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The Authority for Yoga Therapy in Northern California
SMC Yoga Therapist Training Programs
300 hour YA / IAYT Level 1
Yoga Therapist Training
Becoming a Yoga Therapist
"Yoga therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and wellbeing through the application of the teachings and practices of yoga." - IAYT
THE IAYT STANDARD
...is geared to helping you develop a clinical practice of Yoga Therapy. This may include Yoga Therapy classes, but it emphasizes one-to-one care.
YOUR ACCREDITED TRAINING WILL INCLUDE
- 120 hrs of Yoga Foundations (the ancient texts on psychology and frameworks for health and disease)
- 155 hrs of Biomedical and Psychological Foundations ("western" medical approaches")
- 80 hrs on Teaching and Therapeutic Skills (therapeutic relationships, the ability to educate)
- 115 hrs of yoga therapy tools & how to use them
- 150 practicum hours of practice teaching
- 30 hrs of professional practice with an emphasis on ethics
- A total of 800 hours of training to be delivered over a minimum of 24 months, so there is time built-in to integrate the material.
When you finish Level 1 of the 800hr training, you will also qualify for a Yoga Alliance RYT500 Yoga Teacher registration. To be certified as a Yoga Therapist, you will continue your study with us in Level 2 of the 800hr training.
Pre-requisites: In order to apply for Level 1, you will need to have a 200hr certificate with SMC or equivalent YA training plus one year teaching experience and one year personal practice.
Training weekends generally follow the following timeframe: Fri 6pm - 9pm, Sat 10am - 6pm & Sun 10:00am - 5:00pm, but may be vary some on specific weekends.
500 hour IAYT Level 2
Yoga Therapist Training
What makes our 800-hr Therapist Training unique?
"Practice that is done for a long time, without break and with sincere devotion becomes a firmly rooted, stable, and solid foundation"
- Patanjali Yoga Sutras 1:14
OUR EXPERIENCE
...makes us unique. Our teachers average 40+ years of study in all aspects of Yoga, and 30+ years of teaching. We were the first accredited training in the Bay Area.
OUR REPUTATION
SMC was founded in 2000. We have been called upon to provide Yoga Therapy to community members from sports teams to hospitals to homes for the mentally ill. We work with every type of injury and ailments, including brain injuries and this includes our Veterans.
We frequently work with Kaiser Permanente in their Chronic Pain Program, the first yoga studio to be invited to serve on the clinical side at the hospital. We train thier doctors in Stess Management.
EARN A LIVING DOING WHAT YOU LOVE.
We feel very fortunate to earn our livings practicing Yoga Therapy. We have developed a vibrant, growing business and we are very focused on this aspect. We will be teaching you how to start your own practice and make it successful. We have hired many of our past graduates as Yoga Therapists for classes all over the Bay Area and we will be happy to help you interview for appropriate opportunities.
To apply for Level 2 Therapist Training, you need an SMC Level 1 certificate or a 500hr certificate and approval from our Director, Robin Gueth. This approval will include participation in a Bridge Program to help you get up to speed with our approach. The cost of the Bridge Program to be determined on a case by case basis.