Brittany Capozzi, a Certified Yoga Therapist, offers a healing combination of movement, sensory awareness, breath and unfiltered writing. Having experienced a neonatal stroke that affected one side of her body with cerebral palsy, Capozzi spent her early years hiding her body and keeping herself safe by steering away from physical activities. She found solace in writing. After college, she created a life list of physical activities to try and discovered passions for belly dancing and yoga.

“While engaging in these activities,” she recalls, “I forgot to hide my right side, and the movement helped me feel a different way in my body. Belly dancing brought me a sense of wholeness.”

As Capozzi completed her core studies in anatomy, physiology and psychology in her accredited yoga therapy training program, she came to understand what was behind using the tools of yoga—movement, stillness and philosophy in a therapeutic context. “In yoga therapy,” Capozzi explains, “we’re using elements of yoga in ways that are accessible and individualized to support healing. At the same time, we’re learning about the physical, emotional and mental patterns that shape how we move and experience ourselves. Yoga is not limited to postures. It cultivates steadiness of mind, reconnects the body, breath and different layers of awareness, inviting a felt-sense of freedom—even if it’s only a glimmer. For many, this is a gentle reintroduction to their nervous system. This is where healing begins.”

Seeing a client as a whole person dealing with a health situation, Capozzi developed a process for how to manage physical, emotional or mental symptoms and aim toward a goal. Progress can be made through a series of sessions. Each yoga therapy session begins by checking in with a personal body diagram—the “mini-mirror”—to see how different areas are doing and what the client may be noticing—or not noticing—while considering the overall goal. “From there,” says Capozzi, “I assess what healing tools may be best for that day. Some sessions may have a few small functional movements in them, while others may have more rest or breath work. This will depend on context.” This is how yoga therapy differs from yoga classes; the yoga tools are tailored to the individual and their health goals.

In addition to the traditional yoga tools, Capozzi also uses the belly dancing coin scarf when appropriate. This tool, familiar to dancers as it trains their movements, can be used in a therapeutic setting without performance. When a client explores small functional movement, the coin scarf can tell him/her what area of the body is moving where in space by sound, sight, even smell. The weight also allows one to explore inner sensation.

“There’s no dishonesty in movement,” she states. “We’re learning about our nervous system when we witness what’s happening.”

Capozzi works with her clients toward a clearer understanding of movement, the effect of breath movement upon the rest of the body and heightened awareness of physical, emotional and mental patterns. These clarifications reinforce ease and control over the symptoms of feeling disconnected. “Clients are able to express and experience who they are with confidence and a sense of wholeness,” affirms Capozzi.

Capozzi’s Trust Fall Writing technique complements the yoga therapy with a gentle self-care practice for those wanting to quiet the inner critic and reconnect with honest expression. This method is influenced by the Wild Writing approach taught by Laurie Wagner. Capozzi uses poetry as the starting point, and she encourages writing continuously and honestly, letting intuitive thoughts arrive before judgment does.

In addition to virtual and in-person one-on-one sessions, Capozzi offers Compass Yoga—trauma-informed yoga classes—free, at the SAFE Coalition recovery center, in Franklin, Massachusetts, from 8:30 to 9:30 a.m. on Saturdays. This therapeutic yoga series focuses on offering predictability, fostering autonomy, and cultivating sensory awareness. Using trauma-responsive teaching methods, Capozzi creates a safe space where invitational language and personal choice help participants reconnect with their authentic selves and build self-agency in their healing journeys.

“Like a compass,” she explains, “each person has a choice of directions available to them. They can stay in stillness, explore movement or change their mind completely. Holding a small compass at the start of class serves as a sensory and grounding tool to help participants stay present and attuned to their sensations through something tangible.”

October 29, 2026, is World Stroke Day and Capozzi will be teaching Community Spotlight Live from 7 to 8 p.m. on October 13 with Stroke Onward through their Stroke Onward Community Circle platform Circle.StrokeOnward.org. People can also connect with Stroke Onward on Facebook @StrokeOnward.

Across yoga therapy, movement, sensory awareness and writing, Capozzi’s work centers on the same invitation: to listen inward, become curious about what the body is communicating and discover new possibilities for being in it. Whether through a small movement, a breath, a sound or a few honest words on a page, she encourages clients to trust their own experience and find a direction that feels authentic.