Yoga Movement Therapy (YMT)  with  Bob Vaccaro

How did YMT develop?

Gradually.  When I first started teaching yoga in 1993, I taught only static postures, but did encourage slow deep breathing and taking on more postures (or going deeper into postures) during the exhales.  When I switched to teaching the Ashtanga Primary Sequence @ 1996, I taught movement on both the inhales and the exhales, but that was generally limited to going in or out of the postures, with most postures held for several breaths.  In the last year or two, now in my late 50s, I noticed that small, mostly circular, movements in many postures helped my muscles both strengthen and stretch and to take on more posture gently and with more ease than simply holding and breathing.  This lead to exploring the physical therapy benefits of small, sometimes very small and sometimes large, movements in most of the postures I teach.

Do I have to move in every posture?

No.  Yoga is about doing what works best for your body and mind.  Give some movement a try but whenever your body intuition tells you to stay still and to breathe your way deeper into, or toward a more relaxed state, in a posture, that’s what you should do.

Are there other benefits to YMT?

Yes.  In standing postures, for example, hip rotations require that you push off with your feet.  This pushing off helps plant and massage your feet, as well as works and stretches your leg muscles.  The actual hip rotation is a repetitive flow of side, back and front bending which can be performed at whatever speed or depth depending on what seems to work best for you.  This constant tending to these variables helps keep your mind engaged in your practice.  Similarly, coordinating rhythmic breathing with rhythmic movement helps you maintain and deepen your breath.  When small hip rotations are combined with a back, side, or forward bend, the movement allows you to pulse, dip or bob in and out of the posture’s edge.  Your tendency toward strain in the posture is limited to the pulsing or dipping movement.  This releases tensions and tightness in your muscles gently and safely.