ONLINE MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING FOR YOGA TEACHERS

In this innovative mental health training for Yoga Teachers, you will learn how to deeply support your students experiencing mental health challenges in your yoga classes or private sessions.

By the end of the training, you'll have an in-depth understanding of the Six Pillars of Mental Health Aware Yoga.

In the first pillar, we look at mental health through the lens of Western Psychology including depressive, anxiety and trauma disorders as well as stress and co-morbidity.

In the second pillar, we explore the foundations of Yoga Psychology, including Patañjali's model of yoga psychology, mental health and the gunas, koshas and kleśhas, yoga as cultivating sattva, saṃskāra and non-dualism.

In the third pillar, you will learn how to Create a Safe Container, including the sacred role of the teacher, professional boundaries, creating a safe and nourishing environment for your students, ethics, touch and hands-on assists, scope of practice, mentoring and self practice, self care and self enquiry.

In the fourth pillar, you will learn Therapeutic Skills for Yoga Teachers, including meeting your students where they are, the rhythm of a yoga class, skillful language, effective listening and unconditional positive regard.

In the fifth pillar, we will explore traditional and evidence-based Yogic Practices for mental health, including yoga and mental health research, assessing (not diagnosing) your students, āsana, prāṇāyāma, meditation, contraindications (what to avoid), compassionate non-judgemental witnessing presence, sankalpa bhâvâna and teaching themes.

In the sixth pillar of Mental Health Aware Yoga, you will learn what to do in a Mental Health Crisis, including how to respond when students cry, what to do if a student has a panic attack , trauma reaction or discloses suicide ideation or self harm.

Following completion of the Mental Health Aware Yoga training, Yoga Teachers will be able to:
- Articulate why knowledge of mental health is important for Yoga Teachers.
- Identify Western Psychology diagnostic criteria for depression, anxiety, trauma and stress.
- Discuss basic yoga psychology, including Patañjali’s 8 limbs, gunas and koshas.
- Create a safe container for students in a yoga class.
- Use appropriate therapeutic skills in a yoga class.
- Assess their own and their students' emotional needs and practice/teach appropriate yoga practices to meet these needs.
- Identify what to do in a mental health crisis.

Dr Lauren worked with an education and instructional course designer to make this course the best educational experience possible.

Yes, this course is accredited with both Yoga Alliance and Yoga Australia.  You will receive a certificate of completion (PDF) once you have completed the course to lodge with your accreditation body.

Yoga Australia members can claim 43.25 CPD points.

Yoga Alliance members can claim 60 non-contact hours.

During to COVID-19, Yoga Alliance have advised that "RYTs may count online courses taken during this time as contact hours for Continuing Education (CE) requirements."

The course takes approximately 60 hours to complete.

If you would like to claim CPD points with another organisation, you can take the certificate you receive upon completion of the training to your accreditation body; this is usually sufficient.

Yes!

Mental Health Aware Yoga is designed to apply to ANY style of yoga teaching.

Mental Health Aware Yoga is not a new brand or style of yoga, but rather a set of principles that can be applied to any style of yoga that you are teaching.

You can watch videos from a few of our graduates who teach different styles of yoga, including:

Kate Pippos | Head of Yoga at Virgin Active | Vinyasa, Hatha and Yin Yoga

Andrew Olsen | Yoga Teacher and Physiotherapist | Gentle Vinyasa Yoga

Fuyuko Toyota | iRest Australia | Gentle Hatha Yoga and iRest Meditation

Rachel Zinman | Yoga Teacher and Mentoring | ISHTA Yoga

Libbie Nelson | Yoga Therapist and Physiotherapist | Iyengar Yoga

Sarah Truman | Yoga Teacher and Therapist | Somatic Movement, Yin and Restorative Yoga

If you are already trained as a Yoga Teacher (or currently undertaking your training), then yes!

This training would be a wonderful bridge for you to bring the worlds of psychology and yoga together.

The course doesn’t train people to become therapists, but with your qualifications and experience, you will no doubt be able to draw on your existing knowledge and experience in this area, and integrate it with all the yoga practices and concepts we cover in the course.

With your background as a Mental Health Professional, it’s likely that you will already have the some of the knowledge that we cover in the Western Psychology and Mental Health Crisis sections (two of the six pillars of Mental Health Aware Yoga), however the other four pillars will give you much insight into teaching yoga to students with mental health challenges. The course really pulls these two worlds together, and will help you to integrate what you learnt in your Yoga Teacher Training course with what you already know as a therapist.

The training doesn’t give you set class plans for different diagnoses, yoga for mental health is not that simple, but it will give you a framework and a lot of different practises, that you can bring together to share with your students.

We have had many Psychologists, Social Workers, Counsellors and other Mental Health Professionals complete the training, and have told us that they have benefited greatly and are using the knowledge they learnt in the course in their classes and clinical practice. Listen to what Julie Clark, a counsellor and yoga teacher had to say about the training below.

Julie Clark | Counsellor and Yoga Teacher

If you are not a Yoga Teacher (or teacher-in-training), join us for the Yoga Skills for Health Professionals training instead.

Yes, it's likely you will!

Many of our graduates who are trained Yoga Therapists tell us that they learnt so much more about yoga for mental health in the Mental Health Aware Yoga training, than they did in their Yoga Therapy trainings.

If you are a Yoga Therapist who would like to specialise in mental health, but feel like you need further education and training to feel confident in prescribing yoga for mental illness, or would like to more deeply understand the link between western and yogic psychology or learn more about the yoga psychology research, then the Mental Health Aware Yoga training would be great way to do this.

Here is what Sarah Truman, a Yoga Therapist, said recently about the Mental Health Aware Yoga training:

"I loved this program! After my Yoga Therapy training, I wanted to specialise in mental health, so I completed many different trainings on trauma-sensitive yoga, attachment and somatics. And then I found Dr Lauren Tober's Mental Health Aware Yoga training!

This training isn't like any of the others I've done before. It combines the knowledge of western psychology with yoga psychology, in a really unique way I haven't seen before, and is the perfect next step if you have already taken a trauma-sensitive yoga or Yoga Therapy training, and want to deepen your skills and increase your confidence in yoga for mental health.

The training will teach you how to use the right tools, for the right clients, and the right time, and this is invaluable. 

I'm super proud to be a graduate of the Mental Health Aware Yoga training, and I encourage all Yoga Teachers and Yoga Therapists to take this program!"

To hear from three of our graduates who were already Yoga Therapists before taking the training, listen to Sarah Truman, Fuyuko Toyota and Libbie Nelson.

Sarah Truman | Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist

Fuyuko Toyota | Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist and Senior iRest Trainer

Libbie Nelson | Yoga Therapist and Physiotherapist

Yes, 100%!

While many therapists are undertaking the Mental Health Aware Yoga training, the program was designed specifically for Yoga Teachers.

The only prerequiste for the training is that you are already a Yoga Teacher (or Teacher-in-Training).  You do not need to be a therapist.

In the training you will learn therapeutic skills for Yoga Teachers, like meeting your students where they are, the rhythm of a yoga class, skilful language, effective listening and unconditional positive regard.

To hear from a one of our yoga teacher graduates watch this video with Rachel.

Rachel Zinman | Yoga Teacher + Trainer | ISHTA Yoga

Yes, it's likely you will!

Many of our graduates who have previously taken a trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive yoga training tell us that by taking the Mental Health Aware Yoga training, they extended their existing knowledge, and were grateful to learn more about other mental health diagnoses, about both western and yogic psychology, and learn many new practices and sequences for emotion and nervous system regulation.

While the Mental Health Aware Yoga training is most definitely grounded in trauma-informed teaching, our training differs from other trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive yoga training in some important ways.

Firstly, the Mental Health Aware Yoga training covers depression, anxiety, stress and trauma, so we take a broader look at mental health, not just at trauma.

Secondly, we explore mental health through the lenses of both Western psychological disorders and yoga psychology, making the link between the medical model and the Yoga Sutras, which is often not included in trauma-informed or trauma-sensitive yoga trainings.

Thirdly, the training is taught by a Clinical Psychologist and Yoga Teacher, Dr Lauren Tober, and she brings her wealth of experience in both these domains to the training.

And finally, while we go into a lot of detail about how to create safety for our students experiencing mental health challenges, we go beyond this, and look at yoga practices and sequencing for down-regulation (reducing rajas) and up-regulation (reducing tamas) in order to cultivate positive mental health states and nervous system regulation (sattva).

Here is what Sarah Truman, a Yoga Teacher and Therapist who had completed a trauma-sensitive yoga training, recently said about the Mental Health Aware Yoga training:

"I loved this program! After my Yoga Therapy training, I wanted to specialise in mental health, so I completed many different trainings on trauma-sensitive yoga, attachment and somatics. And then I found Dr Lauren Tober's Mental Health Aware Yoga training!

This training isn't like any of the others I've done before. It combines the knowledge of western psychology with yoga psychology, in a really unique way I haven't seen before, and is the perfect next step if you have already taken a trauma-sensitive yoga or Yoga Therapy training, and want to deepen your skills and increase your confidence in yoga for mental health.

The training will teach you how to use the right tools, for the right clients, and the right time, and this is invaluable. 

I'm super proud to be a graduate of the Mental Health Aware Yoga training, and I encourage all Yoga Teachers and Yoga Therapists to take this program!"

To hear from two of our graduates who have previously trained in trauma-informed yoga, listen to Fuyuko Toyota and Sarah Truman.

Sarah Truman | Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist

Fuyuko Toyota | Yoga Teacher, Yoga Therapist and Senior iRest Trainer

No! One of the very convenient things about the online Mental Health Aware Yoga training is that you can take the course at your own pace and in accordance with your existing commitments.

There are no compulsory times that you need to show up and be available, and you can access the material 24/7.

So it doesn't matter where you are in the world, and what your schedule is like, you can make the training work for you and your life.

We do have live monthly group mentoring sessions with Dr Lauren Tober (dates are below), and while we recommend that you attend them to help consolidate the training and meet your colleagues, they are not compulsory.  If you can’t make the live sessions, you can also send your questions in beforehand and listen to the recording.

The final step of the training is having a live one-on-one feedback session with one of our senior Mental Health Aware Yoga Mentors, but you organise this time individually with your mentor, at a time that works for you both.

We've intentionally designed this course in a way to be truly flexible and fit in with YOUR life!

Each month you will be invited to join us for a group mentoring call, where you can bring your questions and comments, and connect with Dr Lauren Tober and others in the training.

These calls are recorded, so if you can't make them live, you can listen in later.

We schedule these calls three months in advance, and make them at different times each month to accomodate our global community.

Here are the first three dates:

26th March 2024 at 5pm Sydney | 6am London | 7am Berlin | 3pm Tokyo | 7pm Auckland | 2am New York

30th April 2024 at 9am Sydney | 12 midnight London | 1am Berlin | 8am Tokyo | 11am Auckland | 7pm New York

29th May 2024 at 6pm Sydney | 9am London | 10am Berlin | 5pm Tokyo | 8pm Auckland |4am New York

Yes!  All the main course material was created by Dr Lauren Tober, including the video lectures, yoga classes and practice library.

You'll also have regular access to Dr Lauren Tober in the members-only Facebook group and the monthly live mentoring calls. If you can't make the live calls, you can send your questions in advance for Lauren to answer, and you can listen to the recording.

The final step of the training is having a live one-on-one session with one of brilliant Senior Mental Health Aware Yoga Mentors to review your assignments and provide feedback to support your growth.

You are also welcome to book additional private mentoring sessions during or after the course, at an additional cost.

Taking the online course does require some computer skills.  But if you can use email and Facebook, it's likely you have enough computer skills to take the course.

We have designed the course website to be super-intuitive and easy to use (not to mention beautiful).

We're also backed up with an amazing IT support team, so if you have any issues, we'll have you covered.

Our students who identify as not very techy, have told us they found the program very intuitive and easy to navigate.

You have six whole months to complete the course.  This will give you plenty of time to complete the training, even if you're working, studying or parenting full time.

The course takes approximately 60 hours to complete, but will vary from person-to-person, depending on the speed you work at and the depth of your integration and embodiment.  The more you put into this training, the more you will get out.

The course is taught in our online Shala; a custom built membership website that hosts all our online courses and trainings.

Once you sign up, you will receive an email within a few minutes with your personal log in details for the Shala, and an invitation to join the members-only Mental Health Aware Yoga Facebook community.

The course consists of approximately 11 hours of video or audio lectures, plus full length yoga classes and an extensive library of yogic practices for mental health.

After each lecture you will complete a multiple choice questionnaire (no trick questions, if you have watched the lectures these are really straight forward) and after each section there are self directed practicum tasks including writing reflective journals, attending live yoga classes of your choice (in person or online), practicing pre-recorded yoga classes and practices with Dr Lauren Tober, teaching yoga classes using the principles of Mental Health Aware Yoga and more.

You will also receive an in-depth PDF training manual (over 200 pages) and can also join the Mental Health Aware Yoga Facebook community and live group mentoring calls with Dr Lauren Tober.

The fact that you're asking this question tells me you're likely a great fit for the Mental Health Aware Yoga training!

In a landmark study several years ago, Penman surveyed 3,832 Australian yoga students and teachers and found that 58.4% of yoga students began yoga to reduce stress or anxiety and 79.4% of yoga students continued to practice yoga to reduce stress or anxiety (Penman did not mention other mental health issues in his research, so it's likely to be even higher).

He suggested that mental health may be the primary health reason why people practise yoga.

Here is the reference:
Penman, S., Cohen, M., Stevens, P., & Jackson, S. (2012). Yoga in Australia: Results of a National Survey. International Journal of Yoga, 5(2), 92–101.

If you like to nerd out on this kind of research, you're going to love the Mental Health Aware Yoga training!

Dr Lauren Tober is a Clinical Psychologist, Senior Yoga Teacher and certified iRest Meditation Teacher.

She has been working as a Psychologist since 2003, teaching yoga since 2004, training Yoga Teachers since 2010 and teaching online since 2011.

Lauren has been working the area of yoga psychology for many years, and is considered by many to a leader in this field.

Yes, absolutely!

Just purchase as usual (the currency conversion will be done automatically).

And lucky you, the Aussie dollar is usually pretty poor in comparison to other currencies, so you'll probably get the course at a steal!  Sign up now before we change our minds and introduce multiple currencies!