Professional Training

Contact &
Questions

Contact AVI student advisor Dona Robinson for more information on any of our Professional Training Programs. Dona is an experienced Viniyoga Teacher and Viniyoga Therapist who can guide you in your yoga career path.

Stay Connected

Please enter your name and e-mail to receive the AVI quarterly newsletter and notices of events.

Program Overview

Viniyoga Therapist Training

A Living Healing Tradition.

The AVI Viniyoga™ Therapist Training Program is a clinical training program that:

Educates experienced Yoga teachers in the theory, principles, adaptation, and application of the tools of Yoga for individuals and groups with health conditions.
Emphasizes the continuing personal development of the Viniyoga™ Therapist in the area of personal practice.

The goal of Viniyoga™ Therapy is to empower individuals facing health conditions (at any level) to use the tools of Yoga to manage their condition and improve their health and well-being. Viniyoga™ Therapy is a complementary or alternative treatment modality.

The settings of practice for Viniyoga™ Therapists include private practice, Yoga schools, community settings and Western healthcare system settings.

The content of the Viniyoga Therapist Training builds on the theory and methods included in AVI foundation/bridge programs (former AVI Viniyoga™ Teacher Training Program, current Viniyoga Foundations Program for Teaching and Yoga Therapy or the former AVI Foundation for Yoga Therapy Program).

The American Viniyoga Institute supports the International Association of Yoga Therapists’ educational standards for yoga therapy and intends to apply for IAYT accreditation following implementation of the new process.

Who is eligible for this program?

You must be an American Viniyoga Institution certified graduate to be eligible for Viniyoga Therapist Training. There are 3 certified programs:

Certified 300-hour graduate (IF a licensed health care provider or previously Yoga Alliance 200-hour certified.)
Certified 500-hour Viniyoga Teacher
Certified Foundation for Yoga Therapy (FYT) Graduates (Program offered in 2009 and 2011)

Some exceptions may be considered for Yoga teachers who have completed a 500 hour teacher training program in the Desikachar/Krishnamacharya lineage. To find out more about an exception procedure, please contact our Student Advisor at studentadvisor@viniyoga.com.

This holistic approach to wellness is so essential to the humane care of people. I embrace the opportunity to integrate the Viniyoga Therapy philosophies into my research and practice. No one should be deprived of this information or this level of care. Thank you for making it accessible.

Grace Bullock, Ph.D.
April 21, 2010

Feel very honored and proud to be associated with AVI. The depth of knowledge transmitted, the quality and dedication of the teaching staff, and of course, watching, listening, and learning from AVI founder Gary Kraftsow; a masterful communicator and an instrumental ambassador to the profession of yoga therapy.

C. Scoma, Florida
November 10, 2010

The AVI Teacher Training and Therapist Training have been a transformative experience for me on every level of body, mind and spirit. I have learned how to develop a deep personal practice/sadhana that has been deeply transformative. I feel so grateful to receive the transmission of this lineage. I am eager to share my love for Viniyoga with others passing on "the gift."

K. Sisk, Oklahoma
November 12, 2010

I'm proud to be part of AVI and the knowledge I have gained has been tremendous. The teacher training filled me with so much great information and with the Viniyoga Therapist Training it is going deeper and deeper. I feel prepared to work with clients at the utmost professional level and have had great success in helping people live healthier lives. I have so much gratitude to Gary for the transmission of a lineage he has kept authentic!

J. Shelton, California
November 19, 2010

AVI Viniyoga Therapist Training is so amazing it is a privilege to participate. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Gary Kraftsow has been my teacher for ten years and I still have so much to learn from him. The AVI team makes the experience rich, relevant, fascinating, and exciting. And deep.

T. Flynn, Michigan
November 20, 2010

I love the logical Viniyoga use of various yoga models that fit so nicely together like pieces of the puzzle, creating a cohesive and valuable picture of an individual that we are working with. I love that in this training yogic view does not get overshadowed by modern science, but is complemented by it. And I particularly love that we are being taught to think, to see the situation through the prism of the yogic view of the human system and use the knowledge creatively in a variety of circumstances, rather than embracing the cookie-cutter approach " for this condition do this, for that condition do that". I am very grateful to be part of this training and this lineage.

O. Kabel, Oregon

A very powerful experience with an in-depth study of yoga therapy. This program is excellent. I feel I have so many tools that will be available for me to use as I move out into the practice of yoga therapy.

J. Sadugor, California
December 3, 2010

I Never Expected The Exciting Transformational Journey...
I never expected the exciting transformational journey that I am now committing my life to. Thank you Gary and all the experienced & helpful staff at AVI.

J. Dunkley, Ontario, Canada