Bo Forbes integrates her rich experience and wisdom from her own training in hatha yoga, psychology and cognitive science with the intelligence and passion of her teaching style, to create this most unique alchemy: Elemental Yoga Mind-Body Teacher Training. After an intense and comprehensive year-long (200-hour) study of the connections between the body and mind, the art and science of teaching, the language and history of yoga, an introduction to the therapeutic power of yoga, and perhaps most importantly a safe container for my own self-explorations, I entered teaching with more than just the confidence and tools to help my students (and me) experience yoga safely and mindfully; I entered with deep respect for its wondrous healing powers. An additional multi-year immersion in Bo's 500-hour program, along with her on-going supervision through the Center for Integrative Yoga Therapeutics, deepened my understanding and experience in working with and teaching to a vast array of physical, mental and emotional conditions, while reminding me that this is only the "end of the beginning." My formal training complete, I step out with a profound and humble awareness of all that is yet to be learned and awakened, but with an indelible map to guide my journey. I proudly and gratefully refer to Bo as my teacher. 
The next 500-hour Mind-Body Teacher Training will begin in 2012-13. The minimum requirement for application to this program is successful completion of the 200-hour Elemental Yoga Mind-Body Teacher Training Course.
NEW ENGLAND SCHOOL OF INTEGRATIVE YOGA THERAPEUTICS
The New England School of Integrative Yoga Therapeutics is the home of the Elemental Yoga Mind-Body Teacher Training Programs and is connected with the Center for Integrative Yoga Therapeutics.
Elemental Yoga Mind-Body Teacher Training Program 500-hour Program (500-hr RYT)
The Elemental Yoga 500-hour Mind-Body Teacher Training Program is designed to offer teachers at the 200-hour level or beyond an advanced training experience with a strong mind-body focus, as well as an entry into private work in Integrative Yoga Therapeutics.
Our philosophy is that the most dramatic changes in professional development often occur in the context of direct teaching and practice experience. Accordingly, this 500-hour Mind-Body Teacher Training is designed with two goals in mind: disseminating new information to supplement beginning and intermediate-level teachers' knowledge bases, and providing a supportive and stimulating environment in which teachers can continue to integrate and practice what they have learned in their 200-hour programs.
As with the 200-hour program, the svadhyaya, or self-study, component of the training is emphasized for its importance in preparing teachers to address the wide range of therapeutic issues presented in both class and private settings.
The 500-hour program is designed to complement the experiences of teaching, assisting, and self-reflection of the 200-hour graduate. Each year will offer several weekend workshops and a weeklong intensive.
Featured Teachers
Yoga Teachers:
- Bo Forbes, Psy.D.
- Lou Benson, L.M.T.
- Nicolai Bachman, M.A.
- Edwin Bryant, Ph.D.
- Gessner Geyer, Ph.D.
- Carlos Pomeda, M.A.
Prerequisites
The New England School of Integrative Yoga Therapeutics recognizes that teachers with certifications from other 200-hour teacher training programs have invested valuable time and energy in your certification programs. We appreciate the diversity of your backgrounds in the study and teaching of yoga.
However, the Elemental Yoga 200-hour Mind-Body Teacher Training is uniquely designed to focus on Integrative Yoga Therapeutics. Teachers who graduate from the 200-hour Elemental Yoga Mind-Body Teacher Training are thus equipped with experience in Integrative Yoga Therapeutics that is unique to this program, and difficult to obtain from other programs.
In addition, The New England School of Integrative Yoga Therapeutics is now a charter member of the International Association of Yoga Therapists Council of Schools of yoga therapy. Due to the growing concern over standards in the training of yoga therapists by such esteemed organizations, as well as the focus of our 200-hour Teacher Training, our application requirements for the 500-hour Mind-Body Teacher Training have changed.
As of August, 2008, applicants with certifications from other 200-hour teacher training programs will be required to have completed their 200-hour level training with Elemental Yoga.