SarvangasanaBy Paul Jerard, E-RYT 500

Q: I am a registered nurse (RN), who has practiced Yoga for over ten years. Will I be able to put any letters after my name upon completion of Level 1 Yoga Therapy; and at what point will I be able to use those letters?

A: After graduating from Level 1, you could call yourself a Level 1 Yoga Therapist with 250 hours of training. At this time, this is a completely new program. The Introduction to Yoga Therapy course was just released in October 2008.

The first Level 1 certification courses were released on January 30, 2009. There will be two more levels, leading to letters after your name. Eventually a Level 3 graduate will have a total of 500 hours of study and be able to use specific letters.

Q: 500 hours! How do you plan to expand this course?

A: The 100-hour Introduction to Yoga Therapy course is for continuing education credits and a certificate, which indicates 100 hours of study.

The 150-hour Level 1 Yoga Therapy course is for a Level 1 Yoga Therapist Diploma, which will indicate 250 hours of study. The 250 hours is the total of your study hours in Introduction to Yoga Therapy and Level 1 Yoga Therapy.

I will be developing a 150-hour Level 2 Yoga Therapy course in 2010. That course is on the “drawing board” at this moment, which would total 400 hours of study.

Beyond that, we have many requests to develop 3 diploma levels, within the Yoga Therapist field. When that happens (in 2011), we will eventually have a Yoga Therapist credential, which requires a total of 500 hours of study.

Q: Will I be able to join the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) group and call myself a Yoga therapist – with Level 1 training?

A: I encourage you to join IAYT. They are very informative and a great resource for Yoga education. In fact, you could join right now, based upon your medical credentials. Again, you could call yourself a Certified Level 1 Yoga Therapist with 250 hours of training.

Q: Do I have to take both levels to be certified as an Aura Certified Level 1 Yoga Therapist?

A: Yes, each level is designed to build on the next, and the Introduction to Yoga Therapy course is a pre-requisite to Level 1.

Another pre-requisite is that you send us a fax, or scanned copy, of your current credentials before undertaking the Introduction to Yoga Therapy course. Please feel free to add reference letters from your Yoga teachers.

Q: Is there any feedback on completed assignments or is it just “read and test?”

A: There is feedback on every assignment, and the practical exam videos hold a lot of weight in our marking system.

(c) Copyright 2009 – Paul Jerard / Aura Publications

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