It's all connected.
 

Case Studies

In her yoga therapy practice, Pamela has treated many different types of mental, emotional and physical conditions, including knee, hip and back pain, Scoliosis, Osteoporosis, Anxiety, Depression, Tourette Syndrome, Arthritis and others including the four case studies presented here:  Cancer, PTSD, Down Syndrome and Piriformis Syndrome.  Read below for more in depth information about their treatment.

 
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Down Syndrome

Female, 49, presents with Down syndrome (DS), associated upper cervical weakness along with frustration and confidence issues.  Research states repetitive visual clues can foster self learning in DS due to shorter attention and retention spans, so her treatment is conducted in short sessions with Pamela repeatedly and slowly demonstrating every posture, breath or movement.

Cancer

 Male, 64, Vietnam veteran, presented with cancer, post-surgery to remove prostate with continual three month treatments to eliminate all testosterone.  He acknowledged symptoms of depression due to loss of sexual function and long term issues with scoliosis, osteitis pubis and TMJ.  He was a survivor of parental child abuse. 

Piriformis Syndrome

Male, 36, international music performer, presented with lower back pain, piriformis syndrome and pelvic floor imbalance.  Client was exacerbating his condition with overly strenuous workouts, which he modified, but was unable to discontinue constant powerful movements on stage in his concert venues.

PTSD

Male, 65, highly educated with multiple masters degrees presented with severe and long term post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and panic attacks from prolonged parental sexual abuse as a child.  He often had suicidal thoughts and extreme hypersensitivities to most normal clothing, bedding, towels, etc.   He also was suffering from shoulder injuries and deep vein thrombosis in the right leg. 

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Client Reviews

“I am so grateful to work with Pamela. She is an incredible yoga therapist. She is kind, patient, intuitive and thorough. Our sessions together bring me clarity and perspective. Pamela is a great guide and allows me to see myself and my journey with compassion and grace. My anxiety has greatly lessened by applying the tools she has taught me through yoga therapy practice. ”
— Jessica, Yoga Therapy Client
 
“By Pamela’s own reckoning, yoga therapy “is the slowest therapy in the world”, but I can enthusiastically testify that it is a most effective therapy. And Pamela is a very patient and helpful guide. I’m the person who does the work and I’m the one who has to deal with the emotional fallout, but Pamela has been and continues to be a wonderful, thoughtful and dedicated guide in that journey. I cannot say enough positive things about her yoga instruction. I still have many roads to walk before I will be fully recovered from this materials hypersensitivity (I’m 65 now and have been in PTSD therapy for 35 years), but I can say, without any doubt, that Pamela Todd is a phenomenally caring, and emotionally connective yoga therapy guide. My life was quite literally saved by her assistance, for which I am deeply grateful.”
— Yoga Therapy Client, PTSD Case Study

The review above is an excerpt from the end of the client’s review. To read this client’s full review, click the button below.

“Because of the yoga therapy Pamela has been teaching my partner, he was able to face his fears and stress with more positive strength. Yes, his mental health therapist and I, as his loving partner, are very important, but Pamela’s guidance was the link to allow him to begin bleeding off these horrible terrors in a daily regimen.”
— Caregiver and Partner of Yoga Therapy Client, PTSD Case Study
“Pamela quickly got to the reasons for my pain. She was compassionate but at the same time pointed about my therapy.

I have cancer. The cancer never hurt but the surgery and medicine changed me. Pamela used my previous experiences with yoga and developed a specific yoga practice for me that turned me up and made all the difference. I am a war veteran too (and other bad experiences) and Pam helped me understand how my body stores the reactions in a certain part, and how it accumulates over the years to drag me down physically and mentally.

I felt every session with her as though she was trying every minute to reach and help me. Over time, I trusted her with more of my secrets. She remained composed even though sometime my words were shocking.

Pamela was instrumental for me in recovering from my issues and I commend her to you. She knows about what is inside of you and how to attack the bad stuff through yoga therapy.”
— Yoga Therapy Client, Cancer Case Study
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Learn More

The International Association of Yoga Therapists

IAYT, or The International Association of Yoga Therapists, is a great place to learn more about yoga therapy.

 
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Pamela Todd is an IAYT certified yoga therapist.  

 

Meet Pamela Todd

Pamela Todd is a practicing yoga therapist in Saint Louis, Missouri, where she also teaches several ongoing weekly yoga classes.  In her first career she received a bachelor's degree in interior design from the University of Missouri, Columbia and worked in the field for thirty-five years.  Weary of the egocentric nature of design, Pamela wants her second career in yoga therapy to be focused on giving back and helping others to thrive.  She dedicates herself to this every day.

Initially Pamela thought her focal yoga therapy clients would be similar to herself, “baby boomers” and in particular those with chronic pain and bone loss, two things with which she has first-hand experience.  She certainly has treated these conditions in clients, but also has developed a diverse clientele, ages 14 to 80, presenting with Tourettes syndrome, post-traumatic stress syndrome, cancer, Down syndrome and many other ailments and conditions. To keep pace with this broad range of need, Pamela continues to research and receive education, with the idea of treating the whole person (not just their symptoms) as a primary approach.

Pamela received her 200 hour yoga teacher training in St. Louis with YogaSource in 2011.  Her 500 hour yoga therapy training was the Inner Peace program at the ashram in Mount Madonna, California completed in 2013.  In this program Pamela learned from yoga therapists with many areas of expertise:  Amy Weintraub (yoga for depression), Nischala Joy Devi (yoga for heart health), Durga (yoga of recovery), Antonio Sausys (yoga for grief), Maria Mendola (Functional Yoga Therapy and anatomy), Neil Pearson (Life is Now Pain Care), Mark Halpern (ayurvedic principles) and Karen Solstes (iRest Yoga Nidra).

Subsequent trainings have included three mentorships in anatomy, chronic pain and cancer.  Pamela also is a graduate of the Advanced Assessment and Treatment Program offered by Functional Yoga Therapy.

Pamela received her international yoga therapy certification from the International Association of Yoga Therapy (IAYT)  in 2017.  She is dedicated to ongoing training and is a regular participant at IAYT symposiums.

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What is Yoga Therapy?

Certified as a yoga therapist by the IAYT, Pamela endorse this organization’s definition of Yoga Therapy:  “The process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of yoga.”  Yoga has been practiced for several thousand years, but the health benefits are just now being more recognized in the western world.  For more information, see the link to the IAYT website.  

As part of a holistic approach, Yoga Therapy seeks to unite body, mind and spirit giving each of us the tools to help ourselves heal, including controlled breath work, body postures, mental affirmations and relaxation/meditative techniques.

ABOVE: Introducing a client to the complete breath.  BELOW: Gentle adjustments help open heart space and facilitate breathwork.

ABOVE: Introducing a client to the complete breath.  BELOW: Gentle adjustments help open heart space and facilitate breathwork.

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Better posture can be achieved with wall alignments.

Better posture can be achieved with wall alignments.

Yoga therapy is not affiliated with any religion. It does not require athleticism and can be a vital part of a medical team therapeutic approach.  Treatments are usually more effective when done in your home, at your schedule and pace, which adds to the affordability and comfort-level of yoga therapy.

A client in yoga nidra, guided relaxation.

A client in yoga nidra, guided relaxation.

 

In her yoga therapy practice, Pamela often uses ayurvedic and somatic tools to alleviate pain and to address specific conditions or problems.  Ayurveda is the sister science to yoga and has been an important part of the medical profession in the far east for many years.  Somatics uses a series of gentle movements to alleviate the cumulative negative effects of stress on the body. Her job as a yoga therapist is to draw from the vast body of knowledge about yoga to help you on the path to vibrant health. This process is discussed in the section “Getting Started.”