Practitioner Training

2021 Update

Due to Covid19, we are currently in an online only format until retreat centers open back up for on site trainings.
Our next FULL Level 1 Training starts March 2022
Module B is our self-paced course and is available now.

Since 2004, our signature LFYP 65-hour training focuses on accessible & evidence-based yoga skills to empower optimum mental health in your students, clients, and yourself. LifeForce Yoga covers the appropriate use of yogic interventions for all mood issues, from daily energy swings, to disorders like anxiety, depression, trauma, bi-polar, etc. The LFYP program includes discussion of scope of practice, working in a team, and when to refer out. Participants learn yogic-based assessment of the mind and application of ancient yogic practices adapted for individuals struggling with mood disorders. Theoretical frameworks (yoga, health care, and mental health care), current approaches (yoga and mental health care), and research are presented. LFYP training includes self-care techniques, experiential learning, lectures, discussion, demonstrations and partner practice teaches.

Level – I (65 — 71 Hours)

In an immersive setting, prepares the practitioner to competently us LifeForce Yoga with groups and individuals. Personal practice and experience is emphasized to support the mental health of the practitioner.

Our Level 1 Training is currently offered in two formats:

  • A 7-day all-inclusive residential retreat OR
  • Online in two parts: Module A and Module B

All Training Registrations and Information Available Here

Prerequisites for Level 1 and/or Module A

For those wishing to take the LifeForce Yoga Practitioner Program, the following are highly suggested to support you in your learning process during the training:

This course can be taken as an elective to fulfill requirements in the following Professional Yoga Therapy Training Schools:

Level II (64 Hours) – Online

Continues training in LifeForce Yoga and prepares the practitioner to lead the LifeForce Yoga to Manage Your Mood weekend workshop program. This course is online and takes place over 6 months.

  • Prerequisites for Level 2: Level 1 Training OR Module A & B

More information on the LifeForce Yoga Practitioner Training

Each LFYP training is carefully staffed by Yoga Therapists, Yoga Teachers, and Mental Health Professionals. Learn the best strategies for using yoga for mental health in an environment of yoga teachers, yoga therapists, mental health providers, educators, and more.

Yoga Tools for Mental Health:

testimonial-3
  • Movement (Asana)
  • Breath & Cleansing Practices (Pranayama & Kriya)
  • Toning (Mantra)
  • Visualization (Bhavana)
  • Intention Setting (Sankalpa)
  • Hand gestures (Mudra)
  • Meditation (Dharana & Dhyana)
  • Meditative Relaxation (Yoga Nidra)
  • Therapeutic holding of posture
  • Nondual Strategies for working with negative self-talk

This training is also suitable for those working with trauma. Psychotherapists who also practice Yoga, find they are able to offer their clients an adjunct treatment to medication and to provide them with tools for internal mood-regulation and self-care.  We also have a non-certification track available for serious yoga practitioners.

The Role of the Certified LifeForce Yoga Practitioner

An LFYP certification opens doors. Firstly, our job as LifeForce Yoga Practitioners is to clear away the obstructions within ourselves, so that we know that the energy awake within us and the energy that surrounds us are one and the same. Second, our mission as LifeForce Yoga Practitioners is to create and maintain a safe and compassionate container for our students and clients, so that in an atmosphere of acceptance and love, they can learn the tools to clear their own inner space from whatever is preventing them from realizing and sustaining their positive mental health.

Who Should Attend? (you do not need to be a yoga teacher)

  • Yoga professionals
  • Coaches
  • Complementary & Alternative Medicine Professionals
  • Educators
  • Massage Therapists
  • Mental Health and Pastoral Counselors
  • Military & Veteran Providers
  • Nurses & Nurse Practitioners
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Other Allied Health Professionals
  • Physicians & Physician Assistants
  • Psychologists
  • Recreational Therapists
  • Social Workers
  • Serious Yoga practitioners

If you have questions, please contact Rose Kress, info@yogafordepression.com, to discuss your case.

Helpful Links for Those Considering the Training

LifeForce Yoga Practitioners Say…

“[LifeForce Yoga] was built upon experiential knowledge and wisdom, not necessarily only from a therapist’s perspective but more importantly from the client’s standpoint. This is what makes it different. This is what makes it unique in this blossoming field of yoga for mental health and wellbeing.”  Read More— Lena Young

“LFY needs to carry a warning–these practices may transform your life in ways and at the pace you don’t expect 🙂 My sankalpa (affirmation/intention) has been pulling me into its manifestation ever since it announced itself to me at LFY training. And how–a complete life overhaul 🙂 Thank you for so generously sharing these powerful practices, for taking time to connect with me and offering encouragement and inspiration.” – Valerie Baker, PhD, EdM, RYT, LFYP-1

“A client who returned said, “When I came before, you helped me understand and get where I wanted to go. Now you show me yoga practices I use to help myself understand and get where I want to go.” — Sherry Rubin, LCSW, BCD, LFYP, Downingtown, PA

“I have found the pranayama (breathing practices) especially easy to introduce in a clinical setting. Some people have benefited quickly in unexpected and transformative ways.” — Liz Brenner, LICSW, LFYP, Watertown, MA

“Giving my clients a strategy and permission to quiet their minds and rebalance the sympathetic nervous system has been very beneficial to them and in our work together.” — Sue Dilsworth, PhD, RYT 200, LFYP, Allendale, MI

“I integrate strategies like mantra tones and pranayama, but above all I invite myself and those I teach to cultivate svadhyaya, to practice self-observation without judgment.” — Barbara Sherman, RYT 200, LFYP, Tucson, AZ

“I have found the LFYP training to be incredibly useful in giving people specific tools to use in maintaining physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance, and further opening their intuitive abilities.” — Nancy Windheart, RYT-200, LFYP, Reiki Master, Animal communication teacher, Prescott, AZ

“I utilize the LFY techniques in both a class room setting and one-on-one environment. The skills have infused my teachings with compassion, mindfulness, and awareness.” — Kat Larsen, CYT, LFYP

“I learned lots of ways to reduce the anxiety and depression of my patients and myself.” – Aviva Sinvany-Nubel, PhD, APN, CNSC, RN, psychotherapist, Bridgewater, N.J.

“My life is already changed! I will use the tools I learned in my own practice and in my work. I feel safe and seen.” — Susan Andrea Weiner, MA, teacher/expressive arts facilitator, El Cerrito, CA.

“This workshop has changed so much — my self-image and my life. My own heart’s desire is 100% clear. I gained tools to help myself and others to live life fully.” — Marcia Siegel, Yoga teacher, therapist, Carlsbad, CA.

“My personal practice will change, as well as my yoga classes. I have a better understanding of yoga!” — Andrea Gattuso, RYT, Yoga Teacher, Hackettstown, N.J.

“I have gained a softer heart, more receptive mind, and tools to enrich both personal and professional aspects of my life.” — Regina Trailweaver, LICSW, clinical social worker, Hancock, VT.

“I gained tools for working with my own depression and with my clients’ depressions.” — Robert Sgona, LCSW, RYT, psychotherapist, Yoga teacher, Camden, ME.

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What People Say

“I have found the LFYP training to be incredibly useful in giving people specific tools to use in maintaining physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual balance, and further opening their intuitive abilities.” — Nancy Windheart, RYT-200, LFYP, Reiki Master, Animal communication teacher, Prescott, AZ
“I have found the pranayama (breathing practices) especially easy to introduce in a clinical setting. Some people have benefited quickly in unexpected and transformative ways.” — Liz Brenner, LICSW, LFYP, Watertown, MA
“I gained tools for working with my own depression and with my clients’ depressions.” — Robert Sgona, LCSW, RYT, psychotherapist, Yoga teacher, Camden, ME.
“I have been reminded that I am not on this path alone, that others are sharing the journey that sometimes seems so difficult. I have also been reminded of the importance of daily practice and I will do that. The whole program has been an incredible experience for me. Thank you!” — Lorraine Plauth, retired teacher, Voorheesville, NY
“Yoga Skills for Therapists is the ideal resource for those who want to bring yoga practices into psychotherapy or healthcare. Weintraub, a leader in the field of yoga therapy, offers evidence-based, easy-to-introduce strategies for managing anxiety, improving mood, and relieving suffering. Helpful clinical insights and case examples emphasize safety, trust, and skillful adaptation to the individual, making it easy to apply the wisdom of yoga effectively in the therapeutic context.” — Kelly McGonigal, PhD, author, Yoga for Pain Relief, Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Yoga Therapy
“I gained perspective of who I am in the world and this will change my life significantly.” — Mary Ford, artist, Southport, CT
“This program changed my life in a significant way. It helped me connect with the spirit which is something you can’t get from psychotherapy and medication.” – G. W., artist, Pittsburgh, PA
“I have gained an incredible opening and clearing of old obstructions. I hope to return to my life and fill this opening with things I love to do and that give me joy!” — Lisa Shine, administrative assistant, Ballston Lake, NY
“A client who returned said, "When I came before, you helped me understand and get where I wanted to go. Now you show me yoga practices I use to help myself understand and get where I want to go.” — Sherry Rubin, LCSW, BCD, LFYP, Downingtown, PA
“I began a fantasy during the meditation exercise... almost as if I’d been there. It’s now an on-going work of fiction.” — Serian Strauss, Tanzania
“I feel profoundly transformed, both physically and emotionally. The connection between mind, body and spirit was clearly evident to me, but revealed to me through this workshop as an integrally vital link to overall health.” — Nadine Richardson, program manager at rehab agency, Monroe, CT
“Words do not do justice to all that I learned. This workshop changed my life!” — Jen Nolan, Teacher, Cortland, NY
“My personal practice will change, as well as my yoga classes. I have a better understanding of yoga!” — Andrea Gattuso, RYT, Yoga Teacher, Hackettstown, N.J.
“This workshop helped me rededicate my energies and begin to work through some of the blocks I’ve felt creatively.” — Steve Mark, college professor, New Haven, CT
“I have gained a softer heart, more receptive mind, and tools to enrich both personal and professional aspects of my life.” – Regina Trailweaver, LICSW, clinical social worker, Hancock, VT.
“My life is already changed! I will use the tools I learned in my own practice and in my work. I feel safe and seen.” — Susan Andrea Weiner, MA, teacher/expressive arts facilitator, El Cerrito, CA.
“Giving my clients a strategy and permission to quiet their minds and rebalance the sympathetic nervous system has been very beneficial to them and in our work together.” — Sue Dilsworth, PhD, RYT 200, LFYP, Allendale, MI
I absolutely love this stuff! I have been using it with my clients and I am just finding it to be so incredibly helpful. There seriously something for everything. Although I am not as skilled as I hope to be someday, even at my level of training I’m finding that I am beginning to figure out what to do. It just blows my mind! - Christine Brudnicki, MS, LPC
“My patients can now have the same effects as many medications without having to actually take medication!” — Deborah Lubetkin, PSY.D, LFYP, West Caldwell, NJ
“I utilize the LFY techniques in both a class room setting and one-on-one environment. The skills have infused my teachings with compassion, mindfulness, and awareness.” — Kat Larsen, CYT, LFYP
“I learned lots of ways to reduce the anxiety and depression of my patients and myself.” – Aviva Sinvany-Nubel, PhD, APN, CNSC, RN, psychotherapist, Bridgewater, N.J.
“This workshop has changed so much — my self-image and my life. My own heart’s desire is 100% clear. I gained tools to help myself and others to live life fully.” — Marcia Siegel, Yoga teacher, therapist, Carlsbad, CA.
“I came hoping to learn to move past some of the obstacles blocking my creativity. Over the course of this weekend, I feel I’ve gained a certain measure of faith in myself and in my ability to change. I also had some realizations that I believe will be very helpful to me. I feel encouraged. Both the content and presentation of this program were so well-thought out that I can’t think of any way to improve it.” — Andrea Gollin, writer & editor, Miami, FL
“I integrate strategies like mantra tones and pranayama, but above all I invite myself and those I teach to cultivate svadhyaya, to practice self-observation without judgment.” — Barbara Sherman, RYT 200, LFYP, Tucson, AZ
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