Yoga and meditation continue to offer huge health and wellness benefits for one’s entire life, with reduced or no use of drugs and pharmaceuticals. You too can learn how to share yoga and meditation with a therapeutic approach through our certified teacher training programs.

Maybe you see yourself teaching in a classroom setting. Or maybe you will apply the knowledge and skills learned as an add-on in your profession. Or you may wish simply to learn more about yoga and become knowledgeable enough to utilize the health benefits for yourself and your loved ones.

In this program in addition to understanding how poses (asanas) work at many levels, you will receive detailed instructions on breathing exercises (pranayama), hand positions (mudra), and other yogic tools. In a therapeutic approach you will learn how to modify these techniques and tailor a program for the individual. You will also learn how to refine your chosen style of practice using Ayurvedic principles.

We have found this program is perfect for: Holistic health practitioners, health care professionals, massage therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, therapists of many disciplines, those interested in natural remedies, and healing. Individuals who are retired as well as younger adults have taken this program. There is no exam involved.

Individualized Teaching and Learning – The needs of students are unique, and each individual yoga teacher will develop her or his own vision of the teaching process. This program assists teachers in developing their own unique vision and mission, along with the maturity and insight to clarify this vision.

Program Outline:

• Specialized Yoga Programs – Students work in small groups to create specialized yoga programs for particular settings, such as health care, yoga for children, seniors, stress management, fitness, creative arts, etc.
• Understanding the Context of Yoga – Students explore the yoga tradition, including its history, philosophy, and psychology. Materials such as Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras come to life in a way that brings depth and meaning to yoga classes, making them more creative and, at the same time, more deeply grounded in the tradition of yoga.
• Whole Person Approach to Yoga – Learn to teach classes that involve your students at every level of being, using the structure of the five koshas and understanding the benefits of yoga for the physical body, the chakras, mind, emotions, and spirit.
• Learn to Teach at a Wide Variety of Levels – Beginning with chair yoga and continuing up to a dynamic vinyasa series. Each series comes with posture charts, enabling the student to have ready-made sequences or to use them as a foundation for creating their own series for particular situations.
• The Art and Science of Teaching – Learn key teaching concepts such as sequencing, pacing, adjustments, classroom organization, voice quality, instructions, values and qualities of the teacher, and business practices.
• Yoga as a Vehicle for Health and Healing – Develop an approach to teaching within the yoga therapy vision, including special sections on yoga for back care and stress management.
• Understand Health and Illness – Learn the nature of health and illness from the yoga perspective. Discover the effects of stress on the human body and ways to manage it with yoga.
• Hands-on Experience – The internship portion of the program will give you the opportunity to apply the skills learned in the classroom in your community with the help of a mentor.

Integrative Yoga Therapy was developed by Joseph LePage. Joseph’s approach to teaching is influenced by Kripalu Yoga and Tri-Yoga as well as studies in India. Integrative Yoga Therapy offers a vision of complete health at each level of the person, physical, energetic, psychological and spiritual. The process of Yoga Therapy is a journey of healing and integrating all these aspects of ourselves within a growing awareness of who we are and the spiritual source of our being. Yoga Therapy offers a vision of health that respects the interconnectedness of all of life and is aligned with our highest evolutionary potential.

200 hour Basic Level Yoga Teacher Certification

This program is approved by Yoga Alliance at the 200 hour level. Approximately 70 hours of home study time, and 180 hours of in class time is involved.

Course Schedule

The course is offered in three formats:

(1) One weekend a month 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday & Sunday over 10 months for a total of 20 training days (180 hours in class). Program starts April/May and finishes in January of the following year.

(2)  Two 10-day in class training modules, weekdays Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (180 hours in class). Module 1 in May, Module 2 in August. Participants begin home study before in class training.

(3) Twenty-day training 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (180 hours in class) in July. Participants begin home study before in class training.

Home study is approximately 6 hours per month. The training includes an internship program under the direction of a mentor. For participants taking the intensive in class training, home study begins before the in class training, and the 8 week internship is completed after the in class training.

Weekend format 2010:

• May 1/2, 2010
• May 29/30
• June 26/27
• July 24/25
• August 21/22
• September 25/26
• October 23/24
• November 20/21
• December 11/12
• January 08/09, 2011

Intensive format 2010:

Register and begin home study prior to in class training, with mentor review of assignments. We recommend you register at least 1 month prior to your training. You will receive initial home study material when you register.

April to November

Module 1: May 10-14; 17-21, 2010

Module 1: July 5-9; 12-16, 2010

Module 2: Aug. 2-6; 9-13, 2010

Module 3: Internship with mentoring August to October

8-week internship in home community follows in class training.

Location of Trainings

Body Therapies Yoga Training, 14 Bendemeer Street, Dundas, Ontario L9H 3P1

Information Sessions

are held in March at our home studio in Dundas, Ontario. If you would like to meet with the Primary Teacher, Heather Greaves, at another time please email info@yogatogo.com or call 905-628-6463.

Location of Trainings

Body Therapies Yoga Training, 14 Bendemeer Street, Dundas, Ontario L9H 3P1

Information Sessions

are held in March at our home studio in Dundas. If you would like to meet with the Primary Teacher, Heather Greaves, at another time please email info@yogatogo.com or call 905-628-6463.

Accommodation and meals

On site accommodation is available for out-of-town participants at the rate of $25 per night. This includes the use of kitchen, laundry, and sauna. Please bring your own sheets. Vegetarian meals will be coordinated and prepared individually or as a group.

Accommodation is also available locally at the Hamilton Motor Inn or The Admiral.

Training Manual

You will also receive a 500-page training manual a lifelong resource for yoga and mind-body health issues, supporting every aspect of teaching and practice. The program promotes personal growth and is useful for anyone keen on self-improvement.

Program Deposit:

A $400 deposit is required to hold your space.  If you would like to secure your spot now then fill-out this form:

Program Fee:

Early registration price with deadline 4 weeks before start of program: $2,645 + GST

Full registration with deadline 1 week before start of program – $2745 + GST.

*includes tool box and manual (materials worth over $100)

* We want our Yoga Teacher Programs to be accessible to all levels of income earners and so we offer convenient payment plan with a $150 administrative fee for the 10-month program. The 6 month payment plan starts 2 weeks prior to the course beginning and is offered to those who have made a $400 deposit.  The $150 administrative fee must be paid prior to the course beginning.

Tuition assistance can be arranged.

Cancellation Policy

Payments and deposits are only refundable if you cancel with 4 weeks or more advanced notice. Cancellation must be in written form and there is a $50 processing fee that is non-refundable. If cancellation takes place with less then 4 weeks written notice then you will forfeit your $400 deposit.

If for some reason you begin the course and cannot finish the program for whatever reason, (we understand things can happen over a 10 month period) we will not refund your money, however, we will allow you to transfer into next seasons program with  only needing to pay $150 transfer fee. You are expected to complete the course within 2 years.