If you are considering training in Yoga Therapy, you are probably looking for change.

Maybe you are already a yoga teacher, and you feel you could dive deeper. Your role might feel limited, with millions of other yoga teachers in the world, how could you differentiate yourself from others?

Perhaps you already have students who come to you with health issues, back pain, burnout, even cancer recovery, and you’d like to know what to do.

As an experienced yoga teacher, you see the possibilities of advancing your knowledge and expanding your profession to collaborating with local doctors, hospitals, physiotherapists and mental health professionals.

Maybe you are a psychologist, or a medical professional, realising that what you learned in your training may not be the only way to help your patients. You feel that there’s a missing link: the body, mind, breath, and spirit, all as one.

Whichever path you come from; change seems to be the right way forward, but change can often feel scary.

The truth is, it doesn’t need to be. Changes don’t have to be so radical as to turn your life upside-down. Unless of course you are completely determined, in which case nothing will stop you!

If you’re not quite sure, you can choose to do short, informative Yoga Therapy courses, or you can attend a few specialised modules that are aligned with your personal and professional interests, such as Women’s health, Back Pain, or the Nervous System.

Once you start diving into these subjects, you’ll get a real flavour of what it would be like to apply Yoga Therapy tools in your work. Then you can decide to take the step forward and invest in your new career.

Yoga Therapy is a fast-growing field, with increasing interest driven by public awareness of holistic health, mental well-being, and integrative approaches to disease and managing chronic conditions. Its growth is fuelled by several key factors:

1. Rising Interest in Complementary and Integrative Medicine
   

• The global wellness industry, which includes yoga therapy, is growing rapidly. People are increasingly turning to non-pharmaceutical options for managing stress, anxiety, and chronic diseases like arthritis, back pain, and hypertension.
• According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness industry has grown significantly in recent years, with yoga being one of the major contributors.

2. Scientific Validation
   

• A growing body of research demonstrates the benefits of yoga therapy for physical and mental health. For example, studies have shown its effectiveness in reducing symptoms of PTSD, improving mobility in patients with chronic pain, and alleviating anxiety and depression.
• Medical and healthcare professionals are increasingly recommending yoga therapy as part of integrative care plans.

3. Adoption by Healthcare Systems
   

• Hospitals, rehabilitation centres, and mental health clinics are incorporating yoga therapy programs. For instance, organisations like the Cleveland Clinic and Mayo Clinic offer yoga therapy as part of their services.
• The focus on prevention and personalised care has made yoga therapy more relevant in both traditional healthcare systems and private wellness centre

4. Growing Global Awareness
   

• Countries like the U.S., India, and the U.K. are seeing growth in formal training programs and certification processes for yoga therapists.

5. Increase in Training Programs

• Organisations such as the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) are standardising training programs, which helps legitimise the profession. More people are enrolling in these programs to pursue yoga therapy as a career.

In summary, Yoga Therapy is a rapidly growing profession with strong potential for expansion due to its alignment with trends in holistic health and integrative medicine.

Whether it is for you or not, it will depend on your previous professional experience, your motivation, and how you see yourself in the future.

Yoga Therapy shouldn’t be scary choice; rather, it is an exciting, advanced, and progressive profession that supports our clients’ well-being while offering unique professional meaning and fulfilment.

Montserrat G. Mukherjee C-IAYT