1. Marketing Your
Yoga Therapy Practice:
Building Bridges Across the Lines
Matthew J. Taylor, PT, PhD, ERYT 500
Lilith Bailey-Kroll, MFA, ERYT 500

2. Notes???
http://matthewjtaylorinstitute.com/
sytarmarketing.pdf

3. Lite’em up

4. Read the new issue of
Yoga Therapy Today
Summer 2013!

5. The Art and Science of Marketing
• IAYT’s mission is to establish yoga as a recognized
and respected therapy.
• 2.1.3 Knowledge of common pathologies and
disorders of all the major systems, including
symptoms, management, illness trajectories, and
contraindications, as relevant to the work of a
yoga therapist.
• 5.3.2 Basic knowledge of how to establish,
maintain, and utilize a referral network of peers
and related healthcare practitioners and
organizations.

6. Safety and Service
Safety (ahimsa) and service (seva),
are the essence of the cultural and
technical competencies that you will
need to acquire to establish yourself
as a professional yoga therapist.
Ahimsa
Seva

7. Ahimsa/Safety
Competency 2.1.3 requires us to
develop from a technician-level
understanding of “can you name the
contraindications for [fill in the yoga
technique or medical condition]?” to
acquiring a professional depth of
knowledge.

8. For Instance “Back Pain”…

9. Oh dear! ...37
sources…
and Yoga therapy
has support for all
the koshas and
kleshas represented
here:
Evolutionary Mechanisms in CBP
Neurophysiological:
Peripheral; Peripheral to central; and, Central sensitivity.
Psychological:
Behavioral; Cognitive-affective; and, Psychophysiological
Premorbid factors: Depression, dysthymia; Predisposition to somatoform disorder; Psychoactive substance-
abuse disorder; Personality disorder or traits; Anxiety disorders including panic disorder; Childhood sexual
abuse; Cognitive process; Psychosis, delusional pain; Traumatic factors; Anxiety/panic; Fear
Psychophysiological response:
Loss of control; Abnormal dependence; Posttraumatic factors; Anxiety, panic; Depression; Posttraumatic
stress disorder; Anger/hostility; Iatrogenic substance abuse; Somatoform pain disorder; Symptoms
magnification; Increasing time since injury; Disability mind set.
Physical, Medical and Surgical:
Surgical history; physical trauma/deformity; complicating medical diseases/limitations.
Social/Spiritual:
Job dissatisfaction or conflict; Compensated unemployment as disincentive; Family or spousal dynamics;
Perception of norm, i.e., family history; Legal influences; Financial security; Limited education or vocational
potential; Age-related factors; and Environmental stressors.

10. Going beyond “Yoga helps back pain…”
• …students then share their success and insights with their
community of other health providers and family members,
• creating an expanding web of awareness and new options for
managing back pain.
• The cycle of non-harming returns to us, the therapists, as the
students’ new understanding enhances their sensitivity to
practice effects and the rapport between us—the two most
important factors in risk (harming) management.
• Your newfound appreciation of the interrelationships from
the medical perspective allow you to more effectively
communicate with students and referral networks,
• …While also better comprehending how the technologies of
yoga interact to assure the student’s safety. Mastery of one’s
profession requires this level of study and gains the respect of
consumers and referral sources.

11. What IS Yoga Therapy?
• I was wondering that
myself…
• Yoga therapy is the process
of empowering individuals
to progress toward improved
health and wellbeing
through the application of
the teachings and practices
of Yoga.
http://iayt.org/development_Vx2/IAYT%20Standards%20Final_July%206A.pdf

12. What is mind?
• So what is mind?
• “a process that regulates the flow of
energy and information.”
• both intrapersonal quality (i.e., the
process within an individual human)
and interpersonal (the same process
between humans) Seigel, D. The Mindful
Brain, 2007

13. $/Health Collapse

15. Yoga Therapy = “The first new health
profession of the 21st
Century”™
• Given that most of your clients will
have a stress related, chronic
condition, how can you the Yoga
therapist help them understand the
way the human functions through the
3 Diaphragms Model and to play The
Pain Game™ ?

16. Yoga addresses
suffering unlike
any other service
profession by:
The 3 Diaphragms Model
YouTube
http://youtu.be/HTkFuPLZ3Uk

17. Build a human….
C:From RootInstitutevideos3diaphragms2011.m4v
http://youtu.be/Tzcpx-icb38 3 min version, no sound
13 min with sound http://youtu.be/HTkFuPLZ3Uk
3 Diaphragms

19. Rutger’s Study…ongoing

20. Mapping: The human extension
of consciousness/awareness
©2009 MyRehab, LLC

21. The Future?
• YRx Epigenetics
• http://www.ted.com/talks/view/lang/en//id/252

22. Group Practices

23. Organizations are Living Organisms

24. Organizational Yoga Therapy:
Traits that distinguish creative
individuals…
• Independence of Judgment
• Tolerance for Ambiguity
• From Polarizations and Oppositions
Thinking to Complex Thinking
• Androgyny (clarity on gender
attributes and roles)
• Complexity of Outlook,
Symmetry/Asymmetry

26. http://matthewjtaylor.com/mbassessment.pdf

28. The Cast of Characters

29. The Characters
• Pre …prefrontal cortex….reconstructing
the filter of the worrier/planner with
mindfulness, Yamas, Niyamas and
Pratyahara
• Amy Igdala…amygdala: exploring the
roots of the fear, fear conditioning and
addiction with Pratyahara

30. • Aunty Singular…anterior singulate
complex …Improving concentration
and focus with Dharana
• S & M…sensory motor
homunculus…Refreshing the virtual
map of existence with Asana,
Pranayama and Pratyahara.
• Thelma Mess …thalamus …
motivation/stress response
modification with Yamas, Niyamas,
Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara

31. • Sara Bellum…cerebellum… enhance
movement, coordination and cognition
with Asana, Dharana and Pratyahara
• BMOC …hippocampus…re-order
memory, fear conditioning, spatial
cognition with Yamas, Niyamas, Asana,
Pranayama and Pratyahara
• Spiney…spinal cord…up and down
regulators/governors with Asana,
Pranayama and Pratyahara
• Basil…Basil Ganglia…automatic
unconscious movements, addiction to
dopamine and serotonin

32. The Big Asmita…

33. What Physicians Can Do For
Their Patients in 10 minutes:
• Perform an exam
• Write a Rx
• Order a test
• Make a referral
• Educate….if there was time
• Schedule a procedure

34. What PT, DC, PsyD, etc Can Do:
• A manual
procedure/manipulation
• Educate from a mechanical
perspective
• Make a referral
• Use modalities
• Teach mechanical exercises
• Talk therapy

35. Problems you can solve for them:
• Expand the self education
• Provide a group/community setting
• Identify additional underlying
challenges requiring their services
• Refer appropriate new clients to their
practice
• Co-present workshops/programs
• Invite them in to guest lecture the
education portion of a class
• Others?...........

36. Referrals…making and
getting them:
• Become a problem
solver/solution provider in
your community.
• Know your limits
• Ask by honoring
• Not selling features but
benefits
• Process not an event
• Brainstorm possibilities.

37. Building the Posture…
• Stereotypes of yoga.
• Financial restrictions and tight
capital budgets.
• Pressure to produce revenue
• Time constraints.
• Conservative administrative
paradigms and biases.
• The institution’s cultural politics.
• Constraints of managed care and
decreasing public access to their
services (leading back to #2).

38. Yoking…
• Introduction
• Personal Presentation
• One to one meeting
• Establishing a long term
relation vs single sale.
• Education
• Experiential

39. Tools for Future Referral Sources:
• See Yoga Therapeutics IJYT 2004
for:
• Styles of Yoga
• Components of a Yoga class
• Guide for smart shopping
• Questions to ask a patient practicing
Yoga.
• How to write a Rx for Yoga
• http://www.myrehab.com/hipaarequ
est.doc
• http://www.myrehab.com/screening.
pdf

40. For example…
• 54 conditions by Dr
Timothy McCall, MD
http://www.drmccall.com/

41. In Summary…
• When you have the language to
communicate, backed by the
evidence, your training, and
patient testimonials, not only
will healthcare providers send
you more patients, you can be
sure they will tell their
colleagues because you helped
them solve their problems by
helping their patients increase
their wellbeing.

42. Some “How to”…

43. Building Your Own Career

44. Practice Development
• What type of practice?
• Where would students come
from?
• Would they pay for services?
• Would there be enough students?
• Who would oppose my practice?
• I’m no good at “name the
business skill”
• I don’t have enough “name
them”.

45. Going Deep…Theory U
• Lying supine, chest open…
• http://dsrclinic.com/index.php
?menuitem=114#3voices

46. Let’s stay connected…
Matthew J. Taylor, PT, PhD
matt@matthewjtaylor.com
www.matthewjtaylor.com