Thousands of years of wisdom

Viniyoga

Viniyoga is a comprehensive approach to yoga rooted in the authentic Indian teachings passed down from the renowned teacher T. Krishnamacharya, through his son and student, Mr. T.K.V. Desikachar. At the heart of this tradition is the principle of adapting yogic tools to meet the unique needs of each individual.

These tools—including movement, breathwork, chanting, meditation, and self-inquiry—are thoughtfully applied in a one-on-one, therapeutic setting. The practice is not prescriptive or static, but rather evolves in relationship with the student’s life, needs, and capacities over time.

Viniyoga draws from a wide and ancient foundation of Indian wisdom traditions, including:

  • The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali
  • The Bhagavad Gītā
  • the Āyurvedic system of health and wellness
  • and the Pañcamaya model from the Taittirīya Upaniṣad, among others

This approach continues to honor its roots through careful transmission and respect for the teacher-student relationship.

Over two decades of practice

What’s in a name

FIVE WINGS

The name Five Wings Yoga Therapy honors a beautiful, time-tested understanding of the human system known as the Pañcamaya model. This perspective understands the individual as a whole being made up of five interconnected layers:

  • the body (our physical structure),
  • the breath (our energetic flow),
  • the mind (our thoughts and perceptions),
  • our behaviors (how we relate and respond), and
  • our emotions (the feelings that move through us).

Each of these dimensions is imagined as a bird—head, wings, body, and tail. When all parts are in balance, the bird can fly; it can move through life with steadiness and direction. But when something is off—physically, mentally, emotionally—its ability to navigate becomes limited.

This model is one of the many we’ll draw on in our work together. It reminds us that nothing happens in isolation: the state of the body influences the breath, the breath affects the mind, and our thoughts shape how we act and feel. Everything is connected.

Yoga therapy offers a way to gently observe these connections and begin to shift them with intention. From this place of awareness, we can start making choices that arise not from automatic patterns or long-held tension, but from clarity and inner wisdom.