Yoga Therapy Training
Specialized Yoga Therapy Training
For C-IAYT Yoga Therapists
NeuroSupportive & NeuroPalliative
Yoga Therapy Training
NeuroSupportive & NeuroPalliative Yoga Therapy™ Training is a specialized yoga therapy training and IAYT approved APD course which encourages C-IAYT yoga therapists to think outside the box when working with clients with neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and movement disorders such as Parkinson's (PD)—relying upon their knowledge of yoga as more than a physical intervention, and their understanding of the person as a unique individual, not merely a symptom or condition. Rather than limiting clients to prescribed adaptive yoga techniques or chair yoga, student-therapists will take away yoga-based therapy skills which are specifically beneficial and helpful for those with multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's and other neurological conditions. Student-therapists are encouraged to develop a holistic, whole-person perspective to working with their clients while gaining insight into, and understanding of, the unique manifestations of several neurological conditions.
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Second Nature offers specialized yoga therapy training and C-IAYT continuing education in yoga therapy in Bloomington Indiana, following the guidelines of IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists). Your mentor and instructor is a C-IAYT yoga therapist with both a personal and clinical awareness of multiple sclerosis and other neurological conditions, as well as over twenty years working one-on-one as a yoga therapist. She has a private practice in Bloomington Indiana specializing in yoga therapy for neurological conditions and movement disorders, as well as providing customized yoga therapy programs for disability, therapeutic rehabilitation, chronic pain management and long-term health challenges.​​​
If you are a C-IAYT yoga therapist working with clients with neurological conditions and would like to deepen your understanding of yoga therapy's possible role in long-term supportive and palliative care, and have a commitment to supporting those with neurological conditions and immune disorders, we would like to hear from you! NeuroSupportive & NeuroPalliative Yoga Therapy™ Training puts an emphasis on providing long-term, supportive therapy for those with neurological conditions and movement disorders such as multiple sclerosis (MS), early or late-onset Parkinson's (PD), ALS, and Huntington's (HD). Other conditions with neurological involvement such as lupus, Ehlers Danlos (EDS) and myasthenia gravis may also be addressed depending on the student-therapist's interest and professional focus.
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Training Part l
Completion of Parts I and II provide 24 CEs / APD credits, fulfilling the 3-year continuing education requirements for certified IAYT yoga therapists. Part I is onsite, in Bloomington, while Part II is completed independently.
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Part I - Yoga Therapy training based upon common sense, straightforward yoga precepts, yet with a specific understanding of what is beneficial or contraindicated depending on a [neurological] client's particular condition and circumstance. Simplicity is emphasized: reduction of props to a minimum, and use of chairs only if necessary. We will focus on what is beneficial and possible in yoga therapy for neurological conditions, rather than focusing on limitations—and how to avoid the ubiquitous 'chair yoga' solution.
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Learning to recognize: physical and mental patterns which may contribute to disability, chronic pain, anxiety and depression; compensatory patterns and gaining a better understanding of structural compensation in neurological conditions. Practical emphasis on using the natural breath and breathing in a relaxed, comfortable manner—something which does not necessarily come easily to those with neurological and neuromuscular challenges, or those confined to a wheelchair or bed.
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Yoga Therapy to increase client proprioception, stability, balance when standing, walking, and sitting. Providing simple, safe, and appropriate yoga therapy for clients to implement on their own for self-care. Supporting client confidence, self-efficacy and body-awareness through gentle, accessible yoga therapy, and addressing aspects of their wellbeing which can be positively influenced though yoga's holistic approach to health and healing.
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Skills to refine understanding of the scope of physiological, mental, emotional effects of neurological and neuromuscular conditions. Understanding some common medication side-effects and how they can impact quality of life as well as the ability to hold a yoga therapy session e.g. LID in Parkinson's, or weakness due to infusions for MS. Each neurological condition has myriad manifestations—some subtle, others more evident—with long-term, complex changes over time. Not being aware of these yet persisting in providing yoga therapy (or yoga instruction) is not only irresponsible, it can be detrimental to the client: "Practice without right knowledge of theory is blind. This is also because without right knowledge, one can mindfully do a wrong practice," according to Krishnamacharya. For some background on this topic, and why we emphasize individual sessions with a knowledgeable and experienced yoga therapist, please read this article published in Yoga Therapy Today, a publication of the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
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Transitioning to neuropalliative care and support—pain management, weakness, lack of mobility, end-of-life considerations—in clients with advanced-stage neurological conditions.
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Perspectives on yoga and healing. Perceiving the client as a person, not as a disability or disease. The body is a whole, the sum of its parts... and more. As yoga therapists and practitioners, we work with a human being, not merely a body. Our approach is mindful of the very important relationship between practitioner and client, cultivating patience, compassion and understanding.
Training Part ll
Must be completed within six months of completing Part I
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Mentored, experiential practicum with logged client session hours. This will be an opportunity for student-therapists to share their practical, real-world insights and experiences directly with the instructor / mentor, receiving individualized feedback and support. A minimum of eight weeks of one-on-one yoga therapy with one or more individuals with a neurological condition is required, with in-person client interaction (no online / live streaming sessions).​
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Yoga Therapy for Women:
Live Life Well Training
Yoga Therapy for Women: Live Life Well Training™ is an IAYT APD focused on supporting women through life-changes, health challenges, and overall wellbeing.
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Damaged bodies. Impersonal, crowded spaces. More-is-better teaching methods. Ageism. These are concerns we have heard from women over the years in regard to their yoga practice. For these reasons and others, we offer yoga therapy training for women and not simply yoga instruction for women. Yoga is a wonderful, sustaining practice, particularly during times of transition and change. It can bring a sense of grounding, self-reliance, and calm to what may otherwise be a time of life which is challenging, or, simply overwhelming.
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Lack of long-term support, focus only on the physical manifestations of an illness, and sporadic follow-up from an aggregation of specialists in the health system leads many women to feel disconnected from their bodies, with a sense of anxiety and loss of inner wellbeing. Life-changes, health challenges, societal expectations, various roles as woman, wife, mother, professional and / or homemaker—these are tremendous expectations, gracefully balanced by women on a daily basis. They are expected to be gentle and compassionate, yet also resilient and strong; comforter yet also disciplinarian; caregiver for others while not caring for themselves; absorbing the pain, sorrows, and difficulties of those around them while somehow turning a blind eye to the up swell of emotion in their inner-being and the warning signals of their exhausted bodies.
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Care and support of clients must come at several levels and be sustentative. Similarly, the teacher-student relationship must be supportive and lead to sustained, ongoing learning and self-inquiry as a practitioner. Each student-therapist receives individualized mentoring and training based upon their skills, experience and therapeutic or supportive focus when providing yoga therapy for women.
Training Part l
Completion of Parts I and II provide 24 CEs / APD credits, fulfilling the 3-year continuing education requirements for certified IAYT yoga therapists. Part I is onsite, in Bloomington, while Part II is completed independently with active mentoring.
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Part I - Yoga Therapy for Women: Live Life Well Training is based upon common sense, straightforward yoga principles and foundations. We will focus on providing yoga therapy as a support and guide for self-change, rather than as a prescriptive therapy.
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Cultivating yoga therapy skills. Providing yoga therapy for women to implement on their own for self-care that is safe, beneficial and appropriate to their stage of life, as well as during long-term health challenges. Supporting client confidence, self-efficacy and body-awareness through yoga therapy, and addressing aspects of wellbeing which can be positively influenced though yoga's holistic approach to health, resilience and healing.
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Learning to recognize: physical and mental patterns which may contribute to chronic pain, anxiety and depression; unhelpful lifestyle habits or patterns of thinking; lack of awareness in daily activities and outlook which may be contributing to both emotional upheaval and health concerns.
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Perspectives on yoga and healing. Yoga therapy is grounded in the ancient practice of yoga cikitsa, which seeks to bring inner calm, mental focus and steadiness, as well as physiological balance. Yoga cikitsa is a means to reach a state of Svastha—a state of balanced wellbeing which encompasses each person as whole. Traditional perspectives on health and healing, as well as their applicability in present-day contexts, will be discussed and put forward as alternative or complementary approaches to mainstream therapies.
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Perceiving the client as a person. As yoga therapists and practitioners, we work with a human being, not merely a body. Each woman comes to us with unique life experiences, knowledge gained through living and being a woman, and unique health circumstances or emotional burdens. Our approach is mindful of the relationship between practitioner and client, cultivating patience, compassion and understanding—acting both as a sympathetic guide and practitioner, and as a stable foundation for making changes if and when they are needed.
Training Part ll
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Must be completed within six months of completing Part I
Mentored, experiential practicum with logged client session hours. This will be an opportunity for student-therapists to share their practical, real-world insights and experiences directly with the instructor / mentor, receiving individualized feedback and support. A minimum of eight weeks of one-on-one yoga therapy with one or more clients is required, with in-person client interaction (no online / live streaming sessions).
Training Requirements & Credits
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APD program training applicants must be an established C-IAYT yoga therapist with experience working in a therapeutic setting (client residence, clinic, integrative center, hospice), primarily seeing clients on a one-to-one basis.
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Applicants must complete a phone interview with the instructor. Training is offered as a mentorship, providing one-on-one, personalized training and a mentored practicum, modified to focus on the current educational needs and interests of professional yoga therapists. Application and registration details will be provided to C-IAYTs who have contacted us for an intake interview and been accepted into a training program.
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A certificate of completion will be given for FULL participation in the training. Please plan to arrive on time for the beginning of each class and after breaks. Early departures, including the final day of training, will result in an incomplete and certification will be withheld. Life emergencies and severe illness are recognized as unavoidable: although certification will not be possible for the current training, options will be presented for retaking the course.
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This is a specialized yoga therapy training program and IAYT approved APD course (approved professional development course) which may be taken individually for IAYT continuing education. These APD programs will provide C-IAYT yoga therapists with focused, in-depth knowledge for working with individual yoga therapy clients; however, it will not qualify or certify trainees as yoga therapists. For information on IAYT educational standards and applying for certification as a C-IAYT, please review IAYT certification guidelines.
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Some CE contact hours may be applicable for C-IAYTs who are licensed or certified in other allied health fields. Therapists are responsible for contacting their respective organization in order to determine eligible credits prior to training. If you are a C-IAYT with YA membership, please review Yoga Alliance's policy statement and guidelines on yoga therapy and yoga therapist training and use of terminology and contact YA to determine course eligibility for CE.
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Required Reading
Medicine & Compassion by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, David Schlim, MD
Introductory Workshops for Practitioners / Staff of Integrative Health Centers, Clinics, and Hospitals
