A Different Approach to Yoga

Yoga is often understood as a form of exercise or stretching, and many people in our community first come to it hoping it will help them feel more calm or physically better. But what many people are experiencing today, chronic stress, pain, exhaustion, emotional overwhelm, or the sense of being “on alert” is rooted in the nervous system. When the nervous system is dysregulated or depleted, the body can feel tense, foggy, anxious, shut down, restless, or simply tired in a way that rest doesn’t seem to resolve.

This is where Sanctuary’s approach is different.

The work we do here is informed by yoga therapy, which looks at the whole person—not just the physical body or the movements of a class. It considers how the breath, nervous system, past experiences, energy patterns, and daily life shape how we feel and how we move. A certified yoga therapist completes over 800 hours of specialized training in this therapeutic application of yoga, which is distinct from the training designed to teach general yoga classes. The emphasis is on understanding the person in front of us rather than teaching toward a preset sequence or performance of postures.

My own foundation includes a background in physical therapy and training in Ayurveda. This means the lens here is both anatomical and energetic, clinical and intuitive, grounded in structure as much as in the subtler layers of how we experience ourselves. The focus is always to support the body in coming out of a protective pattern, not by pushing or fixing, but by helping the system feel steadier, safer, and more connected.

This is reflected in how our classes move. The pace is slower. The instructions are spacious. There is room to notice, to integrate, to respond rather than react. The shape of the pose matters less than the quality of breath and the state of the nervous system. Yes, strength is built, but from a place of steadiness rather than strain. Rest is not the reward at the end; it is woven throughout as a necessary part of recalibration.

For some people, this looks like gentle, grounding practice. For others, it looks like slow, intentional strengthening. For others still, it looks like rebuilding trust in movement after pain or stress. There is no hierarchy to these. They are simply different expressions of the same underlying principle: that the body heals when it feels safe enough to do so.

Sanctuary exists as a response to the pace, intensity, and pressure that many people feel both in life and, surprisingly, in wellness spaces. It is meant to be a place where nothing needs to be proven, where effort is measured in attunement, and where the nervous system is considered a central part of health, not an afterthought.

This may feel very different from what people expect when they think of yoga. That’s the point.