What style of yoga is Integrative Yoga Therapy (IYT)?
Rather than a style of yoga, Integrative Yoga Therapy is a process. A graduate from the IYT yoga teacher training program will be able to select and arrange yoga techniques in a way that the yoga classes fulfill a particular aim.
For example, the teacher decides on “Breath, the Heart of the Class” as the theme of the class. Which inspirational poem, mudra, pranayama, relaxation, meditation and affirmation will be selected? And what order will they follow?
I practiced Ashtanga yoga as well as hatha yoga, can I study in this program?
Yes, you can. The Integrative Yoga Therapy yoga teacher training program will prepare you to teach yoga for total wellness. Students practicing all styles of yoga have completed this training successfully.
Can I teach regular yoga classes with this training?
Yes. In addition to offering yoga classes to the general public, graduates teach yoga-based wellness programs in hospitals, businesses, universities, clinics, and complimentary health care settings.
How much time is required for home study?
There are 3 parts to the home study: reading and answering at least 2 questions, journalism, and practice.
Reading - One chapter of the manual is covered each month. Chapters include The History of Yoga, Ayurveda and Yoga, Stress Management, and Meditation, Imagery, Relaxation and Yoga Nidra. How quickly you integrate the material and answer questions will depend on how familiar you are with the topic.
Journaling – What prepares you to be an effective yoga teacher is your own personal experience and journey of transformation as a student of yoga. As you explore the topic for the month, you capture and share whatever you are comfortable sharing of that experience. Sharing may include creative drawings.
Practice – The foundation of yoga is practice, practice, practice. For this time is required. The yoga techniques are learned systematically and by actually doing them. Developing a daily practice brings many benefits. As you begin to appreciate the value of this, creating practice time becomes part of your flow. In addition, practice teaching to family and friends starts you on your teaching path.
How much time are you willing to devote to get the most of your teacher training? Some find 4 hours a week adequate.
I have just discovered yoga and got so much benefit that I want to share it with others. Am I qualified to take the training?
You must know the basics of yoga before you can train to be a teacher. While in training, you will learn the names of the poses and how to perform the pose correctly. Sometimes students feel they can never teach like their teacher, and are intimidated by this. This program assists teachers in developing their own unique vision and mission, along with the maturity and insight to clarify this vision.
Take the support of family and friends as you can dedicate the time necessary to complete the program thoroughly.
Looking for tips on Yoga for Beginners? Yoga poses can be used to explore feelings. Think of your time with yoga poses as an experiment; as if you were in a laboratory. Kripalu yoga developed a framework for working with emotions: Breathe, Relax, Feel, Witness, Allow.
Decide how you want to experiment with an emotion. You may wish to go deep and explore, or you may prefer to simply witness. There are 3 principles to consider when witnessing. Let’s use one principle working with a Standing Pose.
Standing poses are great to work with. They bring a quality of strength and confidence as you make effort to sustain the pose. At the same time you remain calm and relaxed as you pay attention to your breath. The two qualities of effort and surrender create a balance in yoga poses and in life. In yoga for beginners it is an important point to grasp through experience.
Working with Emotions through Sensations
Enter the pose and find a way to hold the pose comfortably to allow sensations to emerge and expand. Avoid suppressing or sidestepping sensations. Remember to breathe consciously, and create space for the breath with micro movements.
Witness
After you have established the pose, totally focus on the physical sensations you feel. Notice the size, shape, quality of the sensation. Perhaps you are able to see colors and images. To witness is to observe without judging or analyzing. If creating a sound helps with a release of emotions, by all means free yourself.
Healing Emotions
This process releases stuck energy of feelings and emotions. What do you notice when the energy is released?
I invite you to share your experience of healing emotions through any of the yoga poses you choose to explore in your laboratory.
If you would secretly wish you could share the benefits of yoga with others and are wondering whether you could, if you would like to share yoga techniques on a professional level, here’s a very brief overview of Yoga Therapy.
Click on the link to view the video.
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Basic and advanced yoga therapy teacher trainings are available.
1. Shallow Chest Breathing
Is your breathing shallow? To check, place one hand on the chest, and the other just above the navel. If the hand on the chest moves more, then shallow breathing is your normal breathing pattern.
Shallow breathing, also called paradoxical breathing, creates tension in the shoulders, neck and thoracic spine and increases heart rate, breathing rate, muscle tension and metabolism.
Yoga Breathing Exercise: To correct chest breathing, practice the following exercise 10 – 20 minutes daily for several weeks until breathing from the diaphragm becomes natural and easy.
• Lie on your back with you knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Place a hard cover book or 10-15 lb sandbag on your abdomen around the area of the navel.
• As you inhale through the nose, lift the book. As you exhale through the nose, the book lowers.
2. Rough Breathing
Your breath is jerky. Sit comfortably with the spine lengthened. Notice your incoming and outgoing breath. Is it smooth?
Yoga Breathing Exercise: Place one hand about 4 inches away from your body. Move one finger from navel to chin as you inhale, then back down as you exhale. Practice with awareness of the breath.
3. Mouth Breathing
Mouth breathing exacerbates high blood pressure, asthma, heart disease, dry cough and many other medical problems.
Yoga Breathing Exercise: Sit comfortably for 3-5 minutes and practice breathing through the nose. You can also press one nostril closed with a finger or thumb and breathe slowly through the other nostril. Then change sides.
Yoga breathing exercises must be practiced without force.
This is the 7th in a series of interviews with graduates from the Integrative Yoga Therapy teacher training program offered through Body Therapies Yoga Training. If you are thinking of becoming a yoga teacher, you’ll find these of particular interest.
1. What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must do?
Be willing to reflect and examine oneself deeply.
2. What is one thing that every yoga teacher trainee must avoid?
Seeking perfection.
3. Is being a yoga teacher just trendy or is it here to stay?
I think becoming a yoga teacher is something that a person does for him/herself so it does not matter if it is a trend or not.
4. Can a yoga teacher still be successful if they are in a crowded niche?
Yes, I think each yoga teacher has his or her own style and there will be students who will be comfortable with that style.
5. What has the yoga teacher training done for you?
Yoga teacher training with Heather Greaves has influenced my life immensely, spiritually and emotionally. I am grateful for the opportunity to share my love for yoga with others. Teaching yoga has added a rich new dimension to my life.
Anju Joshi
Integrative Yoga Therapy
email: yogawithanju@cogeco.ca
We hope you enjoyed reading Anju’s experience. And if you’d like to learn more about our Integrative Yoga Therapy yoga teacher training program, check for information at www.yogatogo.com and send us an email.
This basic pranayama, breath awareness, helped reduce the angst and anxiety that had been my shadow companion.
Meditation had been part of my daily routine for many years. Yet angst and anxiety was my shadow companion. Sure, I was definitely peaceful. Yoga philosophy had answered many of life’s big questions for me. I could accept life’s dramas, and understand that we were all actors. The law of karma and reincarnation I got. This knowledge had brought a great deal of calm.
So how come I was still anxious? The fact that my breath was shallow would have contributed significantly to the angst. I remember once a massage therapist said to me something like, “Your breath is high up. Try to get it down here.” Her hand was resting on my belly and I couldn’t get my breath down there.
In my heart of hearts, I prayed for an answer to this anxiety, which would step out from the shadows every now and then. One day I suddenly realized my prayers had been answered. I couldn’t remember the last time I was anxious. What was it that had changed things for me?
I had begun to practice the basic pranayama breathing exercise – simple breath awareness; being aware of the breath. Breath awareness is vital in yoga therapy. My meditation practice changed and became this basic breath awareness; sitting and following the breath in and out. I don’t remember exactly how long each practice was. I know it was at least 10 minutes. And it was definitely in the morning. Meditation is also important in yoga therapy.
If you have used any no cost pranayama, breathing exercise, to cope with anxiety, or to reduce the number of times you take medication, I’d like to hear your story. Comment below.
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“People get ready, there’s a new age coming, you don’t need no baggage you just get on board.“
What 3 mistakes prevent you from dropping mental or emotional baggage? How can yoga exercise and daily meditation practice help you drop baggage and march to a new age?
What 3 mistakes prevent us from dropping baggage and moving forward to a new age easily and with courage? How can a daily practice of yoga exercise and meditation bring courage?
Mistake #1 – Pointing Fingers – Whenever you are uncomfortable, unhappy or upset you point fingers and blame other people. Whenever you blame someone for your troubles, your troubles instantly become heavier than they actually are.
Solution: Take personal responsibility for your response to what is happening. “I take full responsibility for my response to this situation.”
Yoga Exercise: Breathe deeply for as long as it takes to begin to accept this thought, or totally accept it. Assume correct posture to increase breathing capacity as well as gain a courageous feeling. Start a daily meditation practice of at least 3 minutes of breath awareness.
Mistake #2 – Constantly Making Comparisons – You keep comparing yourself to other people and feel you are less than others. You don’t know your own strengths, or you forget to recall them. Instead you keep focusing on your weaknesses. Or on the other hand, you feel you are better than others. You keep seeing others weaknesses, as you take pride in your strengths. You create so many extra thoughts. Baggage!
Solution: Consider that each individual has a special place in the universe, a unique part to play, and gifts and talents to play the part.
Yoga Exercise: Practice 3 fundamental principles of yoga (self discipline, self-study, and surrender to the divine) to see reality. Be firm about your daily meditation practice, and read an inspirational book daily.
Mistake #3 – Thinking Your Thoughts Are Okay – You think that because no-one can know your thoughts, it is okay to think whatever you want. You think your criticisms affect no-one, and therefore it is alright.
Solution: Put a full stop to your thoughts, and practicing calming the mind.
Yoga Exercise: A daily meditation practice that controls all senses.
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Share with me your thoughts on these points; I’d really like to know. Simply use the comments section below.
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