The Introductory Course is available online for people who want a taste of the material but can’t attend a Level I training. It is self-paced and pre-recorded and covers about half of the Level I material. It is not a substitute for live interactive training. It also is not a precursor to Level I because it covers half of the same content. I recommend doing the Introductory Course if you really want to get started with this material but can’t take time from work, travel, or afford a Level I training.

Yes. Once you begin, you have a full year to complete the self-paced course completely online.

A hybrid course is offered partly in-person and partly online. We have started experimenting with hybrid courses that involve about a weekend of live training and the rest of the material online. You will generally have to enroll for the live segment and the online segment separately for the complete Level I content. These are generated as the opportunity arises and may not always be available.

You are free to use the material in whatever way best suits the people you work with. Bring the ideas into your general classes, gentle classes, senior classes, and more. Level I is intended for yoga teachers working with small groups. If you are teaching yoga, you are probably teaching people with arthritis even if you don’t know it. You will also be introduced to the 16-class protocol that we’ve used in our research. You can feel free to offer that program in your communities after taking Level I, but Level II will help you refine your skills further.

Level II meets you where you are. It is a one-on-one mentored practicum that looks at your opportunities for growth and helps you to explore the ways you work with this population for greater safety, inclusion and effectiveness. Anyone can benefit from Level II, not matter how much experience you have, because you can always go deeper. I have heard remarkable testimony about how powerful Level II can be.

Why don’t I see Level II on the list of training dates and locations?

Because it is one-on-one and scheduled directly with your mentor according to your availability. You will register with Yoga for Arthritis and then be connected with a mentor to get started. You must complete Level I before enrolling for Level II.

Yes, but the contact hours vary. It consists of 40 hours of effort, but the contact hours are somewhere around 10, depending on how much time you spend with your mentor.

Level III is really for those who intend to specialize in this work. If you see yourself focusing on this population, working in clinical setting such as hospitals or clinics, or working privately with people living with arthritis, you would benefit from Level III. I think Level III really makes you a specialist in this work (although the learning is never done, of course). This training is always with me and it includes more of a focus on the science, on individual cases, and on peer-learning of specialized topics.

You are certified Yoga for Arthritis Instructor as long as you renew that status with an independent learning activity every 3 years. 

We have had many yoga therapists take these trainings. No matter how much training or experience you have, there is always something to learn. We have many participants who live with arthritis personally or who work clinically as nurses, social workers, medical doctors, and more. Bring your beginner’s mind and you are certain to grow both personally and professionally, as well as sharing your own knowledge and experience with others. Taking Level I introduces you to this specific evidence-based program and creates a common foundation for the other levels.

These trainings are geared toward yoga professionals who already have some foundational knowledge and experience in that role. We have occasionally allowed an experienced yogi with arthritis to attend the training as an observer, with the understanding that much of it will be geared toward professionals and will assume that foundational understanding. These exceptions are granted on a case-by-case basis. Alternatively, we have developed several online options for people with arthritis who want to learn more. The self-paced Introductory Course is open to anyone and we have a shorter Student Course developed specifically for people with arthritis. There are also a few recorded classes available on our site, as well as the DVD and book.

CEUs are available for Level I for yoga teachers, yoga therapists, social workers, nurses, and chiropractors. Levels II and III offer continuing education for yoga teachers and yoga therapists.

Prices are set by our host facility. The hosts generally considers the average cost of trainings at their facility or in their communities when setting the price. Everything costs more in New York City than it does in rural Virginia, for example. We apologize for any confusion this creates. The content is the same no matter where the training takes place.

You can watch the video's below for a verbal explanation of the YFA Levels.

Please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@arthritis.yoga. We are happy to get on a phone call to answer your questions if email doesn’t do them justice. If you live near me, I’ll even meet you for a cup of coffee. ☺