Required Core Modules

First set of modules to complete:

Raja Yoga (82 Hours)

Students join together with senior Integral Yoga teachers for an in-depth study of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali and receive a thorough training in the entire philosophy and psychology of Yoga. The training is a balance of study and practice, emphasizing public speaking skills with focus on a detailed examination of the most important Sutras and how to present these profound teachings.

Adaptive/Gentle/Chair Yoga (80 Hours

Focus on making the teachings of Yoga available to individuals with disabilities and physical challenges by exploring the many ways the Yoga practice can be modified. Adaptive Yoga examines the essential benefits of each asana and Yoga practice to determine how to best implement these practices without strain to one’s physical, mental, or emotional condition. Training hours include lectures and workshops, attending Gentle and Chair Yoga classes in the community, a research project with written report and oral presentation, one-on-one sessions, class presentations, and
reading assignments. Learn adapted and supported poses (including how to modify a class in a chair or bed); anatomy and physiology with an overview of common medical conditions and the major impacts of aging on the physical body; and methods to address special physical, mental, and emotional needs of students who are aging, injured, or have other special needs. Focus on teaching warm-up techniques for gentle joint mobilization and stretches that prepare the body for the asanas and strategies for introducing the more subtle aspects of Yoga practices such as meditation, chanting, deep relaxation and Yoga nidra.

Second set of modules to complete:

Foundations of Integral Yoga Therapy (50 Hours)

Dive into the richness of therapeutic Yoga within the authentic lineage of Integral Yoga. In this  module, we will review essential anatomy and physiology related to common disease processes from  both Yogic and Western medical perspectives. We also will create adjustments to the Integral Yoga  class to meet the needs of individuals in both group and individual settings. Discover new ways to  apply the six branches of Integral Yoga into a therapeutic practice(s), whether it is adapted asana,  devotional practices outside of a “traditional” Yoga setting, or using service as a healing modality.  Participants will develop a mock treatment plan for a client and deepen their understanding of  therapeutic relationships, assessment skills and therapeutic plans.

The Human Body: Ease and Dis-ease (A&P | Pathophysiology) (60 Hours)

Study the form and function of the human body in a unique online module. Explore easeful  movement and mechanisms to return to ease when lost. Learn how diseases and illnesses most often  encountered by Yoga therapists arise and progress from normal physiological functioning. Review  the practical elements and language useful for navigating complex medical systems.

 

Remaining modules to complete:

Healing Relationships (36.5 Hours)

A program developed by Nischala Joy Devi, Healing Relationships specializes in recognizing the  difference between intellectual knowledge and a deeper intuitive experiential understanding. This  training, offered exclusively at Yogaville, is devoted to focusing on the primary importance of the  healing relationship and human connection between therapist and client. Through lecture, practice  and discussion, students will delve into the essential teaching of Yoga to acknowledge the individual  client’s mind-body-spirit consciousness, while increasing awareness of one’s own deeper intuitive  wisdom. This module will help develop, inform, and refine intuitive skills to support healing on a  deeper level while immersing the student in the exceptional experience of studying at Satchidananda  Ashram Yogaville.

Basics of Ayurveda (50 Hours)

Receive a comprehensive introduction to Yoga’s sister science, Ayurveda, traditionally focused on  healing body and mind. With both in-person and online components, learn about main Ayurvedic  concepts and language of Gunas (psychological nature), doshas (mind/body types and imbalances),  and digestive system. Learn the ten pairs of opposites and how climate season and age impact the

gunas (qualities). Discuss the difference between Prakruti (individual nature) and Vikruti (imbalance).  This module facilitates a holistic view of the vast healing potential of Ayurveda, offering insight into  personalized self-care and how to overcome common obstacles to feeling balanced and healthy every  day.

Psychology and Mental Health (50 Hours)

Gain knowledge of Yoga perspectives on body and mind integration, expanding on the Biomedical  Module to include human development and psychology while exploring the application of this  knowledge to the therapeutic relationship. The curriculum will include models of human  development —including developmental stages, lifecycles, and personality and will investigate the  influence of family, society, and culture on medical and psychological health and well-being. Students  will examine Yogic perspectives on the structure, functioning, and conditions of the mind as well as  the interaction of the body, breath, mind, intellect, and emotions in health and well-being.

Stress Management (60 Hours)

This training is designed to give Yoga therapists the essential skills and confidence to teach Yoga as  Stress Management in a wide variety of environments, including the workplace, hospitals, schools,  and many other surroundings. It provides a strong foundation in understanding stress, and  illuminates how the physical and mental Yoga practices empower people to cope with the challenges  of stress in our lives. This training helps make accessible to any population all of the Yoga practices – including the teachings from Raja, Karma, Bhakti and Jnana Yoga.

Restorative/Therapeutic Yoga (80 Hours)  

Participants choose one of the two modules to complete this component 

Restorative Yoga Part 1 and 2 

Restorative Yoga is a deeply rejuvenating element that can be incorporated into any Yoga  practice. Using props, the body is placed in gentle, supported asanas that can be held longer  without physical effort. These poses can be offered to individuals low in energy, or during  times of stress, illness, healing, or crisis. They release mental and physical tension, elicit a  deeper state of relaxation, and allow the body to return to its natural state of balance and  peace. Topics of study include balanced sequences of supported poses for general relaxation,  stress reduction and special needs, safe and effective prop use and maintenance, how to  instruct and adjust restorative poses, Yoga Nidra, supported poses for enhancing pranayama practice, and other healing aspects of Yoga. 

Therapeutic Yoga & Deepening into Therapeutic Yoga  

Therapeutic Yoga teaches the skills to work intelligently with individuals who are living with  chronic illness or injury, as well as pregnant and aging populations. It is a comprehensive  system of Restorative Yoga, Gentle Yoga, breath awareness, hands-on healing modalities, and  guided meditation specifically designed to enhance the body’s own capacity to heal. Using  readily available props such as pillows and blankets to support the body gently, Therapeutic  Yoga offers benefits that are accessible even to those recovering from injury or illness. 

Curriculum includes the physiology of stress and relaxation, Yoga anatomy, the benefits and  contraindications of each posture, the effect of posture on acupuncture meridians, the  implications of scar tissue and adhesions, sequencing guidelines for poses, integrating  postures with breath work and guided meditation, incorporating hands-on healing techniques,  supporting healing in students or clients, and how to give one-on-one Therapeutic Yoga  sessions. 

Integration Module (70 Hours) 

Final module to complete after all others

The Integration Module weaves together all the elements of the Integral Yoga Therapy modules to  ensure participants have assimilated Integral Yoga therapeutic teachings. Course preparation will  include surveys of participant confidence in each main topic, and the course will be directed to fill  

gaps through role playing exercises and practice assessments. Content includes refinement on  practices appropriate to different populations and applying ethics and legal matters through the lens  of Yoga philosophy. Participants will leave this module prepared to work individually with clients as  they venture to build their practice in their own community.

The Elective Modules

Students choose one Elective to become a certified Integral Yoga Therapist (IYTh) 

Yoga of the Heart ( 100 Yoga Alliance Hours)

Focus on sharing Yoga with those at risk for living with heart disease, cancer, or other life-altering illnesses. An evidence-based blend of Eastern and Western therapies, Yoga of the Heart teaches how to safely tailor practices for the individual; the psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of disease; how to interface with the medical community; the virtues of a vegetarian diet; and the basic anatomy and physiology of the cardiovascular and immune systems. Each day of the training includes adaptive Hatha Yoga, practice classes, group meditation, and discussion.

Yoga for Arthritis (Parts 1 & 2) (85 Yoga Alliance Hours)

Developed by Dr. Steffany Moonaz, who has been using the tools of Yoga to improve quality of life and aspects of health for people living with arthritis. She has worked with an interdisciplinary team of medical and healing professionals including rheumatologists, psychologists, public health researchers, and Yoga therapists at an internationally recognized research university to investigate this growing area of interest. The culmination of her doctoral dissertation was the development of a sixteen-class series that combines ancient Yoga practices and modern medical knowledge to address the unique abilities and limitations of individuals with rheumatoid and/or osteoarthritis. Students participating in this program will receive manuals containing sixteen-classes of poses and modification for use in their local communities.

Yoga for Cancer and Chronic Illness: YCat Part 1 (90 Yoga Alliance Hours)

Founded in 1990, YCat is a three-level course designed to work safely with people facing: cancer at any stage, common chronic illnesses, aging, and end of life. Many YCat Yoga therapists are working in
medical settings around the country, including outpatient clinics and infusion centers and inpatient units like bone marrow transplant units. The course provides medical and scientific rationales for each aspect of the curriculum and is research and evidence based. Simultaneously, it is also rich in Swami Satchidananda’s interpretation of the Yoga Sutras with respect to how the teachings of the Sutras can help instructor and client gain control of the mind and the senses when dealing with pain and suffering, illness and disease, life and death, and daily moment-to-moment challenges. Topics of study include aspects of biology, physiology and pathophysiology of cancer, common chronic illnesses, and aging—relevant information to make informed choices regarding health supporting adaptations in movement, breathing, imagery, relaxation, meditation, chanting, and other valuable Yoga practices.

Yoga for the Special Child™ Part 1 (95 Yoga Alliance Hours)

Taught by the internationally renowned Yoga therapist and author Sonia Sumar, whose innovative teaching methods have been improving the lives of children with special needs for more than 30 years, this course provides the essential tools for working with children with special needs. Sumar teaches an integrated series of balanced Yoga poses to increase body awareness and strength, specialized breathing exercises and relaxation techniques to improve concentration, and an early intervention program to assure the healthy formative development of infants, toddlers, and children. Topics of study include how to evaluate infants and children, how to create the optimum home environment, and how to work with specific syndromes and disorders. The curriculum teaches specific techniques for evaluating infants and children up to 3 years of age.

Yoga of Recovery A & B (100 Yoga Alliance Hours)

(Healing the Habits that Bind Us & Between the Meeting and the Mat) This comprehensive module combines Ayurveda and Yoga with traditional recovery tools to offer a more holistic mind, body, and spirit approach to addiction and self-destructive behaviors. Yoga of Recovery invites self-reflection around various addictive processes and guides utilization of the many healing aspects of the Vedic sciences in the recovery process, tracing the roots of addictive behaviors. The course includes physical practice, devotional practices, self-enquiry techniques, psychology, and philosophy and is for anyone interested in a more holistic and complete view of the problem of addiction and its solution.

LifeForce Yoga (Level 1 and 2) ( 100 Yoga Alliance Hours)

Developed by Amy Weintraub, LifeForce Yoga is intentionally designed to work with and manage mood. The practices support students and clients in self-regulation, and many of the Yoga techniques can be done in a chair or bed. Most practices are evidence-based and have been adapted for clinical settings. Rooted in traditional active meditation and self-inquiry that embraces the polarities in our lives, LifeForce Yoga interweaves the power of an ancient discipline with current scientific findings to help one release what’s no longer serving well-being and awaken to a deeper connection to Self. The practice is adapted to the student, so each individual can move into a more balanced (sattvic) and positive emotional, mental, and physical state of equanimity and self-awareness. LifeForce Yoga has developed protocols that can be woven into any style Yoga practice and adapted to fit individual needs, beliefs, and values. Practices include pranayama and kriya breathing techniques that regulate the emotions, meditations that lift the mood, creating affirmation (sankalpa), LifeForce Yoga Bhavana (Imagery), LifeForce Yoga Chakra Clearing Meditation, LifeForce Yoga Nidra, tones that regulate the emotions (mantras), yoga asanas suitable for multi level practitioners, nondual self-inquiry through writing and Dyad sharing.

Module Schedule

Core Modules:

Electives: