Yoga Therapy Certification Program at Jai!

The Pranakriya Yoga Therapy Certification program is designed for yoga practitioners, teachers and health care providers who want to specialize in yoga’s therapeutic aspects. The program provides an understanding of yoga’s healing methods seen in the light of modern medical and psychological therapies. This combination brings out the best of both.

The Pranakriya Yoga Therapy School is a charter member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists and works closely with IAYT in developing standards for Yoga Therapy schools.

In the program you will develop the following skills:

  • Learn about diseases and dysfunction from a western model and from a Tantric Hatha yoga model.
  • Integrate the Tantra Hatha Yoga tools of asana, pranayama and meditation into the treatment of musculoskeletal, medical and psychological conditions.
  • Become a trained yoga therapist capable of working in private or group settings.
  • Learn to evaluate a person for musculoskeletal and psychological conditions and apply yoga techniques as treatment for a variety of medical conditions.
  • Develop care plans based on evaluations.

This program is for yoga teachers, practitioners and health care providers and is intended to build upon the approach to Hatha Yoga taught in the Pranakriya 200-hour Basic Yoga Teacher Training program and Pranakriya 500-hour Professional Level Teacher Training program. Health Care practitioners with a yoga practice or background may also enter the program.


Yoga Therapy Certification Requirements
The total yoga-therapy curriculum training time is 300 hours and includes:

  • Four programs from the Pranakriya 500-hour Professional-Level Teacher Training
  • Four programs specific to Yoga Therapy
  • A mentoring process


Courses

The following programs make up the yoga-therapy certification program and may be taken in any order unless specific prerequisites are given in program descriptions. Individual programs may be taken for educational purposes.

  • Teaching Meditation for Pranakriya Yoga Teachers*
  • Advanced Pranayama for Pranakriya Yoga Teachers*
  • Understanding the Hatha Yoga Pradipika*
  • Functional Anatomy and Therapeutic Yoga*
  • Musculoskeletal Assessment
  • Medical Issues: Integrating Medical Knowledge and Intuitive Healing
  • The Yoga Way: Toward Psychological Health and Emotional Well-being
  • Functional Integration
 *Course is from the Pranakriya 500-Hour Professional-Level curriculum. (See 500 hour Teacher Training page for more details)

Mentoring Process
This is a two-step process:

  • Write a research paper on a topic of interest in the field of yoga therapy.
  • Perform two client evaluations with two follow-up visits for each client (this can be done in your home town) and submit a write-up of these cases to your mentor, then meet with your mentor (in person or by phone) to discuss the paper and case studies.


    • Yoga Therapy Course Descriptions and Upcoming Dates:


    The Yoga Way: Toward Psychological Health and Emotional Well-Being

    November 29, 2012 (6-9pm); November 30 (9:30-5:30pm); December 1 (9-5pm); December 2 (9-5pm); December 3 (9:30-5:30pm)
    This course will give a concentrated overview of psychology and the human condition from the ancient Yogic perspective. We will review Yogic concepts related to understanding the mind, including kosas, kleshas, samskaras, gunas. We will explore how these concepts fit into the modern psychological models of the mind and how they may be useful in understanding and treating dysfunction. Students will learn Yoga Therapy methods for managing or assisting in healing psychological difficulties, including depression, anxiety, and traumatic stress responses.
    Instructors:  Marlysa Sullivan, MPT, RYT 500 and Stacie Smith, MA, RYT 200

     

    Functional Integration

    February 7, 2013 (6-9pm); February 8 (9:30-5:30pm); February 9 (9-5pm); February 10 (9-5pm); February 11 (9:30-5:30pm)
    This is the last program in the program. Using all of the information from the seven courses you will have the opportunity to work with case studies. You will practice evaluation techniques from the medical, musculoskeletal and psychology modules. You will then develop an assessment and plan of care using what you learned in the meditation, pranayama and Hatha Yoga Pradipika courses. This will be an experiential course focused on bringing all of the information together and will include a competency check off to ensure you have developed these skills.

    Instructor: Marlysa Sullivan, MPT, RYT 500