Training for Yoga, Allied Medical & Mental Health Professionals
TIYT Trauma Informed Yoga Therapy™ Overview
Sundara Yoga Therapy course content is structured to fulfill the nationally recognized principles of trauma informed care as defined by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
LEVEL I - EARTH ELEMENT
LEVEL II - WATER ELEMENT
Earth develops the foundational knowledge and practical teaching skills used throughout TIYT. Participants learn to:
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Apply a non-pathologizing approach. Consider responses in context and support dignity, agency, and meaningful choice.
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Use practical trauma and mental-health literacy. Understand relevant terminology, respond to distress, and recognize when additional support is needed.
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Apply the TIYT Big 10. Address environment, predictability, communication, consent, relationships, and accessible participation.
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Select and adapt movement. Use TIYT’s stoplight guidance to consider potentially challenging practices and offer suitable alternatives.
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Sequence and cue effectively. Apply the sequencing pyramid and TIYT Platforms, including dynamic movement, sensory options, pacing, and transitions.
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Work with breathing and attention. Explore direct breath instruction, movement-based approaches, and options when inward attention is uncomfortable.
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Offer contemplative practices. Integrate applied yoga principles, sound, imagery, focused attention, and guided rest within your existing competence.
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Integrate the learning professionally. Develop practice plans, rehearse teaching, receive feedback, and adapt to individual and group settings.
Learning format
On-demand preparation introduces the concepts and practices. Live sessions emphasize experiential learning, teaching rehearsal, case discussion, and feedback.
Earth can be taken as a standalone professional development course and is the prerequisite for Water.
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Course Content
Water develops the practitioner’s ability to individualize TIYT methods and support their use over time. Participants learn to:
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Design whole-person practices. Consider physical function, emotional experience, attention, relationships, and personal meaning.
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Deepen functional breathing applications. Explore relationships among movement, posture, breathing, and attention.
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Apply yoga therapy frameworks. Use yoga psychology, contemplative principles, and models such as the koshas to inform individualized practice.
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Adapt to different settings. Examine cases from pain services, mental health care, substance use recovery, yoga practice, and community programs.
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Review and adjust practices. Use participant feedback and changing circumstances to guide ongoing decisions.
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Strengthen professional integration. Connect TIYT methods with your existing approach, responsibilities, and scope.
Learning format
On-demand study uses practical examples and case applications. Monthly faculty Q&A and case discussions support continued learning.
Foundations in TIYT Methodology
Please see the Self-Inquiry Exercise above the application button. Please note:
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This training does not work on your own personal journey-we'll discuss how a personal journey may influence a therapeutic relationship.
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This training does not include opportunities for you to share your story.
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This training requires participants to be able to step out of their personal narrative.
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We will not ask you to share your story, or revisit a traumatic event in your life.
If you have any questions after reviewing all of the information on this website, please email our Registrar HERE
Please review our refund policy (link below) before applying - we are small non-profit organization with financial obligations and cannot make exceptions - please don't ask, as everyone is important, and everyone is treated equally.
If you have any concerns about being able to attend, please do not register at this time.
Level I – Earth Element
Teaching TIYT™ Trauma Informed Yoga
COURSE CONTENT
Earth Element is a stand-alone, advanced Yoga Teacher training course that trains Yoga professionals a trauma informed approach to teaching Yoga in studios, community centers and other public spaces. This Level I course - Earth Element is the foundation course for Trauma Informed Yoga Therapy Levels II & III. People with unresolved trauma use Yoga as part of their healing journey; some do not relate to the word “trauma” and are attending regular Yoga studio classes to manage their anxiety or stress level without awareness of the potential of re-experiencing or other deleterious post-trauma effects that can surface during a somatic practice like Yoga.
Our program provides:
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Education about trauma, how widespread it is and an exploration of the role of a Yoga practice as a potential path for recovery.
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Evaluation of what a sense of safety is; requirements and considerations of creating a safe space for a Yoga practice (different for everyone).
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Didactic lectures and experiential exercises focused on recognition of signs and symptoms of trauma in students participating in a Yoga class.
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Integration of knowledge about trauma into class sequencing, choice of language and other facets of teaching Trauma Informed public Yoga classes.
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Facilitate a comprehensive examination of aspects of a Yoga class that:
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have a potential to trigger or be problematic in other ways, and how to mitigate that potential.
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provide traditional Yoga tools that foster self-regulation on demand.
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Methods and procedures that are aimed at actively resisting re-traumatization of students with unresolved trauma.
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20+ Experiential hours - learn through experience - ready to teach protocols and tools upon completion of training.
This training is designed to teach Trauma Informed Care practices and self-regulation skills to yoga, mental health, and medical professionals. As a professional, it's crucial to understand the consequences of trauma and adversity, and the potential for individuals to re-experience post-trauma symptoms while practicing yoga or engaging in mental health and medical treatment.
Our program provides comprehensive instruction in the process of creating safe spaces, prevention of negative responses to yoga practice in a public setting, recognition of issues, and troubleshooting if such an event occurs. You'll also learn to teach self-regulation skills to individuals and groups, helping your clients and patients better manage their emotions and behavior.
20 hrs (see CE information HERE)
Format: Currently online only
Additional Fee: Purchase print version of Earth TIYT™ manual (required): $49.95
‘A trauma informed approach can be implemented in any type of service setting or organization and is distinct from trauma-specific interventions or treatments that are designed specifically to address the consequences of trauma and to facilitate healing.’
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration(SAMHSA)
Level II - Water Element
Yoga Therapy Methodology
Prerequisite for applying to Level II is completion of Level I - Earth Element. Water Element is a continuation of the TIYT™ Methodology and builds on the foundation taught in Level I - Earth Element.
TIYT™ Level II is a comprehensive training program designed for yoga, allied health, and mental health professionals who work with clients with unresolved trauma and other mental health concerns. Whether you work in private sessions or within medical, mental health, or community institutions, our program will provide you with the practical applications and techniques you need to safely guide your clients/students who live with stress, anxiety, depression, substance use disorders, and other mental health issues.
Our program focuses on the practical applications of ancient yoga psychology, philosophy, and practices, as well as the Polyvagal theory, Somethesis, and other neurophysiological principles. You'll also learn about interpersonal neurobiology, neuropsychology as it applies to yoga practices, self-care, and deepening personal practice. Our methodology is currently employed in hospitals, in-patient psychiatric units, addiction recovery programs, schools, healthcare facilities, yoga studios, and prisons as a stand-alone program and as a complementary modality in an integrative healthcare setting.
Our methodology is first and foremost a Yoga Therapy program, rooted in ancient Yoga psychology, Yoga philosophy, and techniques which have been employed for millennia to deal with the stress and other disturbances of the mind.
If you have completed Level I - Earth Element, and want to register for Level II - Water Element only, please fill out the application HERE, and specify "Level II - Water Only."
Additional Fee: Purchase print version of TIYT™ Water manual (required): $39.95
2026 CALENDAR
Accepting Applications for 2026
Earth Element - Level I
WE OFFER COURSES
ONLINE via ZOOM
Tuition $589
November 2026
Hybrid (all online): combination of "Live-Virtual"
via Zoom & On-Demand (self-paced)
Attendance required for "live" sessions - no recordings available
Sat & Sun, Nov 7th & 8th: 12p - 6p ET
On-Demand course block opens October 20th
Some hours must be completed prior to the
start of the Live Zoom weekend (11/7)
