Developing YT Programs for Vulnerable Populations and Finding Your Dharma

Our Mission

I believe that teaching yoga is one of the most fulfilling and purposeful vocations one can pursue. Nothing feels better than building a heart-to-heart relationship with a student and growing together over time with a shared love for the practice. I believe the world would be a better place if everyone practiced yoga and I’m extremely passionate about educating high quality yoga teachers and finding innovative ways to spread the teachings of yoga far and wide. These online courses are part of this collective effort...

This Module

Module 5: Developing YT Programs for Vulnerable Populations and Finding Your Dharma explores how environmental conditions influence health behaviors and health outcomes with a specific emphasis on how communities living in concentrated poverty are more vulnerable than their more affluent counterparts.

You'll learn how to develop a Health Behavior Assessment Model using a logic model to understand the specific health needs of certain populations. Within this logic model, showing where to place yoga therapy interventions and exactly how yoga therapy programs can impact health outcomes

You'll learn how to develop a small group yoga therapy intervention program. Identifying a specific target population, listing the specific environmental conditions they experience, developing a statement of need, listing the top 3-5 factors your yoga therapy program intends to address, how to develop program content to address each factor, how to write measurable program objectives and evaluation methods.

In addition to an overview of basic evaluation methods: pre / post tests, questionnaires, basic physical assessment to observe physical changes over time (trainees will learn a complete, in-depth physical evaluation in Level 2) and how to gather data using small groups or interviews.

These are invaluable tools for bringing yoga and yoga therapy programs into community-based settings. As I strongly believe that we have a DUTY to take these practices out of the studios and share them with EVERYONE who is interested, even if they may not be able to afford it.

Module lectures include:

• MOD5L1 Vulnerable Populations
• MOD5L2 Health Behavior Assessment Model + Evaluation Methods
  
• MOD5 Case Studies and Key Concepts
  

Course Topics

• How Environmental Conditions Impact Social and Behavioral Health
• Vulnerable Populations: what does it mean to be vulnerable?
• Review of how Environmental Conditions create certain responses; which lead to specific health behaviors and health outcomes
• Determining which health behaviors and health outcomes yoga therapists can improve.
• How to develop culturally appropriate yoga therapy intervention programs
• How to develop a Health Behavior Assessment Model using a logic model to understand the specific health needs of certain populations. Within this logic model, showing where to place yoga therapy interventions and exactly how yoga therapy programs can impact health outcomes
• How to develop a small group yoga therapy intervention program. Identifying a specific target population, listing the specific environmental conditions they experience, developing a statement of need, listing the top 3-5 factors your yoga therapy program intends to address, how to develop program content to address each factor, how to write measurable program objectives and evaluation methods.
• Overview of basic evaluation methods: pre / post tests, questionnaires, basic physical assessment to observe physical changes over time (trainees will learn a complete, in-depth physical evaluation in Level 2) and how to gather data using small groups or interviews
• How to develop an impact evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the program, as well as guide future program efforts.
• The concept of dharma – how do we uncover our dharma as yoga therapists? How can we use this knowledge to serve others?

The Complete Course

This module is part of a lager course titled "Yoga Therapy Foundations and Public Health Tools" is the cornerstone of our Level 1 Foundations of Yoga Therapy Training and is part of our 850-hour IAYT accredited Yoga Therapist Training.

I am most proud of this course, as it combines my Masters Degree in Public Health with decades of Yoga Therapy philosophy and practice. I LOVE teaching this 13-month course at our studio Be The Change Yoga and it was THIS course that inspired me to start cataloguing my brain into these online courses, as I had many students from out of state wishing to take this course but unable to attend in person.

This module can be purchased a la carte or is included in the Yoga Therapy Tools and Public Health Course.