Yoga Movement Therapy

Movement therapy can be considered a high-level term to identify a group of therapies that assume mind–body unity and that emphasize physical awareness and movement as a therapeutic factor. At the core of their beliefs is the notion that our emotional and cognitive experiences are connected to our physical bodies; therefore, interventions to heal thoughts, emotions, and behavior must integrate movement and awareness of the body. The increase of research in the fields of psychology and neuroscience has well documented that the processes of the mind and the body are inseparable. This discovery prompted the increase in empirical research on movement therapies. Included in the category of movement therapies, but not limited to it, are yoga, dance therapy, and qigong. This entry focuses on yoga ...