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Yoga Therapy

Personalized healing practice

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Practice and Benefit

Yoga is a profound support for many conditions of body, mind and spirit. Yoga Therapy goes beyond conventional yoga classes to address specific concerns individuals may have. Working one on one or in small groups, therapeutically applied yoga practice can support physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual well-being. Yoga Therapy includes yoga poses, breathing practices and awareness of mind states (mindfulness practices). There is an extensive body of rigorous research – which continues to grow – demonstrating the benefits of Therapeutic Yoga.

In addition to private and small group lessons, Cator works with individuals to develop a program they can practice on their own. A personal therapeutic practice has many benefits. Clients learn to work with specific conditions so they can live life with less pain and discomfort. Understanding how mind and body work together to support your well-being leads to greater contentment and joy. Learning to care for yourself is empowering. When appropriate Cator combines therapeutic yoga and mindfulness with craniosacral bodywork for maximum benefit.

Cator’s Yoga Training Background

Cator’s extensive training in the Iyengar method lays a foundation for her therapeutic approach. Born in 1918 in Bellur, India, BKS (Bellur Krishnamachar Sundaraja) Iyengar was invited by his brother-in-law ST (Sri Tirumalai) Krishnamacharya to come and study with him. Iyengar was sixteen years old at the time. Krishnamacharya was a renowned scholar, healer, yogi and doctor of Ayurveda. He was under the patronage of the king of Mysore, giving him considerable influence. Krishnamacharya’s approach applied the science of Ayurveda to yoga, developing individualized programs for his patients. He advocated that it was essential to “teach what is appropriate for an individual.” Other well-known students of Krishnamacharya include his son TKV Desikachar, K Pattabhi Jois, and Russian born Indra Devi (Eugenie Zhenya Peterson). Together, these teachers have had a tremendous influence on modern yoga and its migration around the world.

The training Iyengar received was very beneficial, and helped him to resolve his own health issues. He dedicated his life to the art and science of yoga. Iyengar’s unique contributions to yoga include the skillful use of props to make yoga poses accessible to all bodies. Props are carefully used to invite deeper opening in the physiology, improving health. His method is particularly suited for—though not limited to—therapeutic use.  The precise understanding of body alignment combined with breath awareness lends itself to recovery from injury, illness, or chronic conditions.  The essence of yoga is to bring body, mind, and spirit together in harmony.  Everyone can benefit from this form of practice.

Training Certification

Cator completed teacher training at Kripalu Yoga Center in 1990, and the Iyengar Yoga Institute of San Francisco in 2000. She worked closely with Ramanand Patel for a decade through attending weekly classes, intensives, workshops and retreats as well as private lessons. Following this she attended weekly classes with Donald Moyer for ten years. Other influences include Patricia Sullivan, Judith Lasater, Elise Miller and Marylou Weprin.

Cator is a certified Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga therapy. She is also a certified scoliosis trainer with Elise Miller, and Yoga Nidra teacher with Dr Marc Halpern through the California College of Ayurveda.