For health care professionals

Yoga therapy as complementary support in Breda and online

Yoga Academy You Are the Buddha offers gentle, pacing-informed yoga therapy as a complement to regular medical and paramedical care. The guidance focuses on stress regulation, symptom-contingent activity pacing, breath awareness, relaxation, and self-regulation for people with long-term, stress-related, or post-infectious complaints and fluctuating capacity.

 

The work is not aimed at fitness training, performance, or graded physical progression. The emphasis is on safety, predictability, and supporting quality of life within the client’s current capacity.

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Indications

Yoga therapy may be supportive for people experiencing:

• Long COVID and other post-acute infection syndromes

• post-viral fatigue and chronic fatigue complaints, including ME/CFS

• stress-related complaints and burnout

• chronic pain or persistent tension

• heightened sensory sensitivity or overstimulation

• breathing-related complaints, such as tension-related breathing patterns or stress-induced shortness of breath

• reduced resilience after illness, surgery, or medical treatment

 

For complex, medically unstable, or strongly fluctuating complaints, guidance preferably takes place in consultation with the treating physician, physiotherapist, occupational therapist, psychologist, or other relevant healthcare professional.

 

Approach

The approach is evidence-informed, pacing-informed, and adapted to the individual’s daily capacity. Sessions may include:

• breath awareness and gentle breath regulation

• pacing and energy management

• low-intensity functional movement

• restorative yoga and supported postures

• relaxation and attention training

• body awareness and interoceptive skills

• education on boundaries, recovery behaviour, and self-management

• short, manageable home practices

 

There is no emphasis on pushing through symptoms, increasing exercise tolerance at all costs, or working toward physical performance goals. Exercises can be performed lying down, seated, or standing, depending on the client’s capacity, symptoms, and functional abilities.

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In clients with Long COVID, ME/CFS, dysautonomia, orthostatic intolerance, post-exertional malaise or post-exertional symptom exacerbation, the guidance is adapted with extra caution. In these cases, reducing load, pausing, and stopping early may be part of the intervention rather than a sign of failure.

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Forms of guidance

Guidance is available in three forms:

• small-group yoga therapy at the studio in Breda

• individual yoga therapy at the studio

• individual online sessions via Zoom

 

Individual guidance is recommended for clients with complex symptoms, marked fluctuations in capacity, severe fatigue, PEM/PESE, high sensory sensitivity, anxiety around symptoms, or a need for close tailoring.

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Coordination and collaboration

With the client’s consent, coordination with referring or treating professionals is possible. This may include sharing general observations about capacity, pacing, symptom response, home practice, or relevant adjustments.

Yoga therapy does not provide medical diagnosis and does not replace medical, psychological, physiotherapeutic, or occupational therapy care. It is used exclusively as a complementary supportive approach.

 

Guidance

Guidance is provided by Marlies Tobias, E-RYT 500, mindfulness trainer registered with the VMBN, and MSc Yoga Therapy student at Vivekananda Yoga University in the United States.

Marlies has extensive experience guiding individuals and groups with Long COVID, stress-related complaints, burnout, chronic fatigue, pain, and other long-term health complaints. She previously presented her work on yoga and mindfulness for Long COVID at the Symposium on Yoga Research, SYR2023, at Kripalu in the United States.

Her work focuses on safe, accessible, and evidence-informed yoga therapy, with particular attention to pacing, breath regulation, nervous system regulation, and quality of life.

 

Referrals

Questions and referrals from healthcare professionals are welcome by email or phone.

Email: marlies@youarethebuddha.com
Please include “referral” in the subject line.

Website: https://www.youarethebuddha.com/yogatherapie-breda
Phone: +31 6 51 35 05 47
Location: Breda Central Station, next to Starbucks