Yoga in the Therapy Room: Strategies for Mental Health Therapists

By: Chris McDonald LCMHCS
  • Summary

  • Welcome to "Yoga in the Therapy Room: The Nontraditional Therapist's Guide to Integrating Yoga into Your Therapy Practice." This podcast is designed to empower mental health therapists with the knowledge and confidence to integrate yoga into their sessions safely and ethically. Whether you're new to yoga or looking to enhance your therapeutic toolkit, our trauma-informed approach ensures that you can incorporate simple, easy-to-use yoga practices tailored to your clients' needs. Join us as we explore practical techniques, discuss the latest research, yoga philosophies, and share expert insights to help you seamlessly blend yoga with traditional therapy methods. Discover how yoga can support trauma recovery, reduce anxiety and depression, and foster a deeper connection with your clients, enhancing therapeutic rapport. Additionally, learn how these practices can serve as a powerful form of self-care for therapists, enhancing your own well-being and resilience. Deepen your knowledge of different yoga traditions and practices, and learn how to keep these practices accessible for all clients, regardless of their physical abilities, diverse backgrounds, or experience with yoga. Experience the added benefit of personal and professional transformation, enriching both your therapy practice and your own life. Tune in to "Yoga in the Therapy Room" and start your journey towards a more holistic and effective therapy practice today.
    Copyright 2025 Chris McDonald, LCMHCS
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Episodes
  • 229 Safety Considerations for Hypermobility and Yoga: Interview With Libby Hinsley
    Apr 2 2025

    In this episode, we focus on safely guiding hypermobile clients through yoga practices to prevent injury and support long-term well-being. We discuss key safety considerations, common misconceptions, and practical techniques for yoga practices tailored to clients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and hypermobility. Libby shares her journey with hypermobility, explores its impact on the nervous system and mental health, and provides actionable advice on effective queuing and creating empowering yoga experiences.

    MEET Libby Hinsley

    Libby Hinsley is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, yoga teacher trainer, and personal trainer specializing in treating hypermobility syndromes and chronic pain. Her book, Yoga for Bendy People: Optimizing the benefits of yoga for hypermobility, was published in 2022 and explores how people with joint hypermobility syndromes can use the tools of yoga to support their thriving. She has also developed a successful strength training program for people with hypermobility syndromes. As a person living with Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and related health conditions, she is committed to raising awareness about hypermobility syndromes in the yoga and physical therapy communities and beyond. She also teaches anatomy for yoga teachers through her program called Anatomy Bites.

    Find out more at Libby Hinsley and connect with Libby on Instagram, and check out the Zebra Talks Podcast

    • Understanding hypermobility and its challenges
    • What are EDS and hypermobility?
    • Symptoms and diagnosis of EDS
    • Yoga practices for hypermobility
    • Queuing techniques for hypermobility
    • Understanding proprioception and body awareness
    • Improving proprioception through mindful movement

    Connect With Me

    Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58

    Facebook: Yoga In The Therapy Podcast

    Join the private Facebook Group: Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room

    TikTok: @YogaChris58

    Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify

    How To Build Competence and Confidence in Integrating Yoga Into the Therapy Room

    Holistic Mindful Check-Ins by Chris McDonald, LCMHCS

    Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor

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    38 mins
  • 228 Integrating Yoga and Holistic Practices Into Public Mental Health Care: Interview With Nina Marie Collins
    Mar 26 2025

    In this episode, we explore the integration of yoga and holistic practices into public mental health care. We discuss practical strategies to make these tools accessible for clients, the benefits of trauma-informed yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness, and the barriers to implementation. Nina Marie shares her experiences as a peer support specialist, explaining how techniques like resourcing can be beneficial in public mental health settings. Learn about their approaches to making mental health care more compassionate and accessible, complete with a guided resourcing activity for therapists to incorporate into their practices.

    MEET Nina Marie Collins

    I am a 500-hr yoga teacher, and I also work in the public mental health field as a Peer Support Specialist. I care deeply about bringing holistic practices into mental health care, particularly public mental health care which often serves people with both mental health challenges and poverty. These people may otherwise not get access to holistic practices. I have taught yoga in several of the mental health settings I've worked in. Recently, I am completed a training to be a facilitator of energy work. I am passionate about bringing holistic practices and spirituality into mental health care, particularly in the public system.

    Find out more at Spectrum Yoga and connect with Nina on Instagram and Facebook

    • Integrating Yoga into Public Mental Health
    • Challenges and Strategies in Public Mental Health
    • Success Stories and Practical Applications
    • Resourcing Practice Demonstration

    Connect With Me

    Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58

    Facebook: Yoga In The Therapy Podcast

    Join the private Facebook Group: Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room

    TikTok: @YogaChris58

    Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify

    How To Build Competence and Confidence in Integrating Yoga Into the Therapy Room

    Holistic Mindful Check-Ins by Chris McDonald, LCMHCS

    Self-Care for the Counselor: A Companion Workbook: An Easy to Use Workbook to Support you on Your Holistic Healing and Counselor Self-Care Journey ... A Holistic Guide for Helping Professionals)

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    35 mins
  • 227 Expressions of Grief | Using Movement & Breath To Heal: Interview With Edy Nathan
    Mar 19 2025

    In this episode, we explore how yoga practices such as self-awareness, movement, and breath can help navigate grief. Edy shares her personal journey and how it guided her to develop therapeutic practices for others. The discussion includes how grief manifests in the body, the importance of movement and breath in emotional release, and practical tools for therapists to aid clients. We discuss innovative concepts like the Liberation Protocol and sexual grief, offering listeners insightful strategies to handle grief.

    MEET Edy Nathan

    Edy Nathan MA, LCSWR is an author, public speaker, and licensed therapist. She is an AASECT-certified sex therapist, hypnotherapist, and certified EMDR practitioner with more than 20 years of experience. Edy earned degrees from New York University and Fordham University, with post-graduate training at the Ackerman Institute for Family Therapy. She practices in New York City. In her expertise as a grief therapist, she interweaves her formal training as a psychotherapist with breathwork, guided imagery, ritual, and storytelling. Trauma, abuse, and grief cause the soul to become imbalanced: The goal of the work is to find emotional calibration or balance to defy the depth of darkness and the grip grief often has on the psyche. She believes that everyone experiences grief throughout their lives. Grief is not just about the death of a loved one, but the losses we experience in life.

    Find out more at Edy Nathan and connect with Edy on Facebook, X, and Instagram

    Unmasking the Pain of Loss: Helping Clients Identify & Work with Grief

    Trauma-Informed Yoga for Therapists: A Practical Approach

    • Understanding how the body holds grief
    • The concept of sexual grief
    • Empathy and self-awareness in grief
    • Practical breathing techniques for anxiety
    • Understanding anxiety and the nervous system
    • The power of journaling for grief
    • Breath work practices for self-regulation

    Connect With Me

    Instagram: @chris_mcdonald58

    Facebook: Yoga In The Therapy Podcast

    Join the private Facebook Group: Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy Room

    TikTok: @YogaChris58

    Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, and Spotify

    Show more Show less
    40 mins

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