Yoga Therapy Training Courses and Certification
Train online and get C-IAYT certification with Breathing Deeply! We’ve spent over a decade refining our yoga therapy school and helping hundreds of students learn how to effectively use yoga therapy as a tool for helping others. Get accessible, comprehensive courses in a flexible format that will allow you to reach your goals and start a meaningful, sustainable career in yoga therapy.
What Is Yoga Therapy?
Born from the ancient practice of yoga and informed by modern knowledge, the aim of yoga therapy is to educate, empower, and enable clients to take an active role in their health and wellness. For more detailed information, read our “What Is Yoga Therapy?” blog post.
What Is A Yoga Therapist?
A yoga therapist applies yoga techniques to specific health conditions, physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual. More specifically, a yoga therapist uses frameworks from the yoga and Ayurveda traditions combined with Western medicine research and perspective to help clients improve their physical, emotional, and spiritual health.
This requires yoga therapy training in both the techniques (asana, pranayama, chanting, philosophy or point of view, and meditation) and the therapeutic applications of these techniques.
How to Become a Yoga Therapist
Becoming a yoga therapist involves completing specialized training on how to apply yoga techniques to different physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental health conditions. With Breathing Deeply, you can become a yoga therapist in just one year.
Depending on your goals, a typical path to become a yoga therapist and start your career may look like this:
- Complete a 200-hour yoga teacher training or equivalent as a prerequisite to yoga therapy training.
- Complete a foundational yoga therapy program to become a yoga therapist.
- For more specialized training, a practicum in your community, additional mentorship, and eligibility to become a certified yoga therapist, complete an advanced yoga therapy program.
- Apply your knowledge and skills by starting a career in your own private yoga therapy practice or in a hospital or other public setting.
We encourage our students to forge their own path and work at their own pace with our flexible course schedule and payment options. For more information, read our “How to Become a Yoga Therapist” blog post or visit our FAQ.
Our Yoga Therapy Training Curriculum
Whether you go into our Foundations Program or Advanced Program for your yoga therapy training, every student benefits from the unique qualities of our curriculum:
- Expert teaching and mentoring from our founder, Brandt Passalacqua, one of the original people in the U.S. to establish a successful yoga therapy practice
- Real world application from hands-on clinical experience and business skills for building a private practice
- Flexible pacing and payment with 24/7 access to online coursework, recordings of live sessions, remote retreats, and flexible payment plans that space tuition out over time
- Lifetime access to coursework, lessons, practices, mentorship, and community with your teachers and colleagues
Our Foundations of Yoga Therapy Program
Complete the Foundations of Yoga Therapy Program in one year – or more, depending on your personal timeline.
The Foundations Program consists of:
- 50 pre-recorded lectures
- Coursework
- Assignments and online social network
- Live Q&As with head teacher and Breathing Deeply creator, Brandt Passalacqua
- 3 virtual/online day-long retreats
- Hands-on experience with other students
| Foundations Program Prerequisites |
|---|
| You must be at least 18 years of age. |
| You must have a high school diploma or equivalent certificate. |
| You must have completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training or equivalent. If you do not have this training, you can join our combination program that fulfills your 200-hour requirement in addition to the Foundations of Yoga Therapy Program. |
| Foundations of Yoga Therapy Course Outline | |
|---|---|
| Section 1 | |
| The History of Yoga Therapy | |
| Yoga Anatomy | |
| The Koshas | |
| The Role of the Yoga Therapist | |
| Pathology from a Yoga Perspective | |
| The Role of Ayurvedic Ideas | |
| Sadhna | |
| Section 2 | |
| What You Need to Know – Anatomy | |
| How Pain Works | |
| What Clears Pain | |
| Basic Yoga Poses with Anatomy and Connections, and How/When to Use Alignment | |
| Stages of Rehab and Healing with Many Techniques, Including Muscle and Nerve Pain | |
| Breath Anatomy and How to Use It | |
| Ayurvedic Concepts | |
| Food Theory and How to Apply It | |
| Case Studies | |
| Section 3 | |
| Pranayamas and Their Application | |
| How to Balance the Doshas | |
| Understanding Prana Flow | |
| How to Work with Emotional Imbalances (e.g., Depression, Anxiety) | |
| How to Work with System-Wide Imbalance (e.g., Autoimmune Disease, Chronic Pain) | |
| Case Studies | |
| Section 4 | |
| The Role of the Conscious Mind/Intellect | |
| Yoga and Philosophy Teachings | |
| The Uses of Chanting | |
| Using the Chakra Model | |
| Using the Mind for Emotional Release | |
| More Yoga Philosophy | |
| Practices for the Intellect/Personality | |
| How to Talk to Clients in a Real Way About Point of View | |
| Section 5 | |
| Yoga Philosophy | |
| Practices for Opening the Spiritual Heart | |
| How to Talk to People About Intuition and Heart | |
| Bhakti Yoga for Healing | |
| Section 6 | |
| Case Studies | |
| Assembling a Plan | |
| Pathology | |
| Advanced Anatomy | |
| More Food Theory | |
| When to Refer Out | |
| Scope of Practice | |
| Integrating with Other Practitioners and Modalities | |
| Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine Crossovers | |
“What initially drew me to this particular program was primarily logistics: the ability to do the entire foundations program from my home if I chose. Upon starting the program, however, I realized my great fortune for finding Brandt and his wealth of knowledge and accessibility. Brandt’s ability to distill ancient practices into comprehensible, practical application in a true gift. I am receiving ‘industry skills’ that give me the tools and confidence to work with people in a deeper way.”
Lisa McKenzie, Yoga Instructor & Therapist
Our Advanced Yoga Therapy Program and Certification
The 875-hour Advanced Yoga Therapy Program gives you the highest level of yoga therapy certification — C-IAYT.
It is made up of three parts:
- The Foundations of Yoga Therapy Program
- 8 week-long live virtual learning modules
- Mentored practicum in the community
The Advanced Yoga Therapy Program includes 8 weeks of “retreat” modules held virtually, allowing you to complete this advanced yoga therapy training online. Once all components of the course are complete, you can earn your yoga therapy certification online by passing a final exam consisting of both verbal and written questions.
Graduates of this program work in healthcare, mental health, pain management, and other areas.
| Advanced Program Prerequisites |
|---|
| You must be at least 18 years of age. |
| You must have a high school diploma or equivalent certificate. |
| You must have completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training or equivalent. If you do not have this training, you can join our combination program that fulfills your 200-hour requirement in addition to the Foundations of Yoga Therapy Program. |
| You must have at least 1 year of personal practice. |
| You must have at least 1 year of teaching experience. |
Advanced Yoga Therapy Course Outline
| Part 1: Foundations Program |
|---|
| The Foundations Program contains 50 recorded lessons, live Q&As, homework, an active online platform, and in-depth learning retreats. It serves as the foundation for the live residential modules and allows students to move quickly into advanced material using their common knowledge base from their online work at home. For more information about this part of the Advanced Program, please see the Foundations curriculum above. |
| Part 2: 8 Week-Long Retreat Modules | |
|---|---|
| Module 1 | Back Care, Hips, and Shoulders |
| Module 2 | Rehab Yoga, Working with the Pelvic Floor, Fascial Thinking, and Scoliosis |
| Module 3 | Bipolar & Borderline Personality Disorders, Weight Loss & Eating Disorders, and Therapeutic Relationships |
| Module 4 | Yoga Nidra for Yoga Therapists, Addiction, Neuroscience & Research, and Yoga Therapy for Grief & Loss |
| Module 5 | Trauma and Yoga for Anxiety & Depression |
| Module 6 | Ayurvedic Foundations & Applications and Yoga Therapy’s Deepest Realm: Solving Pain & Suffering Through the Inner Koshas |
| Module 7 | Business & Yoga Therapy, Yoga Therapy Philosophy, Autoimmune Disease, and Supporting Cancer Patients |
| Module 8 | Teaching Meditation for Specific Conditions |
| Part 3: A Practicum in Your Community |
|---|
| Students train directly with Brandt, our Founder and Lead Teacher, in our 215-hour supervised practicum. These practice hours involve working with clients in your community. Once students have reached this phase of their education, they work with clients with all sorts of needs, and are not only capable but are effectively working on multiple levels using our holistic model. |
“This is the complete package. The online lectures are great, and you can go back as many times as you need. The on-line practices in meditation, pranayama, and chanting have really helped me deepen my practice. The Garrison Institute retreats are a joy with great camaraderie (and delicious food).”
Carol Day Young, PhD & Yoga Therapist
How Does Our Online Yoga Therapy Training Work?
When you sign up for one of our yoga therapy online courses, you have the flexibility to complete coursework and pay for each training module at your own pace. You can complete our Foundations yoga therapy training online in one year and get certified with our Advanced course in as little as 2 years or take as long as you need.
Our modules are delivered live on a schedule, ensuring that our students can ask their teachers questions, receive real-time guidance, and learn in a community of your peers, even in an online yoga therapy course. We have been successfully running yoga therapy training online for over a decade, continuously refining our program to best meet the needs of our students.
Tuition and Financial Aid
At Breathing Deeply, we offer financially accessible in-house payment plans along with a modular, pay-as-you-go design, which allows students to spread tuition out over time. We have found that this flexibility works well for many of the students in our community, whether you’re ready to become a yoga therapist in a single year or would prefer to space out your coursework and payments over a longer period.
Get started with a $500 deposit, then pay as you go throughout our program. Apply today to take advantage of discounted rates ending February 13.
| Foundations of Yoga Therapy Program Tuition | |
|---|---|
| Base Tuition | $3,359 $2,995 Flexible pay-as-you-go plans available |
| 3 Online Retreats | $350/each |
| Final Exam | $250 |
| Total Cost | $4,659 $4,295 Save over $350 and get started with just $500 down! |
| Advanced Yoga Therapy Program Tuition | |
|---|---|
| Foundations Program Base Tuition | $3,359 $2,995 Flexible pay-as-you-go plans available |
| 3 Online Foundations Retreats | $350/each |
| 8 Week-Long Online Advanced Retreats | $1,100/each |
| Final Exam | $250 |
| Practicum Fee | $1,800 |
| Total Cost | $15,259 $14,895 Save over $350 and get started with just $500 down! |
Student Testimonials
Join the hundreds of students who are making a real difference sharing the teachings of yoga therapy!
“It exceeded my expectations”
“You get help right away”
“Totally changed how I teach”
Frequently Asked Questions
Click on any question below to learn more or contact us if you have a question that isn’t answered here.
- Can successfully work as a general practitioner or as an effective specialist
- Your yoga therapy certification can potentially increase your clientele as well as your earning potential
- Yoga therapy is easily integrated with other healing modalities and can be used in conjunction with Western medicine
- You will have the yoga therapy training to support individuals’ health and wellness needs
- You will be able to help clients move out of suffering from a number of physical conditions including:
- Back pain
- Shoulder injury
- Sciatica
- Pelvic floor dysfunction
- Plantar fasciitis
- And more
You can become a yoga therapist in as little as one year or take as long as you need with the flexible pacing provided by our Foundations yoga therapy program. For more information, read our blog post, “How Long Does It Take to Become a Yoga Therapist?”
The cost to become a yoga therapist will depend on several factors:
- How much training you receive and the cost of your training program
- If you’re eligible for any financial aid or scholarship opportunities
- The cost to become certified and maintain your certification
- The cost to run a private practice if you choose to do so
The current tuition for our Foundations Program is $4,295, but you can get started with only $500 down and utilize a flexible payment plan to pay as you go over time. For more information, check our tuition details or read our blog post, “How Much Does It Cost to Become a Yoga Therapist?”
As you might imagine, there is a wide range in yoga therapist salary based on a variety of different factors, including:
- Location
- Experience
- Skill level
- Job
In my experience, most yoga therapists decide to run a private practice part-time and work in a hospital, school, or health center part-time. This allows many of us to enjoy flexible hours and work with a wider range of clients while earning enough money to make a comfortable living.
For more information, read our blog post, “How Much Do Yoga Therapists Make? Yoga Therapy Salary and What to Charge.”
This point in time represents an exciting opportunity for yoga therapy! Though based in a long tradition of healing, yoga therapy is a relatively new occupation gaining awareness and recognition as an effective healing modality. This opening in healthcare is creating a new paradigm in wellness between the medical and yoga therapy fields. Career opportunities are emerging at a rapid pace due to public demand and greater attention to yoga therapy research.
Many of our graduates have successful careers running their own private practices, and more and more of our graduates report finding jobs in public settings such as hospitals, mental health facilities, addiction centers, chiropractors’ offices, wellness centers, and school districts. In many cases, yoga therapists will have a private practice with flexible hours and work another part-time job in a public facility.
For more information, read our blog post, “Yoga Therapist Jobs and Career Opportunities.”
I’ve had the pleasure of teaching yoga therapy to students working in a number of different healthcare fields, including mental health, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Every discipline has its advantages and its limitations. For many healthcare professionals operating in Western medicine, there are gaps in their tool sets that yoga can fill, allowing them to better care for the people they serve.
For more information, read our “Yoga Certification for Occupational Therapists,” “Yoga Therapy Training for Mental Health Professionals,” and “Yoga Therapy and Physical Therapy – What’s the Difference?” blog posts.
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Want To Join Our Yoga Therapy Training?
Next Class Starts on February 13
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With programs starting at each level of certification, our training will get you where you want to go, regardless of your current skill level.