Becoming a Yoga Therapist
Becoming a Yoga Therapist
There's a fine difference between a Yoga Teacher and a Yoga Therapist. Yoga Teachers focus on the principles; Yoga Therapists focus on the individual.
Modern Yoga vs. Yoga Therapy
Mainstream yoga classes typically offer group classes, with asana as the primary focus. Students learn alignment, flowing, and build strength as they navigate through a class. Yoga is widely seen as another form of exercise, with some teachers including meditation, chanting, or mindfulness practices.
Pranayama and meditation are rarely the sole foci in a yoga class. While a group yoga class can be beneficial and does open the door for more spiritual or mental yoga practice, they may not serve those wanting to incorporate mindfulness to a greater degree. The sheer physical nature of these classes overlooks the individual, especially students with special needs, injuries, or diseases.
Modern Yoga classes tend to be one-way; students are guided as a group, with minimal adjustments to accommodate the individual. Yoga Therapy is a partnership with open, two-way communication between Yoga Therapist and the student.
Yoga Therapy is a way to use all aspects of Yoga to support general health and provide therapeutic benefits for specific challenges in the body and mind. Yoga Therapists formally collect information about a client's health to create assessments and then a support plan. Holistic life choices become the focus instead of exercise and movement.
A Yoga Therapy Session
Any Yoga Therapy session begins with open communications and information gathering. From there, the Yoga Therapist can help a client develop goals and provide techniques for managing their wellness.
With many diseases and conditions, comfortable daily functioning is a challenge. Mental health conditions and physical conditions can be addressed when a health care professional has suggested yoga. Yoga therapists work with their clients to support balance, improve general health, and perhaps improve the quality of life.
Yoga therapy is more than simply pairing asana with evidence-based yoga for ailments (in fact this can be reductionist). It's appropriate for sessions to include dialog, assists when requested, guided meditations, and even homework.
It's not unusual for a therapeutic session to include multiple aspects of Yoga. Targeted asana allows movement to support certain health conditions, both physical and mental. Pranayama helps to focus the mind, while meditation creates relaxation and peace. Sounds, Ayurvedic scents, guided meditations, and yoga nidra may also complete a session.
With a plan targeted to a client's needs and situation, the client can use the therapeutic techniques away from a session. These techniques not only help provide holistic wellbeing, but they also serve to empower and uplift the client. As progress continues, the student gains confidence, and independence returns.
A Yoga Therapist often partners with other healing professionals. It's not unusual to pair Yoga Therapy with western medicine, Reiki therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and other health care disciplines. Health care providers who have recommended yoga may provide guidance or information for the client to share with the yoga therapist.
Becoming a Yoga Therapist
The journey of any Yoga guide begins with becoming a Yoga Teacher. A commitment of 200 hours of study into the basics of Yoga is required to earn registration with Yoga Alliance, earning the designation of Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200).
It's possible to continue your yoga education with advanced yoga teacher training courses. For example, Therapeutic Yoga Essentials addresses how to make yoga accessible for different populations, such as beginners and older populations. The use of props is studied to allow asana for all bodies. Another advanced yoga teacher training course is the Principles of Ayurveda, the sister science of Yoga, which teaches how Ayurveda opens the door to a better understanding of a person's state, and how seasonal changes interact with the those doshas.
The path to becoming a certified Yoga Therapist is a comprehensive, 800-hour program and culminates with testing, typically with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT). Their system of IAYT-accredited schools guarantees that your studies will prepare you for certification and a successful career serving others.
Check out Prema Yoga Institute for Online Advanced Yoga Teacher Trainings
While you’re here, we’d love to invite you to check out Prema Yoga Institute, which is longer limited to New York City and is now available online with interactive trainings through 2022. PYI is an accredited program based in New York city, teaching students around the globe through online classes. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you advance your yoga practice and teaching!
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