Viniyoga® Therapy Training | UK | 2023 - 2025
SELF EMPOWERMENT & HEALING THROUGH BODY, BREATH, MIND & SPIRIT
This course will offer in-depth training in applying the holistic principles of Yoga as a complementary healing system. It is most suited for those who want to become Yoga Therapists and those who wish to develop individualized complementary Yoga Therapy processes for students with different ailments or health concerns.
By undergoing this intense training, students learn about the therapeutic aspects of Yoga so that they may facilitate others in the journey towards self-empowerment, healing and personal transformation. It will also provide trainees an excellent opportunity to develop their unique strengths as healers.
The main faculty for this training program will be Dr Kausthub Desikachar. This is the first ever Viniyoga Therapy Training offered in the UK!
Viniyoga Therapy
In the classical Viniyoga® tradition, Yoga Therapy is practised with the following orientation:
As a self-empowering process, where the Care Seeker is responsible for his/her healing process
In an individualized, one-to-one setting
As multi-dimensional in its approach, often utilizing many tools of Yoga
As a process focused on the individual, not just the illness
As a context-sensitive method, respecting the age, occupation, ability and other parameters of the individual
As an evolving process, not an instant solution
As a personal and spiritual development path, a process for developing one’s own unique potentials
As a collaborative and complementary system of self-health care
Course Outline
Following the holistic and classical teachings of Professor Sri T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar, this extensive training will:
Present the most important principles of Viniyoga Therapy as a self-empowering, holistic and complementary system of health
Provide comprehensive training in the understanding and application of the vast array of tools that Viniyoga offers, to address a wide range of health concerns in a holistic manner
Help the trainee understand and learn how to implement the one-to-one approach to healing of Viniyoga
Explore the role of Viniyoga in developing and supporting a wellness-oriented lifestyle
Educate on professional and ethical standards under which Viniyoga Therapy must be practiced
Assist in providing a safe environment to facilitate the trainees in the often challenging journey of personal and spiritual development, as well as the evolution of their own unique strengths as healers
Tools of Yoga you will learn
Some of the tools used in the Viniyoga® tradition include (but are not limited to) the following : postures (Āsana), breath regulation (Prāṇāyāma), meditation (Dhyānam), dietary recommendations (Āhāra niyama), lifestyle suggestions (Vihāra niyama), chanting (Mantra), visualizations / affirmations (Bhāvanā), special energetic seals (Mudrā), symbolic gestures (Nyāsa) and guided self-inquiry (Svādhyāya).
A comprehensive understanding of these tools and how to utilize them in individualized Viniyoga Therapy, will form a core part of the training program.
Dates for the training
The following are the approximate dates of the training modules. The exact dates will be communicated with the acceptance letter.
Module 01: 16 - 26 Mar 2023
Module 02: 07 - 17 Sep 2023*
Module 03: Mar/Apr 2024 (Precise dates TBA)
Module 04: Sep 2024 (Precise dates TBA)
Module 05: Mar/Apr 2025 (Precise dates TBA)
Module 06: Sep 2025 (Precise dates TBA)
Venue:
The training program will be conducted at the serene settings of:
Dorchester Yoga and Therapy Centre
14 Trinity Street Dorchester, Dorset DT1 1TU England, United Kingdom
More Information:
For any additional enquiries, kindly contact our local coordinator, Sarah Ryan
email: saryan6630@gmail.com Mobile : +44 7523 7523 53 Landline: + 44 1258 839230
STUDENT TESTIMONIALS
My name is Marion; I live in a Paris suburb where I have been teaching Yoga since 2019. My goal from the beginning was to study Yoga Therapy. I was eager to understand how Yoga could help heal others and myself.
So, after a Viniyoga Teachers Training at the KHYF in Chennai, where I acquired the foundations both philosophical and technical on Yoga, I registered in the Yoga Therapy Training delivered by K. Desikachar in Brussels (2019-2023)
This training is much more than a technical program. Of course, we learn how to take care of specific diseases such as diabetes, or burn-out, we do observations to develop our awareness and comprehension of the holistic human system. But the training goes even more deeply. We are given various tools coming from Ayurveda and Yoga, like how to determine a person's constitution (Vāta, Pitta, Kapha), and how to take the pulse and understand what it tells in terms of disturbance in that constitution. We get a profound insight of the cakra-s model and how to use it in terms of diagnosis and of care delivery. We are given many practical tools also about the profession, what is our role as care-provider, how to relate to care-seekers, how to behave in a therapy session, and how to take notes and document the files of our patients. This material and learnings are large and require much study to integrate. That’s why the few months in between modules are precious. We have time to revise and put it into practice.
But this is only the tip of the iceberg. What makes this training so special in my eyes is its spiritual part. We undergo a personal transformation and are guided to do so, both during the modules and in between, thanks to the support of our mentor. This transformation is necessary to fully understand our purpose as a healer and our specific potential. Not one healer is the same, even with a similar academic background. We learn that healing can only come from a heart-to-heart connection, and this is the most challenging and beautiful part of the training in my view. It supposes that we find our heart, our essence, who we are, and break the barriers we have built inside. It is particularly touching to see how each one evolves and opens, how we are more and more able to relate to each other and benefit from the diversity of the participants (different countries, different languages, different cultures) as the training goes on. I feel supported in that transformation by the fact that K.Desikachar is the descendant of a lineage of Yogi masters and healers that goes back to the 11th century. This takes a particular resonance in the chanting sessions we do each module of Vedic and ancient Sanskrit poems. This spiritual approach enables me to integrate all the other tools and guides me on how and when to use them.
I feel a lot of gratitude for having been able to join that course, and I recommend it to those who seek a profound, sensitive and sensible approach to Yoga Therapy.
- Marion B, Yoga Teacher, France
Before starting this substantial training, I attended a presentation weekend, a seminar of only two days, where Kausthub Desikachar explained certain concepts of therapeutic yoga, how health and illness are perceived by yoga, how it manifests in the body, what are the tools that yoga can offer to find some balance...etc.
I remember how shaken I was by all these teachings and the very deep practices that we experienced.
I felt a huge questioning, not only of myself and my own life, but also of my point of view as a physiotherapist toward my patients. This holistic view touched me a lot.
I hadn't even realized that I was forcing myself to stay in a relationship that no longer suited me, even though my body was expressing it in the form of eczema everywhere. Once it was so bad that I even had to go to the hospital.
Following this seminar, I felt clearer about myself and, above all, more responsible for my health, and I decided to break up. And my skin problems are gone. I then, of course, committed myself to the training.
The teaching we receive is given in a relevant way, punctuated with real and interesting examples, all in a good atmosphere and with a lot of humour. We have the privilege, in addition, of learning to use yoga therapy to help our students and also of learning to transform ourselves. During the modules that last about ten days, we experience intense practices in a very supportive and warm setting.
Since I started in the Viniyoga tradition, I have changed a lot. I have become aware of many of my potentials and I dare to exploit them. I continue to become aware of my faults too, and I am learning to accept them.
The world is still not perfect, but my outlook has changed. I am more resilient, I let go more easily, I have found a form of faith in my heart and a feeling of love for myself and for life in general. I dare to be me. I am no longer embarrassed by the gaze of others.
My loved ones also tell me that I look happy and good about myself, showing that I have found my way.
I feel blessed to be able to be part of this wonderful tradition. Thanks to Philip Rigo, my first teacher, with whom I started on this authentic path. Thanks to Kausthuba Desikachar for keeping this alive.
Namaste
- Amanda B, Physiotherapist & Yoga Teacher, Belgium
I have been doing the Viniyoga Yoga Therapy Training with Dr Kaustubha Desikachar, and this three-year spiritual journey has shifted how I see life and live, enabling me to fully embrace my unique existence. The training is unique, and different from all western styles of yoga. Before I discovered Viniyoga therapy, I focused on the form, body alignment and anatomy of yoga rather than on its function. I practised and taught form-orientated yoga.
However, I was very inspired by the book called ‘Health, Healing and Beyond’, written by TKV Desikachar about T Krishnamacharya. This, along with his being the authentic lineage-holder of the great master T Krishnamacharya’s tradition, was probably why I joined Dr Kaustubha Desikachar’s therapy training, even though I had some doubts about him.
During these three years, I have learnt what yoga is at a very deep level and how yoga therapy can be applied to people’s lives for healing. The path of healing is holistic, and the cause of the disease can be seen as multidimensional. The yoga therapist must implement self-empowerment through individualized practices from the mentor, respect & a non-invasive approach to oneself, faith in the long-term evolving process, and devotion. I have been given six different practices by my mentor, Dr Kaustubha Desikachar, and they have had a tremendous impact on me. I can feel my body is becoming healthier; my mind is more focused. Along with the practice, I have learnt how Vedic chanting & mantra can influence my whole being. I appreciate chanting, and the more I chant, the deeper I connect to myself and to others. I feel very fortunate to have learned invaluable tools from the vinyoga tradition, including mudras & bandhas, pranayama, chakras and functional asanas.
My therapy training is approaching its end. I have grown in terms not only of knowledge but also of transformation. Firstly, I have learned from my interaction with my mentor [Dr Kausthub Desikachar]. In the beginning, I found it quite difficult to connect with him, but once I changed how I interacted with him and other group members, I felt lighter and more open to my truth. Also, by observing his teaching, I have learned something very precious. Dr. Kaustubha is knowledgeable, kind, strict and funny; amazingly, he can balance these qualities. This training has healed my relationship with my family and the people around me at a very deep level. More importantly, I can teach from myself and live with my truth.
My favourite quotation is ‘Teach what is inside you. Not as it applies to you, to yourself, but as it applies to the other.’ By Tirumalai Krishnamacharya.
- Hitomi N, Yoga Teacher, Belgium/Japan
I feel very grateful to have chosen to participate in this training. After many years of study in the world of yoga, I finally found what I was looking for and had not yet discovered: a school founded on an authoritative lineage.
I attended three other Teacher Trainings in Italy, and they were decisive formative experiences in my evolutionary and cognitive journey, but when I made contact with the teachings conveyed by Master Kaustubha Desikachar, I realized that I had landed on a knowledge and a mode of transmission that I had never found before. I felt the power of the tradition that master after master brought me a meticulous knowledge in every aspect, directed to all those seriously intent on their own evolutionary path. Kaustubha teaches firmly; his words are simple and coherent, he offers us extremely logical reasoning while letting us concentrate on the depth of feeling. He also always leaves some room for cheerfulness and a smile.
His teachings have authoritative references in the texts of the tradition and in his own experience, which both his father, TKV Desikachar and his grandfather T Krishnamacharya possessed. The Viniyoga tradition has great strength, shines with energy and is a great anchor for me.
The Yoga Therapy Training has allowed me to learn new tools for teaching yoga, especially in the one-to-one approach. Understanding the rationale behind the teaching choice in proposing one āsana or prāṇāyāma instead of another has allowed me to know how to reason independently in choosing the proposals I teach.
In the course, we explored both topics that relate to one's personal practice, such as meditation, bandhas, and topics regarding the different diseases that one can interact with through yoga. The most important lesson for me is having learned to adapt the practice to the individual, whether healthy or with some disorder. Every person has a different history, a different body, and a unique way of being. Likewise, every practitioner is different, and being able to see, recognize and value this diversity deeply corresponds to how I see and experience reality.
I have been teaching for years, and it has always seemed reductive to me to homogenize teaching. In fact, more than once, I have seen practitioners abandon yoga because they had needs which were different from what I could meet in a class. At the precise moment when the practice began to be deeper and their attention more centred, I saw people drift away because they lacked the individual path to the goal. Now I know that everyone's purpose is centred on themselves, and the path is entirely personal. Now I have the tools to create an intimate and unique path for each person. This is an incredible resource.
I would recommend this training to any yoga teacher who takes his or her professional role seriously and is able to recognize the importance of being a guide for people seeking themselves. We have a great responsibility, and it is an immense joy for me to be able to share the journey!
- Annalisa O, Yoga Teacher, Italy