Frequent Questions
Yoga Therapy Training

Who is eligible to enroll in the Ananda Yoga Therapy Training?

The requirements for admission to the Ananda Yoga Therapy Training (AYTxT) are the following:

1. a. Graduate from Ananda Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT), OR
1. b. Graduate from a Yoga Alliance RYS who has taken Bridge to Ananda Yoga.

2. a. One year of experience (minimum of 80 hours) teaching Ananda Yoga post graduation from AYTT, OR
2. b. A minimum of one year of experience teaching yoga, with at least 30 hours of experience teaching Ananda Yoga.

3. One year of personal yoga practice.

4. Submission of the online application for the Ananda Yoga Therapy Training (and an online Medical Questionnaire), and approval from the Director of the AYTxT program.

If my initial training as a yoga teacher was not Ananda Yoga, can I still take the Ananda Yoga Therapy Training program?

Yes, after you have completed Bridge to Ananda Yoga, and you have taught atleast 30 hours of Ananda-style yoga, you are eligible to take Principles of Yoga Therapy, which is a prerequisite for many of the Ananda Yoga Therapy Training courses. The Bridge course(and 30 hours of Ananda-style yoga) is also a prerequisite for the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training Assistantship course.

Is there a recommended order for the Yoga Therapy Training modules to be taken?

Yes. Ideally one would first complete the coursework for Level 2 Ananda Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT), or at very least, Meditation Teacher Training the AYTT Assistantship course (note prerequisite one year or at least 80 hours of teaching Ananda Yoga), as this gives foundations for working one-on-one with manual assists and adjustments, an important skill for yoga therapists to develop.

The prerequisite for most of the Core Yoga Therapy courses is Yoga Therapy Training: Principles, which is currently offered once a year, usually in January or February. The curriculum is designed to build on the basic principles of Ananda Yoga Therapy as presented and practiced in this course. It focuses on the foundations of Ananda Yoga Therapy and on learning the basics of documentation which are used in most of the other AYTxT courses.

The recommended flow of the curriculum is outlined in the AYTxT Graphic below. The best way to start is with Principles and YTxT: Seniors & Bone Strength and/or Restorative Yoga Teacher Training, which are offered immediately after the Principles course.

It is recommended to next take both YTxT: Ayurveda and YTxT: Health Challenges 1 which are offered consecutively usually in September or in October. The Ayurveda course is an important foundation course in the curriculum, as most of the following courses build on the knowledge of Ayurveda presented in this course. The Health Challenges course is designed to cover the most commonly occurring conditions that yoga therapists will encounter in their clients, including integration of Ayurvedic considerations for these conditions. Because of this, the Ayurveda course is a prerequisite to taking Health Challenges-1.

From that point, you may take the other required courses in Part 1 AYTxT as your schedule allows, keeping in mind the various course prerequisites.

Other than the Meditation Solutions course, all the other courses in the Part 2 AYTxT require prior completion of the Part 1 AYTxT courses.

If I’ve previously taken some of the courses listed for the Ananda Yoga Therapy Training, will they satisfy the requirements of Ananda Yoga Therapy Training?

The courses of Level 2 Ananda Yoga Teacher Training are all recognized as fulfilling requirements for Ananda Yoga Therapy Training, even if you took them prior to enrolling in Ananda Yoga Therapy Training. (see Yoga Therapy Training Flow Chart).

If I’m already working on becoming a Level 2 Ananda Yoga Teacher, can I also pursue courses toward becoming an Ananda Yoga Therapist?

Yes, and you’ll notice that there are 3 courses that are required for both Level 2 Ananda Yoga Teacher and the Part 1 Ananda Yoga Therapy:

• Meditation Teacher Training
• Advanced Pranayama
• Ananda Yoga Teacher Training Assistantship

However, designation as an Ananda Yoga Therapist requires completion of the full 830+ hours of the Ananda Yoga Therapy Training (both Parts 1 and 2, which includes all the requirements of Level 2 Yoga Teacher Training).

Will there be a competency evaluation as part of the certification process as an Ananda Yoga Therapist?

Yes. The process of assessing student competencies is an ongoing one that is actively applied to all the Core Yoga Therapy courses in the curriculum.

The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) has developed a set of Educational Standards for the Training of Yoga Therapists which is available on this page of their website iayt.org/?page=AccredStds

Each of the courses in our AYTxT curriculum has a course syllabus (available on our website and each syllabus contains reference to those Educational Standards and Competencies that are addressed in each course.

Most of the AYTxT courses also have Home Practice Assignments which are opportunities for students to get experience practicing what they’ve learned in each course as they work with volunteer clients. Part of these assignments includes completing and submitting documentation of these Home Practicum visits, and these are then reviewed by one of the AYTxT faculty. Written feedback is given to the students as well as an opportunity for Skype or in-person review of the feedback. If students have not demonstrated adequate competency in any of these assignments, the student will be given additional opportunities to do so. Our goal is to facilitate each student’s ability to meet the IAYT Competencies if at all possible.

Will I be able to practice as a yoga therapist as soon as I complete all my required courses plus the at-home practicums and the videos?

Yes, within the scope of the therapeutic applications in which you will have received training as a certified Ananda Yoga Therapist who has successfully completed the 830 hour AYTxT.

Because we are an Accredited Yoga Therapy Training program by IAYT (International Association of Yoga Therapists), once you become a Certified Ananda Yoga Therapist, you are eligible to apply to become certified by IAYT. The credential that they give you is C-IAYT, which means an IAYT-Certified Yoga Therapist.

Is the Ananda Yoga Therapy Training an accredited school for training Yoga Therapists?

Yes, we have been an IAYT-Accredited Yoga Therapy Training program since 2014, when the first programs were accredited by IAYT.

Will I be eligible to become a RYT-500 (Registered Yoga Teacher) with Yoga Alliance?

In order to be eligible to become a RYT-500 with Yoga Alliance, one must have completed certification as a Level 2 Ananda Yoga Teacher. (This includes all of the requirements in the blue box in the flow chart below.)