Mindful Yoga as a Therapeutic Tool for Greater Awareness

My practice has always been inherently mindfulness based, and the more I’ve learned about the somatic elements of stress and trauma, the more I’ve included embodied or somatic practices to create a more holistic therapy practice.

Mindful yoga is a wonderful example of embodied practices we can integrate into our therapy practices to address the somatic elements.

Mindful yoga refers to yoga practice that integrates traditional yoga postures with mindfulness principles to cultivate deeper self-awareness, emotional regulation, and overall wellbeing.

Unlike conventional Western yoga, which often focuses predominantly on flexibility, strength, and physical postures, mindful yoga emphasizes present-moment awareness, breath control, and nonjudgmental acceptance of bodily sensations, thoughts, and emotions.

In this article we’ll explore what mindful yoga is about, why we should include it in our practice, and how we can do just that.

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What Is Mindful Yoga?

Even though we’re referring to mindful yoga as a specific entity, it is important to recognize that traditional yoga inherently includes mindfulness (Fischer et al., 2022).

In classical yoga philosophy, mindfulness is woven into every aspect of practice, from physical postures (asanas) to breathwork (pranayama) and meditation (dhyana) (Kathirasan, 2024).

The ancient teachings of yoga, as found in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, emphasize self-awareness, presence, and inner stillness (Iyengar, 1993).

This is more evident when we consider the full picture of yoga as a tradition that includes eight distinct and interconnected limbs, based on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (Sharma & Sharma, 2023):

1. Yama (ethical restraint)
   Moral guidelines for interacting with others, e.g., nonviolence and truthfulness
2. Niyama (self-discipline)
   Personal observances like self-study and contentment
3. Asanas (postures)
   Physical poses that prepare the body for meditation
4. Pranayama (breath control)
   Regulating breath to enhance energy flow
5. Pratyahara (withdrawal of senses)
   Turning inward by detaching from distractions
6. Dharana (concentration)
   Focused attention on a single point or object
7. Dhyana (meditation)
   Continuous meditative awareness
8. Samadhi (enlightenment)
   A state of blissful union with the self and the universe

In this sense, all yoga is inherently mindful when practiced with awareness and intention (Gaiswinkler & Unterrainer, 2016).

In modern contexts, however, mindful yoga is often distinguished as an approach that explicitly integrates principles from contemporary mindfulness-based interventions (Arrastia-Chisholm et al., 2024). This makes it more accessible for our therapeutic context.

Mindful yoga is used in therapeutic settings to support mental health, alleviate stress, and enhance self-compassion (Ofei-Dodoo et al., 2020). Practices like mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy incorporate mindfulness-based yoga as a foundational element (Arrastia-Chisholm et al., 2024).

7 Proven Benefits of Mindful Yoga

Combining mindfulness with yoga offers multiple physical, emotional, and psychological benefits (La Torre et al., 2020). Here are some of the most common advantages your clients can expect if they practice mindful yoga:

1. Reduced stress and anxiety

Mindful movement activates the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering cortisol levels and reducing stress (Gothe et al., 2016).

2. Enhanced emotional regulation

The practice will help your clients foster greater self-awareness, helping them to respond rather than react to emotional triggers (Herwig et al., 2010).

3. Improved focus and cognitive function

Mindful yoga enhances brain function, helping to improve your clients’ concentration and memory (Jha et al., 2019).

4. Better sleep quality

Mindfulness-based yoga practices improve sleep patterns and reduce insomnia (Sharpe et al., 2021).

5. Decreased chronic pain

Yoga-based mindfulness can help clients with chronic pain conditions by increasing body awareness and promoting relaxation (Büssing et al., 2009).

6. Greater self-compassion and acceptance

Practicing mindful yoga will encourage your clients to cultivate an attitude of kindness toward themselves, reducing self-criticism and enhancing self-esteem (Snaith et al., 2018).

7. Increased body awareness and connection

It also helps clients attune to their bodily sensations, fostering a healthy relationship with their bodies (Cox et al., 2020).

How to Use Mindful Yoga in Therapy & Coaching

Mindful yoga can easily be integrated into your therapy and coaching practice to support emotional healing and personal growth (Ewais et al., 2019). Here are a few suggestions.

Trauma-informed yoga

You can adapt mindful yoga to trauma-sensitive approaches, helping clients feel safe in their bodies while cultivating resilience (West et al., 2017).

Arielle Schwartz’s work in this area is a great place to start if you’re thinking of trying it. She even has some lovely free trauma-informed yoga sessions on her YouTube channel.

Mindful yoga breathing techniques

Using pranayama (breathwork) in therapy helps regulate the nervous system and promotes a sense of calm and grounding (Haller et al., 2023).

You can use yogic breathwork to help your clients come back to the present moment and break the cycles of rumination and sympathetic activation (Kromenacker et al., 2018).

Somatic therapy & awareness practices

Encouraging clients to focus on bodily sensations can deepen their understanding of emotional patterns and unresolved trauma (Nummenmaa et al., 2013). The Embody Lab is doing some outstanding work in this field.

Do therapists need to be trained in mindful yoga therapy to integrate these options into their practices?

Not necessarily. Although qualifying as a yoga therapist will greatly benefit your clients and enrich your practice, there are other options too.

If you know little about mindfulness-based yoga and don’t practice mindfulness or yoga yourself, you could find a yoga therapist in your area to partner with to provide a holistic therapy approach. This kind of synergistic interdisciplinary approach can really enrich the therapeutic process (Garnica et al., 2017).

If you practice mindfulness or yoga and have some knowledge, you could encourage your clients to start practicing mindful yoga and refer them to a reputable class in the area. You could then reflect on their experience during therapy sessions.

4 Mindful Yoga Poses to Try Today

Mindful yoga doesn’t require complex postures (Desai et al., 2015). Here are a few simple yet effective poses to cultivate awareness:

Easy pose (sukhasana)

The easy pose cultivates relaxation, inner stillness, and mindfulness (Field, 2011).

Easy pose is a comfortable seated posture that encourages an upright spine, relaxed shoulders, and an open chest, creating a stable foundation for meditation and breath awareness.

Sitting cross-legged with hands resting gently on the knees fosters a sense of calm and centeredness, allowing minds to settle and breath to flow naturally. This pose will help enhance focus, encourage deep breathing, and create a space for introspection and present-moment awareness (Field, 2011).

Mountain pose (tadasana)

The mountain pose encourages grounding and presence (Field, 2011).

Mountain pose is a foundational yoga posture that cultivates stability, alignment, and balance. By standing tall with feet rooted into the ground and spine elongated, the pose develops a deep sense of grounding and physical and mental stability (Field, 2011).

Child’s pose (balasana)

Child’s pose promotes relaxation and introspection (Field, 2011).

Child’s pose is a gentle, restorative posture that allows the release of bodily tension and turns the mind inward. With the forehead resting on the ground and arms relaxed, clients will feel a natural soothing of their nervous system, reducing stress and anxiety (Field, 2011).

Cat–cow (marjaryasana–bitilasana)

Cat–cow enhances spinal awareness and breath coordination (Field, 2011).

The coordinated movement with the breath, arching the back on the inhale and rounding it on the exhale, helps cultivate a deep mind–body connection (Field, 2011).

Through rhythmic motion and breath synchronization, this practice fosters mindfulness and enhanced bodily awareness (Field, 2011).

Tree pose (vrikshasana)

The tree pose develops balance, focus, and mindfulness (Field, 2011).

Tree pose requires mental and physical steadiness as one foot roots into the ground while the other rests on the inner thigh or calf. Maintaining balance in this posture demands concentration and breath awareness, fostering a meditative state (Field, 2011).

By engaging the core and focusing the gaze, tree pose will strengthen inner and outer stability, enhancing mindfulness and patience (Field, 2011).

4 Guided Mindful Yoga Flows You Can Share

If you’re integrating mindful yoga into your practice, you may want to share one of these mindful yoga flows with your clients. They are simple and easy to follow, and they’re free.

5 Challenges & How to Overcome Them

While mindful yoga offers numerous benefits, your clients may have some challenges. It is important to identify these challenges and address them early on so that your clients can continue to benefit from the practice.

Here are a few common challenges that may arise and how to address them:

1. Anxiety or fear of the unknown

Starting a mindful movement practice can be intimidating, especially for those unfamiliar with it (Tolbaños-Roche & Menon, 2021). The fear of confronting uncomfortable emotions or uncertainty about “doing it right” can also create resistance.

How to address it
Normalize these feelings by reassuring your clients that discomfort is a natural part of growth. Encourage them to approach the practice with compassionate curiosity rather than expectation. You can also use gentle guidance, breathwork, and grounding exercises to ease anxiety.

2. Physical limitations

Discomfort, pain, or mobility restrictions can make mindful yoga postures or exercises inaccessible to certain clients (Kwok et al., 2019).

How to address it
Acknowledge this and offer modifications tailored to each client’s needs. For example, you may need to use props such as cushions, chairs, or bolsters. Encourage your clients to work with their bodies, finding exercises and postures that align with their physical abilities.

3. Emotional discomfort

Mindful yoga can bring suppressed emotions to the surface, which may feel overwhelming or unsettling (Yan, 2024). You may find that some clients struggle with sadness, frustration, or vulnerability during practice.

How to address it
Normalize these experiences by explaining that emotional reactions are part of the healing process. Offer your clients grounding techniques, such as focusing on the breath, engaging the senses, or using self-compassion practices, to help them navigate difficult emotions safely.

4. Self-criticism

Many people judge themselves harshly, feeling they are “bad” at mindfulness if they get distracted or struggle with consistency (Kraines et al., 2020). This mindset may discourage your clients and get in the way of their continued practice.

How to address it
Emphasize nonjudgmental awareness by reminding your clients that mindfulness is about observing thoughts, not controlling them. Introduce self-compassion techniques, such as loving-kindness meditation or affirmations, to help them develop a more compassionate inner dialogue.

5. Consistency issues

Building a new habit can be challenging, especially for those with busy schedules or perfectionist tendencies (Lally & Gardner, 2013). You may find that your clients struggle with motivation or forget to practice.

How to address it
Encourage your clients to set a regular time for practice, such as after waking up or before bed. Suggest starting small, with just a few minutes a day, and gradually increasing duration. I find that if clients incorporate the practice into something they’re already doing, it makes it easier — a work-with-what’s-working approach.

Providing accountability, such as a mindfulness journal or group practice, can also help them stick to their practice.

Helpful Resources From PositivePsychology.com

For further reading and practical tools, consider exploring some of the resources from our PositivePsychology.com library and store.

Articles

There is some great reading material in our blog. You may want to start with the following:

Yoga Therapy: The Healing Potential of Yoga explains what makes yoga therapy different from yoga, what conditions it can help with, and training and certification requirements for those interested in becoming yoga therapists.

23 Amazing Health Benefits of Mindfulness for Body and Brain gives a comprehensive explanation of how mindfulness benefits us both mentally and physically. It is a good place to start if you’re looking for information to help encourage your clients to try it.

21 Mindfulness Exercises & Activities for Adults offers even more doable ways to practice mindfulness in your own life or with clients. From group-based exercises and body scans to mindful breathing and walking, this comprehensive guide covers a wide range of beginner-friendly techniques.

Tools

Breath Awareness Worksheet provides a six-step process to develop breath awareness. You can use the worksheet as a starting point to help your clients get used to the idea of practice and help them get more comfortable.

The Yogic Breathing Worksheet is an easy place to start or to build up to the integration of movement and postures into the therapeutic process.

Packages

Mindfulness X© provides you with everything you need to integrate mindfulness into your therapy practice. You can use the course as a stepping stone to integrating mindful yoga. Based on extensive research, this package includes eight sessions, presentation materials, a comprehensive facilitator guide, an editable client workbook, and more.

If you’re looking for more science-based ways to help others enjoy the benefits of mindfulness, this collection contains 17 validated mindfulness tools for practitioners. Use them to help others reduce stress and create positive shifts in their mental, physical, and emotional health.

A Take-Home Message

Mindful yoga is a powerful therapeutic tool you can use to bridge your clients’ mind–body connections to foster greater awareness, emotional resilience, and self-compassion. Whether you use it in therapy, coaching, or personal practice, it serves as a holistic approach to wellbeing.

The journey toward mindful movement is one of self-discovery, healing, and greater awareness. By integrating mindful yoga into daily life, your clients can cultivate a deeper sense of presence, better manage their stress, and enhance their overall quality of life.

Whether you decide to train as a yoga therapist or work with practitioners in your area to offer this as a part of your therapeutic process, you and your clients are sure to benefit.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article. Don’t forget to download our five positive psychology tools for free.

ED: Updated May 2025