Yoga Therapy in Norwich
Find out more about working together
“It's not about feeling better, it's about getting better at feeling."
Gabor Mate
An Introduction to Yoga Therapy
—> Yoga Therapy is a person-centered, integrative mind-body approach to therapy. It views us as interconnected and seeks to understand our mental health and physical wellbeing from this holistic lens, making space to consider the whole person and the intricacies of your unique story, alongside any presenting symptoms or health conditions.
—> Yoga Therapy is a somatic therapy. SOMA, meaning ‘of the body’. Yoga Therapy is an enquiry into how dis-ease or ill health manifests in the body; an embodied response to a physical or mental stressor, and teaches you to tend to yourself through reclaiming agency and understanding of your body’s own language and signals.
—> Yoga Therapy is a trauma-informed therapeutic approach. After developing a capacity for safety within one’s own body, Yoga Therapy may help with the processing of trauma or acute stress as a form of somatic release: releasing what is held and stored in the body and manifesting as a symptom of ill health.
Somatic Therapy is a process of learning the language of the body, to listen to the body in order to understand more about one's own experience and connect with the body as a way of coming into connection with the somatic intelligence of the body, made possible through an increased capacity for self-regulation: a capacity to be with our lived experience.
Why choose Yoga Therapy?
As a somatic therapist, I am here to support you in your own journey of embodiment as a radical act of empowerment through self-healing.
I am here to teach you how to understand the language of your own body and help you feel more able to self-regulate in response to what challenges you and disrupts your capacity to experience balance; health, happiness and safety. This work will result in improving your overall health and wellbeing and help to eliminate symptoms of a dysregulated nervous system as a result of ill health, stress or trauma.
We do this together, in partnership, and it's a process, not a quick fix. It's a process of learning about yourself, understanding the messages from your body and the influence and agency you have when in relationship with your body, physiology and mind.
It's a therapeutic process of holding space for what has been stored and lives within the body, based on the understanding that the body and mind are deeply interconnected, and that stored trauma, stress, and unresolved emotional and psychological tension can manifest as physical or mental illness, chronic pain or illness in the body. Over time these sessions will help you build the capacity to be with your experience, and by integrating elements of mindfulness, yoga, movement, breathwork, and touch, somatic therapy can help you release deep layers of tension and emotion, move stuck energy, change unhelpful default patterns, and facilitate emotional processing on the journey towards healing and health.
Therefore, I ask you commit to a minimum of eight sessions to begin with, including an initial intake session to understand your history and current presentation, and to start to understand how we might work together in this therapeutic process. Sessions can be held weekly or bi-weekly.
Cost per session: £65 per hour / £75
Initial Intake Session: £75 for 75 minutes
“Marie has an incredible healing talent. She has helped me and given me tools to release deeply blocked emotions and taught me breathing and relaxation techniques which have allowed me to calm my nervous system and improve the quality of my day-to-day life.”
Yoga Therapy Client Testimonial
Yoga Therapy for
Nervous System Regulation
It has been my experience of working with many clients, addressing different needs, that the most important part of this therapeutic process, initially at least, is to build an understanding of the functioning of your very own nervous system and become aware of how it is constantly in response to life, as a result of your past stories and present circumstances.
If you are someone who has experienced trauma or ongoing stress, it is likely there is a level of disruption to the healthy functioning of your nervous system resulting in physical symptoms of ill-health, or having a negative impact on your mental wellbeing.
Through understanding and learning more about our own nervous system and the unhelpful ways it might be striving for your survival and safety, we can compassionately interact with it and look to create more helpful patterns that allow us to adapt to life’s ever-changing circumstances.
Symptoms & Conditions that might be the result of a dysregulated nervous system could include:
Anxiety, Depression, Eating Disorders, Addictions, CFS/ME, Autoimmune Conditions, Chronic Pain
This type of therapy is particularly effective for trauma recovery and I have additional training in Somatic Therapy for Trauma.
“Marie is a very gentle, intuitive and knowledgeable practitioner.”
What Clients Are Saying
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Throughout the initial 6 sessions, I was able to explore my experiences and use the space to identify differences when using different yoga therapy techniques. I also learnt how moving forward I can continue to embed these practices into my journey. I learnt how to understand my embodied experience and saw how different practices could influence my physiological response, at the same time allowing me to be present with the experience I was having in the room because the space felt safe to access with Marie.
Given that I had barely practiced yoga before, I felt able to come into this space without judgement and could explore some of the thought processes and feelings I was having with Marie without any barriers.
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I feel the Yoga Therapy sessions I am having with Marie are finally helping me on the path towards recovery from my eating disorder.
Thank you for your warmth, gentleness and openness in your approach to yoga therapy and helping people heal.
Given that I had barely practiced yoga before, I felt able to come into this space without judgement and could explore some of the thought processes and feelings I was having with Marie without any barriers.
"Healing happens by being able to process, to digest, one moment at a time."
Manuela Mischke-Reeds
Questions you might have
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Yoga Therapy is a somatic form of therapy, meaning it’s working with the body, and what might present as a result of the mind, without going directly into the details of the story (as you might with a talking therapist).
Yoga Therapy is concerned with how your physical or mental health is affected in the present. This might be a result of past events or circumstances, but rather than engage in the background story, we look at how it might be affecting your health and wellbeing now and what we can begin to change about present circumstances, choices and responses, as we rediscover our agency and enter into relationship and dialogue with the body.
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I believe Yoga Therapy could be for you if:
→ You want to deepen the connection with your body
→ You feel a somatic approach is suited to you
→ You believe that the body and mind are interconnected
→ You are looking for a holistic approach to health
→ You respond well to alternative therapies
→ You trust in the process of healing vs. a quick fix
→ You want to reclaim agency over your own health & wellbeing
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In the intake session we will discuss what you have shared on your intake form, sent to you via email to complete ahead of the session, and what brings you to Yoga Therapy, understanding your goals.
I will offer some initial practices, focusing on grounding and creating feelings of safety as we begin this therapeutic process together. However, the session will largely be to understand how we are going to work together moving forward, with what focus, and establish an initial therapeutic bond.
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For the first 8 sessions, we will work together on a weekly or bi-weekly basis to keep the momentum of continuity going and begin to witness how this work might begin to shift something within you and start to create positive change within your life.
Each session will be led by you, as this is a ‘client-led’ form of therapy. Considering how you arrive at each session and what you might need on the day, while drawing back to the wider-scope of why you have chosen to embark on this journey and your goals in doing so.
We will use ‘somatic enquiry’ to understand how you shown up in your body; what might be presenting and why. This involves guiding you into a deeper and more subtle awareness of the body, engaging in dialogue around what you begin to notice. From these enquiries, I will offer practices I feel are suitable as we continue to explore what arises and what is needed in return. These practices might include:
Movement, Breathwork, Visualisation, Sound, Touch, Relaxation & Rest, Release Work
Everything offered is an invitation and you always have the choice as to what you are comfortable with.
We will also look to understand how this work can continue in your everyday life, establishing simple impactful tools and practices that can be practiced between our sessions.
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I hold sessions at a number of Norwich city centre venues (listed below), and days and times will determine which venue we end up working from. Each of these venues are comfortable and private spaces for us to meet.
I am available for online Yoga Therapy sessions. I am also available to travel to your house, should this be necessary (circumstances dependent) and location/distance dependent. This may affect the cost.
I ask you commit to a minimum of eight sessions to begin with, including an initial intake. Sessions can be held weekly or bi-weekly.
Cost per session: £65 per hour / £75
Initial Intake Session: £75 for 75 minutes
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I run a number of private groups for therapeutic needs that may be suitable for you to join. Get in touch to find out if there is something that I can recommend.
I have space to offer a couple of clients sessions at a reduced rate. Get in touch to find out if I currently have space to offer this.
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If you are interested in beginning Yoga Therapy together, please use the form below to get in touch. From there, we will begin the process of discussing how we can work together.
Locations
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50 All Saints Green
Norwich
NR1 3NB
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3-6 Bagley's Court, Pottergate
Norwich
NR2 1TW