• With the challenges of giving individual attention to students in group classes, it can be difficult to really have a meaningful impact in the lives of students and empower them to create change.

  PLUS, with the upheaval of the pandemic, many yoga teachers have been left wondering how to keep working in the field of yoga in a way that isn't so severely impacted by sudden lockdowns and social distancing restrictions.

  Are you looking for a way to expand your yoga teaching that doesn't rely on group classes?

  Are you a teacher who is looking to deepen your yoga knowledge and bring about more powerful positive transformations in your students?

  Do you ever wonder why some of your students seem to make little progress in their practice?

  Are you just curious about the field of yoga therapy or designing personalised yoga practices?

  Learning the art of developing yoga-based practices to meet a spectrum of individual needs (including therapeutic needs) is the basis for the work of a Yoga therapist and opens up a whole range of possibilities.

  Developing this foundation will transform your knowledge, experience and effectiveness as a yoga teacher.

  All the skills and practices you'll learn are geared towards mindfulness, wellbeing, empowering and providing helpful change in the lives of your students. 

   

  Once yoga teachers have completed this Foundations of Yoga Therapy module (or had exceptions or RPL approved - see below), the other yoga therapy modules can be enjoyed in any sequence.   The average length of time for eligible yoga teachers to complete the entire 650-hour Yoga Therapy Training is about 2 years.   

FOUNDATIONS OF YOGA THERAPY – Key Concepts and Learning Objectives

The Foundations module has been carefully designed to provide a solid course to transition Yoga Teachers into the field of Yoga Therapy.  To ensure a quality learning experience for our students we offer a range of resources aimed to best support each student in their pursuit of knowledge development and clinical experience.

The Yoga Therapy Framework

• Develop an understanding of what is Yoga cikitsa (Yoga Therapy)? 
• Learn The Yogic perspective on health and illness.
• You will be informed on the context of Yoga therapy in traditional texts and teachings of Yoga, including the Vedas and Upanishads, the Bhagavad Gita, the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and the Yoga Rahasya.
• Provided with the opportunity to consider the emergence of modern Yoga therapy, and its place in the field of complementary therapies.

Founding Principles of Yoga Therapy

• Review the panca maya model (or five koshas).
• Exploration of the multi-dimensional nature of being human in the context of Yoga therapy
• Exploration of yoga energetics and the five prana vayus and its relevance in Yoga therapy.
• Develop a sound understanding of the principle of viniyoga – that being teaching yoga according to varying needs, abilities, and goals of each individual or group.

Therapeutic Application of Yoga Practices

• Build and further develop tools and techniques to enable the development of an appropriate personalised yoga practice, yoga tools that are considered include asana (postures), pranayama (seated breathing practices), meditation, relaxation, mindfulness, yoga nidra, visualisations, sound, mudra, mantra and more.
• The application of energizing and calming practices in Yoga therapy
• The how to integrate yoga practice and lifestyle.

Yoga Therapy Skills Development

• Develop skills that enable you to design yoga practices for a range of individual needs and therapeutic application.
• In this module you will be provided with a framework that guides a Yoga Therapist to work effectively in one-one sessions.
• Rich learning opportunities in class room and in the clinical setting to develop competency in the assessment & history taking process.
• Learn and develop important communication skills to enhance your listening and skills to connect and hold space with individuals in the context of yoga therapy

Interpersonal and Communication skills for Yoga Therapists

• Develop communication skills when working one-one with Yoga Therapy clients. The skills developed are similar to, but not necessarily the same as, those required for a professional or therapeutic relationship, such as coaching, counselling, or psychotherapy.

Understanding Research

• Evidence-Based Approaches & Development of Research: Understanding yoga-related clinical research, and development of student research projects. Understanding research is a valuable skill set as a Yoga Therapist to allow staying fresh with emerging findings and modern science.

Module Components

Module Inclusions 

This Module involves 100+ hours of training, and gives you:

• 70 hours of classes (face to face and online)
• access to the online learning portal
• 2 hours of individual Mentoring with your Program Mentor
• resources to facilitate 30+ hours of self-directed learning
• reading material and other learning tools
• assessment of your written work
• partial completion of the registered Yoga Therapy Training Course

Who are the teachers?

Michael is one of the most highly respected yoga teachers in Australia, with over 30 years teaching experience. He has undertaken extensive studies with renowned teacher TKV Desikachar, in the authentic tradition of T Krishnamacharya. Read more.

Lisa has been practicing and teaching yoga since the mid-90s. Lisa values individuality and working with students to facilitate a better understanding of their unique and changing needs. Her understanding and personal practice has since been strongly influenced by the teachings as translated by Sri T Krishnamacharya. Read more.

Lucy brings over 25 years of experience training and consulting in the field of person-to-person communication and has studied extensively in both Australia and the USA.  Lucy passionately believes that by practising Yoga, in whatever form is available to an individual, healing will occur. Read more.

Prior Learning & Course Recognition

This module is a pre-requisite for all other modules in the full yoga therapy training course. However, some yoga teachers may be eligible for some Recognised Prior learning (RPL): 

500-hour Graduates of The Yoga Institute: Graduates of our diploma level teacher training course, will receive Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) credit and are not required to complete this entire module as a pre-requisite to participating in remaining Yoga Therapy training modules.   Our 500-hour Teacher Training Graduates only need to complete two topics from the Foundations of Yoga Therapy module as co-requisites to pursue any other yoga therapy training modules: 

 - Advanced Pranayama with Michael de Manincor, and 

 - Interpersonal Communication & Therapeutic Skills for Yoga Therapy with Lucy Karnani

Our Teacher Training Graduates can get in touch for more information. 

Graduates of other teacher training courses that cover one-to-one yoga teaching:  may also apply for RPL.

This Module can be taken as a stand alone professional development program, or it can be taken as part of the complete Yoga Therapy Training Course qualification. Yoga Teachers who attend this module as a standalone unit receive Yoga Australia CPD points equivalent to 100hrs.

Pre-requisites for entry

There are requirements to register for this unit :

• pre-entry guidelines are specified in the Yoga Therapy Training Course Requirements

If you are a yoga teacher who does not yet have 350 hours of teacher training (or the equivalent of Level 1 Yoga Australia membership), talk to us about creating a pathway towards Yoga Therapy Training.   

Assessment

This is a competency-based unit, so students will be assessed to demonstrate competency. In the circumstance where competency is not demonstrated on first submission, re-submission will be possible.

Assessment of this module includes:

• Full attendance at all face to face classes *
• Full attendance at all live webinars *
• Undertaking pre and post lecture study tasks as directed
• Successful completion and submission of workbooks following webinars?
• Successful completion of practicum tasks relevant to each Module
• One other written assessment task related to the Module content

* If any face to face or live webinar sessions are missed (under exceptional circumstances only) the student will be required to complete adequate ‘make up’ tasks as set by the teacher for that class, including but not limited to viewing of any recordings of the class session (where available), and answering reflective questions set by the teacher. An additional cost will be incurred by the student for these sessions.

Since 2001 we've taught and mentored hundreds of students who have gone on to become amazing yoga teachers and therapists.

We've grown a beautiful community of people who have changed their own lives and the lives of others through exceptional yoga teaching. We are humbled to have been part of so much positive change.

We hope you'll join us for the next step on your yoga journey...