Almost three decades ago, I began my journey as a licensed physical therapist and yoga teacher. For several years, I approached these two jobs individually by wearing different metaphorical hats; yoga seemed to be presented as an almost religious practice that was held to a code that you could not question or modify. I taught in the way that I had learned it, following the vinyasa sequencing: opening grounding, Sun Salutations (A and B) for heat, standing poses, backbends, hip openers, seated poses, inversions, and Savasana. I didn’t find anything innately ‘wrong’ with the order, but my PT brain also couldn’t quite understand the rationale and this instinct grew louder with time. My own body, though young and athletic, sometimes felt compressed and sore after my yoga practice but I surmised that was probably just the consequence of taking my joints through different ranges of motion.
After a few years of working in a rehabilitation hospital, I completed a post-graduation specialization in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT), a specialized therapeutic approach used by physical therapists and other rehabilitation professionals to improve the motor function and movement patterns of individuals with neurological disorders. This method is particularly focused on addressing conditions such as cerebral palsy, stroke, traumatic brain injury, and other neurological impairments that affect movement and coordination. By focusing on facilitating normal movement patterns, encouraging active participation, and integrating functional tasks, NDT can significantly enhance motor function and overall quality of life for patients with neurological conditions. This specialized approach targets neuroplasticity to retrain the brain and requires a deep understanding of neurodevelopmental principles and a wide array of techniques and practices aimed at improving, restoring, and maintaining physical function and mobility. It was incredible to work with my patients on rewiring the brain to restore strength and function to hemiplegic limbs instead of allowing compensatory strategies that often restrained the involved limb(s) with a sling or wheelchair. One memorable day, I witnessed a longtime client who had been mostly confined to a seat learn to crawl on the floor and get up to stand. I vividly recall how I began to wonder if everyone should be doing this, whether they had suffered from a brain injury or not. After all, we tend to develop compensations and imbalances that become more pronounced with time—whether we work long hours at a desk or are a competitive athlete. I started incorporating NDT practices in my yoga practice and within months, noticed significant changes in my strength, mobility, and core responsiveness. I no longer woke up feeling sore or imbalanced as I sometimes had with my more traditional yoga practice. When I brought the idea of starting on the floor to my current small group classes, they were willing to try but seemed slightly skeptical. Their loyal willingness quickly turned to excited passion; within a month, they asked me why everyone wasn’t teaching this way?! I think of that moment as the moment the seeds of LYT were planted.
When I later went on to work in an orthopedic outpatient clinic, I continued to infuse both NDT and yoga moves into the treatment plan for a variety of patients. Some would even report to me that they had been in PT before but had not experienced the level of improvement that they felt after working with my technique. It became even more clear that this potent formula of blending the brain-rewiring magic of NDT with functional strengthening and yoga moves could serve as both a prehab and rehab for anyone. I launched into creating LYT for all my yoga classes and the rest is history!
Beyond the neuro-physical therapy, LYT includes other layers of PT to improve and fine-tune our motor skills and physical performance. Physical therapy provides a structured approach to enhance our yoga by incorporating evidence-based practices that ensure safety, effectiveness, and individualization. Integrating these layers of physical therapy into yoga classes can significantly enhance participants’ physical health, prevent injuries, and promote long-term wellness. In LYT, we offer the full cornucopia of therapeutic exercises found in PT including strengthening and conditioning, flexibility and mobility, balance and proprioception, functional training and specific movement pattern correction emphasizing proper alignment and posture. Sound familiar? With LYT, we incorporate all the elements of physical therapy to deliver a more holistic approach to yoga, providing education about one’s body that very few people ever received. We address common areas of weakness, inflexibility, or imbalance to build durable bodies. Our goal is to foster empowerment with knowledge, encouragement, repetition, and challenge. The layers of LYT create a resilient foundation and a deeper connection to self, where science meets spirit. We hope you experience the mindfulness of yoga with the intelligence of physical therapy in every one of our online LYT Daily classes and know that we are always pulling for you to feel fully LYT UP in your life, on and off the mat!
