YOGA THERAPY: A CAREER PATH THAT CHANGES LIVES THROUGH THE HEALING POWER OF YOGA
We are an integrative professional yoga therapy program that teaches you the how and why behind the transformational & evidence-based practices of yoga that will empower yourself and others on a path toward holistic healing.
WHO WE ARE
An Integrative IAYT Accredited Professional Yoga Therapy Program
Our program is designed to provide the tools, knowledge, and support necessary for you to confidently and competently apply the practices of yoga in a multitude of settings. Our Staff includes dual-licensed yoga therapists who help you:
- Prepare for a career path that will help shape the future of modern medicine by teaching you how to integrate yoga with western medical approaches
- Acquire the training required to effectively interact with both medical professionals and clients
A Path Toward Holistic Healing
We teach a whole-person approach to wellness that allows you to look beyond your client’s symptoms to identify obstacles and apply tools that address the root cause of their suffering
- Learn how to apply yoga-based philosophy and mindfulness techniques to achieve mental, emotional, and energetic shifts
- Understand the interconnected relationships in the body and how to develop asana and breathing techniques to improve functional movement and release tension
Transformational & Evidence-Based Practices Of Yoga
Yoga therapy is rooted in the practice of helping people understand their experience and find balance so they can recognize their innate sense of wellness. We don’t ‘treat’ or ‘heal’, we guide people toward their own capacity to heal themselves, and we use well-researched practices to do so.
- Learn to apply yoga philosophy with your clients and patients to apply mindfulness-based problem solving, emotional regulation, and healthy coping strategies
- Learn the skills to confidently incorporate evidenced-based yoga, meditation, breathing, and mindfulness-based practices into your current (therapy) practice, increase self-regulation and general wellness
PROGRAM DETAILS
The program is intentionally structured so Module 1 can serve independently as a 300-hour Yoga Alliance approved teacher training certification. This is a wonderful alternative to traditional 300-hour teacher training for students interested in pursuing a more therapeutic approach to yoga teaching or who are looking to integrate private sessions into their offering.
The next program start date for Module 1 is April 21, 2023.
Applications must be received by April 7, 2023 to be considered for the 2023 Yoga Therapy Program.
Registration will be honored on a first-come, first-served basis, and acceptance into the program does not guarantee students a spot in the training. You can find more information on the upcoming program here.
• Module 1 •
300 Hours
Start Date: Apr 12, 2024
End Date: Dec 8, 2024
Regular Price: $3,995
(Enroll by Apr 10, 2023)
Early-Bird Price: $3,595
(On or before
12/21/2023)
• Module 2 •
260 Hours
Dates:
To Be announced
• Practicum •
180 Hours
Dates:
To Be announced
• Module 3 •
260 Hours
Dates:
To Be announced
Note: There is a book list containing required reading that accompanies this course. Students are required to purchase these books separately. The estimated cost of these materials is $325.
Before beginning the practicum, students will be required to obtain liability insurance in order to provide services as a Yoga Therapy Intern. We recommend BeYogi (est. $175/year).
Payment Plans
Students are required to place a deposit for each Module to secure their spot in the course. After paying the deposit, students can choose to pay-in-full for the Module prior to the program start date or set up a monthly payment plan.
Module 1 is paid individually. After completion of Module 1, students can choose to enroll in Modules 2, 3, and the practicum at the same time and with a combined payment plan.
Note: All payment plans incur a $150 payment plan fee per module to cover the costs associated with our payment plan software.
Schedule Format
Our program was designed to include a combination of virtual hours and in-person learning hours. Currently, we are offering a hybrid program. Weeknight classes are offered virtually on zoom. Weekend classroom hours are offered both in-person and virtually on zoom.
Weekend Training Hours
Friday: 1pm – 6pm
Saturday: 9am – 5pm
Sunday: 8am – 4pm
Weekly Virtual Learning Hours
Tuesdays: 4pm-6pm
Weekend classes will meet approximately once per month. You can find a more detailed outline of the program dates here.
PROGRAM FACULTY
Emily Smith
M.Ed., CRC, CCM, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
All my life, I have been drawn to human services. I began working with individuals who had disabilities when I was 19 and became a rehabilitation counselor in 1992. I started my yoga practice in 1998. At the time, I had a little baby and a 5-year-old. I needed yoga to clear my head, help with stress, and offset the pain from training. I was working as a full-time rehabilitation counselor and became a yoga teacher. At this point, I was well aware of the pitfalls and gaps in traditional allopathic medicine. There was a pivotal time in my career when I was working with an incredible man as a counselor. I was at his side during his treatment. At this time, mind-body techniques were not even considered a valuable tool in medicine.
Shanti Kelley
MSP., C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
I was born Shanti Nicole, my father being in seminary school and getting his Masters in world religions liked the word and the meaning. I guess it was all circumstance from there. I traveled a lot as a young person, saw a lot of things. By 15 I was inducted into the Suzuki Roshi method of Zen practice and studied under this austerity for many years. By the time a friend suggested I join her for a yoga class, I was 20 years old. I needed a change but didn't know it. Upon returning home I enrolled in yoga at the local Community College. This began the next 7 years of study with the most groovy and seasoned Yoga and Thai Chi master named Swami Budhaprem. After 4 years of practice and dedicated studentship, he gave me a certificate to teach in the Indra Devi system of Elemental Yoga. What I learned there, I still teach to this day.
Jenny Orona
C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
I hit the bottom of a pool at my birthday party in my late 20’s, I suffered from continuous numbness on my entire right side due to a reverse curve in my neck and compression in the lower lumbar area. For almost 10 years my back was in constant pain, no one could do anything for it other than put me into the hospital in traction and give me pain pills. Then I remember having this conversation with my dear friend who said “try Yoga”… of course I thought she had absolutely lost her mind, “Yoga” I replied what good is that going to do me, I don’t even understand that concept. I continued on with my life and with my pain. I remember one night just turning the wrong way, I knew there was no way that I was going to be upright the next day. So I woke up at 2 am in the morning got fully dressed, especially shoes cause I know that was going to be a problem, and spent the night sitting, laying, flailing about in the living room until I could call a cab to take me to my doctor's office. I had had enough.
Whitney O’Baugh
C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
I had my first experience with yoga in the late 1990s. I was a student at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of Theatre and Dance. While pursuing my BFA in dance, one of my professors began to introduce the principles of yoga as a means to combating the physical and emotional stress that we were under.
Dr. Sandi Russom
PT, DPT, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
My introduction to yoga and meditation began during rehearsals for a play while I was completing my bachelor’s degree in theatre in 2002. We used movement and meditation techniques to build a deep bond among the cast members. To my surprise, I walked away from each rehearsal feeling light and calm and noticed over the months that my anxiety and associated symptoms had been relieved. After completing my degree, yoga became a more integral part of my daily life. I was attending bi-weekly classes at my local YMCA when I felt the call to deepen my study of yoga and share the practice with others. I soon moved to Austin and completed my Hatha Yoga Teacher Training at Yoga Yoga in 2006.
Dr. Mark Uridel
DPT, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
I began my yoga journey in 1985. I was an amateur runner and was very tight from 13 years of training 5-10 miles a day and competitive running. I took my first yoga class at the Town Lake YMCA with Peggy Kelly, an Iyengar teacher. I liked the slow stretching, the attention to detail, the mindfulness, and I sensed a spiritual dimension. I was hooked.
Kat Scherer
PhD, MFT, C-IAYT
I am a faculty member of the Practice School of Yoga Therapy and a Psychologist in private practice. At the school, I teach about the intersection of yoga therapy and psychology, focusing on the role of psychology in yoga therapy. As a psychologist, I also teach classes on mindfulness, social-emotional development, neurobiology, and relational attachments in various settings including universities, professional conferences, community centers, and schools.
Adjunct Faculty
Shruti Mehta
RYT 500
Shruti Mehta has been working in the field of mental/behavioral health for more than two decades. Shruti RYT 500 and a lifelong student of Sanskrit language, philosophy of Vedas. She is also a teacher of Sanskrit with Samskrita Bharati. Shruti has authored two books that are self-published, namely Yog Sanskriti, the Culture of Yog and India, A Poetic Journey. As an artist, Shruti likes to paint regional art of India and European art styles. Her art has been displayed in various places in Austin, and she has been featured by Austin PBS in December 2020. In her free time, Shruti likes to try new recipes from Indian cooking, spend time with family, and go for walks in nature. Recently with a friend, Shruti has started a podcast called Saarthika, geared towards nourishing the mind and body.
Vivek Bakshi, Ph.D.
Vivek is the founder of Sangam Retreats, the spiritual arm of The Writing Barn, a writing retreat and workshop space in Austin, Texas, that he owns and operates with his wife, Bethany Hegedus. Born in Lucknow, India, and a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology, he received his Ph.D. in the US. Vivek has long been a seeker of spiritual wisdom, including meditation, Sanskrit, and the study of various religious traditions, even as he is a leading and in-demand expert in the technical field of computer chip manufacturing. His latest book, Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography, is a bestseller. A student of yoga for the past fifteen years, coupled with his studies of Sanskrit at the University of Texas, has led Vivek to develop programming in an effort to serve yogis and yoga therapists, as well as other spiritual seekers, in reading, writing, and understanding the meaning of Sanskrit words, shlokas and scriptures. Scriptures such as Ramayana, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, Upanishads, and Bhagavad Gita are among his favorites. Learn more at sangamretreats.com.