Triad Yoga Institute’s
East Coast Yoga Therapy
East Coast Yoga Therapy Yoga Therapist Training Program began accepting students January, 2016. ECYT is the only program accredited by the International Yoga Therapists Association in the state of North Carolina.
Although all yoga is potentially therapeutic and healing, Yoga Therapy is the specific application of yogic tools-postures/exercises, breath work, meditation techniques, and more-to address an individual’s physical, mental, and emotional needs. Many people first learn about yoga through its physical practices, but a common misconception is that it’s all about stretching or movement. In fact, Yoga Therapy can help people who can’t move at all, as well as active individuals!
ECYT Yoga Therapist Training Program requires 815 contact hours of study and may be completed in four years. Your journey starts with the Introductory Module, which is offered each year in January.
Once you’ve completed that, there are 13 additional modules and 4 guest-teacher units to attend. Our four-day (Thursday – Sunday) module format allows you to take care of your work and home responsibilities while completing your studies.
The full program is offered as a four-year cycle. The 815 hour program also includes 228 hours of mentored practicum assessing clients with a variety of health concerns and designing their personalized Yoga Therapy programs.
Why Study to become a Yoga Therapist from an Accredited School?
- Be a part of a program that meets the internationally recognized standards for the emerging field of Yoga Therapy.
- Deepen your understanding of the healing gifts of Yoga.
- Learn how to help your clients who suffer from physical conditions such as chronic pain, autoimmune disease, anxiety, depression, and more.
- Learn to assess clients and determine the best practices for their condition.
- Acquire a wide range of Yoga Therapy tools that can empower clients to facilitate their own well-being at physical, energetic, mental, emotional and spiritual levels.
- Connect with a community of Yoga Therapists and other health care professionals.
- Received close guidance from a professional Certified Yoga Therapist when seeing clients one-on-one during the training.
To learn more about East Coast Yoga Therapy and our training program, visit: www.eastcoastyogatherapy.com
Yoga Therapy Teaching Faculty
Terry Brown
ERYT 500
Terry Brown, E-RYT 500, co-owner of The Triad Yoga Institute in Greensboro, NC, and director of Triad Yoga’s 200 and 300 Hour Teacher Certification Programs, has been a student of yoga and meditation since 1984. He is a Certified Yoga Therapist, a Certified Purna Yoga Instructor at the 2000 Hour Level, a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) and a Licensed Physical Therapist Assistant. His own experience with back pain led him on his journey to yoga and then to the profession of Physical Therapy. Terry is also a Level II iRest Yoga Nidra Teacher-in-Training and a Reconnective Healing Foundational Practitioner. Terry has studied with Dave Emerson, author of the book Overcoming Trauma through Yoga, to understand how to help students of yoga with PTSD. He teaches multiple therapeutic classes weekly including classes for students with back pain, neurological conditions, and students living with cancer. His main teacher and influence, Aadil Palkhivala, is the co-founder of Purna Yoga™. Terry has studied extensively with Aadil in his therapeutic trainings and served as one of his assistants. Aadil’s wife, Savitri, is his meditation teacher. Savitri is the founder of Heartfull Meditation™, a practice to help us reconnect with the inner light and love within us and remove the daily toxic effects of stress. Terry’s knowledge and experience as a yoga practitioner, yoga instructor, and Yoga Therapist supports his passion to encourage others on their journey as they experience the therapeutic healing effects of yoga.
Valerie Kiser
ERYT 500
Valerie is the owner and director of Sunrise Yoga Studio and the Sunrise Yoga Teacher Training Programs (200 and 300 hour) as well as co-owner of East Coast Yoga Therapy. She has been teaching yoga since 1999 and became a yoga therapist in 2006 as a natural progression of teaching yoga and the desire to help students on a more personal level. Her love of learning carries her to study with the top teachers across the country.
Valerie’s first teacher training was completed with Cindy Dollar, an Iyengar-certified teacher in Asheville, NC. Valerie is a 500-hour experienced registered yoga teacher (500 E-RYT) and YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider) through the Yoga Alliance. Valerie has completed a 1200-hour Advanced Teacher Training and Yoga Therapeutics certification from Sun and Moon Yoga Studios in Fairfax/Arlington, VA with JJ Gormley.. She is an IAYT-certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT). Valerie is also a Certified Prenatal Yoga instructor, a Relax and Renew Advanced Trainer ® (Restorative Yoga with Judith Lasater), an Ayurvedic Wellness Counselor, an Elise Browning Miller Yoga for Scoliosis Trainer, and an iRest Teacher-in-Training Level II (Yoga Nidra).
Valerie believes that yoga is a practice that allows us to take charge of our own lives through growth, balance, and peace. Yoga is an exploration that leads us to greater awareness in mind, body, and spirit. Yoga brings union, harmony, and joy; it renews our energy and restores our spirit.
In July 2015, I attended a 40-hour Yoga Therapy training co-taught by Valerie Kiser of Sunrise Yoga Studio in Clemmons and Terry Brown of Triad Yoga Institute in Greensboro. The complimentary teaching styles of Valerie and Terry meshed very well. Their personalities are quite compatible, and it is obvious they are very comfortable working together. The depth of their knowledge, education and experience with Yoga Therapy became quickly apparent. The topics covered in this training were varied, starting with an introduction to yoga therapy and the role of the yoga therapist versus the yoga teacher. Other topics included therapy for neurologic conditions (stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease), therapy for bony and muscular anatomy (spine, wrists, fibromyalgia), as well as internal organs (kidneys, digestion, pelvic floor dysfunction, menorrhagia), and other disorders such as post-traumatic stress disorder and insomnia. Each topic was covered in great detail, with anatomy and other information pertinent to the issue provided. Proper documentation was also addressed, with exercises regarding gathering information and history from a new student, as well as progress notes. The students also took part in observing and assisting with a Yoga Therapy class as part of the training. A comprehensive manual was provided with detailed explanations and photo illustrations to go along with each issue addressed. The class sizes were substantial, and Valerie and Terry did a great job with individual attention during practice exercises, and keeping the classes progressing at a good pace and on time. Ample time was given for questions and discussion throughout the training. I would very highly recommend taking all or part of this training to anyone who wishes to deepen their understanding of specific issues or embarking on a longer-term Yoga Therapy training.