Find out about the 5 Steps to become a Yoga therapist, including mentoring, supervision and accreditation. This article also covers the skills a Yoga therapist needs and information about Yoga therapist careers.
Have you ever wondered how to become a Yoga therapist? Is becoming a Yoga therapist the next step in your Yoga teaching journey? As Yoga teachers, we often have so many students in our classes with a range of abilities, ages and injuries. We talk to so many Yoga teachers who feel overwhelmed by the diversity in their general classes. They feel overwhelmed by the different injuries or illnesses that their students have and many Yoga teachers aren’t trained to deal with this. Yoga teachers can often lack a truly comprehensive understanding of the Yoga systems and how to offer Yoga’s profound benefits to their clients. This can lead to a lack of confidence in their ability to help all of their students.
Often Yoga teachers who want to become Yoga therapists are really keen to offer 1 to 1, individually tailored programs for their students but they are unsure where to begin. Or they are already offering 1 to 1 sessions but they are feeling out of their depth. They often lack the skills, training and knowledge to be able to really help their students therapeutically in a 1 to 1 setting. So how do you become a Yoga therapist? In this article, we will explain the 5 Step process you need to take.
How do you Become a Yoga Therapist?
Step 1: Undertake a Yoga teacher training program
Before you can commence a Yoga therapy course, you need to complete your
Yoga teacher training.
Step 2: Gain some Yoga teaching experience
After you complete your training, you will need to gain some teaching experience. This will allow you to gain valuable hands on experience teaching Yoga, refine your teaching methods and develop the confidence you will need to offer Yoga therapy consultations.
Step 3: Enrol in a Yoga Therapy Training
The next step in your journey to become a Yoga therapist is enrolling in a Yoga therapy training course. We recommend you choose a registered or accredited Yoga therapy training program. Accredited Yoga therapy training courses undergo a rigorous review and have demonstrated that they have met the standards for Yoga therapy education set down by the accrediting bodies.
During your Yoga therapy training you will learn important skills that will assist you to become an effective, accredited Yoga therapist.
What skills does a Yoga therapist need?
- Communication, basic counselling and therapeutic relationship skills
- The ability to apply Yoga philosophy and Yogic frameworks to your work with clients
- Understand and address the causes of illness and suffering from a Yogic perspective
- The tools to assess your clients holistically
- Skills to customise a Yoga therapy program for the individual
- Specialised skills and knowledge about specific illnesses and injuries
- The capacity to work collaboratively in a healthcare setting as part of a multi-disciplinary team
- Research skills
Step 4: Mentoring and Supervision
Once you complete your Yoga therapy coursework, you will undertake a period of mentoring and supervision to support your Yoga therapy work.
Having an experienced mentor means you have someone to support you and your work as a Yoga therapist. Mentoring is vital to assist with your growth and development as a Yoga therapist. Mentoring also provides support for your own self-care. Having the support from a professional mentor is invaluable when the inevitable challenges come up with your clients.
Step 5: Accreditation of Registration as a Yoga Therapist
Once you have completed the steps above you may choose to gain accreditation or registration as a Yoga therapist. In Australia, you can register with Yoga Australia and/or the Australasian Association of Yoga Therapists who work in partnership with AusActive. You can also register with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT).
Yoga therapist Careers
Once you have completed your training, you have now become a Yoga therapist! You can now start work as a Yoga therapist. There are so many different places you can work as a Yoga therapist.
Some Yoga therapists work in private practice and may develop referral networks from other health professionals in their community.
Some work in a more clinical setting, like a hospital or drug and alcohol clinic or a physiotherapy clinic.
Yoga therapists also work in natural therapy clinics. They may offer programs in corporate settings, in schools and aged care facilities to name a few.
Yoga therapists who have other modalities or professions may combine their skills with Yoga therapy, such as, psychology, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, social work, massage therapy, medicine, naturopathy, fitness and so on.
You may choose to specialise and work with clients from a specific population, such as, cancer care, special needs, mental health, injury recovery, or those experiencing pain. The list goes on!
There are so many opportunities to work as a Yoga therapist with a range of populations in a range of settings.
If you want to find out more about Yoga therapy training then CLICK HERE.
Authors:
Sal Flynn is a leading Yoga therapy educator and mentor. Sal has trained over 420 Yoga therapists over more than 33 deliveries. She has been practicing Yoga for over 40 years and she has been working in the field for over 30 years. She is also a mindfulness trainer and a counselling and psychotherapy supervisor.
Trina Bawden-Smith is the founder and director of the Yoga Therapy Institute, which has trained over 420 Yoga therapists. She has been overseeing the development of the Yoga Therapy Institute’s Accredited Yoga Therapy Certification since 2012, has conducted 8 Yoga therapy conferences and directed numerous professional development programs for Yoga therapists and Yoga teachers since 2003.