Advanced Yoga Therapy Program
Welcome! We are so happy you want to be a Yoga Therapist!
The Breathing Deeply Advanced Yoga Therapy Program (875 Hours) strives to give you a single-stream, integrated approach to yoga therapy at the highest level (C-IAYT). Holders of an International Association of Yoga Therapists Certification are instantly recognizable to the public as a Yoga Therapist who has trained for years to receive the gold standard of yoga therapy education.
Students in our IAYT-accredited Advanced Program broaden their skill set through hours of condition-specific mini-courses offered as week-long online learning retreats and by delivering a 215-hour mentored practicum, which involves working with clients in their community.
Our Advanced Program is modular. This means that once immersed in the Foundations Program content, students may begin attending the advanced yoga therapy modules in any order. Take all eight modules over a two-year timeframe, or space them out over a longer period of time (a maximum of 7 years) as time and budget allow.
The Breathing Deeply Advanced Yoga Therapy Program is comprised of three parts:
- The Online Breathing Deeply Foundations Program.
- Eight Online Immersive Module Retreat Weeks.
- A 215 Hour Supervised Practicum (Clinical Practice Hours).
Next Class Starts:
February 11
Become a Certified Yoga Therapist at the C-IAYT level with our IAYT accredited Advanced Program. Register now to begin your training and ensure your spot in our upcoming class. Once enrolled, you’ll have full access to the Foundations Program and be ready to link up with your class cohort for discussion and community. You will also be on your way to meeting lesson prerequisites for your first module!
Overview
Graduates of the Breathing Deeply Advanced Yoga Therapy Program will successfully work as a general practitioner helping clients with a wide variety of health challenges or as an effective specialist working with specific conditions and populations.
The Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Advanced Program builds upon the knowledge and skills gained in the Foundations Program, also offered as a stand-alone course, providing students with a yoga therapy model and framework for becoming a skilled Yoga Therapist.
The Breathing Deeply Advanced Yoga Therapy Program is offered in three modular parts: The online Foundations Program, 8 retreat module weeks of deepened learning, and a supervised practicum. This modular flow allows students to decide how and when they participate in the 3 parts, making up 875 hours. Each individual can create a path that works for their budget and timeline.
Students begin learning the model for becoming a skilled Yoga Therapist from the moment they begin the online Foundations Program, while simultaneously progressing in the Advanced Program with immersive learning retreats and practicum hours, gaining clinical skills at a pace that works for them.
In More Depth
Click on the tabs below to learn more about the program curriculum.
The Foundations Program provides students with a yoga therapy model and framework for becoming a skilled Yoga Therapist. Students in the Foundations Program are part of a bigger vision in shifting the wellness paradigm. When they transition directly into working as a Yoga Therapist upon completion of this comprehensive course, they often decide to concurrently continue with the Advanced Program. Advanced Program students broaden their skills through eight weeklong immersive condition-specific modules held online and by delivering a 215-hour mentored clinical practicum, working with clients in their community.
The Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Foundations Program is the backbone of our yoga therapy school. It contains 50 recorded lessons, live Q&A’s, homework, an active online platform, and in-depth learning retreats. The subject matter is comprehensive and clearly prepares students to do therapeutic work. 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. The Foundations Program covers many topics, but its main focus is to teach the fundamental frameworks we use, as opposed to focusing on as many individual conditions as possible. Throughout the course, students not only work one-on-one with a Teaching Assistant to guarantee their mastering of the (course)work, they are encouraged to open, lean in, stretch their curiosity, engage in thoughtful conversations, and obtain answers consistently during live Q&A’s (3x’s weekly) with lead teacher and Breathing Deeply founder, Brandt Passalacqua.
Foundations Program Outline
- 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
- 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
- Pranayamas and their application
- How to balance the doshas
- Understanding prana flow
- How to work with: emotional imbalances (i.e. depression, anxiety)
- How to work with: system wide imbalance (i.e. autoimmune disease, chronic pain)
- Case studies
- 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
- Yoga Philosophy
- Practices for opening the spiritual heart
- How to talk to people about intuition and heart
- Bhakti yoga for healing
- 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
Learn more about the Yoga Therapy Foundations Program.
Start Now And Complete Advanced Program Fully Online
The bulk of the 875-hour Advanced Program comprises eight weeklong online modules. During these synchronous, in-depth learning weeks, students cover a wide variety of topics spanning the breadth of yoga therapy including assessment protocols, physical complaints such as back care and rehab, mental health conditions, chronic disease, grief and end of life, eating disorders, trauma, as well as whole-system issues such as pain syndromes and suffering and autoimmune diseases.
All material in the modules is filtered through the system we have laid out in the Foundations Program. We believe this creates a very unified approach and will allow students to deliver clear yoga therapy as they enter the field. The residential modules are purposely not grouped around a unifying theme. The idea is to allow students to “switch gears” every couple of days or so. We believe in general that most students will be better able to absorb material this way.
Students spend their time during the in-depth module weeks studying Western perspectives of these conditions and yoga therapy’s perspective on them. Most importantly, they leave the retreat modules with a clear understanding of how to work with clients on multiple levels to provide better outcomes.
Module hours also provide time for spiritual practice and personal evolution, an essential part of being an effective Yoga Therapist.
8 Weeklong Retreat Modules
Over the weekend portion of this module, Healing with the Body and Breath students will investigate techniques to work with the physical body and the breath and learn assessment skills to inform their work with the physical body.
Back Care
Back pain is one of the leading causes of missed work and visits to the doctor in North America. In this course, students will learn to work with common spine/back pathologies. Students will learn function anatomy as it relates to back pain.
Hips and Shoulders
Hips and shoulders are also common areas for pain and dysfunction. In this course, we will learn functional anatomy and western diagnosis of common conditions that affect these areas.
In the weekend portion of this module called Healing through the Pranic Body and Conscious Mind, we move deeper into the koshas, or layers of the Self, unwrapping like a gift, the inner-workings of the pranic and mental bodies.
Rehab Yoga
As medical technology advances, surgery is becoming a more common form of treatment. In this course, we investigate the most common surgeries and the best practices for helping clients rehabilitate after surgery.
Working with the Pelvic Floor
A growing number of people with pelvic disorders are turning to yoga therapy. Pain, dysfunction, disease or trauma can manifest in many different ways. Therefore yoga therapy’s multifaceted approaches can be quite helpful. In this course, we will study both the male and female pelvic anatomy to learn how musculoskeletal imbalances impact pelvic function. We will also look at some common conditions that either contributes to or are caused by pelvic floor disorders, including incontinence, sexual dysfunction, and fertility.
Fascial Thinking
Fascia is a key structural component of the body. As such, it contributes to the physical well-being of our bodies and is often indicated in pain and dysfunction. In this course we will learn all about fascia and its relationship to structure and health. Students will learn how to identify facial lines in the body and the restrictions within them. There will also be an emphasis on common fascia-based pain patterns and how to shift fascia through asana and pranayama techniques. Students will leave with a clear understanding of how to work with bodies using a fascial viewpoint to relieve pain patterns.
Scoliosis
Spinal curvatures and scoliosis are a common cause of physical suffering. In this course, students will learn to properly assess spinal curvature and deliver yoga therapy to improve client’s conditions. Students will leave with more clarity on how to work with this challenging condition that can be greatly benefited by yoga therapy.
Yoga Therapy For Bipolar & Borderline Personality Disorder
In this course we look at two difficult to work with mental health disorders, Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder. Students will leave more confident in working with clients with these, as well as other mental health conditions.
Weight Loss & Eating Disorders
Based on Brandt’s work with obesity and eating disorders, this course is an overview to approaching obesity and eating disorders from a yoga therapy perspective.
Therapeutic Relationships
Managing therapeutic relationships is a foundational skill for yoga therapists. In this course students will explore possible issues in the therapeutic relationship. Students will learn how to manage and identify boundary issues, transference and countertransference, and have a clear understanding of how to be ethical from a yogic perspective.
Yoga Nidra for Yoga Therapists
Yoga Nidra is an extremely powerful tool for healing. When properly taught yoga nidra can be modulated to treat many conditions and imbalances. In this course we will learn the basic theory behind yoga nidra. We will learn how to adjust yoga nidra to target specific koshas and gain the skills to language yoga nidra instruction appropriately for different condition sets.
Addiction
Students will examine and gain knowledge in addictive behaviors and their roots as well as expression in each kosha while also learning the appropriate interventions for each aspect of the self. Doshic considerations will be touched upon, as well as group protocols.
Neuroscience & Research
In this course—taught by neuroscientist and Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, Sat Bir Singh Khalsa—students will learn how to properly read and evaluate research studies. Students will examine how to integrate vetted knowledge into yoga therapy settings. Students will also be given an overview of the current state of neuroscience research as it relates to yoga and meditation.
Yoga Therapy for Grief & Loss
In this course, taught by a grief and loss expert with over 4 decades of yoga study, students will investigate how we as Yoga Therapists can help those nearing the of their time in this form. Students will learn yoga counseling skills for the very ill and end of life, and philosophical foundations of death, dying, and grief work. We will learn the 5 needs of grieving people and how to provide practices to integrate and fulfill these needs. We will also examine the end of life from a koshic perspective.
Over the weekend portion of this module, Healing with the Body and Breath students will investigate techniques to work with the physical body and the breath and learn assessment skills to inform their work with the physical body.
Trauma
In this course students will learn to design yoga therapy programs for clients who are suffering from issues related to trauma. Students will learn about the current science around yoga and trauma and how to integrate this knowledge into the Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy model.
Yoga For Anxiety & Depression
In this course students will examine strategies for working with clients suffering from anxiety and/or depression based issues.We will learn assessment and treatment strategies using the koshic and doshic models.
In the weekend portion of this module, Bliss and Wisdom; Yoga Therapy for the Innermost Self, we look at the Vijnanamaya and Anandamaya Koshas. Students will learn advanced assessment and practices to address issues related to the Wisdom and Bliss Bodies. Students will learn preparatory practices to facilitate access to these areas of the self. The chakra based model for Vijnanamaya Kosha will be taught. Students will also learn more advanced practices for Ananamaya Kosha and how to share this information with diverse populations.
Ayurvedic Foundations
This course offers a practical overview of Ayurvedic Principles as they relate to yoga therapy. Students will gain the knowledge of Ayurvedic lifestyle guidelines as they relate to dosha diagnosis. Students will also learn to apply ayurvedic informed asana and pranayama. Shatkarma (cleansing) techniques will be taught with specific guidance on when these practices are most beneficial and how they might be offered to clients.
Additionally, pulse and tongue assessment can provide much clarity to the Yoga Therapist when used correctly. In this course, students will learn the theory and practice of pulse and tongue assessment as it relates to the BDYT assessments taught in the Foundations Program. Students will complete this unit with the ability to confirm and add to assessments using these 2 techniques.
Yoga Therapy’s Deepest Realm: Solving Pain and Suffering Through the Inner Koshas
The inner Koshas are the Wisdom and Bliss Bodies (Vijnanamaya and Anandamaya Koshas). Suffering can often have its roots in these koshas, but it can be unclear how to shift practice appropriately to create positive client outcomes. In this course, we will look at the subtler shifts in practices for these koshas. Students will learn how to identify signs that they need to shift their client’s meditation practices related to these koshas as well as, effectively choose practices best suited to their clients. Students will examine teaching styles and language to educate clients from differing backgrounds. Case studies will be presented for clarity.
Business and Yoga Therapy
Having the clinical skills you need to work in private practice as well as institutional settings such as hospitals and integrative healthcare centers is the first step but how do we become a trailblazer in this emerging field? As Yoga Therapists, we must find our way through professional territory that is not yet clearly defined. In this course, we will examine the different professional areas that we as Yoga Therapists might work in. We will look at how to educate potential clients, partners, and referral sources on yoga therapy and its efficacy. We will learn strategies for marketing ourselves directly to the public as well as potential employers. Discussion on how to run a private practice will be included. This course will be interactive so that students leave with a skill set that they can use to create success for themselves and in turn, the evolving field of yoga therapy.
Philosophical Foundations Of Yoga Therapy
As Yoga Therapists, it is important to keep ourselves firmly grounded in the philosophy that eventually birthed yoga therapy. In this course, we will examine teachings from key texts and how to apply them to our day to day work as healers.
Autoimmune Disease
This course will explore yoga therapy interventions for autoimmune disease. Students will practice assessment and how to create working strategies for several autoimmune conditions.
Supporting Cancer Patients
Students will examine working with cancer patients through the koshic model—learning to effectively and safely teach asana, pranayama, and meditation with a clear understanding of contraindications for this population.
We are honored and excited to offer this special module. Teaching Meditation for Specific Conditions is open to Breathing Deeply students in our yoga therapy school as well as those enrolled in the Breathing Deeply Meditation Mentor Certification.
Learning meditation practices for specific health conditions is a vital piece of our work as Yoga Therapists. It is an important skill as a meditation mentor because each person we teach may not only need a personalized approach in their evolution, but an individualized practice based on their health and challenges they may be experiencing.
Our first priority is to keep our students and clients safe. So how do we do this? Or more importantly, how do we avoid the pitfalls of working outside of our scope?
In this week-long experiential module, we look at specific conditions and learn practices and essential modifications for them. Conditions we will address include pain management, autoimmune diseases, mental health challenges such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and others.
Learn more about the Yoga Therapy Retreats and Schedule.
Just like the other aspects of the program, students get full mentorship and support in our 215 Hour Practicum. Students train directly with Brandt, to work in an open-minded, humble, solid, educated, compassionate way. From this place of service, students are creating positive effects of healing in their communities throughout the world. 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.
Where the Foundations Program provides a complete set of tools and knowledge to begin working as a Yoga Therapist, graduates of the Advanced Program are fully equipped to work in private practice as well as institutional settings such as hospitals and integrative healthcare centers. Breathing Deeply Advanced students are able to utilize the full spectrum of yoga therapy tools and techniques with their clients.
We are seeing our students in their practicum, those working towards C-IAYT, getting referrals from all over including doctors, therapists, and even insurance case managers! Breathing Deeply is changing how people address their own conditions, find healing and lessen suffering, while integrating yoga therapy models into existing western models. The ripple effects are far and wide.
Once these 3 components are complete, Breathing Deeply is honored to collaborate with students on completing their education with a final exam. Comprised of both oral and written components, a pass confirms the highest level of yoga therapy training (C-IAYT) has been granted—a huge milestone after a long journey!
Breathing Deeply Advanced Program graduates not only hold this notable yoga therapy certification around the globe, but they are also held to a code of ethics standard while offering the highest quality of yoga therapy.
A unique benefit of training with Breathing Deeply is Yoga Therapist graduates always have a home with us, receiving continued mentorship from colleagues and teachers while working in the field. Being able to help clients with complex issues with the guidance of seasoned Yoga Therapists and experts to infuse and inspire ones yoga therapy practice is an integral part of clinical success and longevity.
We hope you choose to add your passion and voice to our vibrant community.
What are the prerequisites for the Advanced Program?
The Breathing Deeply Advanced Yoga Therapy Program has the following prerequisites:
- Students must be at least 18 years of age
- Students must have a high school diploma or equivalent
- Students must have a 200 hour yoga teacher training certificate or equivalent (see our 200 hour TT/Foundations Program combination offering, if you do not have this)
- Students should have at least one year of personal practice
- Students should have at least one year minimum teaching experience
(Note: If you don’t meet #’s 4 and 5, you may begin the Foundations Program, and complete these prerequisites before matriculating into the Advanced Program. The Yoga Therapy Foundations Program is also offered as a stand-alone program with different entrance requirements.)
Where will I be able to work? Will I be a Yoga Therapist?
Yes. You will be a Yoga Therapist. In the west, yoga therapy is finally coming into its own. Yoga Therapists work with private clients for a wide variety of conditions. They also work in conjunction with other healthcare providers. Institutions such as hospitals and addiction centers are increasingly looking to Yoga Therapists to design and implement programs. As the field of yoga therapy continues to expand, so do the opportunities. Breathing Deeply Advanced Yoga Therapy students are able to utilize the full spectrum of yoga therapy tools and techniques with their clients. This is a great time to become a certified Yoga Therapist!
What is the tuition?
Because of the modular (“pay as you go”) design of our programs, the financial commitment for the Advanced Program begins easily with the Foundations Program tuition to be paid in full or in monthly installments. Click here for complete tuition details and payment plans.
Our Community
Breathing Deeply students gain the added benefit of a tightly knit community of Yoga Therapists to draw upon as they forge ahead in their yoga therapy careers.
The Breathing Deeply Advanced Yoga Therapy Program is taught and designed by a Yoga Therapist with extensive experience in the field. Brandt has seen clients for a huge array of conditions and maintained a full-time yoga therapy practice for over a decade. Brandt’s down-to-earth teaching style provides his students with proven, real world applications of ancient yoga therapy concepts. The Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Program is designed to directly transfer this method in a clear and useful way to you. Traditionally, this is the way yoga therapy has been taught—teacher to student—with a mentoring relationship that goes beyond just the formal training model.
The Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Program is also committed to training people with busy lives, families, and other careers and responsibilities. Our format is designed with this in mind. There is no extra busy work or wasted time. We want our students to know that they are supported to become an ethical Yoga Therapist, no matter what their lives and learning needs are. So, take a course at a pace that works for you. Complete the Advanced Program in 3 years, or take more time upgrading your knowledge. It’s your choice!
In addition, we are creating a community of Yoga Therapists. Our online and retreat format never ends. We expect our graduates to participate, bringing case studies and real-world problems to our forums and mentoring sessions. When students enroll in our school, they are joining a collective of skilled Yoga Therapists that goes beyond graduation. Become a Yoga Therapist and find your yoga home with Breathing Deeply.
Want to Learn More? Check Out Our Information Session
Brandt talks about common questions applicants have about the Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Program. Tune in to get the full program details.
Why Choose Breathing Deeply
The Breathing Deeply Yoga Therapy Program is taught by its founder, Brandt Passalacqua, a Yoga Therapist with extensive experience in the field.
Brandt has maintained a full-time yoga therapy practice for almost two decades where he has worked successfully with clients with a wide variety of conditions. His down-to-earth approach provides students with proven, real-world applications of ancient yoga therapy concepts.
Brandt is an approachable, compassionate teacher who is invested in his students and their practices. This is the way yoga therapy has traditionally been taught—teacher to student—in a mentoring relationship that goes beyond the formal training model. We are proud to continue in this lineage.
The Advanced Yoga Therapy program’s online availability and the modular format allow students to learn at their own pace and study when and where they choose. Once enrolled, students gain immediate and full access to the course. This includes all pre-recorded online content and live interactive sessions, of which there are several each week to choose from. With 24/7 access to all course materials, students are given the freedom to learn at their own pace, in the setting of their choice, as their schedule allows.
Breathing Deeply encourages both students and graduates to connect, share, and learn from each other. From the start, our program offers students the opportunity to interact consistently with like-minded yogis through live Q&As, an active discussion forum with monthly and daily topics, and our social community network made to facilitate peer engagement, providing connection with intention.
As a community, we are committed to helping others. Sharing the same intention, we seek to become effective healers and work to deepen our practice so that we can provide expertise and guidance to lessen suffering.
Throughout the course, students not only work one-on-one with a Teaching Assistant to guarantee their mastering of the (course)work, they are encouraged to open, lean in, stretch their curiosity, engage in thoughtful conversations, and obtain answers consistently during live Q&As (3x weekly) with the headteacher and Breathing Deeply founder, Brandt Passalacqua. These sessions allow students to ask questions, share resources and gain expert advice and input.
Outside of the three hours of live sessions each week, Brandt is also consistently available for students through our community network, our discussion forums, as well as during our live interactive retreats.
At Breathing Deeply, we believe that mentoring is a critical component of competency-building and that it should continue well past graduation.
Because of this, a unique benefit of training with Breathing Deeply is Yoga Therapist graduates always have a home with us, receiving continued mentorship from colleagues and teachers while working in the field. Being able to help clients with complex issues with the guidance of seasoned Yoga Therapists and experts to infuse and inspire one’s yoga therapy practice is an integral part of clinical success and longevity.
Next Class Starts:
February 11
Become a Certified Yoga Therapist at the C-IAYT level with our IAYT accredited Advanced Program. Register now to begin your training and ensure your spot in our upcoming class. Once enrolled, you’ll have full access to the Foundations Program and be ready to link up with your class cohort for discussion and community. You will also be on your way to meeting lesson prerequisites for your first residential module!