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| sukhashanti YOGA THERAPY |
About Yoga Therapy: I have had the good fortune to spend the last 6 years focussing my work on yoga and yogis. Ive spent years living in Mysore India where there is a large and diverse mix of people coming to practice asana. The kinds of people who come to me for sessions fall basically into two categories, those who are using yoga to heal and overcome pre-existing conditions and those who have become injured with their practice. The work I enjoy most is to assist Yogis to understand their own bodies and minds and help them to make the most of their own practice and avoid the pitfalls. Simple changes in techniques can resolve many issues and then setting priorities about what to practice, how to practice it, how to progress the practice and especially what not to practice. I consider all yoga to be therapy and teach yoga regularly to help alleviate stress related conditions and postural anomalies. Many of the recurring injuries from Yoga practice can be alleviated by simple modifications that pay attention to alignment. Compression and over stretching in particular poses leads to soft tissue injuries, by finding supportive alignment many of these pitfalls are avoided and healing occurs. Many times pre-existing soft tissue injury makes many Yoga postures inappropriate and modification is required to get the desired effect without the downsides. Nowhere else in the world would a therapist be able to regularly assess and treat so many yoga related injuries. I have had scores of patients with knee problems, spinal hypermobility and compression, shoulder strain and rib subluxations. These are some of the common and regularly recurring syndromes I treat. Also there have been many interesting and fascinating cases where people have unusual alignment issues. The way I apply therapeutic interventions has also changed over time. Rarely am I using my treatment modalities as a chiropractor, acupuncturist and body worker. I find these treatments most useful for acute conditions. For long term postural patterns and for managing chronic somatic issues Yoga Asana is my treatment of choice. I have adopted asana as my primary form of medicine and believe that asana can be prescribed with detailed specificity to achieve particular results. Yoga therapy essentially is the use of yoga based exercises for health. Fitting the right practice to the individual requires a systematic process and then a trial and reappraisal to see if it is actually working. This work has challenged me to question basic assumptions about yoga practice and about my approach to healing. Always I have had to come back to the basic concepts I learned during my clinical training at University. I find myself spending more time taking a careful history, observing posture patterns and conducting orthopedic tests both standardized and specialized based on asana. Postural assessment is a process of differentiating between soft tissue patterns of tension and differentiating this from underlying skeletal patterns. The richness and magic begins when we discover where the nervous system is holding muscles in contracted states. Muscle and strength test reveals the basic level of muscle strength. Weakness is a major factor in Inbalanced posture, the other is tension and the last is genetic skeletal patterning for which acceptance is advised. Treatment consists on the one hand of advice about what to avoid and minimize. On the other hand its asana prescription. Passive stretching of connective tissue is a major focus especially for the joints. Active stretching lengthens muscles and takes the strain away from connective tissues. Fitting the approach of asana practice to the body requires adjustment and modulation of the poses. Sequencing and progressing allows many things to become possible without causing inflammation. Rehabilitation is a transitional phase that gets yogis back on track to a deep and happy experience of practice. Often I prescribe a warm up sequence and a second therapeutic practice to support an existing practice. Most of my work is educational and instructive the lesser part is interventional and palliative. |
Booking a Session in Mysore: I am available for consultation most of the year, check my Schedule to see if Im in town. I work from the Mystic school and usually have only two treatment times per day. Sessions last one hour and cost 2000 INR. If you would like to book a session either call me on 9663066698 or email me. |
Skype sessions: To arrange for a Skype session its necessary to first Contact me and make a time that suits. Then we can exchange skype ID. I would prefer that the session is paid for in advance via paypal. The cost is 100 Euro (its hard to price things internationally so if you are from a country where this price is restrictive and have a genuine need of my service let me know and Ill consider your case). To make the most of your session you will need to have a quiet practice space. Set up your webcam with a view of your yoga mat. This works best if you can place your computer on a chair about 4m (12 feet) from your mat. Also make a comfortable siiting arrangement near to the computer. If you have already contacted me to book a time then go ahead and use the paypal buttons below. |
| 1 Hour Session: 100 Euro. |
TESTIMONY:
Noah has a deep understanding of the body on many levels. He brings a trained eye and years of practical application to both his lectures and one on one sessions. As an experienced yoga teacher and Ayurvedic practitioner I was much impressed by Noahs understanding of many differing body's, the way they moved, and the ways where the movement could be improved for the betterment of health. Personally, after attending Noah's course I came away with new insights into not only other peoples body but also my own. I recommend his course to all practitioners and teachers of yoga.
-Jacqueline Iles
I just wanted to say thankyou for the consult I had in Adelaide last week. I've just got up from sitting (padmasana) and for the first time I could feel my legs - not at all numb or tingly - amazing. Stood up easily and I could have kept on going actually, it has made a huge difference to meditation for me. Wonderful.
-Julie Moran
Thank you so much for my consultation today... You have answered many questions that i needed answering... I was in need of some expert advise, and i felt that that is exactly what i received.
- Lewis
Just wanted to say thank you for what i found to be very helpful session today. I have a lot to think about, and returning back to basics is an approach i am going to take. I am also much relieved, it is easy to panic when in pain and also when different people tell you different things.
Noah's deep understanding of the body, yoga, and healing helped me move through a rather painful and limiting back injury in a constructive, thoughtful, and, thankfully, successful process.
I plan to continue to take full advantage of Noah as a resource and teacher. Next up - anatomy!
Noah's postural assessment has blown me away and he was able to get to the core of the problems and address issues both in my Yoga practice and my day to day living in a short space of time. None of my time with him felt like incessant chattering away, Noah just gets right to it. I have been to several manual therapists and osteopaths in London and although I did get some immediate relief I was rarely given long term feedback and advice like Noah has. We worked on asanas together to see what feels good for me and because of his precise postural assessment no time was wasted in targeting which asanas were suitable in addressing my issues.
Not only do I feel more confident in how to approach my Yoga practice as one of the tools to help me heal, I also feel better equipped as a therapist from some of the knowledge I have absorbed from him. I would highly recommend him to anyone with postural/injury issues whether or not they practice Yoga.
Massage Therapist
I had a private Yoga Therapy session with him. He had a great clinical approach: taking the anamnesis, evaluating my MRI report and explaining my case very clearly, supporting every concepts by good anatomic atlas. Then he performed a thorough physical exam, including specific postural and muscular tests. He eventually explained me the causes of my issue, gave me a prognosis and prescribed me specific exercises that will help me stabilizing my disease. He reassured me about my yogi future, explaining me the postures I should avoid and those I can focus on. And last but not least, he also gave me some very useful practical tips for the everyday management.
I felt very well after this therapy session. Not only because of the good prognosis, but also because I had a complete and clear picture of my situation, past, present and future.
After some days of practice, I'm already feeling the benefits from the exercises he prescribed me.
I'm extremely grateful to Noah for taking in charge my case. He took the time to give me all his attention. He demonstrated great compassion and understanding of my worries, in a very professional way. Thanks to his capacity to effectively integrate all the informations and to transmit them to his patients, he helped me becoming aware of the fact that yoga has benefits but could also have bad effects on some individuals. One should rely on great therapists as Noah McKenna in order to practice yoga in the safest way possible, especially if suffering from any physical issue.
- Alessandro Capozzi
Veterinary Surgeon
All our students loved Noah's workshop. He combines great knowledge about yoga and the physical body in a very interesting and fun way. An absolute recommendation for all yoga students and teachers!
Owner: De Yoga Studio
Noah brought an amazing presentation of yoga anatomy with him to the GAVY Teacher Apprenticeship. I recommend him 100% to any yoga practitioners and teachers that want to understand what is going on within the body during asana practice. All in an exciting, dynamic way. Noah Rocks!
Owner: Ashtanga Americas
Noah's presentation is clear, accessible and thought provoking. A gift to yogis both new and seasoned.
Owner: Byron Bay Yoga Shala
When we had It´s Yoga Stockholm we had the privelage to work with Noah on and off for a couple of years. We are truely grateful to have had him as a teacher. He is an excellent teacher, professional, organized and with a cool style that inspires his students.
Thank you Noah for charing your knowledge with us!
Owner: Its Yoga Nicuagura
Our shala was doing well. We enjoyed teaching every morning and had led classes in the evening that were well attended. And then, one April afternoon a very strong, very real presence entered our space. It was Noah Mckenna. He came asking only to practice. It took all of two weeks before we were asking him to share his wealth of knowledge with the rest of our 120+ students. What Noah Mckenna did for us and our students was to add theory, theory to our practice, practice. We had over 30 students sign up for Noah's course within the first two weeks of announcing it. Each and every one agreed that if Noah were to ever return to our shala they would be the first to sign up again.
Owner: Ashtanga Adelaide
I found Noah's classes invaluable to my practice.
After attending Noah Mckenna's Anatomy Workshop I immediately enrolled for the workshop again. His teaching style is a totally natural imparting of the key points about anatomy as it relates to yoga from a starting point of complete understanding. If a teacher is completely in command of their subject the teaching comes with such ease. Noah answered questions thoughtfully & clearly & ensured the whole group grasped the concepts he was explaining. I would highly recommend his workshops for every level in yoga.
-Sarah Gordon
I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful and fantastic workshop. I learned so much from it, and all I've learned immediately payed-off in my daily practice. The next day, it was just very easy to come into urdhva dhanurasana, while before it has always been a struggle.
-Saskia Soekar
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and inspiring the group at Purple Valley.
Owner: Yoga Art
I really enjoyed your talk about anatomy.. I found the information very useful and the way you delivered it was exceptional. I just wish we actually had more time.
-Iman Elsherbiny
I must admit that I was most impressed by both your course content and delivery. I always swore I would never do a TT course and was rather sceptical at first. I've spent the past few years in the shala in Mysore.. I really feel your course has helped me deepen my understanding of the practice.
-Gillian Mooney
I would just like to thank you for your time and efforts to provide our group with the anatomy part of our teacher training course in Goa, I have studied anatomy quite a few times on various occasions for the different things I teach and Therapies I provide but there is always more to learn or to re learn when the memory of things fade, I found your course interesting and very informative.
-Roger Hooten
I had a wonderful weekend and it changed my view on yoga. Looking back we did quite a lot of intense postures, but it did not feel like it while doing it. I loved your gentle approach and learned so much more about anatomy and stretching that it really changed and deepened my practice. I highly appreciate your openess to share your knowledge, views and personal experiences with us.
-Boukje Theewues
