Yoga is often seen as an internal, individual practice. Yet this practice can also be undertaken to promote positive developments that benefit the greater community.
Yoga Studies Extension Certificates are open and available to the public. Over the past decade, adult learners at Loyola Marymount University have discovered ways in which Yoga can be a means to manage health challenges, can inform ecological activism and renewal, and even facilitate social change in our society. Certificates are wonderful to take individually, to deepen knowledge, experience and expertise in a specific area of interest.
Completion of at least 1 certificate is a pre- or co-requisites for all students in the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies program at LMU. Information about accepted pre/co-requisite certificates can be found below.
Further information and certificate registration is available through the LMU Extension office.
Select a program below to explore your options:
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Successful completion of YTRx Level 1 fulfills the certificate requirement for the M.A. program. Learn more here.
There is also the option for the Post Graduate Yoga Therapy (PGYT) Certificate program which extends students’ knowledge and experience developed in the Master of Arts in Yoga Studies for the therapeutic applications of Yoga within clinical and educational settings.
LMU’s Yoga Therapy Graduate Certificate – the highest degree of its kind in the country – is completed as a third year following the two-year residential Master of Arts in Yoga Studies program. For more information on the PGYT certificate program, click here.
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60-hour Course with Ramaswami: the Krishnamacharya Lineage
At LMU, Srivatsa Ramaswami presents his master Krishnamacharya's teachings at the Vinyasa Krama Yoga Summer Institute, an intensive program taught solely by him.
About Srivatsa Ramaswami
As Krishnamacharya’s longest standing student outside his immediate family, Srivatsa Ramaswami has mastered Vinyasa Krama, Vedic chanting, and Yoga therapy. He has studied the classic Yoga texts extensively, has recorded more than 35 cassettes of Sanskrit mantra, and has written four books: Yoga for the Three Stages of Life, Basic Tenets of Patanjala Yoga, The Complete Book of Vinyasa Yoga, and Yoga Beneath the Surface.
He has been teaching for more than 25 years in India Kalakshetra, Ramachandra Medical University, and Yoga Brotherhood. Similarly, he has taught workshops and teacher training programs in the US including the Esalen Institute, LMU Extension, Yoga Works, the Himalayan Institute, and the Chicago Yoga Center.
Summer course begins Saturday end of July. For more information, click here.
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Travel with LMU to India to Study Yoga Therapy with Master Yoga Teachers
December (please inquire for specific dates)
Travel with Dr. Lori Rubenstein Fazzio and Ms. Shanna Hughes to India in December to explore and study Yoga therapy with Indian Master Yoga therapy teachers. Every detail has been well thought out for your comfort. We will be staying at luxury 4-5 star hotels with all the western amenities for your safety and comfort. In addition to studying Yoga Therapy this journey includes visits to the French Quarters of Pondicherry in the south, the lush forest of the western Ghats near Lonovala, the Taj Mahal in Agra and Delhi in the north where we will explore the ancient walled city of Old Delhi. Trip highlights include:
- Study Yoga Therapy at the International Center for Yoga Education and Research (ICYER) and the Center for Yoga Therapy Education and Research (CYTER) at the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Research Center in Pondicherry
- Participate in Puja ceremonies and enjoy a cultural performance in the Rishiculture Gitananda lineage
- Explore Arunachala, the important pilgrimage site and holy mountain where Lord Siva was manifested
- Enjoy the lush scenery of Lonovala where we will study Yoga Therapy at Kaivalyadham, the foremost yoga research center in the world
- Deepen your Yoga Therapy studies as you study with renowned teachers of pranayama, asana, yantra, mantra and yoga philosophy
- View Kaivalyadham's ancient manuscript library
- Daily morning yoga and meditation
- In Lonovala join locals in the devotional practices of aarti to the Goddess Durga as you end the day with gratitude
- Conclude each day with satsang
- Experience the new high speed train from Delhi to Agra and back where we will visit a sanctuary for rehabilitation of elephants and bears and of course, the magnificent Taj Mahal
- Marvel in the sensory experience of a rickshaw tour through the walled city of Old Delhi where we will visit colorful bazaars and markets
- Experience Karma Yoga at the Delhi Gurudwara Bangl Sahib Sikh temple where they feed 10,000 people per day
- Shop for gifts for the holidays for your family, friends and of course for yourself
Faculty
- Lori Rubenstein Fazzio, D.P.T., C-IAYT, is a Physical Therapist and Lecturer of Graduate Yoga Studies at Loyola Marymount University. She currently directs the Yoga Therapy clinical internship program in the LMU Center for Religion and Spirituality.
- Shanna Hughes, M.A., C-IAYT, is a certified Yoga Therapist specializing in therapeutic and clinical applications of Yoga and special-needs Yoga integration.
Trip + Itinerary
A complete outline of the travel itinerary, policies, and registration information can be downloaded in the booklet (pdf) below. Please review all the conditions of the travel before registering.
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The Yoga Journey
Become a certified Yoga teacher at LMU!
Our foundational program is a Yoga Alliance®-registered 200-hour teacher training that offers participants and prospective teachers the opportunity to deepen their understanding of the fundamental and advanced concepts of Yoga through an immersion into Yoga’s classical and modern forms. Students will learn all the essentials of Yoga: practice techniques, anatomy and physiology, the humanities of Yoga through philosophical texts, and the essentials needed to become a professional in the teaching of Yoga.
Whereas many teacher training programs focus on a single practice or school of Yoga, The Yoga Journey will introduce students to a variety of practices (and teachers).
Each of the different approaches to yoga practice have developed over the centuries in order to suit the spiritual needs of individuals of different dispositions and capacities. Understanding and appreciating this variety of practice will prepare teachers to better serve a diverse clientele.
Learn more about this program here.
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100 Hour Training Program
Yoga and meditation are often perceived as solely internal, individual practices. Yet these practices can also be undertaken to promote positive social and personal developments that benefit the greater community. The concern for the social welfare of both the world and its people is essential to the practice of Yoga, and to the greater Ignatian ideals of Loyola Marymount University’s mission of service and whole person education for the sake of transformation and social justice.
Historically, Yoga and meditation have been instrumental in facilitating social change. Gandhi's non-violent resistance movement, rooted in Yogic principals, later inspired Civil Rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr., and anti-apartheid activist, Nelson Mandela. Today, Yoga and meditation continue to be socially transformative practices.
The Yoga, Mindfulness and Social Change professional certificate program offers Yoga practitioners and teachers an opportunity to explore these various socio-ecological service applications for Yoga and meditation in regard to the following topics:
- Ecology
- Neuroscience
- Families, parenting, and children
- Global Peace
- Addiction and Recovery
- Prisons
- Schools
- Diversity
- Gandhi, Yoga, and Social Change
This program takes place one weekend a month for one year.
Typically, we begin in September and run through June.
Learn more about this program here.
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Yoga for Kids, Teens, and in Schools
Learn how to teach yoga to children & teens, at your own pace from the comfort of your home. Yoga Ed.’s online training courses are designed to give you the confidence and skill set to share the benefits of yoga with the youth in your community. Upon completion of our courses, you will be certified as a Yoga Educator with Yoga Ed., eligible for Yoga Alliance’s Continuing Education Hours, and earn credit with LMU Extension.
Each training course is a total of 32 hours, 2-4 hours per module over 8 weeks. Yoga Ed.’s interactive course design helps you apply theory to practice, including video lectures, live check ins, experiential exercises, evidence-based curriculum, downloadable lesson plans, and reflection questions. Live weekly check-ins with an experienced Trainer allow you to dive into weekly material together and answer any questions that you may have. All courses include lifetime access to course material.
Choose your learning track:
- Children's Yoga (YEDX 800) | Online
- Teen's Yoga (YEDX 801) | Online
- Trauma-Informed Yoga (YEDX 802) | Online
Read more about Course Credits here.
Find additional information about the Yoga Ed Program here.
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The Yoga Philosophy program offers a number of short courses, online and in-class, which provide a foundational introduction to these spiritual and philosophic traditions. The coursework is designed to enrich one's own yoga practice or even advance one's career as a teacher. Courses in yoga philosophy (indicated with the course prefix YGPX) are offered each semester, and are open for registration via the online course catalog.
The Yoga Philosophy professional certificate program provides a foundational introduction to these spiritual and philosophic traditions. Students must complete a total of 12.0 semester hours in coursework to receive a certificate of completion in Yoga Philosophy.
This program is designed for Yoga teachers and students of Yoga who have an interest in learning about the rich traditions associated with Yoga practice. These include Classical Yoga, various schools of Hinduism (Shaiva, Vaishnava, and various forms of devotionalism), Buddhism, and Jainism.
Learn more about this program here.
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This 50-hour specialty program is designed for yoga teachers looking to expand their skills to work with older populations whose needs differ from younger yoga students. This program will begin January 30, and allow for open enrollment through March 31.
Learn more about this program here.