Karmuka Yoga · Online Yoga Therapy
How we support the body can change how we breathe, move and experience ourselves.
At Karmuka Yoga, online yoga therapy brings posture, breathing and mindful attention into one practice. Developed by Dr. Michelle Goodrick, psychologist, researcher and yoga therapy educator, this approach connects traditional practice with scientific inquiry into the relationship between body, brain and mind.
Why might a change in posture affect how you feel? Why can breathing feel easier in one position than another? These questions are central to yoga therapy, where physical practice becomes a way to explore the relationship between bodily support, attention and wellbeing.
Practising yoga online offers an opportunity to explore these connections at home, with guidance that helps you notice your own responses rather than simply copy the shape of a posture.
The Body–Brain Connection and the Vagus Nerve
Communication between the body and brain travels in both directions. Signals from the heart, lungs and digestive system contribute to our internal sense of the body, known as interoception. The brain, in turn, helps regulate bodily activity.
The vagus nerve is one important pathway within this communication network. It carries sensory information from internal organs towards the brain and participates in parasympathetic regulation, including influences on heart rate and digestion.
This relationship is more complex than a simple on/off switch for stress. Breathing, movement, attention, health and our surroundings all contribute to how we feel and respond.
In yoga therapy, posture is an opportunity to explore how physical support influences breathing, comfort and awareness.
How Posture and Movement Relate to Mood
Research has explored how posture and movement relate to emotional experience. In one experimental study, changing participants’ walking patterns influenced the balance of positive and negative words they later remembered. Other research has investigated posture feedback training and self-reported wellbeing.
These findings suggest that the way we move and hold ourselves can contribute to our experience. They do not mean that a slumped posture causes depression, or that sitting upright will resolve anxiety.
For yoga therapy, the practical question is more personal: what changes when you find a position that offers more support and less unnecessary effort? You may notice a difference in breathing, comfort or attention. Those observations help guide the practice.
Breathing, Stress and Attention
Posture can influence the mechanics of breathing. How the ribs, spine and abdomen are supported may change how freely breathing feels. A position that looks upright is not necessarily helpful if maintaining it requires tension or strain.
Research on contemplative practices has proposed breathing as one pathway through which yoga and meditation may influence autonomic regulation. Slower, comfortable breathing can affect heart-rate patterns associated with parasympathetic activity, although the mechanisms and individual responses vary.
When we feel stressed or threatened, attention can become occupied with immediate concerns. A supported practice offers space to notice tension, observe breathing and explore a more comfortable response, without forcing relaxation or expecting a particular result.
Three Principles for a More Attentive Practice
1. Begin with support.
Notice your contact with the floor, chair or wall. Explore whether a small adjustment helps you feel more stable without becoming rigid.
2. Let breathing guide the effort.
Observe whether your position allows comfortable breathing. Ease back or change the support if you find yourself straining or holding your breath.
3. Observe your response.
Notice changes in comfort, attention and mood. Your experience matters more than achieving an ideal-looking posture.
This exploration can begin at the feet. How we meet the ground influences the support available to the rest of the body. Read more about
the foundations of yoga asana and therapeutic practice.
Online Yoga Therapy with Dr. Michelle Goodrick
Karmuka Yoga’s online yoga therapy integrates attention to physical posture with breathing and self-observation. Dr. Michelle Goodrick brings together her background in psychology, yoga therapy and neuroimaging research to inform an approach rooted in tradition and open to scientific investigation.
The practice draws on yoga, Yamuna Body Rolling and supportive props. Depending on the session, a chair, wall, blocks, belts or blankets can make it easier to explore movement and support without forcing the body into a fixed shape.
In online classes, these tools bring the exploration into your everyday environment. The intention is to develop a clearer understanding of your own body and responses, with learning that can extend beyond the mat.
Karmuka Yoga · Practise Online
Explore the Connection Between Body, Breath and Mind
Discover online yoga therapy with Karmuka Yoga and Dr. Michelle Goodrick. Develop a practice that encourages curiosity, physical support and mindful attention.
Research Behind the Discussion
These publications provide background on body–brain communication, breathing and posture. They are not clinical trials of Karmuka Yoga’s online programme.
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Brain-heart interactions in the neurobiology of consciousness
(2022). -
Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity
(2018). -
Effect of Posture Feedback Training on Health
(2020). -
How we walk affects what we remember: Gait modifications through biofeedback change negative affective memory bias
(2015).