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How to incorporate Yogic Techniques into your Sessions with Clients or Patients

Leila McKail
Feb 6, 2025
8 min read

As medicine and the health and wellbeing industries continue to strive for solutions to overwhelming problems in our health care systems, many of the techniques you're being introduced to in these industries are actually derived from the ancient eastern technology of yoga and meditation.

We've compiled this guide to help you understand some fabulous yogic techniques and terminology you can use to work with your clients or patients as well as tools that you can use in your practice.

Breathing (Pranayama)

Pranayama or breathwork as it's now more commonly known, is a brilliant technique to utilise when working with clients or patients. Pranayama has immense benefits for health and wellbeing (you can read more here) and incorporating a 1 - 3 minute breath practice into your session is going to activate the vagus nerve, calm the nervous system, balance anger, fear, and irrational emotional responses, encourage a deeper connection to the present moment and brings balance and clarity to the brain supporting you and your client or patient to communicate more efficiently and effectively. Save yourself 20 minutes of talk with 3 minutes of conscious breathing!

Suggested breath practice

- Long Deep Breathing

- Meditation for a Calm Heart

- Four Stroke Breath for Meditative Balance

Important information about pranyama and breathwork

Understanding pranyama is a terrific tool to engage in the physiology and optimal wellbeing of your client or patient and the success of their session with you. It is very important that you're aware how significant changes to the breath can be on the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems as well as the other key body systems (cardiovascular & respiratory, circulatory, digestive and metabolic and immune systems). Where certain breath techniques can relax the system, others can trigger the system and put your client or patient into a fight flight response. Make sure you've received the correct yoga training before working with breath in this way.

FIND PRANAYAMA PRACTICES HERE

Movement (Kundalini Yoga Postures)

Awareness of your client or patients posture can be very useful when working with them in a session. If someone is closed over, in physical discomfort, figity and can't sit still, some gentle movements can support their body to shift some of the physical stress they are feeling and come to relax into the space you are holding for them.

Suggested postures

- Vagus Nerve Stretch

- Aura Swipes

- Spinal Flex These are gentle stand alone postures used in the therapeutic application of Kundalini Yoga & Meditation designed to stretch into the muscles, fascia and the spine and encourage opening up across the heart space and lifts energy up to the brain. They help to relax the body by releasing stored stress and tension and encourages a dopamine and endorphin release supporting the body to relax and find a state of general wellbeing.

Mindfulness (Meditation techniques)

Through focused awareness and self-observation, meditation creates a mental space for self-reflection, insight, and deeper understanding of thoughts, emotions, and patterns. Helping clients and patients to develop a meditation practice is a terrific way to supporting them in finding introspection and creating space to work through some of the bigger challenges in their lives.

Many people (and even the general western science attitude) incorrectly assume meditation means sitting cross legged on the floor to empty the mind and attain a form of enlightenment. When in fact the most simple form of meditation can be practiced sitting in a chair, standing, in the shower or anywhere that you can comfortably close your eyes, focus on your breath for a few moments and start to become aware of the inner landscape of your being.

Suggested 3 - 5 minute Meditation Practice (for practitioners in between sessions to ground into the space and for beginners learning to meditate).

Come to sit comfortably on the floor, the couch or a chair (feet flat on the floor) and close your eyes.
Take some long deep breaths and the first couple even sigh the breath out the mouth.
Bring your awareness to your breath, notice the sensations of breathing and the sound of your breath. After a few breaths here make any adjustments to your posture, relax the shoulders, the legs, the jaw, realign the head so the chin comes slightly back towards the throat and notice the length of your spine.
Stay breathing here noticing the space between the tailbone and the crown of the head.
Start to notice the sounds around you. The sounds in the space you're in and any sounds of nature around you. Notice any emotions this brings up, knowing there's nothing to do with the emotion, just be aware of it.
Extend your awareness into the distance and notice the sounds that are far away. After some time, bring your awareness back to the room and your body.
With each breath notice the temperature of the air on your skin
Notice any subtle fragrance in the air.
Notice if there is a taste in your mouth.
Take three more nice long deep breaths watching the rise and fall of your body with your breath.
Have a big stretch and open your eyes.
Make a note of any subtle shifts you might feel before you return back to your day.

EXPLORE MORE KUNDALINI MEDITATIONS IN THE ARCHIVE

Living Intentionally (Intentions and Affirmations)

The Yamas and Niyamas are a foundational cornerstone of yoga where we learn Social Ethics: How to Relate to the World and Personal Disciplines: How We Relate to Ourselves.

The Yamas are five ethical principles that guide our interactions with others and society. They help cultivate harmony, integrity, and compassion.

The Niyamas are five self-discipline practices that encourage self-care, self-awareness, and spiritual growth.

In these teachings come the ancient practices that support intentional, healthy, transformative and grounded lifestyles, help to discover direction and commitment, let go of control and surrender to higher powers, practice kindness, compassion and honesty and find balance in life.

(You can purchase this poster here!)

Suggested practice

Each day, reflect and journal on one of the yamas and one of the niyamas and how to apply the qualities to your life in that day.

Deep Rest (Savasana)

Resting is SO important to do within the healing journey. Not only is it important to get adequate sleep in the nighttime, it is also important to consciously rest the body and the mind during periods of stress: if you are suffering body pain, in a period of post-trauma or have experienced big energy shifts (change in beliefs, awakening / ah-huh! moments, changes to lifestyle or relationships). Consciously resting the body allows the physiology and neurology to assimilate the changes in the mental and emotional bodies helping the whole system to come online again in a much more grounded and balanced way.

Offering people 7 - 11 minutes to quietly rest in silence is deeply restorative for their system and is a fabulous way to help their recovery or healing journey.

Suggested practice

Come to lay down with a small towel rolled up under the neck to support the neck arch and a bolster or large cushion under the knees to create an elevation of the legs and a slight angle in the hips. Place an eye pillow or something gentle over the eyes and with each breath consciously relax the parts of the body that are tense or tight. Stay here for at least 7 minutes and if possible up to 11 minutes allowing the body to drop into sleep.

When complete slowly come up, have a drink of water and reflect on any subtle changes that have taken place before returning to the day.

Your Presence (Sadhana - Personal Practice)

The presence you hold in your electromagnetic field creates the instructional field for any space you are in. So if you work in a clinic space that sees many people each day, the energy of your body is going to impact the energy of the space and vice versa.

You can use the quantum mechanic theory of entanglement to positively influence your space and your clients or patients. If you are vital, grounded and at peace - they will be too. Similarly if you are busy, distracted, rushing or running late - they will be too!

Having a personal practice either first thing each day or one that you come back to throughout the day will keep your presence clear and potent and can be the main influencing factor you have on the outcome of your sessions with people.

Suggested practices

Have a daily sadhana (personal yoga & meditation practice). Sitting with yourself each days allows you to practice deep enquiry, It will enable you to know yourself. Giving yourself this time each day will increase your cappacity to hold space for others and listen with a neutral mind..
Pranyama meditations in between clients to clear the field and charge up your energy.
Wash your hands and arms under cold running water to clear your aura
Keep your session room calm, uplifting and energetically clear with plants, crystals, mantra, candles, sage, palo santo or cleansing sprays

EXPLORE THE ARCHIVE FOR KUNDALINI YOGA & MEDITATION PRACTICES TO START A DAILY SADHANA

New Age & Scientific Terminology for Yogic Modalities

Did you know the techniques you might be familiar with originate from the yogic traditions? The western scientific and secular approach often focuses on stress reduction, brain function, and mental health and regards yoga and meditation merely as a form of spiritual enlightenment. (It's arguable that it's likely our connection to spirit is the missing ingredient in our model of medicine.) This is usually described as 'the way we have westernised yoga'. The west has taken the bits it likes from an entire system and left out the parts it doesn't like or assumed didn't do anything or are uncomfortable (aspects like meditation, mantra and chanting).

Further, our western-success-oriented lives have given rise to goal-oriented & performance-based modalities meaning the ancient yogic techniques have been isolated for productivity, focus, and peak performance and have become less recognised for the wholistic practice that they really are.

The beauty of Kundalini Yoga & Meditation is that it keeps all of the aspects of the yoga technology together in every class so the practitioner receives a complete wholistic practice and comes out of their practice feeling grounded, energised, rested and elevated. It is the reason Kundalini Yoga is regarded as the most powerful form of yoga on the planet today and is said that 1 year of consistent Kundalini Yoga & Meditation practice is equivalent to 15 years of consistent Hatha Yoga practice.

Here’s some western scientific terms, techniques and phrases you might be familiar with, which all originate from the ancient yogic technologies:

Pranayama - Yogic Breathing

Breathwork, breathwork therapy, Wim Hoff Method, Rebirthing Breathwork, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), Diaphragmatic Breathing, Belly Breathing, Box Breathing, Coherent Breathing, Alternate Nostril Breathing in Therapy, Oxygen Advantage

Asana - Yoga Postures

Somatic movement, stretching, embodied movement, Interoceptive Awareness Practices, Proprioceptive Movement, Conscious Movement, Therapeutic Postures, Functional Movement Patterns

Meditation

Mindfulness, Mindfulness Based Stres Reduction (MBSR), Somatic Meditation, Eye Movement Desensitisation & Reprocessing (EMDR), Compassion-Based Meditation (Loving-Kindness / Metta), Trauma-Sensitive Meditation, Embodied Awareness, Contemplative Practice, Focused Attention, Mental Training, Cognitive Relaxation, Awareness Practice, Flow State, Guided Visualisation, Mindful Reflection

Savasana - Deep Rest

Non Sleep Deep Rest (NSDR), Restorative Rest, Final Relaxation

Sadhana - Daily Personal Practice

Daily Personal Practice, Mindful Routine, Self-Discipline Practice, Spiritual Ritual, Inner Work, Devotional Practice, Vibrational Alignment, Soul Work, Manifestation Ritual, Conscious Habit Formation, High Performance Routine, Self Mastery Practice, Morning Ritual

Ishnaan - Cold Water Exposure

Cold plunge, ice baths, cold water immersion, cold therapy.

If you'd like to learn more about cultivating health and wellbeing from the immense benefits of yoga and meditation (as being proven by science) join us for our 2025 Healer Training: 250hr+ Kundalini Yoga & Meditation Teacher Training commencing February 21 in Brisbane and live-streamed anywhere in the world.