Join us for our new podcast called the “Yoga Therapy Hour with Amy Wheeler.” It is a joint production with Give Back Yoga Foundation (www.givebackyoga.org). Our goal is to educate and promote the field of yoga therapy and nourish our listeners at the same time. We hope that yoga teachers, yoga therapists, physicians, psychologists, health educators and people interested in the mind-body connection will enjoy this podcast. We will have topics on specific health ailments and talk about how yoga therapy can be a complement to allopathic care or a stand-alone modality, discuss research and education, the national governing bodies and standards, the national exam, potential for insurance companies to cover yoga therapy, social justice in the field of yoga therapy and the emerging trends in healthcare and beyond.
We will have a guest list from all over the world so that we can work together to bring yoga therapy to the world and reduce suffering. With an emerging field like yoga therapy, it is important to bring all the best ideas and best practices together where they can be discussed. For this purpose we also have a private Facebook group. Click on this link to find it and join us “Yoga Therapy Hour with Amy Wheeler.” Each week after the podcast we can go to the group and have discussions. All are welcome, just come on over and join the group!
We will also support the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, India (www.kym.org). Giving back to Mother India for the gift of yoga that we have all received and benefitted from is a primary driver of why we started this podcast. We have pledged $500 a month to support yoga and yoga therapy programs for women and children in India, and especially those who have been impacted by the Covid19 crisis. We plan for this support to go on long term, so please set up a monthly donation through PayPal and keep the love coming to the people of India over the next several years. They will need us after the media dies down more than ever! Donate through this link and 100% of the proceeds will go to KYM Mitra Project: http://Paypal.me/KymMitraDonation
You can listen to the audio version of Episode Zero on Apple Podcast, Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Audible, Goodlge Podcast and more. The video version will be hosted by Give Back Yoga on their website www.givebackyoga.org . We will release each audio episode weekly by Saturday mornings.
Apply for the 865 Yoga Therapy Program Here
Registration is now open for the Jan. 2022 Cohort
Take Any of the 9 Individual Component Courses of the 865 Yoga Therapy Training Here (Rolling Enrollment)
It is time for you to go to the next level and become a yoga therapist who specializes in mental health!
Are you ready to experience a new and meaningful career from the comfort of your own home? A career where you can help others and keep yourself in balance at the same time? We can help you find your purpose in life. We can teach you how to develop and run a successful yoga therapy business while you share your love of yoga with others.
How does a yoga therapist serve humanity, enjoy work and create a sustainable business?
First, the yoga therapist performs a formal health intake and also a bio-psycho-social-spiritual assessment with the client. This assessment includes discussing the functioning and sensations in the physical body and the breathing patterns. Additionally, it might include improving awareness around if the client is stuck in their sympathetic nervous system, or is able to get into the relaxation response quickly and effectively. The assessment also includes looking at the mental habits that are supportive and life-giving or not so helpful. The yoga therapist and client will explore with mindful attention how mental habits impact the client’s perception, communication style and relationships. In some cases, if the client desires, there might even be an exploration of their spiritual connection or lack there of. The assessment could include the ability or inability of the client to finding meaning and purpose in life.
Next, a daily plan for lifestyle changes and daily practice is developed and agreed upon by yoga therapist and client. The goals are set mutually depending on the time, energy and focus the client can offer to the healing process. These results of the lifestyle changes are tracked and adjusted over time to create optimal results. When the yoga therapist is actually able to help people reach their goals, they will find clients returning again and again for more lessons.
Yoga therapy can also be offered to groups of 6-12 people who are experiencing similar symptoms or disease pathology. The yoga therapist would still do an initial assessment and goal setting, just in a less comprehensive way, with each student.
What is yoga therapy?
Why choose Optimal State Yoga Therapy School?
The Optimal State Yoga Therapy School is one of the only IAYT accredited schools that specialize in the area of mental health and yoga therapy. We have a mental health crisis that is coming like an ocean wave on the heels of Covid 19 global pandemic. The Optimal State is ready and willing to supply yoga therapists worldwide to those in need. In addition, we have found that many clients with mental health difficulties actually prefer working online with their yoga therapist. The Optimal State Yoga Therapist is able to assess the client, build a daily practice and lifestyle guidelines and give the support the client needs. The best part is that the client does not even have to leave their home to receive care.
The Optimal State Yoga Therapy Program is unique in that it incorporates business development, helping to create job security for our graduates. We spend over 6 months taking you step-by-step and teaching you how to design a sustainable telehealth and in-person business that includes at least 9 different streams of income. We want you to be recession proof. We want you to be able to serve a global audience so that you can thrive as a yoga therapist.
The Optimal State Yoga Therapy School has specialized in online learning for over a decade. Our yoga therapy curriculum was designed with the student as the center of the online learning process. It is interactive, allowing for large group learning, breaking off into small pods, dyads and more. We do actual yoga practices on a regular basis so that you can experience the difference that the yoga therapy practices have on your mind and body.
Optimal State program is unique in that we offer you a mentor that you stay with the entire program to help you develop your own personal practice to experience the benefits of yoga therapy, and the mentor also guides you through the practicum experience to help you refine your skills as a yoga therapist. All of our mentors have studied in the Optimal State system for a least 10 years.
The best part of the Optimal State Yoga Therapy Program is that you will simultaneously be studying via the online platform, and also learning how to work effectively as an online telehealth care provider. Your experience as a student will prepare you to be successful practitioner. Our program has a strong focus on mental healthcare and lifestyle coaching, which is perfect for providing telehealth in the upcoming years.
Optimal State Faculty & Mentor Bios
Wondering if you can afford to join us?
We are one of the only yoga therapy programs that has a built in monthly payment system to help you pay for the program over time. In addition, we encourage you to begin seeing clients at the end of your first year. This means you will be making money as you get your degree. The summary of costs for the 865 program is about $400 per month for 36 months (plus a deposit and curriculum fees).
CV19 Update: All 865 Yoga Therapy Training is being taught online until further notice. We do our best to create schedules and timings for our students all over the world to participate. This is a great time to join our program if you would like to travel less. This unique opening for complete online learning is indefinite and we anticipate that is will be available for 18 months- 3 years.
We welcome all people! Men, women, non-binary gendered, elders, young people, black and brown bodies, white bodies, larger bodies, more slender bodies, people of color, indigenous wisdom holders, people from every race and ethnicity in the world, all accents, neurodivergent people, those with trauma, all religions or spiritual traditions, agnostics, atheists and anyone else who has a heart for learning more about yoga therapy.
The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT)
Definition of Yoga Therapy “Yoga therapy is the professional application of the principles and practices of yoga to promote health and well-being within a therapeutic relationship that includes personalized assessment, goal setting, lifestyle management, and yoga practices for individuals or small groups.”
Scope of Practice for IAYT Certified Yoga Therapists “While yoga therapists want to do all they can to assist their clients’ return to good health, it is important for all yoga therapists to understand the limit or boundary (scope) of their expertise, as defined by their education, experience, and competency (qualification). The SoP gives clear guidelines to yoga therapists in relation to what they are qualified to do and what they are not qualified to do. Applicants for IAYT Certification (C-IAYT) must affirm that they have read and understand the IAYT Scope of Practice.”
Code of Ethics for Yoga Therapy Profession
Amy Wheeler, Ph.D. is the Founder and Director of the Optimal State Yoga Therapy Programs. Amy served on the Board of Directors for the International Association of Yoga Therapists from 2014-2020. Amy was the President of the board from 2018-2020. Amy has traveled globally promoting the field of Yoga Therapy for the past decade. Her studies of yoga therapy started in 2001 at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, India and continue to this day.
The values we hold close to our heart at the Optimal State Yoga Therapy Program are:
- Welcome and include people of all ages, gender orientations, ethnicities, races, religious or secular belief structures and socioeconomic statuses
- Training excellent yoga therapists that will be able to attract and retain clients because they get results
- Teaching our yoga therapists how to create and market a profitable business
- Maintain long-term relationships with our students so that we can support them for years to come.
“The business module of the 865 Optimal State Yoga Therapy Training has blown my mind. I’ve been working to build my business and worked briefly with a business coach. But this training has helped me to put all the pieces together. Amy is in your corner and will mentor you through the process of building your business. We also have the support of the group and other students going through the same challenges. You won’t regret the decision to sign up for this course!” Jennifer D. from Virginia
Click Here To Talk To Us About Becoming a Yoga Therapist
If you would like to hear an extensive definition of what it means to become a yoga therapist, click the link to hear how Richard Milller, Creator of iRest and Founder of the International Association of Yoga Therapists has defined yoga therapy!
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I have been studying with Amy Wheeler for the past 10 years and, with her eloquent guidance and deep knowledge of the T Krishnamacharya lineage, I was able to dive deeper into the well of wisdom these teachings provide. Step-by-step I could see all the pieces coming together to create a cohesive foundation to all the teachings her program has to offer including both the mental and physical health models. It has helped me get to know myself on a deeper level making me a better teacher and yoga therapist. This course is a must for anyone seeking to go to the next level of yoga and yoga therapy knowledge. And, one of the best parts for me; the course can be taken from the comfort of your home!
-Katlen E., Thousand Oaks, CA