Important: If you’re thinking of becoming an Ananda Yoga Therapist, we recommend that you enroll in the program by December, 2013. Why this year? Read on.
Our Ananda Yoga Therapy Training is continuing to grow dynamically. We now have about 25 yoga teachers enrolled in the program. One student has already received Level 1 certification, and 3 others have completed all the course work and have only some home practicum and the final evaluation to complete.
Meanwhile the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) finalized its Education Standards for the Training of Yoga Therapists in July 2012. These standards state that Yoga Therapy Training programs must be 800 hours beyond a basic 200-hour YTT, and must be taught over a minimum of two years.
Currently, the majority of yoga therapy training programs are 300 hours (after a 200-hour YTT). Ananda Yoga Therapy Training is divided into two levels. Level 1 is currently 450 hours of a combination of classroom and practicum hours. It is our intention that by the end of 2014 our Level 2 Ananda Yoga Therapist Training will meet the 800-hour requirement set forth by IAYT.
In December 2012 IAYT published Emerging Guidelines for Grandparenting Yoga Therapists with the reminder that the actual recognition and listing of yoga therapists by IAYT via grandparenting or graduation from IAYT accredited programs is “some time off.” But they wanted to address the concerns of previously graduated students, current and future students of formal yoga therapy programs, so have issued these guidelines to share their intent.
If students have graduated from yoga therapy programs that are only 300 hours in length, they will be required to document an additional 150 hours of training and/or experience to qualify for grandfathering. Since our program is already 450 hours at the first Level, there should be no additional training required for grandfathering for those students who have graduated from our program, or are current students as of December 31, 2013.
If you are interested in becoming an Ananda Yoga Therapist and would like to be eligible for a grandfathering credential from IAYT, then you must be enrolled as a student in this program by the end of December, 2013. The best way to do this would be to enroll in either the March (17–23) or June (16–22) Principles of Yoga Therapy this year. This course is designed to be the first of all the core yoga therapy courses, so it’s best to start with it. However, if you cannot make either of those dates, the other option is for you to start with one of the following 2013 courses (for which Principles of Yoga Therapy is not a prerequisite):
March 13–17 or December 4–7 Restorative YTT
March 23 26 or December 1–4 Yoga Therapy for Seniors and Osteoporosis
However, we do believe that the most complete preparation for qualifying as an Ananda Yoga Therapist will involve completion of our full Level 2 Yoga Therapist Training. We will encourage all students who have completed our Level 1 Yoga Therapist Training to continue to work toward completion of the Level 2 Yoga Therapist Training, which includes all the courses that are required for Level 2 Ananda Yoga Teacher. Anyone who enrolls in the Ananda Yoga Therapist Training program after December 31, 2013 will be enrolling in a course that will meet the standards of IAYT, assuming that both Levels 1 and 2 are completed.
If you have questions about any of this, please contact us or call me at 800-346-5350.
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