in our bodies, Jory unpacks just what it means to make yoga part of your regular therapeutic practice. This involves practicing smartly so that you can maintain strength for the long-term while avoiding injuries.

Do you use yoga in a therapeutic way? Tell us how it’s going in the comments below!

In this episode:

• Why it’s important to practice yoga properly to avoid injury
• Yoga’s role in developing a fuller awareness of your body
• How yoga has changed as it has become more popular
• The link between yoga, strength, and longevity
• Understanding the role of proper motor-control in a therapeutic setting
• Creating stability and balance by focusing on the wellbeing of the joints

Quotes:

“Therapy is so involved. It’s so important for us to do the tissue work, and it’s so important for us to actually give people that kind of attention. It’s also really important for us to teach people how to move better.” [1:38]

“That’s where the yoga therapy really comes in because it has potential to give people an experience of their bodies and an awareness of different aspects and parts of their bodies that they have not been able to get anywhere else.” [7:12]

“Depending on what a person’s muscular-skeletal system is, and depending on what kind of pain or injury that they have, there is a likelihood that some of the poses in a yoga class are not going to be beneficial.” [8:12]

“Our pain, physical pain, predominantly comes from our joints. If our joints are not mobile and not functioning well, then the surrounding muscle tissue is going to compensate. We’re going to develop faulty movement patterns – we’re going to walk funny, we’re going to stand funny.” [27:59]

Links:

Find Jory Serota online

Follow Jory on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Applied Yoga Mobility Certification Course

Neurokinetic Therapy