Yoga Therapy Training

Yoga Therapy Training Faculty:

One of the most valuable offerings of the Soul of Yoga Institute is our celebrated faculty, which includes many highly acclaimed and world-renowned Master Teachers. Each instructor provides varied educational and experiential teachings that blend together to form a rich amalgam of learning opportunities for every student to enjoy and be enriched by.

Indu Arora, Ayurveda and Yoga Therapist considers herself a student for lifetime. She is the author of Mudra: The Sacred Secret, Yoga, Ancient Heritage, Tomorrow’s Vision (known as The little Red Book on Yoga)  and SOMA – 100 Heritage Recipes for Self-Care.

Indu has been sharing about Yoga philosophy, Yoga Therapy and Ayurveda since 1999, and has inspired by and taught under  Kriya Yoga, Himalayan Yoga, Kashmir Shivaism and Sivananda Yoga lineages. She has studied both Yoga and Ayurveda in a traditional Guru paramapara setting.

Her teaching style is rooted in empowering and inspiring students to awaken the inner Guru. Her core philosophy is,  ‘Nothing has the greatest power to heal, but Self!”

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Foundations of Ayurveda)

Nischala Joy Devi is a master teacher and healer. For over 30 years she has been highly respected as an international advocate for her innovative way of expressing Yoga and its subtle uses for spiritual growth and complete healing.  She was a monastic student of the world renowned Yogiraj Sri Swami Satchidananda and offered her expertise in developing the yoga portion of The Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease and the Commonweal Cancer Help Program.

With her knowledge of yoga and her experience in assisting those with life-threatening diseases, she created The Healing Path of Yoga, and the “Abundant Well-Being Series” CD’s. Yoga of the Heart, a training and certification program for Yoga teachers and health professionals designed to adapt Yoga practices to the special needs of that population.

Nischala Devi is now directing her energies to bringing the feminine heart perspective back into spirituality and the scriptures in her new book, The Secret Power of Yoga, a woman’s guide to the heart and spirit of the Yoga Sutras and The Secret Power of Yoga audiobook (Nautilus Book Award Winner)

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Yoga Sutras, Subtle Body)

Leslie Kaminoff is a Yoga educator inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar. He is an internationally recognized specialist with 36 years of experience in the fields of Yoga, breath anatomy, and bodywork. He has led workshops for many of the leading Yoga associations, schools, and training programs in America. Leslie is the founder of the Yoga blog, “e-Sutra,” and “The Breathing Project,” a New York City Yoga studio dedicated to the teaching of individualized, breath-centered Yoga. Leslie teaches The Breathing Project’s unique yearlong course in Yoga anatomy, and is the co-author with Amy Matthews of the bestselling book, “Yoga Anatomy” published by Human Kinetics.

Yoga Therapy, 300 Hour (Anatomical Alignment)

Durga Leela BA, CAS, PKS, Yoga Acharya is the founder of Yoga of Recovery.  She is a Certified Yoga Teacher E-RYT 500 through the Sivananda lineage and extensively trained in Meditation and Vedanta. A Clinical Ayurvedic and Panchakarma Specialist, Durga trained both in the US and India and has served as the Director of the Ayurveda Programs at the Yoga Farm in California since 2003. She is a professional member and speaker for the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), also a member of Yoga Alliance. Durga has worked on her own path of recovery and has been a grateful member of 12 step fellowship for over 14 years.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Yoga of Recovery)

Jivana Heyman (he/him), C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is the founder and director of the Accessible Yoga Association, an international non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to the yoga teachings. He’s the author of Accessible Yoga: Poses and Practices for Every Body, Yoga Revolution: Building a Practice of Courage & Compassion (Shambhala Publications), and the upcoming book The Teacher’s Guide to Accessible Yoga: Best Practices for Sharing Yoga with Every Body (January 2024).

Jivana coined the phrase, “Accessible Yoga,” over ten years ago, and it has now become the standard appellation for a large cross section of the immense yoga world.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Chair Yoga)

Brian Dorfman has been practicing yoga, healing patients and teaching for over 35 years. Influenced by TVK Desikachar, Brian’s instruction focuses on helping the student develop a personalized, balanced practice. He incorporates asana, pranayama, sound and meditation to create an environment for the student’s innate wisdom to develop. Brian has extensive knowledge and instructional ability in the areas of kinesiology, anatomy, physiology and the biomechanics of movement. Since 1985 Brian has maintained his own injury rehabilitation clinic and is an internationally recognized healer.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (HAPY)

Philip Goldberg​ has been studying India’s spiritual traditions for more than 45 years, as a practitioner, teacher and writer.  He is the author of numerous books, most recently the acclaimed American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. The co-host of the podcast Spirit Matters, he blogs regularly on the Huffington Post and Spirituality and Health online. He has recently published a biography of Paramahansa Yogananda. See www.PhilipGoldberg.com and www.AmericanVeda.com.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Bhagavad Gita)

Erika Lee, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, Reiki Master, Spiritual Alchemist is a graduate of Soul of Yoga’s Yoga Therapy program and a Program Mentor. Although Erika has a deep knowledge of anatomy and physiology, her main focus is assisting clients with eating disorder issues, depression, trauma, and anxiety. Erika runs the Soul of Yoga’s the Reiki program and is a faculty instructor and mentor for the 200 hour Hatha Yoga training, and 200 hour Gentle Yoga training. In addition to her Yoga and Reiki training, Erika is currently studying shamanic healing, She leads ceremonies honoring the full moon, Mother Earth, and the equinox and solstice celebrations. She considers herself a well rounded healer with a soft heart, an affinity for animals, and a quirky sense of humor.

Yoga Therapy (Profession of Yoga Therapy)

Monique Lonner, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT is the Director and Program Mentor of Soul of Yoga Institute Advanced Yoga Teacher Training and Yoga Therapy Training Programs.  A Yoga teacher for 20 years, she studied in India, New York and California with Master teachers and spiritual sages including, most notably, the teaching faculty of the Soul of Yoga Institute Advanced Program.  Monique has developed the Advanced Teacher Training and Yoga Therapy Program for Soul of Yoga, bringing together those who are considered to be the best of the best Master yoga teachers in the world today.   A devoted spiritual seeker, as well as an experienced anatomy and physiology teacher she has created a comprehensive program which balances the study of Yoga Therapy technique with the insight and wisdom of Yogic and metaphysical philosophy.

 Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Program Director, Mentor)

Becky Michalski, RN, BSN, C-IAYT, E-RYT 200, is a graduate of the Yoga Therapy Program at Soul of Yoga in Encinitas, CA. Her yoga journey began over a decade ago, and she has been devoted to the practice and study ever since. As a Registered Nurse with 16 years of experience caring for acute and critically ill patients, she combines her medical knowledge with a deep understanding of yoga’s therapeutic applications for people managing chronic illnesses. As a Yoga Therapist, Becky strives to teach in a way that honors each individual’s needs and shares the simple and profound ways to take care of our body, mind, and spirit. She specializes in teaching yoga to those with underlying medical conditions, including back pain, cancer, and cardiac diseases. Becky is currently teaching Yoga for Cancer Survivors and Yoga for Healthy Heart classes and working as a nurse in a Cardiac Rehabilitation Program in Anchorage, Alaska. In addition, she has had the honor of studying with and assisting Nischala Joy Devi in her ‘Yoga of the Heart’ program, a Cancer and Cardiac certification training.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Yoga for Cancer & Heart Disease)

Richard C. Miller, PhD is a clinical psychologist, author, researcher, yogic scholar and spiritual teacher. For over 40 years, Richard Miller has devoted his life and work to integrating the nondual wisdom teachings of Yoga, Tantra, Advaita, Taoism and Buddhism with Western psychology. Among his mentors were Jean Klein, T.K.V. Desikachar and Stephen Chang.

Richard is the founding president and CEO of the Integrative Restoration Institute, co-founder of The International Association of Yoga Therapy and founding editor of the professional Journal of IAYT. He is also a founding member and past president of the Institute for Spirituality and Psychology and a senior advisor for the Baumann Foundation for the study of Awareness and its impact on well-being.

Author of Yoga Nidra: The Meditative Heart of Yoga, Richard serves as a research consultant studying the iRest Yoga Nidra protocol that he has developed (Integrative Restoration ~ iRest, a modern adaptation of the ancient nondual meditation practice of Yoga Nidra) researching its efficacy on health, healing and well-being with diverse populations including active-duty soldiers, veterans, college students, children, seniors, the homeless, the incarcerated, and people experiencing issues such as sleep disorders, PTSD, chemical dependency, chronic pain, and related disorders.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Pranayama, Foundations of Meditation Retreat)

Flossie Park, E-RYT 500 YACEP Always considering herself as a student of life, Flossie has dedicated her life to empowering herself and others through yoga, meditation, workshops, retreats, Sound Therapy and numerous other modalities for over 25 years. One of Flossie’s passions is to support people wherever they are on their life’s journey. With a down to earth approach, she draws from a lifetime of spiritual studies from many sources both from the eastern and western traditions. Applying the wisdom teachings to everyday living, she helps people to see their life from a higher perspective, gleaning understanding, enjoying the process and creating consciously. One of her strongest passions is supporting women, especially during pregnancy. This is a true opportunity for women to recognize their innate power learning to trust their bodies and intuition.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Prenatal Yoga, Kleshas)

Kyla Pearce, MPH, PhD, CBIS, E-RYT 200, (she/her) is the Senior Director of Programs and Research at LoveYourBrain, a national nonprofit that delivers evidence-based holistic health programs for the brain injury community. She oversees the design, implementation, and evaluation of LoveYourBrain Yoga, Mindset, and Retreats programs on a large scale. She has trained over 2,500 yoga teachers, clinicians, brain injury advocates, people with brain injury, and caregivers in how to adapt yoga, mindfulness, and psychoeducation for this population. She has developed a range of TBI-specific evidence-based yoga and mindfulness program curricula and integrated them into 60+ community and 30+ clinical contexts and online. She recently completed a NIH Postdoctoral Research Fellowship at Dartmouth College investigating the impact of yoga and meditation for people with neurological conditions, including traumatic brain injury, and has published in several peer-reviewed scientific journals on these topics. She lives in Vermont with her husband, the Executive Director of LoveYourBrain Foundation, and their three children.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Yoga for Traumatic Brain Injury)

Susana Jones, C-IAYT , Is a graduate of Soul of Yoga’s Yoga Therapy Training Program. Her upbringing in Science of Mind gave Susana an early appreciation for eastern spirituality and yoga, which she brings to life through her dedicated practice and vocation. As the founder of Urban Yogi, Susana has operated a yoga studio, created a Registered Yoga School for certifying yoga teachers, and now works as a Yoga Therapist in private and clinical settings. Susana is a mentor for the Soul’s Yoga Therapy students.

Yoga Therapy (Profession of Yoga Therapy)

Lorin Roche, PhD is the author of The Radiance Sutras. He has a PhD from the University of California, Irvine, where he has done extensive research on meditation and meditative experiences. His books on meditation are treasured by meditation practitioners across the globe and have been widely recognized as a “must-read”.

Lorin leads international meditation retreats and workshops, and trains meditation teachers in a 2-year meditation teacher training. Lorin lives in Marina del Rey, California with his yogini shaktini wife, Camille Maurine.

Yoga Therapy, 300 Hour (Philosophy & Physiology)

Ford Peck, E-RYT, MS is a Certified Senior iRest Trainer, Mentor, and Supervisor. He has been teaching yoga, pranayama, and meditation for 27 years. In addition, he has practiced as a somatic healer for over 20 years. Ford also has a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology and is currently an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist, providing both individual and couples counseling. He has managed, assisted, and taught at numerous iRest Teacher Trainings, as well as retreats with Richard Miller. Ford spent over a year and a half in India, studying and practicing intensively in the tradition of Advaita as well as the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism. He currently resides with his partner and their beloved cat in beautiful
Marin County, where he he loves to drink in the natural beauty of the land through hiking and mountain biking.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (iRest Level 1, Yoga Meditation Retreat)

Dana Reece, Ph.D., E-RYT 500, YACEP, Director of Kundalini Studies,, is a Kundalini Yoga Facilitator; Kundalini Yoga Teacher Trainer; Trauma-Sensitive Regression Practitioner in private practice; Yoga Therapist in training; and college professor.

Dr. Reece has 30 years’ teaching experience and 20 years’ experience in meditation and the practice of inner alchemical and yogic techniques designed to develop and strengthen the energetic body and enhance intuition. Yogic areas of expertise include Death and Shadow work; Conscious Communication Techniques; Strategies for Deepening Intuition; and Sankalpa (“resolve” or “resolution”): the yogic method of setting goals or aspirations. She has completed leadership training with several masters of personal development, including Peter Drucker, Charles Givens, and Anthony Robbins. In addition to having taught hundreds of college classes as a college professor and Kundalini Yoga instructor, she has led and facilitated dozens of group meditations and workshops.

Dana Reece’s experience in these modalities combines compassion, humor, and heart-centered determination to move clients and students through self-imposed fears and limitations toward clarity and confidence to achieve their highest potential.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (Death & Dying)

Justine Shelton, C-IAYT is a graduate of Soul of Yoga’s 200 hour training and a four year training program with Gary Kraftsow of the American Viniyoga Institute, she is a 500 hour AVI Certified Yoga Teacher and a 500 hour AVI Certified Yoga Therapist.  Justine specializes in structural yoga therapy, specifically spinal disc injuries, back pain management, structural instability, as well as shoulder and knee therapy.  She teaches students and trains teachers in Yoga for Healthy Backs and runs the cancer recovery yoga program at Yoga Vista Academy. Many people know her through her video “Gentle Yoga for a Healthy Low Back” by Yoga Journey Productions (www.yogaJP.com). Her passion is working with people who have different forms of catastrophic disease, helping them to manage their condition, minimize and cope with pain and, most importantly, helping them to realize they are not their condition.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (HAPY)

Stephani Sutherland, PhD, RYT500 earned her doctoral degree in neuroscience in 2001 and has worked as a freelance science writer for the past 15 years; her work has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Scientific American, Scientific American Mind, Pain Research Forum, and The Journal of Neuroscience. Stephani has practiced yoga for over 20 years, and she trained with Gary Kraftsow of American Viniyoga Institute. Find more about Stephani at stephanisutherland.com, facebook.com/StephaniSutherlandPhD, and @sutherlandphd.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program, 300 Hour (HAPY)

Amy Weintraub, MFA, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, YACEP is the founder of the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute and has been a pioneer in the field of yoga and mental health for over 20 years. She is the author of Yoga for Depression (Broadway Books) and Yoga Skills for Therapists: Effective Practices for Mood Management (W.W. Norton) and numerous articles and book chapters.  Amy is involved in ongoing research on the impact of Yoga on mood. Her evidence-based Yoga protocol for managing mood is used in healthcare settings globally and is featured on a number of audio-visual products, including the LifeForce Yoga series, an award-winning library of evidence-based yoga and meditation CDs and DVDs for mood management.  She maintains an archive of news and research on, www.yogafordepression.com.

Yoga Therapy, 300 Hour (Yoga for Psycho-Emotional states)

Dr. Linda Chamberlain is a scientist, author, professor, dog musher, and founder of the Alaska Family Violence Prevention Project, Dr. Linda Chamberlain has worked in the field of childhood and adult trauma for over two decades. Known for her abilities to translate science into practical strategies with diverse audiences, she is an internationally recognized keynote speaker who conveys a message of hope and empowerment. Her current focus is on a healing-centered 36 framework with a strong emphasis on brain-mind-body practices to address how stress is stored in our bodies and our natural instinct to heal. A trainer with Capacitar, an international network for well-being and transforming trauma, she is trained in a wide range of practices that use breathwork, movement, meditation, visualization, HeartMath, and poly-vagal informed strategies to promote resilience, self-regulation and healing. Her skill-based presentations highlight simple tools that are appropriate for children, youth and adults. An important application of her work is preventing compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma among service providers exposed to the suffering of others in a broad range of settings. Dr. Chamberlain taught at the University of Alaska and earned public health degrees from Yale School of Medicine and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Recognition for her work includes a Scientist Scholar with the Fulbright Arctic Initiative, a National Kellogg Leadership Fellowship, an Alaska Women of Achievement Award and the Inaugural Scattergood Foundation Scholar on Child Behavioral Health.

Yoga Therapy, 300 Hour (Brain on Yoga, Mental & Emotional Wellbeing)

Jillian Pransky, C-IAYT is an international presenter and the author of Deep Listening: A Healing Practice to Calm Your Body, Clear Your Mind, and Open Your Heart. She leads retreats, yoga teacher trainings, and restorative workshops—both in person and online—for students all over the world. Jillian gave a TEDx Talk on metta meditation; created and leads Yoga Journal’s online course Restorative Yoga 101; and is a featured yoga expert to magazines such as Prevention, Mindful, Yoga Journal, Yoga International, and more. Jillian infuses her yoga classes with mindfulness practices, compassion, and ease and inspires an integrative, holistic healing experience.

Yoga Therapy, Dual Masters Program 

Shawnee Thornton Hardy is a Certified Yoga Therapist, Author, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and the Founder of Asanas for Autism and Special Needs and Founder/Director of Yoga Therapy for Youth. She has worked with children and teens of diverse abilities and backgrounds for close to 30 years. She authored Asanas for Autism and Special Needs – Yoga to Help Children with their Emotions, Self-Regulation and Body-Awareness and Yoga Therapy for Children and Teens with Complex Needs – A Somatosensory Approach to Mental, Emotional and Physical Wellbeing. She is the creator of the C.A.L.M.M Yoga Toolkit and Body Sensations Curriculum, a yoga and somatic curriculum designed to support children’s diverse sensory, communication, emotional, physical and learning needs. Shawnee leads workshops and trainings online and throughout the US and Internationally She is passionate about supporting youth with developing self-regulation skills, connecting to their own inner power, building resilience and allowing their unique strengths and gifts to shine.

Yoga Therapy, 300 Hour (Brain on Yoga)

John Vosler’s passion is providing education on how thoughts, emotions and physical being are connected. As an energetic bodyworker for more than 25 years, John is able to assess each client and determine the best modality or combination of modalities to help them connect with their divine consciousness and inner healer.

Through meditation, movement, holistic bodywork and Conscious Coaching, John’s Los Angeles-based wellness practice has empowered countless clients to improve their lives. Executives, athletes, celebrities, busy moms and burnt-out professionals are attracted to his intuitive awareness and vast knowledge of the science of meditation. And, his infectious humor and compassionate heart make working with him a joy-filled experience.

Yoga Therapy, 300 Hour (Yoga for Mental & Emotional Wellness)