Welcome to your Clinical Yoga Therapy Training! We are so grateful that you have chosen to embark on this journey with MVP, and we look forward to guiding you through this transformative experience.

Whether you are looking to work one-on-one with clients or work in a healthcare facility or hospital, this training will provide you with the tools and knowledge you need to understand the foundations of yoga therapy.

This three-part article series will provide a high-level breakdown of the Clinical Yoga Therapy program to help you better understand what to expect from the training, how to navigate the course, and where to find the resources you’ll need. 

 

Table of contents:

• Included Learning Modalities
  • Lectures (Live and Recorded Options) 
  • Reading
  • Self-Reflection Journal Prompts
  • Personal Practice Development
  • Case Study Homework
  • Monthly Mentorship Meetings
• Overview of Topics Covered
  • Module 1
  • Module 2
  • Module 3
• Breakdown of Mentorship Hours-Module 3

 

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Included Learning Modalities

Yoga is an immersive and comprehensive practice that will ask us to explore ourselves and the world through a variety of learning modalities. Similarly, this training is made up of a variety of learning components that include:

• Lectures (live and recorded options)
• Reading
• Self-reflection journal prompts
• Personal practice development
• Case Study Homework 
• Monthly Mentorship Meetings

 

Lectures (Live and recorded options)

For Module 1 / Applied Yoga, students have the choice to attend the 5-day courses live (in-person or online) or watch the Zoom recordings.

For Module 2, students must attend six out of the eight 5-day courses live-streamed with 70% attendance (cameras on and participation encouraged). The other two courses of their choice may be completed asynchronously

 

Reading

In Module 1 / Applied Yoga, there are reading requirements both on the learning platform itself, as well as these required books:

• Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
• The Bhagavad Gita
• Heart of Yoga by TKV Desikachar
• Yoga for Wellness by Gary Kraftsow

 

Self-Reflection Journal Prompts

Throughout the course, there are many self-reflective journal prompts for you to explore.

 

Personal Practice Development

Throughout the course, there are many sequences that you will be asked to create for differing populations or diseases, which will require outside research. We recommend the following resources: 

• Yoga for Wellness by Gary Kraftsow
• Structural Yoga Therapy: Adapting to the Individual by Mukunda Stiles
• Yoga of the Subtle Body: A Guide to the Physical and Energetic Anatomy of Yoga by Tias Little
• https://www.mayoclinic.org/
• https://meridian.allenpress.com/ijyt
• https://www.iayt.org/page/ResearchSummary1
• https://www.health.harvard.edu/

 

Case Study Homework

In Sections 1-15 of the Applied Yoga / Module 1, you will be submitting and presenting the case study for each section. Students are strongly recommended to have worked on the case study the month before the corresponding Cohort session for the section assigned to that mentorship meeting. 

 

Monthly Mentorship Meetings

When you are accepted into the Clinical Yoga Therapy program, you will be assigned a mentor and a Cohort group. Your mentor will facilitate the 2-hour monthly Mentorship Meetings for your Cohort group and will grade your homework submissions.  In the Mentorship Meetings, the mentor will facilitate a discussion around the assigned case study for the month.

 

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Overview of Topics Covered

The following are the topics that will be covered in the Clinical Yoga Therapy program by Module:

 

Module 1

Subtle Bodies | 30 hours

Take an in-depth look at the subtle bodies that make up the human experience. Learn how the Panchamaya Kosha system integrates with the Nadi system and parallels the meridians. Learn how the physical body is connected to the astral and causal bodies and how physical disease moves from subtle to the gross body.

 

Adaptive Yoga | 40 hours

Learn how to adapt yoga to meet the needs of special populations. In this course, you will learn how to create functional sequences and protocols for students who have mobility issues, require seated support, are confined to wheelchairs, need special modifications, are blind, or deaf.

 

Trauma-Informed Yoga | 40 hours

Our trauma-informed yoga certification is both a required course in module 1 and an independent certification. In the trauma-informed yoga course, students learn the mechanisms of trauma and how trauma is stored in the body. You learn the process of pendulation, titration, and pratipaksha bhavana and how to integrate these tools into asana, pranayama, and meditation. Students who complete the program will leave with the confidence and tools to work with large groups and individuals who have experienced trauma and are looking to heal through yoga.

 

Ayurveda | 40 hours

Our Ayurveda course teaches the history and foundations of Ayurveda, giving you appropriate knowledge of the sister science of yoga. Students will understand the tattvas, the tri-doshic system, the disease process, and the mechanisms of healing. This course is intended to provide foundational knowledge for personal and professional purposes.

 

Yoga Nidra | 40 hours

Our Yoga Nidra course teaches the history, foundations, and applications of Yoga Nidra. Students will learn the mechanisms of the practice and how it works on the cognitive function of the mind. Students will be able to teach three unique styles of Yoga Nidra and will have the confidence to use this transformative tool with multiple populations.

 

Yoga Therapy Applications for Pranayama | 60 hours

In this course, students will learn the mechanisms and effects of pranayama on the physical and energetic body as it relates to mental perception. Students will learn multiple types of pranayama, contraindications, and teaching methods. Students can expect to be comfortable teaching pranayama in various settings.

 

Yoga Therapy Applications for Anxiety | 40 hours

In this course, students will learn how to leverage the tools of asana, pranayama, and pratyahara to help clients find comfort and ease in the midst of symptoms of anxiety.

 

(Please note that if you are enrolled in the 300-hour course within Module 1, you must complete all those course requirements)

 

Module 2

Trainees have the option to enroll in 8 out of the following 9 modules for certification.

 

Yoga for Recovery | 50 hours

In this course, students learn how to leverage the tools of yoga to help clients who are working through addiction. This course prepares students to work in group settings as well as one on one with clients.

 

Biology of Yoga | 50 hours

In this course, students learn the biological mechanisms found in the Nadi system and how to leverage these mechanisms to improve the energetic function of the pranamaya kosha. Students will have a clinical understanding of how medication is processed through the Nadis and how it affects various organ systems in the body.

 

The Psychology of Yoga | 50 hours

Students will learn the psychological mechanisms of the brainstem, midbrain, and frontal lobe and how they respond chemically and behaviorally to trauma, interpersonal conflict, environmental stress, and grief. Students will learn practical tools to hold space for clients in clinical settings while maintaining professional integrity and scope of work.

 

Meridians and Marmas | 50 hours

Students will learn about the meridians in the body and thoroughly understand how the marma points influence them. Students will learn how to incorporate the meridians of the body and the marma points into asana and pranayama practices designed to initiate change in the body.

 

Sound Healing | 50 hours

Students will learn how frequency affects the Pancha Maya kosha system and how to use sound devices to influence and retune subtle frequencies in the body. Students will understand how these frequencies relate to the chakra system and how they can be used to foster balance in clients.

 

Group Yoga Therapy | 50 hours

In this course, students will learn how to work with groups in clinical settings and alongside psychologists, social workers, and physicians. Students will learn how to complete SOAP notes and how to create the individual protocol.

 

Yoga Therapy for Memory Loss | 56 hours

In this training, students will learn how to work with clients experiencing memory loss from traumatic brain injury or dementia and Alzheimer's. Students will learn bilateral techniques to help create new neurological pathways designed to strengthen their client’s physical and cognitive abilities.

 

Yoga Therapy Interventions | 56 hours

In this course, students will learn how to use yoga as a therapeutic intervention. Students will learn how to assess their clients, how to create a comprehensive care plan for their clients, and how to monitor progress over time.

 

Pre and Post Operative Interventions | 40 hours

Understand and possess knowledge of common pathologies requiring surgical intervention. Understand the mechanisms that manifest the pathologies within the body, including general wear and tear on structural components of the body, bone loss and disk degeneration, muscular degeneration, and accidental damage. Understand how to develop practical care plans for individuals preparing for surgery or for those in recovery. Understand the Yoga therapist's scope of work in the physical rehabilitation process.

 

Module 3

In Module 3, students are required to complete 150 hours of practicum internship where they work one-on-one with clients or small groups. Students have the option to work within our Free Online Yoga Therapy Clinic, which is open to all MVP students across the world, or we can assist in finding an internship at a healthcare facility that reflects the specialty the yoga therapist-in-training is interested in working within at their place of residence if one is available.