BENGALURU: Bryce Delbridge has been practising yoga for more than 15 years, but prefers to be called a yoga therapist and not a yogi. Recently in the city to conduct a workshop, he explains the difference between a yoga therapist and a teacher. “A yoga teacher will teach a particular lineage of practices while a therapist has an experience in different lineages and draws ideas from it to customise a therapy, according to an individual’s needs,” says 30-year-old Delbridge.
This is his fourth visit to India, and he says he has never felt more at home. With the outbreak of Covid-19, one would assume he would be finicky about personal health but seemed completely at ease with the whole situation. “I believe that most health issues could be cured through yoga and I am a witness myself. It shoots up the immunity like one would assume a magic pill to do. Of course, one needs to follow some basic guidelines,” Delbridge says. He began practising Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga from the age of 15, after being diagnosed with severe scoliosis. Facing the option of full spinal fusion, he was suggested by his family friends to try yoga.
“I come from a family who works in the field of construction and at the age of 15, I had no goals in life. But when I tried yoga, I felt at home. It gave me a new direction to life,” says Delbridge, who at the age of 20, travelled to Mysuru to pursue the BNS Iyengar form of yoga. He says the form of yoga he practises is slightly different from the traditional form.
“Usually, people start their sessions with Surya Namaskar but for me, that comes last. There are so many parts of your muscles which need stimulation. I practise certain stretches, which will wake those muscles to avoid any damage during the Surya Namaskar, which is usually intense,” says Delbridge, further adding that those movements are customised, according to individuals and that is when these therapies help.
Hailing from Oklahama, Delbridge does not own a studio, rather he prefers working with individuals to understand their specific needs. Some of his students include patients suffering from cancer, scoliosis and paralysis. The list of students includes many doctors too. Calling it a new form of therapy, Delbridge says this form is slowly getting popular among people in USA.
Organisations like International Association of Yoga Therapists are working towards making this an official form of therapy where people can claim insurance on it.According to him, yoga therapy is a lucrative profession. “This can give you a comfortable life financially, but you need to have your own individualism in it. It will never work out well if you do not understand the practices thoroughly,” adds Delbrige, who has also travelled to Europe this year for workshops.