Yoga Therapy Training & Certification

Application and Certification

Participants are encouraged to take the entire program for certification. However those who cannot take the program in its entirety may register for specific sessions. This training is designed for registered or certified Yoga teachers, health care professionals with yoga experience, those in Ayurveda programs and those desiring 500 hour Yoga Teacher Certification. Our instructors for this intensive represent a variety of traditions. Participants from all yoga traditions are welcome.

Ananda Seva will award a 300 hour Yoga Therapy Certificate to participants who complete all requirements of the two summer trainings and the home study program between sessions. In addition, a 500 hour Yoga Teacher Training Certificate (with Emphasis in Yoga Therapy) will be awarded to students who have previously completed a Yoga Alliance approved 200 hour training and complete all requirements in this training.

Fees and Registration

A $700 deposit is required to hold your place in the Yoga Therapy Training. This deposit may be paid by check, credit card, money order, or cash. Deposits are refundable up to 60 days prior to the start of training, minus a $100 administrative fee. The remaining balance is due at the start of training. Registration for individual seminars of the training are offered on a space available basis. Please see below for details.

For local California students with financial difficulties, we do offer a work-study position. This student would come a day early for both sessions of the training and help us with grocery shopping, cleaning, set-up, etc. In exchange the student will receive a tuition discount of $12 per hour for the time worked. Please contact us for more details or to apply for a work-trade position.

To register for the Yoga Therapy Training, write or e-mail the Yoga Trainings Manager and request a registration form. Fill it out and then mail it, along with a check or money order for $700, to: Ananda Seva Mission, PO Box 2862, Santa Rosa, CA 95405. Alternatively, you may register over the phone and pay your deposit with a credit card by calling us at 707-239-3650.

Full Program Tuition is $2975 and includes:

• Both two week sessions leading to 300 hours Yoga Therapy certification.
• Emails of recommended articles.
• Those with 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training approved by Yoga Alliance may also receive 500 hours advanced Yoga Teacher Training certification with specialty in Yoga Therapy.
• A 30 day home study/internship program between sessions.
• Enrollment in the Ananda Seva Yoga Therapy Yahoo Group for contact and support from classmates, other graduates and administration.
• Free listing on the Ananda Seva website database of Yoga Therapists.

Meals and Accommodations Costs are in addition to program tuition and are as follows:
Commuter (from nearby location) = $995
Tenting (in your own tent) = $1490
Shared room = $2160
Private room = $2700

For more information contact the Yoga Trainings Manager at 707-239-3650 or

*Please note: Accomodation Fees include vegetarian meals and shared bathroom facilities.

**Prices for Individual Seminars are $135/day, with an additional $40 charged for meals. Cost of overnight stay will vary depending on room choice. Please contact us for more details.

Back to Top

Summer Yoga Therapy Training-Registration Open
27 Day Course plus Internship
May 28 – June 11 and July 9 – 22, 2010

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FOR SESSION I

May 28 – June 11, 2010

Friday, May 28 Evening 7 -9: Orientation and Introduction to Yoga Therapy Course
Ananda Deviika' Ma', M.Sc, E-RYT and Maetreyii Nolan, PhD, E-RYT
An orientation to the Ananda Seva Yoga Therapy Training. This will be an opportunity for participants to get aquainted with one another and the training schedule. A brief introduction to Yoga Therapy will also be included.

Saturday May 29: Introduction to Yoga Therapy
Maetreyii Nolan, PhD, E-RYT
A review of the history of the use of yogic practices for healing from Vedic times to the present, with special emphasis placed on the development of yoga therapy as it is practiced today.

Sunday May 30: Yoga Philosophy/Psychology as a Context for Yoga Therapy
Maetreyii Nolan, PhD, E-RYT
This one-day course is an in-depth review of Sankya and alternative philosophies and their role in the field of Yoga Therapy as well as a concentrated overview of psychology and the human condition from the ancient Yogic perspective. It will review Yogic concepts related to understanding the mind, including kosas, lokas, kleshas, samskaras, gunas, Brahmachakra, samadhi, and enlightenment.

Monday May 31-Tuesday June 1: Ayurveda for Yoga Therapists
Ananda Deviika Ma, M.SC, E-RYT
Basic Ayurvedic concepts of anatomy and physiology will be discussed, including tridosha theory, agni, am, dhatus, ojas, etc., and the relationship of these concepts to illness and health. Students will receive a beginning understanding of how to determine the Ayurvedic constitution and imbalances of a client, including tongue diagnosis and digestive assessment. We will discuss Ayurveda/Hatha Yoga’s common toolbox: 1) diet and lifestyle 2) Yogic shat karma (kriya) practices 3) Yoga practices seen from an Ayurvedic perspective. In the experiential portion of the day, we will investigate Hatha Yoga Pranayama and meditation practices specific to each dosha, and for the seats of the doshas.

Wednesday June 2: Yoga Therapy for Cancer, Part 1
Jnani Chapman, RN
In this seminar participants will begin to assimilate the large amount of information needed to work with this special group of people. Topics will include an overview of cancer and conventional cancer treatments, their common side effects, and its psycho-social dimensions as well as Yoga therapies and asanas.

Thursday June 3: Anatomy and Pathophysiology
Gloria Tucker, MD
This course includes the review of human anatomy as it relates to asanas and Yoga Therapy. Students will learn the anatomy of muscles, bones, organs, the normal range of motion of joints, abnormal muscular-skeletal configurations and the role of the nervous system in movement. This will be taught as applied anatomy in a hands-on fashion directly relating all information to asanas.
The second day will be a course in pathophysiology (underlying problem) of ailments that are commonly seen in a yoga class. We will look at the cardiovascular system and frequently seen symptoms, such as high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack and poor circulation of legs. We will explore the pathophysiology of cancer and the impact of chemotherapy and similar commonly seen conditions. This class is very straightforward and designed to gently illumine the Yoga Therapist so that you will be able to lead your students in a safe and knowledgeable manner. There will be time for questions.

Friday June 4: Ethics, Yoga Tools and Practices
Ananda Deviika Ma, M.SC, E-RYT
This day will include discussion of ethics in yoga therapy and the potentials of subtle energy therapies. We will discuss common ethical issues that may arise in clinical practice, including: financial issues, sexual boundaries, appropriate referral, and similar topics. We will also discuss the application of yama and niyama in a therapeutic yoga practice. In this course we will review all of the different Yogic tools that can be therapeutically used. Students will receive the Ananda Seva assessment package which is a series of intake, interview and Yogic prescription forms, which will be used throughout the course and greatly aid students in focusing their interviews and prescribing Yogic treatments.

Saturday June 5-Sunday June 6: Pain Management for the Yoga Therapist
Carol Hince, Licensed Physical Therapist
Learn to incorporate evaluation techniques into pain management procedures for neck, shoulders, spine and hips. Yoga therapy interventions include use of body scans, breath, asanas and guided visualizations with a particular focus on restorative poses. Covers neck and back pain, sciatica and fibromyalgia.

Monday June 7-Wednesday June 9: Structural Yoga for the Yoga Therapist
Mukunda Stiles
During this time, we will study asanas and the body from a structural yoga point of view with an emphasis on body mechanics. Students will also learn how to diagnose the body to understand individual limitations and needed adaptations to postures. Students will learn patterns of body compensation, movement and adjustments, which facilitate and restore wholeness.

Thursday June 10: Yoga Cikitsa
Maetreyii Nolan, PhD, E-RYT
During this day, we will learn traditional asanas and yogic health care tips of North India for a variety of conditions, as given by Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, a highly esteemed and knowledgeable classical Tantric Guru.

Friday June 11: Yoga Therapy for Cancer, Part 2
Jnani Chapman, RN
A continuation of assimilating the large amount of information needed to work with this special group of people. Topics will include an overview of cancer and conventional cancer treatments, their common side effects, and its psycho-social dimensions as well as Yoga therapies and asanas.

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FOR SESSION II

July 9 – 22, 2010

Friday, July 9, Evening 7 - 9: Review of Homework and Check-In
Ananda Deviika' Ma', M.Sc, E-RYT and Maetreyii Nolan, PhD, E-RYT
This will be short check-in and review of the homework completed in the home-study program. There will be time for students to share what they have been doing and re-orient themselves to the training atmosphere.

Saturday, July 10: Applied Psychology: A Diagnostic Perspective
Maetreyii Nolan, PhD
We will look at common psychological conditions from a Western diagnostic perspective and treatment from a Yogic orientation. Conditions that may be reviewed will include depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, spiritual emergence, panic attacks, trauma, and obsessive compulsive disorder.

Sunday July 11: Applied Psychology: An Ayurvedic Perspective
Dr. Sarasvati Buhrman, PhD
In Yogic and Ayurvedic thinking, different types of mental and emotional disorders are differentiated by which gunas and doshas are most at play. This class will focus on understanding and treating psychological conditions from an Ayurvedic and yogic perspective using pranayama and meditation therapy and Ayurvedic treatments for depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and spiritual emergence difficulties.

Monday July 12: Healing Dynamics of Breath and the Three Doshas
Sarasvati Buhrman, PhD
Early yogis noted that regulation of the breath could be used to calm the mind and stop the thoughts. The Hatha yogis also used breath and bandhas ayurvedically, to balance the doshas, heal disease, and enhance prana and ojas. Modern therapeutic use of the breath has focused on the effects of regulated breathing on the nervous system and the stress response. All of these approaches are relevant to the practice of Yoga therapy. Specific practices relating to each approach will be taught as time permits.

Tuesday July 13-Wednesday July 14: Yoga Therapy for Metabolic Syndrome, Diabetes and Obesity
Sarasvati Buhrman, PhD
These two days will cover the ayurvedic perspective and treatment on these prevalent metabolic diseases. Metabolic syndrome is now recognized as the precursor to both heart disease, diabetes, premature aging, and a host of inflammatory diseases. It is often linked to diet, stress, insomnia, overweight, and sedentary lifestyle. We will investigate the social, biological, and lifestyle dimensions of the problem, and explore Yogic, Ayurvedic, and nutritional approaches to this widespread problem.

Thursday July 15: Shat Karma and Yoga Therapy for Respiratory Diseases
Sarasvati Buhrman, PhD
These two days will cover the ayurvedic perspective on prevalent respiratory diseases including asthma and offer possible treatments for these widespread conditions. We will explore breathing practices, visualizations, and Ayurvedic tools for the treatment of asthma.

Friday July 16: Working with Aging Populations
Gloria Tucker, MD and Sheri Baptiste, 500 E-RYT
Gloria Tucker, MD explores the physiological processes of aging including the specific diseases of aging such as osteoporosis and arthritis. Sheri Baptiste, 500 E-RYT teaches her unique program of asana with weights to address the bone loss associated with osteoporosis designed to strengthen the muscular-skeletal system at any age. In this practice you will combine the practice of mindfulness and the core ideals of yoga with the science of bodybuilding to build core stability, bone density and balance.

Saturday July 17: Yoga Therapy for Recovery from Addiction
Annalisa Cunningham
Annalisa will introduce participants to a gentle approach to hatha yoga geared toward healing from addiction. The course integrates the 12 step recovery approach and explores the reality of addiction including the toll it places on the body, mind, emotions and spirit. The practices offered are comprehensive and include journal writing exercises focusing on recovery themes. Please bring a journal or writing paper to class. The course will be both informational and experiential.

Sunday July 18: Yoga Therapy for Grief
Antonio Sausys, BA Psychology, MA Body-Oriented Psychotherapy
Grief is the body's response to loss. When facing a serious illness or life situation, we may not only lose the dream of a health but may also experience the loss of freedom created by new restrictions. In this course you will learn to identify the physical, psychological and neuro-immunological symptoms of grief and gain insight on how to address those symptoms with a set of yogic tools. Helping people work through grief aids them in the psychological transformation of personal growth.

Monday July 19-Tuesday July 20: Integrative Restoration Therapy
Richard Miller, PhD
Integrative Restoration (iRest) is a modern adaptation of the ancient meditative process of yoga nidra. During this workshop Richard will guide you through the process of iRest using didactic lecture, interactive dialogue and experiential practice. You will learn iRest as an effective tool that you can integrate into your professional and personal practice. iRest will provide both you and your students with a clear-cut process for transformation, a context for how transformation unfolds as well as a framework for accessing the healing presence of pure Awareness in the healing process. This presentation will challenge and inspire you to approach yourself, your students and yoga therapy as a portal for experiencing the healing and ever-present nature of unconditioned, nondual awareness.

Wednesday July 21: Yoga Therapy for Cardiac Conditions and Stroke
Ananda Deviika Ma, M.Sc, E-RYT
This course includes a brief review of Ayurvedic and Western dietary strategies for preventing and managing the two diseases responsible for the largest numbers of deaths annually in North America. We will also explore Yoga Therapy research, asanas and other Yogic tools potentially helpful for treatment of heart disease and stroke.

July 22: Review, Testing & Graduation
Maetreyii Nolan, Ph.D. & Ananda Deviika' Ma'
During this day, we will review the diagnostic and treatment methods learned during the training. Utilizing client intake forms, students will do full assessments and for testing purposes, present their case and treatment program for the individual assessed before the class. Students will be evaluated on the depth of their assessment and quality of their recommendations and feedback given. Afterwards, we will celebrate with a wonderful graduation ceremony and Yogic feast.

HOME-STUDY INTERNSHIP PROGRAM

June 12 – July 9, 2010

The Ananda Seva Yoga Therapy program is held in two 14-day sessions, and includes a Home-Study or Internship module between the first and second sessions. Hours earned during this module will give students the necessary non-contact hours in order to obtain 500-hour Yoga Alliance certification. This internship module is a very important part of our program, as it allows students to integrate and utilize what they are learning. It is designed to give students hands-on experience with interviewing clients, completing assessments and prescribing yogic tools. Internship assignments will include the following:

• Case assessments of at least 3 clients in which someone is interviewed, their situation assessed and yogic tools prescribed. This includes follow-up sessions, as needed, to check in with clients and adjust practices as per individual needs and progress.
• A short write up for each client about your assessment experience, incorporating your feelings and the learning process.
• Self-assessment for yourself, including prescription of techniques and tracking your efforts to follow them. It is highly recommended that during this interim period you continue regular daily meditation and a personal asana practice as well as any other practices you assess as beneficial. This includes a write-up of your personal assessment and your experience with following your own guidelines.
• A research paper on a yoga therapy topic of your choice, such as yoga for cancer, obesity, etc. Research papers will include description and assessment of the topic chosen, as well as therapeutic application of related yogic techniques.
• Any remaining hours can be logged in for yoga therapy related research, observing or teaching. This can consist of projects such as researching herbs, visiting a yoga class for special needs (cancer, obesity, etc.) and/or teaching a class for special needs. Any of these additional hours are to include write-ups of what you have done and what you have learned.

Yoga Therapy Training Location

The Ananda Seva Summer Yoga Therapy Training will be held at our own beautiful center in Santa Rosa California, just 60 miles north of San Francisco. Our center, Ananda Kamalalaya is located on three and a quarter acres on the side of a small mountain in a retreat like setting. Our center is an active ashram in which people live and work. It has a beautiful retreat atmosphere with large decks and a hot tub, meadows, large oaks, beautiful organic gardens and views of the valley and near by mountains. We are easily reachable by flights into the Oakland or San Francisco airports and an Airporter bus which will take you to Santa Rosa where we will pick you up and bring you to the center.

Back to Top

Ananda Seva Yoga Therapy Training Faculty

The Ananda Seva Yoga Therapy Training offers a unique opportunity to study with a variety of leading professionals in the field of Yoga Therapy Training. We have hand-selected our faculty for expertise in their respective specialities and their ability to impart this knowledge through their teaching.

Maetreyii Nolan, PhD, E-RYT 500
Maetreyii has been practicing yoga and meditation for over 30 years and is the Co-founder and President of Ananda Seva Mission as well as the Co-director of this program. She has a doctorate in Transpersonal Psychology from the Institute of Transpersonal Psychology, and is a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice. She is also a former director of the Spiritual Emergence Network and a founding board member of the Kundalini Research Network. She has done extensive teaching on Yogic philosophy and practices, drawing on a strong intuitive connection to her Guru, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, through which she receives teaching and shares them with others.

Avadhutiika Ananda Deviika Ma Acharya, MSc, E-RYT 500
Ananda Deviika’ Ma graduated from the University in Belgrade, in Yugoslavia, with a degree in Theoretical Physics, which inspired her to further her research in the domain of spirituality. She received her spiritual initiation in 1977 and decided to dedicate her life to serving others as an Acharya, a spiritual teacher. She became a Sannyasini, or yogic nun, in the Northern Indian Tantric tradition under the guidance of her Guru Shrii Shrii Anandamurti. She spent three years training in India and then came to the United States and Canada where she has taught many people the practices of Sahaj yoga. She is a Co-founder and Training Coordinator of Ananda Seva Mission, a trainer of family Acharyas, and a Co-director of this program.

Sarasvati Buhrman, PhD, RYT 500
Sarasvati has maintained a private practice of Ayurvedic medicine and Yoga Therapy since 1987, and is senior teacher and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Yoga and Ayurveda. She did graduate work in genetics and received her doctorate in medical and psychological anthropology from the University of Colorado. She is also a certified biofeedback therapist and Cardiac Yoga instructor. A Yogic renunciate in the Vairagi order of north India, Sarasvati has practiced and taught asanas, pranayama, and meditation, and Ayurveda under the direction of her guru, Baba Hari Das, since 1976. She was trained in Ayurvedic medicine and asked to practice and teach by prominent Ayurvedic Physician, Dr. R.P. Trivedi. She has published several papers in the fields of Yoga, Ayurvedic Medicine, and Yoga Therapy.

Mukunda Stiles
Mukunda Stiles, through his relationship to the inner guru and his embodied guru, Swami Muktananda, has evolved into a spiritual mentor. He has authored several landmark books on yoga therapy including Structural Yoga Therapy, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and Ayurvedic Yoga Therapy. His website is www.yogatherapycenter.org

Jnani Chapman, RN
Jnani received her Bachelors of Science degree in nursing at the University of San Francisco and has for fourteen years served as senior staff member of Commonweal Cancer Help Program (which was featured in Bill Moyers' PBS special on health and healing.) Jnani also teaches yoga to women with breast cancer through the Breast Cancer Personal and Lifestyle Support Program of the University of California, San Francisco, and the California Pacific Medical Center. She is the former executive director of the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

Richard Miller, PhDM
Richard Miller, author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga, is president of the Center of Timeless Being, co-president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology and co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapy. Richard teaches in the lineage of his spiritual mentor, Jean Klein, and has devoted his life to passing on the nondual wisdom teachings he has received from his mentors in the fields of yoga, tantra, advaita, Taoism and Buddhism.

Gloria Tucker, MD, RYT
Gloria Tucker is an MD who has practiced Internal Medicine for 10 years and Sports Medicine for the last 7 years, being Board Certified in both. In addition, she is a Certified Yoga Instructor and has been using yoga postures as therapy for some of her patients with difficult muskuloskeletal problems. She began spiritual practice 18 years ago under the guidance of Sri Eknath Easwaran, and every day that passes she remembers how deeply grateful she is.

Sherri Baptiste CYT, IYT, ERYT 500
Founder of Baptiste Power Yoga and author of Yoga with Weights for Dummies, Sherri Baptiste is at the forefront of yoga's health and fitness contingent in the US. She has pioneered a system of weight resistance and asana useful for a wide range of people from athletes to older adults. Baptiste grew up immersed in yoga with parents who are credited for bringing yoga to the West Coast in the 1950's and a brother, Baron Baptiste who has become an icon of Power Yoga.

Antonio Sausys, MA, RYT
Antonio Sausys is a somatic health practitioner and yoga instructor specializing in one-on-one yoga therapy for people with chronic and acute medical conditions as well as emotional imbalance. He studied with Yoga masters and teachers such as Indra Devi, Swami Shankaradevananda, Swami Ekananda, Babashi Singh, Ram Dass, Swami Mairtreyananda and Larry Payne. He has continued his professional development with training in Foot Reflexology, Swedish Therapeutic Massage, the Degriefing Process and Reiki. Antonio teaches and lectures at U.C. Berkeley, California Institute of Integral Studies, Alive and Well, Institute of Conscious Body Work, College of Marin, has been a faculty member at the International Yoga College and the former Honorary Secretary of the International Yoga Federation for USA. Antonio resides in Marin County with a thriving yoga practice throughout the Bay Area.

Carol Hince, MSPT, RYT
Carol Hince, has worked as a physical therapist in acute and rehabilitation hospitals, nursing homes, and outpatient clinics for 30 years. She has taught yoga classes, workshops, and private sessions for 15 years and taught physical therapy at the School of Physical Therapy at UCSF. She is currently providing prevention, treatment, and ergonomics for Costco’s warehouse. She also teaches Restorative Yoga at Kaiser Hospital. Carol is certified in Integrative Yoga Therapy, Restorative Yoga,and Level II iREST Yoga Nidra meditation. Her original yoga training was in Iyengar style. For 15 years she has been combining yoga and physical therapy in all her work, including private sessions.

Annalisa Cunningham, MA, counseling, RYT - 500
Annalisa Cunningham is the author of several books including HEALING ADDICTION WITH YOGA: A Yoga Program for People in 12 Step Recovery. An instructor at Butte College and Chico State University, Annalisa teaches courses in Addiction Studies and Yoga Psychology. As a substance abuse counselor at an inpatient recovery hospital, she has developed a yoga program specifically for recovering alcoholics, addicts and their family members. She also offers seasonal yoga vacations & retreats which combine her love of travel, yoga and healing. Her emphasis is on gentle, healing practices which encourage self acceptance, compassion and finding inner peace. www.openingheartjourneys.com

Back to Top