Yoga therapy & physical therapy: rehabilitating the body together

Towards more comprehensive rehabilitation

Physical therapy and yoga therapy share a common goal:

support the body in its ability to recover, function, and regain its freedom.

However, they approach the issue from different angles, sometimes complementary, sometimes parallel—and often much more compatible than one might imagine.

The Health as a Whole offers a model of neuro-functional rehabilitation that integrates naturally with physical therapy by improving regulation, posture, breathing, and movement patterns—essential elements for successful treatment.

In this article, we clarify:

• where our disciplines meet,

• where they stand out,

• and where they complement each other profoundly.

1. Where we are similar

Physical therapy and yoga therapy share several foundations:

✔ A functional view of the body

Both disciplines focus on mobility, mechanics, movement, and areas of restriction or compensation.

✔ Rehabilitation after injury

Physical therapists and yoga therapists work with people in rehabilitation, seeking to restore range of motion, strength, stability, and coordination.

✔ Postural analysis

Both approaches evaluate:

• the alignments,

• movement patterns,

• compensated movements,

• the relationship between breathing and posture.

✔ The importance of proper movement

Both practices encourage:

• controlled movement,

• patient education,

• gradual progression,

• autonomy.

We often speak the same language—just with different accents.

2. Where we are distinct

Our differences become strengths when they are properly understood.

A. The starting point: the nervous system

. Yoga therapy begins with the nervous system.

Why?
Because:

If the nervous system is not secure, mechanical rehabilitation will not work.

Muscle tone, posture, pain, proprioception, range of motion:
everything depends on the state of the autonomic nervous system.

B. The role of breathing

In physical therapy, breathing is often just one element among many others.
In yoga therapy, it is a central therapeutic lever:

• diaphragm mobility,

• 3D breathing,

• vagal tone,

• respiratory coherence,

• emotional regulation.

C. Reading the body as a whole

Yoga therapy observes:

• emotional patterns,

• body language,

• protective voltage,

• daily habits,

• the link containing/content,

• the effect of the mind on mechanics.

This psycho-physical reading significantly enriches the mechanical work.

D. Tensegrity applied to real life

Physiotherapy analyzes a joint or region.
Yoga therapy works in a network, taking into account:

• myofascial chains,

• internal pressure,

• diaphragms,

• the mobility/stability ratio,

• postural habits in everyday life.

The interpretation of movement becomes more refined, broader, and more integrated.

3. Where we complement each other

This is where collaboration becomes powerful.

A. A necessary foundation: neurological security

When a patient is stressed, hypervigilant, or in chronic pain:

• the amplitude decreases,

• the deep muscles disengage,

• compensation dominates,

• the processing gains are lost.

Yoga therapy offers:

• breathing tools to relax

• a parasympathetic posture

• a "fair" effort (≈ 50%)

• a slowing down of the nervous system

• gentle stability before strength

Mechanical work then becomes much more efficient.

B. Integrating progress into everyday life

After a physical therapy session, you need to reintegrate the gains into:

• walk,

• work,

• to bend over,

• carry,

• breathe,

• get up,

• live.

This is exactly what yoga therapy does:
it transforms exercises into movement habits to prevent relapses.

C. Support between sessions

Most of the rehabilitation takes place between appointments.

Yoga therapy provides patients with:

• somatic landmarks,

• simple exercises,

• increased body awareness,

• short routines that can be applied anywhere,

• the ability to manage stress signals.

The patient becomes an active participant → the results last.

D. A common language that facilitates collaboration

Physical therapists immediately understand the principles of:

• diaphragmatic breathing

• stability vs. mobility

• muscle chains

• tensegrity

• proprioception

• motor patterns

Yoga therapy speaks their language, but adds:
the internal dimension → the nervous system + emotions + regulation.

Two disciplines, one mission

The first restores the mechanics.
The second restores internal coordination.

Together, they re-educate the body on all levels: mechanical, respiratory, nervous, emotional, and daily.

This is how we are building the healthcare of tomorrow.
Smarter, more interdisciplinary, more humane healthcare.