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YOGA THERAPist in Amsterdam

Hi, I'm Hannah - a 400hr yoga teacher and yoga therapist in Amsterdam. I offer 1-1 yoga therapy sessions.

I blend my advanced yoga therapy teacher training and life coaching to offer a unique psycho-somatic, movement-and- body-based, and therapeutic approach to coaching. 

If you want to get out of your head and into your body, or integrate your body with your mind, I'm here to help.

Schedule an initial, discounted session and let's talk.

Photo of Hannah Ray best yoga therapist amsterdam

WHAT IS YOGA THERAPY?

Yoga therapy is an inclusive and accessible way for people to connect with and improve their sense of health, wellbeing + general life satisfaction.

It adds a very literal meaning to coaching's role of helping you  to unstick and keep moving.

 

It is a style of yoga training that brings a therapeutic approach to traditional yoga teaching. It adapts the yoga to the individual and their personal goals, instead of the individual trying to fit to the 'rules' of yoga.

It uses yoga as a tool to help you develop your own relationship with your own body. It tunes you into sensations, feelings + messages and connects them to what is going on for you in your mind and your understanding of things. The more you practice, the more sensitive and capable you become of reading yourself and giving yourself what you need.

Working with a yoga therapist is also a wonderful way to start taking a leading role in your life. Like my style of coaching, it is person-centered. (i.e. treating every individual as a unique case with their own unique experiences and goals).

It works on the basis that the body holds innate wisdom. By connecting, safely experiencing, and integrating the self with it, it increases your sense of self-knowledge, self-responsibility, and therefore, self-trust.

QUICK FIND

what does a yoga therapist do?

A yoga therapist helps you explore + connect with yourself in an integrated and somatic (or, body-based) way.

We start by creating a safe space for us to work - that I take responsibility of to hold for you - adapting if necessary for each time we meet.

I work with you to understand your challenges and personal goals. We work together to explore how you experience those things - whether it's something you feel, something you think, something you do. We investigate what comes up for you as you share it and what that means to you.

 

We discuss the relationship or difference between how you experience things now, vs how you would like to experience things. I share and guide you through various exercises that will help you build new neurological pathways that help you create those experiences. A large part of this is about consistency, so we look at how you can work these things in to you day-to-day, outside of your sessions with me.

WHAT DOES A YOGA THERAPIST DO?

what should i expect from working with a yoga therapist?

There are many options for our work together, depending on what works best for you. I'm here to adapt to and support YOU.

Depending on your goals, what you are comfortable and/or familiar with, or would like to try, you can expect: 

  • Guided meditations + visualisations

  • Breath work to down-regulate the nervous system

  • Body-based exercises to connect thoughts, feelings + sensations

  • REST! (I offer private 1-1 yin yoga / restorative yoga sessions too)

  • Movement exercises

  • Talking

 

I can flex between working in a life coaching capacity and being your own personal yoga trainer. We can switch up sessions in this way too - perhaps having a few where we take a more practical perspective, and others where we work in a more intuitive, spiritual way. 

In terms of location, I can offer both a coaching environment or yoga studio environment.

My coaching practice, at Stories.space, has a coaching room with chairs and a sofa, as well as a body-work room with a table.

I can also offer us to work at Bluebirds Yoga or White Door Yoga studios, if you would like to be in a yoga environment.

WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM WORKING WITH A YOGA THERAPIST?

What is the difference between a yoga teacher and a yoga therapist?

photo of Hannah Ray yoga therapist Amsterdam

A tricky one to answer! I would like to think that all good yoga teachers have the capacity to work in a therapeutic way.

You could say that a yoga teacher shares knowledge in order to lead a yoga class, whereas a yoga therapist adapts knowledge to facilitate a certain experience.

Yoga in sanskrit is yoke - which means to connect. My understanding of this is that the purpose of yoga is to connect with the bigger picture (or cosmos, if you like!) via connection to the self.

That connection comes in the form of two balancing forces: freedom and intimacy. The more intimate our understanding of our self and our ego, the more we are free to be relieved or liberated from it.

So, where a yoga teacher shares this philosophy with people in a way that they can take what they want and leave what they don't, a yoga therapist works with an individual to adapt the purpose of this philosophy to the direct experience that that individual has of life.

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A YOGA TEACHER AND A YOGA THERAPIST?

HOW DO my yoga therapy services WORK?

Deep-dive Intro session (2-hr)

A 2-hr session to explore everything that's going on for you and your goals.

You'll complete a reflective worksheet beforehand.

This session creates the groundwork for our work together.

Say hello!

Let's introduce ourselves + have a discounted intake session about your situation.

 

Ask any questions about how I work, how I can help, and any more practical things.

Holding session / Another block /

One off sessions

Once you finish your block, you may feel happy with where we get to and choose to wrap it up.

There is also the option for:

a) Holding Session-

We review + note down the insights, tools + other things that will keep you on track

b) Another Block-

Coaching can be like a ball of string. You may want to keep unravelling something and keep up the work

c) One Off Sessions-

If you'd like to dip back in every now and then, I offer one off sessions to work or move through anything on your mind

Ready to get started?
Let's talk about what you want to work on and what support you need. 

Regular (1-hr) sessions

Depending on your goals + situation, you can sign up for 3 or 6 months of bi-weekly sessions.

 

The content + approach is tailored to you + your needs.

Perhaps interactive tools in session, guided meditations, or simply talking.

I'm always here

for you!

You're always welcome to reach out to me in the future.

Sometimes a 6 or 12 month break is nice before another stint of coaching work.

I am happy to work with you over as short or long period of time that is right for you.

HOW DO MY YOGA THERAPY SERVICES WORK?

WHY WORK WITH ME AS YOUR YOGA THERAPIST?

I bring a unique blend of experience that makes me very well equipped to hold space for all sides of you.

I am both a certified and ICF-accredited Life + Business coach, and a certified 400hr advanced therapeutic yoga teacher.

From having worked with a variety of personalities, company cultures, environments, groups, 1-1s, challenges, I approach our work with no expectations. I know that different tools and approaches work differently for different people.

I have been a yoga instructor for group classes since 2017, and have seen all kinds of bodies move through the practice. The best thing I have learnt, is that there is not one right way to do yoga. It is different for everyone, and also changes for people on a daily / monthly / yearly basis.

Creating a space that is accessible, safe and non-judgemental enough to experiment and explore this, is core to how I work.

 

 If that sounds like a welcome relief....

WHY WORK WITH ME AS YOUR YOGA THERAPIST IN AMSTERDAM?

What kind of things can a yoga therapist help with?

Some typical themes that yoga therapy can help with (but is by no means limited to!):

  • Relieving, releasing or managing stress + anxiety

  • Finding greater experience of pleasure 

  • Working through emotional or energetic stickiness

  • Unblocking creativity or motivation in general life, or for specific things like a work project, business phase or in relationships

  • It can be an additional body-based tool to trauma work you are doing (although please note: not yoga or yoga therapy is a substitute for trauma therapy. I would always advise seeking advice and guidance from a trauma professional before  and/or during working with me if this topic is resonant for you)

  • Finding greater depth and layers in your regular yoga practice

WHAT CHALLENGES CAN YOGA THERAPISTS HELP WITH?
  • What is a Life Coach?
    Life coaches provide a safe space for you to explore where you are, where you want to go, what is holding you back, and what you can work on to get there. The main purpose is to be a thinking partner for you to explore + facilitate your own creativity + answers so that you can take your next step.
  • What should I expect from a Life Coach?
    A life coach helps you explore + reconnect with your own sense of self and resourcefulness. You should expect to be deeply listened to, asked questions, have someone reflect yourself back to you, and engage with tools, exercises etc. that help you find your own answers and figure out what you want to do with them. You should expect complete confidentiality, non-judgement, and unconditional positive regard. You can expect to have regular check ins about what is working or not working, and how you can keep moving forwards together.
  • Why might I need a Life Coach?
    Often people wait until they're in a sticky situation, or things have gotten a little too bad. If you're in this place, then you might need a life coach to help you explore what got you here, and how you want to move through + out of it. ​ Working with a life coach is also great when things feel pretty good, too. Life coaching can take your life from fine or good, to extra exciting, calmer and more content, or more fulfilling.
  • What are the benefits of hiring a Life Coach?
    - Navigating or making changes in career, work, business or personal life - Developing self-awareness, self-trust, self-belief, and self-esteem - Managing anxiety and stress - Setting + managing boundaries - Replenishing sense of wellbeing, energy and balance - Developing visions and setting goals - Exploring and articulating ideas, thoughts or feelings - Connecting with your creativity - Creating strategies, structures + frameworks for (sustainable!) action
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