You've heard of yoga, but how about yoga therapy? By Barbara Brauner Here in the United States, most people have heard of yoga, know someone who practices yoga, or perhaps even has taken a yoga class themselves. Still many are skeptical, and yes many people would never even consider doing yoga. So, how does a 5,000- year-old spiritual practice become today's hottest mind/body trend? To understand the need for yoga, just take a look at your daily routine or better yet,put your body, mind and spirit into one of your kids' daily routines. Their minds are constantly in a frenzy due to all the busy-ness they have available to them. Most kids unwind and relax by being plugged in to some kind of electronics. If this "plugged in" is not monitored and turned off frequently, their brains would not know what it means to be quiet.And how about adults? Are parents and role models ever unplugged or away from their work? Are the laptops always on your laps, even during a family evening of watching a movie or "American Idol?"All this busy-ness often results in people out of balance,people experiencing a lot of stress.There is a strong need to destress and to quiet our minds and rejuvenate our bodies.And yoga helps achieve this - helping us return to a state of balance and health. And what about our state of health? Are our bodies beginning to hurt after we reach the age of 40? Are we so stressed that we do not even know why we are experiencing the signs our inner self is showing us- unexplained aches and pains, digestion issues, headaches, shallow breathing and insomnia, to name a few? Is there time to take care of ourselves so we can be better for those who look to us for guidance, support and peacefulness? Are we in psychotherapy, physical therapy or group therapy and nothing seems to work? Most people know the terms"physical therapy,""psychotherapy" and"group therapy." Here in theWest, the term"yoga therapy" is beginning to surface.But what is yoga therapy? Yoga therapy is goal-based yoga being used to relieve specific complaints for an individual. It is a holistic approach,which attracts those people who have tried everything else and still are at a loss for their pain and/or ailment's existence.The yoga therapist works one-on-one with the client to determine muscle strength, flexibility, and range of motion for those areas that are in pain.The body's primary muscles are retrained with simple exercises, enabling the muscles to do the work they are supposed to do without compensation from other muscles. Poses, breathing methods, joint-freeing exercises and meditation are also introduced according to the client's needs. One may wonder,"How will I fit one more thing into my already packed schedule?"What most people tend to overlook when that question arises is that by discovering and healing what lies within their own body, mind or spirit, one's life will become peaceful and balanced.A person whose life is in balance has a clearer mind, therefore things get done quicker and less time is spent on busyness and less important things.The important things in life are brought back to the top of "to do" lists. Nourished are our families, friends, health, faith, and most importantly ourselves. Yoga brings back the authenticity our lives were meant to have. Barbara Brauner is the owner of Yoga Therapies, Freehold. She teaches group yoga classes and also offers private structural yoga therapy sessions and workshops. She can be reached at Yoga-Therapies.com or by calling (732) 881-4750.