Transform Your Practice. Lead with Confidence. Teach with Precision.

The Functional Yoga Medicine 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training is not your typical YTT program. It’s a rare, foundational training experience designed to set you apart as a yoga teacher. Our program goes beyond the basics, offering a deep dive into posture, alignment, and arthrokinematics — the precise movement of joints — to equip you with the knowledge and skills to teach safe, effective, and transformational yoga classes.

Unlike conventional yoga teacher trainings that focus on memorizing sequences, this program emphasizes functional movement and injury prevention, empowering you to understand why poses work and how to tailor them for diverse student needs. You'll walk away with the confidence to guide students safely and effectively while cultivating a unique teaching style rooted in expertise and intention.

What Makes This Program Unique?

• Master Alignment & Arthrokinematics: Understand how joints move in each pose to prevent injuries and support long-term student wellness.

• Develop Foundational Expertise: Learn to spot misalignments, identify movement compensations, and provide personalized modifications.

• Injury Prevention & Safety: Acquire the tools to create safer classes by addressing the root causes of pain and movement dysfunction.

• Empowered Teaching Skills: Move from generic cueing to anatomy-informed instruction that creates a lasting impact on your students.

• Comprehensive Training Experience: Receive guidance from experienced mentors who bring decades of physical therapy, functional movement, and yoga expertise.

In Module 1, we’ll begin with an overview of Eastern and Western healing philosophies, as well as the pillars of Functional Yoga Medicine, setting the foundation for the modalities you’ll learn to integrate and apply over the next 12 months.

We’ll explore the Root Chakra and the “Foundation” pillar of Functional Yoga Medicine, both associated with grounding, security, and survival. Establishing a strong foundation provides stability and groundedness necessary for one’s physical and emotional journey.

In terms of the endocrine system, the Root Chakra is associated with the adrenal glands and cortisol, our main stress hormone, which play a crucial role in our fight or flight response. Therefore, when the Root Chakra is imbalanced, it can perpetuate chronic stress and an overproduction of cortisol.

Continual activation of the stress response can exhaust and dysregulate the nervous system, which over time can cause various health issues including poor sleep, digestive issues, and a weakened immune system or autoimmunity.

We’ll explore ways to balance the Root Chakra to bring the body back into a state of nervous system regulation for optimal health and performance. This will include specific yoga asanas as well as guided visualization meditations and breathing exercises.

Stress is abundant in our world today, so by understanding these foundations, you'll set a sturdy base to guide your clients towards overcoming their stressors.

Key Lessons Include:

• Philosophical Foundations of Yoga, Medicine, and Healing
• Philosophical Foundations of East and West: Exploring Shared Values and Divergences
• Introduction to the Eight Limbs of Yoga: Understanding Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and the Journey to Samadhi
• Introduction to the Functional Yoga Medicine Pillars
• Introduction to the Chakra System
• Root Chakra (Muladhara) and the Adrenal Glands
• Anatomy & Somatics Introduction: Grounding in the Physical Body

In Module 2, we will dive into the Sacral Chakra and the “Core” pillar of Functional Yoga Medicine.

The Sacral Chakra is associated with emotional well-being, creative expression, sensuality, and one’s inner essence. This is where we’ll learn about the importance of identity, beliefs, and values, which make up the core of who we are.

Physically, we will explore core activation in Yoga, as establishing a strong core provides stability for the body to move safely.

The Sacral Chakra is associated with our sexual organs and sexual hormones. Because this chakra is the center for sexuality and procreation, it can play a significant role in our libido, fertility, and relationships with others.

When the Sacral Chakra is not balanced, it can cause sexual dysfunction, menstrual issues in females, hormone disorders such as PCOS, as well as emotional instability.

We’ll explore Yoga as a modality to balance the Sacral Chakra, thereby balancing the sexual hormones to promote hormone balance and emotional well-being.

Key Lessons Include:

• Yamas and Niyamas: Ethical Practices in Yoga and Life
• Universal Laws and Natural Cycles: From Quantum Mechanics to Ancient Wisdom
• Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana) and the Sex Hormones
• Nervous System Regulation for Mental and Emotional Well-Being
• Somatic and Yoga Practices for Core Strengthening
• Exploring Our Core Essence: Identities, Beliefs, and Values

Anatomical understanding is essential for optimal and most effective yoga experience. This module will focus on bones, muscles, and joints, and how they work collaboratively with the nervous system to produce a healthy asana practice. 

You'll learn human body biomechanics and gain a comprehensive overview of the human musculoskeletal and nervous systems. 

At the end of this module, you will have a complete understanding of how your body is designed to move and how to apply this in the context of yoga to ensure that your clients receive the most benefits from their practice.

Key Lessons Include:

• Introduction to Yoga Anatomy
• Overview of the Human Musculoskeletal System
• Function and Application of the Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems
• Spinal Anatomy + Application in Yoga
• Lower Extremity Anatomy + Application in Yoga
• Upper Extremity Anatomy + Application in Yoga
• Biomechanics in Yoga: The Science of Body Movement

In Module 4 we get back to the chakra system and dive into the Solar Plexus Chakra and the “Polarity” FYM pillar.

The Solar Plexus is all about personal power, self confidence, and self-esteem. When imbalanced, it manifests as powerlessness and low self-esteem. Understanding the polarity of life and the inevitable ebb and flow of “good” and “bad”, “positive” and “negative” allows us to let go of excessive control and take back our power by focusing on what we CAN control.

The Solar Plexus Chakra is also connected to our digestive and metabolic processes. It’s associated with the pancreas and the hormone insulin. When imbalanced, it can lead to inflammation which can cause digestive issues, insulin resistance, slow metabolism and low energy production.

This center is particularly receptive to yoga through movement with breath, rebalancing and regulating the Solar Plexus for optimal gut health and inner power.

Key Lessons Include:

• Solar Plexus Chakra (Manipura) and the Pancreas
• Nutritional Foundations and Gut Health
• Mudras and Bandhas: Deepening Practice with Uddiyana Bandha and Hridaya Mudra
• Balancing Masculine and Feminine Energies in Practice

In Module 5, we’ll get into the Heart Chakra and the “Breath” FYM pillar. The Heart Chakra is intimate with your respiratory system, responsible for the constant rhythm of the breath of life, which bridges the gap between our conscious and subconscious minds.

The Heart Chakra is all about emotional release and the act of breathing can help regulate emotions, as stress and anxiety can block the Heart Chakra.

This center is associated with the thymus gland and it regulates the immune modulating chemicals in our bodies. When imbalanced, it can lead to hypersensitization to various chemicals and foods, causing allergies, food sensitivities, chronic inflammation, and potentially autoimmune disease.

We’ll delve into the benefits of breath with movement by using different breathwork methods to evoke a meditative state that fosters love and kindness towards oneself, allowing us to balance the Heart Chakra to boost overall health.

Key Lessons Include:

• Heart Chakra (Anahata) and the Thymus Gland
• Asana & Pranayama: The Physical Practice and Breath Control in Yoga
• Pranayama and Its Role in Systemic Health
• The Detoxification Process and Breath

In Module 6, we’ll explore the Throat Chakra and the “Alignment” FYM pillar.

This center is associated with your truth and integrity. It’s all about communicating authentically. When you are aligned with the core of who you are, you’re able to speak your truth, and your thoughts and emotions are in full alignment with your actions.

When you are not aligned or imbalanced in this area, you’ll say things you think others want to hear, people please, or even habitually lie or exaggerate.

The Throat Chakra is intimate with the thyroid gland and regulates our thyroid hormones, T3 and T4. So when imbalanced, it can lead to voice issues or thyroid issues, including hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, and Hashimoto’s disease. 

We’ll master various yoga techniques such as ujjayi breathing and chanting, as well as focusing inward during the asanas to allow feelings and insights to come up to help you become more aligned with your authentic self.

These techniques become tools in which you can help your clients identify their own imbalances with this chakra and how to overcome them.

Key Lessons Include:

• Throat Chakra (Vishuddha) and the Thyroid Gland
• The Psychology of Alignment: Mind-Body Harmony
• Mastering Alignment in Yoga Asanas

Module 7 focuses on the Third Eye Chakra and the “Balance” FYM pillar. The Third Eye is located between the eyebrows and it is all about intuition and gaining insight from a place of wisdom, not analytics and logic.

When this center is balanced, you’ll have clear intuition, inner guidance, and open mindedness, cultivating a strong sense of harmony between your inner environment and the outer world.

When this center is out of balance, you’ll have difficulty concentrating and making decisions, while also feeling out of touch with your intuition. 

The Third Eye Chakra is associated with the pituitary gland which regulates many hormones, including TSH, FSH, LSH, as well as growth hormone and oxytocin. Because the pituitary gland is the master gland for all our endocrine organs, it plays a central role in hormonal regulation and overall health.

When practicing yoga, it’s important to focus on the Third Eye and draw our attention inwards. This connection allows us to be balanced in our practice, creating equanimity in mind, body, and spirit.

Key Lessons Include:

• Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) and the Pituitary Gland
• Neurological Health and Cognitive Balance
• Psychology and Mental Well-Being in Practice
• The Fusion of Eastern Intuition and Western Empiricism in Medicine

To become a successful and effective Integrative Yoga Practitioner, the ability to shift perspectives and challenge limiting beliefs is key to ensuring the success of your clients. 

Limiting thoughts and beliefs, which stem from our identity (aka our self image), influence our skills and behaviors, which affects the results we create in our lives. To create long-lasting change, it’s essential to make shifts at the identity level, not just at the behavioral level.

This module will equip you to help clients overcome common objections, resistance, and limiting beliefs that tend to be hidden, causing them to unknowingly self-sabotage in their health endeavors.

By the end of this module, you'll be able to coach anyone through ANY challenging circumstances so that they can fully reach their goals.

Key Lessons Include:

• Understanding Limiting Beliefs
• Coaching 101
• FYM Coaching System
• The Psychology of Behavior
• The Importance of Active Listening in Coaching
• Overcoming Resistance and Barriers
• Sleight of Mouth Techniques for Effective Coaching

In Module 9, we’ll finalize our exploration of the chakra system with a deep dive into the Crown Chakra and the “Embodiment” FYM pillar.

The Crown Chakra is located at the top of the head and is all about cosmic energy and connection to Source. This is where you gain a deeper understanding of spirituality and your association to Higher Power.

When out of touch with this area, you’ll feel out of touch with spirituality, failing to find fulfillment in the physical world.

Balance in this area allows us to connect with our Higher Selves and potentially achieve spiritual enlightenment (Samadhi in the Eight Limbs of Yoga).

The Crown Chakra is connected to the pineal gland which is responsible for your circadian rhythm and melatonin production. It can become calcified due to the abundance of screen time in today’s society, which can impact our sleep and connection to Source.

Through the practice of Yoga, we can learn to become present, fully embodying the poses and engaging with every joint and muscle movement. This is where we truly integrate body, mind, and spirit holistically to become one with the collective universal energy.

Key Lessons Include:

• Crown Chakra (Sahasrara) and the Pineal Gland
• Embracing the Full Spectrum of the Endocrine System
• Meditation, Mindfulness, and Complete Integration

It is one thing to have a theoretical (textbook) understanding of yoga and functional medicine, but success comes from knowing how to apply the knowledge so that your clients can take action to achieve the results they’re seeking.

In this module, you’ll learn how to apply the concepts we’ve covered so far in real life situations so that you can be fully equipped to take your clients from point a to point b, no matter where they’re starting from or where they want to go.

Key Lessons Include:

• Bridging Art and Science
• Designing Individualized Healing Strategies
• Case Studies and Real-World Scenarios
• Ethical Considerations in Functional Yoga Medicine
• Advanced Mudras and Bandhas for Therapeutic Practices: Exploring their Role in Holistic Health and Disease Management
• Yoga Asanas for Deep Integration
• Cosmic Consciousness: Universal Laws in Practice
• Bridging Modern Science and Ancient Mysticism: From DNA to Kundalini Energy

Your clients will come to you with varying degrees of physical, mental, and emotional ailments. You’ll need to know how to tailor your plan of action for each specific client you work with.

This module will focus on more challenging cases to prepare you to think outside the box when necessary. You’ll gain a fundamental understanding of the varying scenarios you may encounter as an Integrative Yoga Practitioner, so that you can best assist any client through even the most challenging circumstances that health or life throws their way.

Key Lessons Include:

• Advanced Yoga Anatomy and Somatic Exploration
• Meeting Clients Where They Are: Special Populations, Contraindications, and Modifications
• Exploration of Autonomic and Somatic Nervous Systems
• Inflammation and Degrees of Sickness
• Deep Dive into the Immune System: Function and Disorders
• How Yoga and Lifestyle Influence Immune Responses
• The Mind's Role in Immunity and Self-Protection

To be an effective Integrative Yoga Practitioner, it’s essential for you to have an understanding of nutrition and how food is processed in our bodies. However, this doesn’t require you to have a nutrition degree or background.

Our culture today overly-focuses on restricting and “demonizing” food. But it’s important to understand that food is so much more than just calories and nutrients. It’s memories, comfort, culture, and connection.

In this module, we’ll focus on the principles of intuitive eating, or being able to decipher the body’s messages to know what it needs for nourishment, as opposed to follow a “diet” that fails to take individual needs and preferences into account.

You’ll learn how to rise above societal limitations and its perspectives toward food, which will help you coach your clients to wholeheartedly love food and enjoy eating again.

Lastly, we’ll wrap up this module by focusing on integration so that you know exactly how to take what you’ve learned over the last 12 months and apply it in the real world.

Key Lessons Include:

• Introduction to Intuitive Eating
• Understanding Hunger and Fullness Cues
• 10 Functional Yoga Medicine Principles of Intuitive Eating
• Mindfulness in Eating
• Emotional Eating and Coping Mechanisms
• Challenging Food Rules and Beliefs
• Body Acceptance and Body Positivity
• Nourishing Nutrition
• Overcoming Setbacks and Challenges
• Learning to Love Food Again