Lisa practices yoga and yoga therapy in the tradition of TKV Desikachar, as taught to her by Gary Kraftsow, founder of the American Viniyoga Institute™. Lisa trained as an Āyurvedic Health Counselor in the lineage of Dr. Vasant Lad through New Moon Āyurveda and Joyful Belly School of Āyurveda. She offers Āyurvedic consultations, yoga therapy, and somatic education both in person and online. Visit her at Clear Sight Yoga & Ayurveda.
Āyurvedic clinical assessment provides a nuanced and systematic means of observing a client and coming to an understanding about how best to help them on their journey towards wellness. In upcoming weeks, we’ll delve more deeply into the art of Āyurvedic observation and explore how we can use our own eyes, ears, and gentle questions to identify the constitution and imbalances of each of our clients through the qualities they manifest.
This Case Study Series will focus on how you, as a yoga teacher or yoga therapist, can use elements of Ayurvedic assessment during the Intake process. As you come to recognize different aspects of doṣa-s at play, you will have a more nuanced understanding of your client’s condition and who they are as a person. You can then apply that knowledge during your work with your students to make even more thoughtful recommendations for their personal practice.
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Introduction: Three pillars of an Āyurvedic assessment and how to use them
In this introductory video, Lisa Sack describes how using the Āyurvedic lens can help us get to the root cause of the client’s challenges and come up with better solutions and recommendations for their practice.
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PART 1: Techniques for increasing awareness of the pelvic floor for a student exhibiting vata imbalance
In her first case study, Lisa shows how the attributes she observed helped her determine her client’s constitution and the strategies she used to address bladder prolapse and other vata imbalances.
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PART 2: Techniques for dealing with stress, neck tension, and loss of stability in life
In her second case study, Lisa demonstrates that a student with a pitta/kapha constitution can still experience vata imbalance and describes the strategies we can use to mitigate it.
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PART 3: Assessing life habits in preparation for conception
In her third case study, Lisa describes the qualities of her kapha client and explains the life habits that were potentially contributing to her low energy and anemia. Lisa also demonstrates the techniques that helped her pregnant student infuse her yoga practice with meaning and make it more intentional.
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PART 4: The power of lifestyle changes for creating stability and doṣa balance
In conclusion, Lisa shares some key points that you can learn and apply in your work with your clients, even if you do not have formal training in Ayurveda. These key points include looking for excess in dosha qualities and finding ways to rebalance them using fundamental Ayurvedic principles.
