The Yoga Therapy Rx certificate programs are a marriage between Yoga therapy and complementary medicine. It is designed to train Yoga teachers to be Yoga therapists and apply classical applications of Yoga for use in clinical settings to help treat common ailments and conditions. Participants who complete and pass the courses will be equipped to work with various medical specialists, chiropractors, osteopaths and physical therapists.
Level I
The Level I certificate program will focus on the musculoskeletal system. Students will meet one weekend a month for a year and address principles of practice, anatomy for yoga teachers, the origin and treatment of common low back, upper back, knee and hip problems. In addition the course will cover communication tools for working with doctors including reading reports and understanding terminology and clinical notes such as S.O.A.P. notes. 
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Level II
The Level II certificate program will be offered the following year and will focus in the same manner on other systems of the body as outlined in Yoga Rx (Broadway Books) written by Larry Payne Ph.D. and Richard Usatine, M.D. These systems will include the circulatory, respiratory, digestive, nervous, reproductive and endocrine systems. MORE
Level III Clinic
The Level III clinical program will be offered for the first time this Fall. MORE
FACULTY
Larry Payne, Ph.D., E-RYT 500 is founder and director of the Yoga Therapy Rx program. He is coauthor of
Yoga Therapy Rx with Richard Usatine, M.D., and
Yoga for Dummies with George Feuerstein, Ph.D. He previously introduced Yoga to the curriculum at the UCLA School of Medicine, and was founding president of the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
Robert Birnberg, CYT has studied with Kausthub Desikachar internationally and has traveled numerous times to the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram (KYM) in Southern India. Robert trains Yoga therapists, conducts seminars and specializes in relationship guidance and addictive/compulsive disorders.
Sherry Brourman, P.T., RYT is a yoga therapist with thirty-five years as a practicing physical therapist. She is the author of
Walk Yourself Well, translated in five languages. Her new book and DVD on the subject will combine yoga and physical therapy. She currently teaches at Exhale in Los Angeles, leads anatomy teacher training for Exhale and Yoga Works, and offers workshops, seminars and consultation for both yoga and physical therapy worldwide.
Art Brownstein, M.D., M.P.H., D.Y.Ed. is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii. He is the author of
Healing Back Pain Naturally (Harbor Press), and
Extraordinary Healing (Harbor Press). He is the only U.S. physician to be certified in Yoga by the Government of India, Ministry of Health and Education.
Christopher Key Chapple, Ph.D. is the Navin and Pratima Doshi Professor of Indic and Comparative Theology at Loyola Marymount University. Professor Chapple's research interests have focused on the renouncer religious traditions of India: Yoga, Jainism, and Buddhism. He has published several books, including
Karma and Creativity (1986), a co-translation of the
Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (1991) and
Nonviolence to Animals, Earth, and Self in Asian Traditions (1993),
Hinduism and Ecology (2000), a co-edited volume,
Jainism and Ecology: Nonviolence in the Web of Life (2002) and
Reconciling Yogas (2003).
Leslie Kaminoff is the founder of The Breathing Project in New York City, a center dedicated to the advanced training of yoga teachers and therapists. He is inspired by the tradition of T.K.V. Desikachar, and is one of America’s most knowledgeable presenters on Anatomy for yoga teachers. He is also the founder of the international online yoga list and blog “e-Sutra”. He is the author of Yoga Anatomy , published by Human Kinetics.
Linda Lack, Ph.D. has dedicated her life and work to the study of the human body, movement, breath, and their relationship to creativity, healing, and spiritually. She is a movement/yoga therapist, ritualist, performer, dancer, lecturer, and researcher. Lack believes that the basic human impulses of movement and breath are profound pathways into healing, creativity and spirit.
Rick Morris, D.C. is associate director of the Level I program and a sports medicine chiropractor with more than 25 years experience and team doctor for the US Olympic Medical Team, The NBA, and UCLA Track and Field. He is also a senior instructor at the Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles.
Amy Wheeler, Ph.D., CYT studies and teaches in the lineage of T. Krishnamacharya and is a Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation (KHYF) Certified Yoga Teacher and Trainer. Amy teaches at California State University San Bernardino and is the Research Director of the Healing Yoga Foundation in San Francisco. Amy is a Sport Psychology Consultant and Yoga Teacher to many elite athletes, including the Los Angeles Lakers and five U.S. Olympic/ National Teams.
GUEST FACULTY
David Allen, M.D. is a graduate of UCLA Medical School, and also holds a masters degree from the College of Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, Oxford, England. He is the medical director of the Longevity Center, one of Los Angeles’s most prestigious integrative medicine centers.
Chase Bossart, CYTis a 14-year student of TKV Desikachar, including 3 years of residential internship in Chennai, India. He is co-founder of the Yoga Health Alliance and currently finishing a Masters degree in Religious Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Jnani Chapman R.N., CYT is a clinical specialist in complementary medicine for the UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine. She specializes in teaching people with cancer, heart disease, and chronic illness. A former executive director of IAYT, Jnani has worked for the Commonweal Cancer Help Program since 1986 and for Dr. Dean Ornish's Program for Reversing Heart Disease.
Arun Deva, CYTis a Diplomate in Ayurveda and a Board Member of the California Association of Ayurvedic Medicine. He has been trained in Ayurkyoga in the Ayurvedic Institute and studied with Dr. Vasant Lad. He has also studied Vinyasa Krama with Srivatsa Ramaswami. Arun is the founder of Arunachala Yoga & Ayurveda and teaches Ayurvedic and Yogic workshops and classes, and writes articles for various publications.
Terra Gold, L.Ac., CYT has been a yoga therapist in the LA area for 12 years working extensively with athletes and celebrities with chronic injuries. She has a Master’s Degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine, holds a BA from UCLA in Cultural Rituals and Dance Movement Therapy and a professional degree in Integrative Body Psychotherapy.
Eden Goldman, DC, CYT is a 3rd generation yogi and Chiropractic clinician at the Los Angeles College of Chiropractic. He has been called “a teacher of teachers” based on his in-depth understanding of western biomechanics and eastern traditions. Additionally, Eden is the founder of Karmapalooza Yoga Productions,
a non-profit charity.
Vikram Kamdar, M.D. is a board certified endocrinologist and Associate Clinical Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He received his degree from the University of Bombay, India, and was a fellow in Endocrinology at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. He was board certified in Internal Medicine in 1978, and in Endocrinology and Metabolism in 1979. In 1992, he was voted Best Teacher by the house staff of the White Memorial Medical Center.
Lorne S. Label, M.D. is a board certified neurologist trained in both traditional and complementary medicine. He currently holds the rank of Clinical Associate Professor of Neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He has taught at the UCLA Neuromuscular Clinic and General Neurology Clinic for 24 years. His full-time private practice in Adult and Pediatric Neurology incorporates his Eastern and Western medical studies.
Arsen Nalbandyan, D.O. was awarded the Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Teaching Fellowship while attending Western University, College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific where he is currently an Assistant Clinical Professor as well as a clinical preceptor for students. Dr. Nalbandyan is a member of the Cranial Academy and the American Academy of Osteopathy.
Lori Rubenstein P.T., CYT has a B.S. in Physical Therapy from Boston University and completed an Advanced Master’s Degree in Manipulative Therapy from the University of South Australia. She is on faculty at Mount St. Mary’s College Doctoral Program of Physical Therapy and has appeared on “Good Morning America”. Lori was certified as a Yoga teacher by Samata International Yoga & Health Institute and is the director of “Mosaic” integrative physical therapy and movement center in Los Angeles.
Steven Sampson, M.D. is a board-certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation doctor, (Physiatrist). He graduated from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine, and was Chief Resident at Saint Vincent Medical Center of Manhattan in New York. Most recently, Dr. Sampson practiced at Santa Monica Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Group where he directed their efforts in Rehabilitation and lead clinical research and development of Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) Therapy under ultrasound guidance. Dr. Sampson recently formed The Orthobiologic Institute (TOBI) designed to advance research and training in the field of orthobiologics
Jamie Shaw M.P.T., CYT is a registered physical therapist with a master’s degree in physical therapy, and a certified Kripalu Yoga teacher. She served as director of the Spine Team at Abilities Health and Rehabilitation Center in New York City and currently directs the Yoga Home Services in Westlake Village. She is also a popular keynote speaker.
Michael Sinel, M.D. served as Director of Outpatient Physical Medicine at Cedar Sinai Medical Center and later became board-certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and pain management. He is also an assistant clinical professor at UCLA Medical Center and has been certified as a Yoga teacher by Samata International Yoga & Health Institute. He is Co-author of Yoga for Dummies and has been quoted in “The New York Times,” “Los Angeles Times,” and “Reader’s Digest.”
Matthew J. Taylor, P.T., Ph.D., RYT is the current president of IAYT. Matt is the founder of Dynamic Systems Rehabilitation Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, a yoga-based PT clinic. He is a leader in applying integrative medicine principles in the field of rehabilitation and has 28 years of orthopedic rehabilitation experience.
Richard Usatine, M.D.is associate director of the Level II program and the Vice-Chair for Education in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Texas at San Antonio. He is also the recipient of the National Humanism in Medicine award and, since 2000, chosen by his peers each year to be included in the Best Doctors in America list, a national consumer reference source published by Ohio State University.
Fay VanDerKar Levinson, Ph.D.received a special joint Ph.D. from UCLA in psychology and special education. She serves on the board of the Association of Educational Therapists and has held teaching posts at UCLA and Pepperdine University. She has also received advanced training in Yoga, learning development and helping her clients deal with chronic physical and/or emotional stress.
Dolphi Wertenbaker, M.D. is a graduate of Columbia University and Cornell University Medical College (1978). She is a life-long student of TKV Desikachar since 1970, with a dream of combining yoga and medicine. She has been teaching yoga since 1985, with an emphasis on individual therapeutic work. She is a KHYF-certified Yoga Teacher Trainer.