Yoga Australia Registered Yoga Therapist
To register as a Yoga Therapist with Yoga Australia, you will require a minimum of Yoga Australia Level 1 registration, teaching experience of at least two years, at least 300 hours of regular yoga teaching, a minimum of two years of regular practice as well as completing a specific Yoga Therapy training course which provides:
- minimum of 650 hours over a minimum two-year period and includes:
- minimum of 500 hours of education allocated to core curricular learning as set out in our educational standards
- minimum of 150 hours allocated to practicum
You also will need to have an active Yoga Australia teaching registration.
For a comprehensive overview of Yoga Therapy training requirements, refer Yoga Therapy Training: Educational Requirements and Curriculum Overview
Individual therapist registration fees
Graduates of a Yoga Australia registered Yoga Therapy training course pay $33 application and $33 annual for individual therapist registration (including GST). Graduates of courses run outside Yoga Australia pay a $66 application fee, with the same $33 annual fee thereafter.
You can register here – Yoga Therapy registration
A registered yoga therapist is required to complete 12 CPD points each year, with 9 of those points supporting your work as a therapist.
Registering a Yoga Therapy training course
Registering a 650-hour Yoga Therapy training course is a separate process for training providers. The application fee is $165 and the annual fee is $385. Apply through the main course registration page.
Definition of Yoga Therapy
Yoga therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and wellbeing through the application of the teachings and practices of yoga.
Yoga is a scientific system of self-investigation, self-transformation, and self-realisation that originated in India. The teachings of yoga are rooted in the Vedas and grounded in classical texts and a rich oral tradition. This tradition recognises that the human being’s essential nature is an unchanging awareness that exists in relationship to and identification with the changing phenomena of the empirical world.
The yoga tradition views humans as a multi-dimensional system that includes all aspects of the body; breath; mind; intellect; and emotions and their mutual interaction. Yoga is founded on the basic principle that intelligent practice can positively influence the direction of change within these human dimensions, which are distinct from an individual’s unchanging nature or spirit.
The practices of yoga traditionally include but are not limited to, asana, pranayama, meditation, mantra, chanting, mudra, ritual, and a disciplined lifestyle. Yoga therapy is the appropriate application of these teachings and practices in a therapeutic context to support a consistent yoga practice that will increase self-awareness and engage the client/student’s energy in the direction of desired goals.
The goals of yoga therapy include eliminating, reducing, or managing symptoms that cause suffering; improving function; helping to prevent the occurrence or reoccurrence of underlying causes of illness; and moving toward improved health and wellbeing. Yoga therapy also helps clients/students change their relationship to and identification with their condition,
The practice of yoga therapy requires specialised training and skill development to support the relationship between the client/student and therapist and to effect positive change for the individual.
Yoga therapy is informed by its sister science, Ayurveda. As part of a living tradition, yoga therapy continues to evolve and adapt to the cultural context in which it is practiced, and today, it is also informed by contemporary health sciences. Its efficacy is supported by an increasing body of research evidence, which contributes to the growing understanding and acceptance of its value as a therapeutic discipline.
