Yoga Therapy
with Polly Manke
Experience the Mind-Body-Spirit Connection
Yoga therapy is a personalized, therapeutic approach to healing that supports the body, mind, and nervous system.
Using Integrated Yoga & Movement Therapy (IYMT), The Heart Center Founder, Polly Manke, works one-to-one with clients to address specific health concerns while supporting overall well-being. Each session draws from yoga, breathwork, meditation, neuro-developmental movement, and Reiki. Sessions take place at The Heart Center studio in Chagrin Falls, Ohio.
While private yoga focuses on building a yoga practice, yoga therapy is designed to support healing, helping you work with your body in a safe, intentional, and deeply supportive way.
How Yoga Therapy Can Help
Yoga therapy works with your body and mind’s natural capacity to heal and regulate.
It can help with:
Stress, anxiety, and overwhelm
Depression and grief
Chronic pain (back, hip, shoulder, arthritis)
Injury, surgery recovery, or illness
Neurological conditions and brain injury
Cancer treatment and recovery
Healthy aging and mobility
It can also be a meaningful complement to medical care or an alternative to talk therapy, and is appropriate for children, teens, and adults.
A Personalized, Therapeutic Approach
Each Yoga Therapy session begins with an understanding of your needs, health history, and goals, and evolves as your body and nervous system respond.
Together, you and Polly may work with:
Gentle movement and yoga postures
Breathwork and meditation
Neuro-developmental movements
Reiki and therapeutic touch
This work supports not only strength, flexibility, and mobility, but also a greater sense of ease, resilience, and connection.
Neuro-Developmental Movement
Polly integrates neuro-developmental movements, which support the integration of primitive reflexes - early patterns that shape how the brain and body function.
When these reflexes remain active, they can impact coordination, learning, sensory processing, and emotional regulation.
This work can be beneficial for individuals of all ages, including those experiencing developmental delays, ADHD, neurological conditions, or recovery from injury or stroke.
A Story of Healing
Polly has had the honor of supporting clients through all stages of life, including those facing profound medical challenges.
One such client, Margaret, was a vibrant 13-year-old who had been attending yoga classes with her mother when she was diagnosed with lymphoma in March 2020. After beginning chemotherapy, she experienced a severe reaction that resulted in an anoxic brain injury.
Margaret spent months in a minimally conscious state and was eventually placed in hospice care. And yet, in the quiet, supportive environment of hospice, something began to shift: her brain started to wake up. By the spring of 2021, she had improved enough to be discharged and return home.
When Margaret came home, she required full support —unable to speak, walk, sit up, or care for herself. It was at this point that Polly begin providing one-to-one yoga therapy with Margaret, integrating Reiki, gentle movement, breathwork, and neuro-developmental practices alongside the care of her medical team and the unwavering support of her family and community.
Over time, Margaret began to regain strength, awareness, and connection.
Today, she speaks clearly, has returned to school, and continues to make meaningful progress. With determination and support, she now climbs the stairs to Polly’s studio for her sessions…one step at a time.
Her journey, and the role of integrative, compassionate care in her healing, was later featured in National Geographic (June 2022).
Ready to See How Yoga Therapy Can Help You?
Yoga therapy is for every body. You don’t need prior experience, and you don’t need to be physically active to begin.
If you’re navigating a health challenge or simply seeking deeper support, this work meets you where you are.
Schedule an appointment with Polly to get started.
Looking for guidance in building a personal yoga practice? Explore Private Yoga Instruction.
Testimonials