Program begins the weekend of January 20, 2012

A Holistic Yogic Lifestyle Approach to Health & Healing

The Comprehensive Yoga Therapy program at YogaLife views each aspect of the human experience as having the potential to be a source of healing and inspiration. Fragmentation and stress is universal, yet each individual experiences stress as well as health & healing very differently. This program aims to assess and understand the whole person, with an eye towards understanding the Yogic approach of embracing the many different and interrelated levels on which healing can occur – energetic, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. While a human being may not always be able to control pain or the outcome of the healing process, Yoga teaches that each individual may overcome the resistance to pain or suffering.

This program intends to shift the current cultural healthcare perspective from the passive patient model, to a more active model where the patient is a student of their own processes and becomes empowered to be a proactive participant in their own healing. The course does not intend to make the Yoga Therapist into a Doctor, Psychologist, Physical Therapist or other therapeutic professional who deals with acute disease conditions. In this model, the Yoga Therapist works with other medical and healing professionals as a supporting expert offering clients a highly personalized lifestyle, stress management, and health plan.

The YogaLife Institute programs are based on the work of The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, India, which was the first Yoga Center in the world to open their doors to the general public in 1917. The Yoga Institute has researched and offered Yoga Therapy programs for more than 90 years and continues to be a leader in the field. The key principles of Psychology & Spirituality, Lifestyle & Philosophy, Meditation & Psychosomatic Practices, Healthy Routines & Yoga Hygiene, Yoga Postures & Breathing Exercises offer a strong and scientifically proven approach for creating and/or maintaining a Healthy Yoga Lifestyle.

Level One 300 hr Yoga Therapist Program Overview:

Topics of Study:

• Lifestyle Assessment Skills
• Yogic Diagnostic Tools
• One-on-One Yoga Lifestyle Coaching
• Holistic Nutrition & Weight Loss
• Functional Anatomy & Systems of the Body
• Breath and Vital Energy
• Networking & Professional Ethics
• Physical, Emotional & Spiritual Healing
• Yoga Psychology & Healthy Relationships
• Holistic & Allopathic Perspectives on Disease

Graduates qualified to work with: heart disease, insomnia and sleep disorders, chronic pain and pain management, back injuries and rehabilitation, asthma and respiratory issues, grief, cancer, addiction and recovery, anxiety and depression, digestive disorders, weight loss and nutrition, energy imbalances, and special populations: seniors, kids, teens, pre and post natal.

Course Logistics: 300 hours of study: 170 contact hours, 80 practicum hours, 50 hours home study, 10 weekend intensive trainings, 10 mentoring sessions, 20 case studies.

Course Pre-Requisites: 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training, at least 1 year of yoga teaching or therapeutic practice experience, entrance exam, interview with the director, and a home yoga practice.

What is Yoga therapy?

 Yoga therapy applies the self-realization practices from the tradition of Yoga to alleviate suffering in the quest of harmony of body, energy, mind, intellect and spirit.

What makes this program unique?

Comprehensive Yoga Therapy (CYT) expands the scope of present day Yoga therapy programs that use Hatha Yoga techniques prescribed for the therapeutic purposes. CYT includes use of Hatha Yoga practices but goes beyond this scope to apply all aspects of the tradition of Yoga as based on the programs of the Yoga Institute, Mumbai, India. These include:

• Honoring safety and self-discovery in the individual. It is an evolving practice as the client's awareness may only approach and benefit from the next steps in consciousness awakening.
• In addition to the 8-Fold Path of Yoga, the systematic teachings of Yoga are utilized for healthy approaches to work, relationships and nutrition.
• Restoring consciousness to each facet of a person's life. Utilizing the psychological perspective that what impedes our enlightenment occurs in the mind, CYT is capable of managing or completely removing stress from a person's life.
• Yoga postures are utilized as a means of creating inner steadiness and comfort, transcending all dis-ease and uniting with pure consciousness. Postures are applied in conjunction with ethical and moral principles, breathing exercises, master of sensory stimulation, mental focus, meditation, and connection to a state of pure peace.
• CYT is seen not as a "cure" for a physical presenting issue, but a means to help people cope with whatever they are facing.
• CYT educates clients to make clinically-proven healthful choices about nutrition, rest, movement and thoughts. These lifestyle factors reduce inflammation, slow physical degeneration, amplify immune response, help regulate gland and organ functions, clear and balance the vital energy, and increase range of motion and pain-free mobility.
• To achieve balance, we must consider the whole person—seeking to understand the situation beyond the presenting condition or symptoms.
• CYT works in conjunction with modern medicine and allopathic approaches to healing. It advocates for holistic modalities such as naturopathy, chiropractic, osteopathy, Ayurveda and psychological counseling.
• By connecting with ultimate concepts and experiencing profound peace, contentment and acceptance, clients learn to hold a higher perspective through everyday trials, like viewing a busy scene from a distance. This shift in mental and spiritual state is often reported as the most healing aspect of Therapeutic Yoga.
• CYT seeks to guide the field of Yoga Therapy in such a manner as to educate people about the whole system of Yoga, avoid treating only symptoms of disease in a one-size-fits-all approach, and to redefine therapy in the context of holistic health, as "spiritual lifestyle education".

About the Teachers:

 Robert Butera, E-RYT, M.Div., PhD., is the founder of the YogaLife Institute, publisher of Yoga Living magazine and a board member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Bob studied yoga with Dr. Jayadeva Yogendra at The Yoga Institute of Bombay and later obtained his Ph.D. in Yoga Philosophy a the California Institute of Integral Studies and a Masters of Divinity from The Earlham School of Religion. With over 25 years of meditation and yoga experience, he has worked with teachers and students throughout Japan, Taiwan, India and the United States. Bob emphasized a holistic exploration of Yoga and is known for teaching ancient Classical Yoga principles in a practical and relevant way that connects students with their own divinity. Bob's book, The Pure Heart of Yoga: Ten Essential Steps for Personal Transformation was released by Llewellyn Worldwide in September 2009.

Erin Byron, RYT500, BA, MA, Director of Welkin/YogaLife Institute Ontario, has ten years experience as a professional Yoga Therapist and Psychotherapist, and is co-creator of the Comprehensive Yoga Therapist Training. Erin's Master of Arts research studied the benefits of Yoga practices in coping with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Erin has been teaching Yoga for over a decade and certifying Yoga and Meditation Teachers for six years.

Julie Rost, E-RYT500, Director of the YogaLife Institute of NH, researched the therapeutic aspects of Yoga while a Psychology major in college, resulting in a thesis on the benefits of Yoga for at-risk adolescents. After ten years of working in women’s reproductive health, she spent three years in Africa studying traditional methods for healing HIV/AIDS. Realizing that the yoga lifestyle held the greatest potential for  health and well-being, her return to the U.S. led her to the YogaLife Institute in PA, where she studied and eventually coordinated the 200 and 500-hour Classical Yoga Teacher Training programs. For the last 5 years, she has directed both Teacher Training programs in NH, along with Meditation Training, weekly classes, workshops and private yoga therapy.

Brian Serven, Assistant Director, E-RYT 500, is a Senior Instructor at YogaLife Institute of NH. He assists in the coordination of the 200 and 500- hour Yoga Teacher Training programs as well as facilitates the 'Introduction to Yoga' and 'Meditation For Your Type Series'. A graduate of the YogaLife Institute's 200-hour and 500-hour Classical Yoga Teacher Training program, he received additional Teacher Training certification at The Yoga Institute, Mumbai, India, where the therapeutic principals of Yoga are integrated seamlessly, philosophically and physically. Believing the benefits of Yoga to be abundant and suitable for everyone, Brian’s approach to sharing these experiences are with an intention of simplicity and accessibility. Viewing Yoga as a lifestyle and combining such experiences with 4 years of Martial Arts studies, Brian has a unique view of balance, discipline and awareness.

Dr. Nicholas Rost, D.C. Chiropractor, Dr. Ken George & Associates, has been in private practice for 10 years in Stratham, NH. His approach utilizes multiple methods, including a non-traditional “soft contact” method combined with breath awareness, to help the nervous system release tension patterns that are contributing to dis-ease, injury and pain. His work is based upon the idea that the body heals itself when in balance. A yoga student himself, Nick graduated from Logan College of Chiropractic in St. Louis, MO, and taught Anatomy and Physiology for 4 years at Sister Rosalind School of Massage Therapy in Fargo N.D.

Special Guest Speakers: Chiropractor, Cardiologist, Physiatrist, Pulmonologist, Mental Health Professionals, Occupational Therapist, Registered Nurse, Massage Therapist & Nutritionist.

Program dates:
Six weekends: Friday, 6-9pm; Saturday, 10:15-6pm; Sunday, 10:15-5pm (105 Hours)January 20-22, January 27-29, February 17-19, March 16-18, April 27-29, May 25-27, June 15-17 (snow date)
Sample weekend schedule: Yoga Theory, Systems of the body, Relaxation/Case Studies, Subtle/Energy Systems
Five Sundays of Functional Anatomy and Applied Practices, 10:15-5:30pm (36 hours): February 5, March 4, April 1, May 6, June 3

Save $250 off the price of tuition when you register by December 1, 2011.

For more information please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 603-479-3865

Recent Yoga Therapy Today articles by Dr. Butera:
Spring 2011, Yoga Therapy Today: How do We Guide Clients Towards a Deeper Level of Intention?
November 2010, Yoga Therapy Today: Yoga Therapy: East-West Synthesis