If you're ready to take that first step of becoming a certified Yoga Therapist and you're looking for reputable online yoga therapy courses, this article is for you. Keep reading to discover the most qualified online yoga therapy training programs that offer IAYT certification that you can start today.
I’ve done the investigating, qualifying, and researching, and compiled the best online yoga therapy certification courses into this article to help you with your research.
We’ll get into what is included in an online yoga therapy teacher training program and the process of becoming a C-IAYT (Certified Yoga Therapist by the International Association of Yoga Therapists).
Currently, there are only a handful of online yoga schools that offer IAYT certification and only 66 schools in the entire United States that offer the training in-person.
Sophisticated and advanced online learning platforms, scheduled video conferencing with lead teachers, and online learning communities make distance learning as equally effective as in-person training. Furthermore, online yoga therapy training starts at about $3,500, making it much more affordable and flexible than in-person training.
Article content:
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How to choose an online yoga therapy certification course
Does IAYT recognize online yoga therapy training certification?
Trusted online yoga therapy training courses enrolling now
Online yoga therapy certification program duration
Levels of yoga therapy training
How to become IAYT certified online
How to choose an online yoga therapy certification course
Here are a few ways that you can qualify online yoga therapy training programs:
- Does the school highlight the accessibility students have to the lead educators?
- Is the curriculum available online to see?
- Is the school registered with IAYT – check here.
- When did the school register with IAYT?
- What are the certifications and qualifications of the lead educators?
- Does the school offer other online trainings? It is a good sign if they do as they have likely refined their online teaching processes.
- Do they have testimonials from past students?
And of course, most importantly, go with your instincts ultimately.
Yoga therapy training is a process and one in which you will be interacting with your lead educators frequently. So in my opinion, it’s important to feel a connection with your mentors.
Does IAYT recognize online yoga therapy certification?
IAYT is allowing online yoga therapy training, but there is a limited number of schools offering yoga therapy certification online. This is very niche!
The International Association of Yoga Therapists is a self-governing body, much like Yoga Alliance. IAYT has created their own scope of practice and standards (see competencies below) that schools must meet in order to register with IAYT.
International Association of Yoga Therapists competencies:
- Yoga Foundations
- Yoga Teachings and Philosophy
- Yoga and the Mind
- Framework for Health and Disease
- Biomedical and Psychological Foundations
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Additional Biomedical Knowledge
- Psychology and Mental Health
- Additional Knowledge
- Body and Mind Integration
- Yoga Therapy Tools and Therapeutic Skills
- . Yoga Therapy Tools
- Basic Principles of the Therapeutic Relationship
- Principles and Skills for Educating Clients/Students
- Principles and Skills for Working with Groups
- (Mentored) Practicum
- Providing Yoga Therapy
- Professional Practice
- Ethical Principles
- Legal, Regulatory, and Business Issues Pertaining to Yoga Therapy
- Relationships with Peers, Mentors, Clinicians, and Organizations
- Personal and Professional Development and Continuing Education
Scope of Practice International Association of Yoga Therapists:
Trusted Online Yoga Therapy Certification Courses Enrolling Now
My Vinyasa Practice
Choosing to enroll as a student in this established yoga therapy certification training by My Vinyasa Practice promises to be a transformative experience that deepens your personal yoga practice, heightens your understanding of yogic philosophy and concepts, allows you to teach yoga at an advanced level, and serve patients in clinical settings.
My Vinyasa Practice has an excellent reputation with a Yoga Alliance overall school rating of 4.79 out of 5 and hundreds of excellent review ratings on Google. MVP is one of the leading online yoga teacher training schools with a very robust online course catalog that currently includes over 30 online yoga teacher training certification courses and advanced stand-alone certifications.
My Vinyasa Practice has perfected the online educational format. Aside from this, when considering the all-in cost, this yoga therapy training is considerably more affordable than others.
This outlines module 1 of their Clinical Yoga Therapy training online. The complete Clinical Yoga Therapy Training consists of 2 modules plus an in-person internship.
Module 1 serves as the foundation for the My Vinyasa Practice accredited Yoga Therapy Certification.
Module 1 includes all 300 hour yoga teacher training lessons and materials plus 200 hours of clinical application content. Including 100 hours of case studies, Yoga Therapy for Anxiety course, and a Pranayama course.
Upon completion, students receive their 300 hour yoga teacher certification (and can register as RYT-500), and graduates are eligible to work in clinical settings using the therapeutic applications of yoga.
Then, upon completing modules 1 and 2, you can move on to your practicum internship, where you will be placed in a clinical setting to complete your practicum hours.
The entire online yoga therapy course is led by Michelle Young, C-IAYT E-RYT 500. Michelle is the founder and owner of My Vinyasa Practice, which also has physical locations in Austin, Texas.
A sample of what you'll learn from the My Vinyasa Practice Clinical Yoga Therapy training curriculum:
Subtle bodies, Adaptive yoga, Trauma informed yoga, Ayurveda, Yoga Nidra, Pranayama, Yoga therapy for anxiety, General mentorship.
A sample of what you'll learn from the My Vinyasa Practice 300-hr online yoga teacher training curriculum:
History & foundations of Vinyasa yoga, Living your karma through your dharma, Understanding the panchamaya kosha system, Anatomy, mechanics & sequencing, Integrating mind & body, Chakras & specializing sequences, Introduction to specialized practices, and more!
My Vinyasa Practice takeaway:
| Access to course materials | Lifetime |
| Course includes | Pre-recorded video lectures, reading materials, video modules with flawless video production, recorded yoga classes with Michelle, access to MVP yoga teacher training App. |
| Course style (self-paced or cohort) | Self-paced |
| Duration of course | Self-paced |
| Max time allowance to finish course | Lifetime |
| Payment plan options | Pay in full OR over 3 months |
| Style of yoga | Yoga Therapy |
| Yoga teaching certifications offered | Yoga Therapist, 200-hour, 300-hour, 500-hr, + |
| Yoga Alliance Registered School | Yes |
| Next start date | Rolling start (start anytime) |
IAYT certified
Rich, interactive, engaging format
Lifetime access to course materials
Start course immediately upon enrollment
Breathing Deeply
Breathing Deeply’s teachings blend Structural Yoga Therapy, an Ayurvedic healing model, and a Koshic healing model. Founder, Brandt Passalacqua, has created a formula that infuses those lineages with the framework of yoga to create yoga therapy educational curriculums and yoga therapy protocols that actually work to help people heal in the real world.
Breathing Deeply is one of the most recognized names in the yoga therapy educational space. Breathing Deeply’s founder, director, and lead educator, Brandt Passalacqua, began studying yoga therapy over fifteen years ago, becoming certified as a Yoga Therapist himself after studying for 2.5 years under his teacher, Mukunda Stiles. Brandt is a C-IAYT and E-500 RYT and holds multiple specialty yoga certifications.
Breathing Deeply's entire yoga therapy certification can be completed online and remotely.
The Foundational Yoga Therapy Program offered by Breathing Deeply can be completed in as little as 1 year if following the suggested course outline. The Foundational Program includes 50 modules, three remote retreats, required live sessions, two papers outlining case studies, and an oral and written exam.
Completing the foundational program prepares students to move on to the Advanced Yoga Therapy Course and Certification which offers C-IYAT certification upon successful completion.
The Advanced Yoga Therapy Course and Certification, which is the next step to becoming IAYT certified with Breathing Deeply, is an 8 week live online course.
A sample of what you'll learn from the Breathing Deeply Online Yoga Therapy Program curriculum:
The Koshas, Pathology from a yoga perspective, The role of ayurvedic ideas, How pain works, Breath anatomy and how to use it, How to balance the doshas, Understanding prana flow, Using chakra model, Practices for opening the spiritual heart, Bhakti yoga for healing, Advanced anatomy, and more!
Breathing Deeply takeaway:
| Access to course materials | Lifetime |
| Course includes | Recorded lectures, live interactive sessions offered multiple times per week, 3 remote retreats, 3 Q&A calls each week with Brandt (Breathing Deeply’s director), access to discussion forum. |
| Course style (self-paced or cohort) | Self-paced |
| Duration of course | Self-paced |
| Max time allowance to finish course | Lifetime |
| Payment plan options | Pay in full OR over 11 months, 21 months |
| Style of yoga | Yoga Therapy |
| Yoga teaching certifications offered | Yoga Therapist, 200-hour, Meditation Mentor |
| Yoga Alliance Registered School | Yes |
| Next start date | Check next start date |
IAYT certified
Rich, interactive, engaging format
Lifetime access to course materials
Check website for next training start date
Online yoga therapy certification training duration
IAYT certified yoga therapy training is 800 hours of training plus 100 hours of clinical client interface, and it is most often offered as a 3 or 4 year program.
If you are just beginning to research online yoga therapy training requirements, you may not know that per IAYT guidelines, aspiring online yoga therapy trainees are required to be certified yoga teachers at the 200-hr level (at minimum) before they can begin yoga therapy training.
Some yoga therapy courses will also require that students have taught yoga for a minimum of one year before applying to their yoga therapy training course. This is not true for all yoga therapy trainings though, so always read the fine print.
Levels of yoga therapy training
The highest level of Yoga Therapy training recognized by the IAYT is 875 hours. Completing this training certifies Yoga Therapists at the advanced level.
Takeaway on yoga therapy training
Yoga therapy training is very specialized with only a limited number of schools offering online IAYT certification programs. But as more of the general population leans into more holistic approaches to healing that integrate complete mind and body wellness protocols, Yoga Therapists are becoming increasingly in demand. The first step to becoming a Yoga Therapist is fulfilling the Yoga Therapist certificate training requirements. If you feel the calling, it's time to choose your course and get certifed!
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