Pat Barnes, MS, OT, C-IAYT

I started practicing yoga in the 1970s, teaching myself from books since yoga teachers were not as accessible back then. That experience influenced my belief that yoga should be accessible to people of all ages and abilities. If you can breathe, you can practice yoga!

In 2003 I completed a 200- hour yoga teacher training from the Yoga Center of Columbia, and I became registered with Yoga Alliance. In 2011 I completed a 300- hour Therapeutic Yoga teacher training through yama studio in Baltimore. I presented at The Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR), sponsored by the International Association of Yoga Therapists in June of 2016 and 2017. In 2016 I also attained certification as a Yoga Therapist through the International Association of Yoga Therapists, C-IAYT. I earned a certificate in Mindfulness Meditation as well

There is a growing body of evidence to support the benefits of yoga and meditation for all types of conditions, from arthritis to back and neck pain, cancer, neurological disorders, depression, anxiety and PTSD. My experience in working with yoga therapy clients individually and in small group classes has confirmed what the research has demonstrated. As I have experienced the transformative benefits of yoga therapy for myself, I have witnessed them in my clients as well! I have found the whole-person approach of yoga therapy very rewarding in establishing trusting collaborative relationships with my clients, empowering them to utilize the tools and practices of yoga to experience the benefits.

I am a licensed Occupational Therapist as well, with over 30 years of experience working primarily with aging clients. My special interest in healthy aging spans the disciplines of occupational therapy and yoga therapy, and lends itself to the integrative health model of practice.