Yoga Psychology

Yoga psychology is a powerful and integrative approach that blends the wisdom of yoga with modern psychological practices. As a therapist, I’ve found that it offers a holistic way to approach mental health, one that acknowledges the deep connection between mind, body, and spirit. It’s not just about the physical postures we practice on the mat, but about how we use mindfulness, breathwork, and self-awareness to cultivate a sense of inner peace and balance in everyday life.

In my work, I often find that clients are looking for ways to feel more grounded, present, and connected to themselves, and yoga psychology provides a wonderful framework for this. It's rooted in ancient wisdom from yogic traditions, but also aligns with contemporary psychology, making it accessible and relevant in today’s world.

At its core, yoga psychology invites us to slow down and tune in. It encourages us to notice the thoughts, emotions, and sensations that arise in our bodies as we move through the world. Through practices like mindful breathing, meditation, and gentle movement, yoga psychology helps to quiet the mental chatter and create space for self-awareness. This helps us gain insight into the patterns that shape our behaviors and emotional responses, which is a crucial part of therapy.

What I love most about yoga psychology is its focus on being rather than doing. So much of our lives can feel consumed by productivity, external pressures, and expectations. Yoga psychology invites us to shift into a more mindful, compassionate way of being. Whether it’s through a breath practice or simply taking a moment to pause, these tools can help you develop a deeper sense of acceptance and understanding, both toward yourself and others.

I often integrate principles of yoga psychology into my therapy sessions because it helps clients access a different part of themselves—one that is calm, grounded, and present. It’s about learning how to create space in your mind, body, and heart so that you can respond to life’s challenges with greater resilience, compassion, and clarity.

Yoga psychology also teaches us about the importance of balance—finding equilibrium between effort and ease, stillness and movement. It’s a beautiful way to learn how to navigate the ups and downs of life, knowing that we can always return to our breath, our body, and our inner wisdom for guidance.

If you’re looking for a way to deepen your self-awareness, reduce stress, and cultivate more peace in your life, yoga psychology can offer a supportive and transformative path. It’s not just about healing the mind, but about nurturing the whole person—body, mind, and spirit. Together, we can explore how these practices can help you live more fully, more consciously, and more authentically

Relational therapy

Relational therapy is a form of psychotherapy that centers on the relationships we form in the present—both with others and with ourselves. As a therapist, I’ve seen how much our current interactions shape how we feel, think, and behave. The beauty of relational therapy is that it emphasizes the here and now, and the therapeutic relationship itself becomes a powerful tool for growth and healing.

In my practice, therapy is a collaborative space where both you and I bring our authentic selves into the conversation. It's not just about me offering insights, but about us building a relationship where trust and connection can grow. Through our work together, you’ll begin to notice patterns in how you relate to me, and how those patterns reflect how you interact with others in your life.

Rather than just focusing on past relationships and events, relational therapy in the present moment allows us to explore how you experience connection, intimacy, and communication now. For example, you might notice how you react in moments of vulnerability or how you express your needs. These insights offer a real-time opportunity for us to work through any challenges you may be facing.

The therapeutic relationship itself is a key part of the process. In the here and now, I offer a space where you can feel seen and heard, and that’s where transformation begins. By paying attention to the ways we relate in the moment, you can start to experiment with new ways of connecting, not just with me but with others in your life as well.

Through relational therapy, we work together to create a dynamic where you feel empowered to show up as your authentic self. It’s a safe environment where you can explore the present dynamics of your relationships, helping you gain insight into the habits, beliefs, and behaviors that influence how you connect with the world around you. By focusing on the here and now, you can experience healing and growth in real-time.

If you're ready to explore how you relate to others and want to make lasting changes in your interactions, relational therapy can help. Together, we’ll work in the present moment to foster healthier, more meaningful connections in your life

Transcendental Meditation and Emotional Health

In our busy 24 hour online world it is a real challenge to stay clear in the mind, while feeling fresh in the body for extended periods of time. With these ongoing demands there is the ever increasing impact on our resilience and emotional coping. Consequently, personal, professional and relational lives are negatively influenced by stress, tiredness and fatigue. In losing the natural ability to self-regulate amidst overwhelm we can begin to feel that we are do not recognise ourselves. If ‘Emotional Health is a positive state of well-being which enables an individual to be able to function in society and meet the demands of everyday life’, how many of us can say I feel emotionally healthy?

 Firstly, let’s start by describing emotions and their functions.  Emotions are ways in which the body communicates a response to situations either physically, mentally or both. We feel joy on a clear spring morning,  we feel excitement when going to meet an old friend, we feel  panic when we think we will be late for an important appointment or sadness at the passing of a beloved pet. Emotions give flavour to our experience, and are never really wrong. Indeed, even anger, grief and fear hold crucial information about what has, is or might be happening to us. Emotions guide, mobilise and protect us. Fear is our early warning system to get away from danger, anger supports us to take a stand in the midst of challenge. There is no hierarchy of emotion. By way of sensations in the body, the texture of our feelings and the colour of our thoughts, emotions inform us of where we are in our lives at any point in time.

 While all of these emotions are part of life the challenge arises when we lose our ground through stress and stressful circumstances. Fortunately we can restore and maintain balance in the body and mind through effective and effortless meditation.  Transcendental Meditation has shown to regulate emotions, while harmonising thinking, feeling and behaviour.  TM is known,  because the decades of research,  to be the most widely validated natural technique for reducing trait anxiety, hypertension, and high blood pressure. As such, and based on measurable data,  there is  a direct correlation between the reduction of  deep physiological stress with the overall improvement in emotional and psychological wellbeing.  The effectiveness of TM for supporting emotional health comes as a result of experiencing profound rest, and in that meditative state the body dissolves deep layers of fatigue, while allow the nervous system to regulate emotions. As such the repeated practice of TM  improves our emotional health.

 To be emotionally healthy we need to feel we have tools to release us from their tight grip when dysregulated and in overwhelm. Out of context responses and ongoing reactivity inhibit our ability to appreciate life and all that it offers. Naturally everyone  wants to enjoy each stage of the life they inhabit, to remain familiar to themselves, not lost or isolated from the world.  Indeed, if we cannot regulate our fear we might become overwhelmed and phobic. Undigested anger can result in  disease, chronic illness and clinical depression. Without accepting our grief we cannot move forward with hope and enthusiasm. Clearly the bigger picture of life fades from our awareness when we cannot regulate our emotions.

 Fortunately,  Transcendental Meditation  is a proven practical tool for creating a positive state of well-being which supports us to meet the demand of everyday living, as well as growth towards greater success and accomplishment. For instance, research indicates that regular TM practice increases serotonin, the neurochemical which helps support our social engagement system, which supports a natural state of well-being and happiness. Thus TM helps us to stay in contact with our life and the world even in the midst of challenge.  Effortless Mediation regulates the production of cortisol, the stress hormone that helps us to manage stressful situations. It does this by regulating the autonomic nervous system and allows for the possibility to have a calmer style of functioning of the body and mind. As well as regulation of stress in the body, TM improves executive functioning of the brain so that we can make better decisions and initiate more effective action towards fulfillment.

 When we lose our ability to stay emotionally regulated we can reduced  our capacity to tolerate stress. When this happens we are on the edge, perhaps sleep deprived  while our mental health suffers. Studies in trauma indicate that the brain functions differently when we are deeply stressed. The emotional processing and  fear center of the brain cannot switch off, we become flooded with adrenaline, while the amygdala remains over active. We suffer because of hypervigilance. We cannot sleep, we get sick, we produce inflammation and our long term health is compromised when flooded by flight fight responses. However  research shows that PTSD  symptoms are significantly reduced through regular  practice of TM. When experience deep rest we take our awareness out of the whirlwind of anxiety and dive into a  state of deep calmness and profound rest. Every meditation restores balance to the nervous system. Each meditation restructures how we think and how we feel. TM is a natural  technique for developing and maintaining , emotional health. We can enjoy more and more of what life has to offer when add daily meditation to our routine.

Transcendental Meditation is a highly effective, tried and tested tool for developing emotional health, as well as improving overall health to the body and as consequence relationships. It’s effortlessness and effectiveness make it enjoyable and worthwhile to practice. Emotional health is essential, and the TM is technique supports that, and indeed improves our ability to meet the demands of life.