Frequently Asked Questions

Live Workshop and Event Refund Policy

• A partial tuition refund of 75% (plus a $25 administrative fee) is available up until the Workshop or Event begins.
• No refunds are granted after the Workshop or Event begins.
• If Workshop or Event is cancelled, full refunds will be given.

Online Courses Refund Policy

• No refunds are granted after the student begins the course.
• If there is a cancellation in the Install payments, then the access to the course will end and there won’t be a course completion or certification provided. And heaven forbid there is a cancellation of the remaining balance due after certification, the certification would be rescinded.

Answer from Sherry

As a recognized back care specialist, Justine was invited to teach the Foundations Course in the prestigious Soul Institute’s Yoga Therapy Program. The students in attendance were studying to become Certified Yoga Therapists and needed quality training on the basic considerations and contraindications for people with low back injuries and conditions. The Foundations Course is a 7.5 hour program with a “fire hose” approach trying to get as much of that information shared in a shorter period of time.

The Certification Program has a 40 hour in-depth training curriculum where Justine provides deeper detail on therapeutic applications of Yoga Therapy for each condition. The Foundations course targets individual therapeutic poses and modifications, while the Certification Program builds in therapeutic asana sequencing principles. Sequencing is the holy grail to applying Yoga that can heal, and not harm. You will learn which poses to do for each condition, and which order to ensure maximum benefit to your students. Additionally, the Certification Program includes 100’s of pages of deeper, more detailed handouts, along with more detailed Power Point handouts. Therapeutic modifications, pose illustrations and specific cueing are included for each condition. Each chapter also has videos with asana practices geared toward each condition so that you can practice and feel the benefits and nuances of the therapeutic poses and modifications.

Lastly, if you are interested in specializing in this area of Yoga, the Certification program gives you a higher level of knowledge and credibility in the Yoga teaching world and with the organizations that hire you.

Answer from Sherry

This Directory highlights the great work of our Yoga Vista Academy Trained and Certified teachers. Once you graduate from any of our Specialty Certification Programs, your name will be added to the directory and available for everyone to search for and find you!

https://yogavistaacademy.com/specialty-certification-programs/

Answer from Sherry

The 100 hours in the Dual Certification Program is total study hours which includes your online studies, chapter tests and viewing videos. Most people complete the 60 hour program in 3-12 months, and the dual in 6-18 months. The Dual Program shares a common Anatomy module, so it doesn’t take as long to complete the second one. I always encourage everyone to start with the Senior and Chair Yoga Program first because it coves alot of the fundamentals of teaching Yoga to people with physical limitations and mobility issues.

Answer from Sherry

Most of the people taking our online training and certification courses are Yoga Teachers and those are the ones who can be officially “certified” to teach Chair and Gentle Yoga. For those who do not have the Yoga teacher training experience, they take the exact same course but get a Certificate of Completion indicating they have x number of hours of Advanced Training in Gentle, Senior and Chair Yoga. What that Certificate does for you in getting a job teaching Yoga is dependent on the hiring person/organization. For a Yoga Studio, they will want you to have a minimum of 200 Hours of Yoga teacher training… and perhaps a specialized certification if you are teaching a specialty type of Yoga (which these programs are). For gyms, senior centers, assisted living facilities, etc…. it is up to that organization’s discretion on what level of training they require.

We have many health care professionals, PTs, exercise and fitness teachers and senior care helpers taking our courses to get more indepth information on teaching and serving these special demographics. You ask whether you are qualified legally to teach…. that is a question I cannot answer because each hiring organization has their own criteria. This area of teaching does not have as tightly defined educational requirements as say a Physical Therapist or a High School teacher. So, it is really up to you and the potential places who would employ you. Most Assisted Living centers will welcome you with open arms if you are trained in Chair Yoga… but some Yoga studios might want more training.

Answer from Sherry

I know that the Anatomy can feel overwhelming and I want to assure you that it is NOT about memorizing muscles, bones and anatomical pieces and parts.

My intent is to ‘pique your curiosity and to guide you into the workings of the body so that you understand when and why things go wrong when we age. I hope that this is an area of interest to you because we learn much better when we are interested and curious. If you approach it with fear of memorizing rather than wanting to understand…..then it will feel daunting and challenging.

So, for instance, if you know how the shoulder joint is supposed to move, then you will understand why certain yoga poses encourage those particular joint movements and bring health and mobility to the shoulder. And then you will begin to see which poses provide a specific movement direction and then as a teacher, you can offer up a larger variety of poses to your class to give them those health benefits.

And also important is to understand what can go wrong. If a student cannot do those poses comfortably, then it can be because they are injured in some part of that area of the body. You will just be more knowledgeable about speaking to them and understanding why they might not be able to lift their arm over their head and you can give them an alternative (like cactus arms).

There is a test after each anatomy chapter and they are not that hard. You can take them as many times as you want to get the 70% passing grade. There is no final exam… just the chapter tests.

Every Yoga teacher teaches differently. You may choose NOT to use any anatomy references when you teach, which is totally up to you. But, the more you educate your students on their body and their anatomy, the more they will love coming to your classes. They are looking to us for guidance and knowledge.

Don’t be afraid of that knowledge. We can learn ANYTHING we set our minds to! Be curious! Experiment with the movements when you see the photos or watch the videos. Get to know your body and its mechanics and you will truly be amazed and awed rather than intimated by it all.

I hope that helps explain why I put the course together the way I did. We want to empower our students to take care of themselves and their bodies. And that is what this program does…. educates YOU so you can empower others to feel better!

If your Online Yoga Training Program included the Credential module (Teachback and written assignment), you will get written or oral feedback on your submissions.  Either the Lead Instructor or an experienced Yoga Vista Academy Mentor will be grading the assignments. We will provide you with your Final Report within 1-3 months (hopefully sooner!) upon your transmission of your materials.

We take our roles as Mentors and Teachers seriously and thus give your final and assignments are utmost attention and energy.  Sometimes the queue is longer than other times.  We appreciate your patience.

Answer from Sherry

Answer from Sherry

Our Yoga Vista Academy Senior Yoga Teacher Training programs equip you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to teach Yoga to this special population.  We have many people taking our training programs who are not Yoga teachers. There are two types of accreditations available when you complete your 60 hour training with us. There is a separate credential module required in order to receive these accreditations since we require the submission of a one-hour teachback Yoga class so that we can ensure your classes adhere to the guidelines shared in our program.

Senior Yoga Teacher Training Official Credentials:

• Chair Yoga Certificate of Competency – For non-Yoga teachers
• Chair Yoga Certification – for Yoga teachers who have a minimum of 200 hours of Yoga training

Both of the credentials are recognized by many hiring organizations such as Assisted Living Centers, Senior Centers, Community Centers, etc.  And we have many graduates offering classes over Zoom.

Here is the link to the Online Chair Yoga Teacher Training Program. This page gives you all the details on price, structure and content.

Online Chair Yoga Teacher Training Program –

Chair Yoga – Online Teacher Training Program

Credential Module –

Certification and Credential Module – Chair Yoga

Answer from Sherry

No, it is not mandatory that you are a Yoga teacher, but it is recommended. Our courses cover advanced concepts and practices that often assume you have a level of knowledge of Yoga and teaching Yoga. However, we have many mind-body and healthcare professionals that attend our courses to gain a deeper knowledge of this demographic in order to serve their physical needs more compassionately and knowledgeably.

Answer from Sherry

For instructions on how to log your contact and non-contact Yoga Vista Academy CEU hours on the Yoga Alliance website please go to this page: www.yogavistaacademy.com/how-to-enter-your-yoga-alliance-ceu/

Answer from Sherry

If you are a Registered Yoga Teacher with the Yoga Alliance, you will earn continuing education credits for the number of hours you participate in our online or live courses or workshops. Upon completion of the course, you will receive a Yoga Vista Academy e-Certificate detailing the amount of hours earned. Keep that handy for when you renew your Yoga Alliance membership.

For instructions on how to log your contact and non-contact Yoga Vista Academy CEU hours on the Yoga Alliance website please go to this page: www.yogavistaacademy.com/how-to-enter-your-yoga-alliance-ceu/

Answer from Sherry

No, it is not mandatory that you are a Yoga teacher, but it is recommended. Our courses cover advanced concepts and practices that often assume you have a level of knowledge of Yoga and teaching Yoga. However, we have many mind-body and healthcare professionals that attend our courses to gain a deeper knowledge of this demographic in order to serve their physical needs more compassionately and knowledgeably.

Answer from Sherry

Great question. And I can only speak from my experience. When I owned the Yoga studio, I bought folding chairs from Staples that had a vinyl padded seat and thoracic support. I find these are sturdy enough and provide a bit of comfort. And you can slide side to side with them… and they store easily. I had carpet so there was no concern for slippage. If there is not carpet, I would suggest a yoga mat under the chair.

I also teach at a Library where they ordered chairs without my input. Oh my… they are terrible. Any chair that has a curved seat (they thought it would be more comfortable!) is really hard to sit upright in. Those curved seats encourage the rounding of the lower back which we know is not a good thing.

Dining room or banquet type chairs with no arms can work as they are sturdy and usually have a bit of padding. But, as you said, the legs can get in the way of certain movements. I would avoid any chairs with arms as they are quite limiting in a lot of the poses we do that require big body movements or twisting.

Answer from Sherry

For anyone teaching these Specialty Yoga classes, please consider a general liability insurance policy. They can range from $100-$150/year and well worth it.  You can get these policies through the Yoga Alliance, Yoga Journal, Lloyd’s of London, Philadelphia Insurance company and other institutions.

If you are NOT a 200 hr Yoga Teacher, make sure to tell the insurance company that you are teaching exercise and fitness classes and they will find the appropriate policy for you.

Live Workshop and Event Refund Policy

• A partial tuition refund of 75% (plus a $25 administrative fee) is available up until the Workshop or Event begins.
• No refunds are granted after the Workshop or Event begins.
• If Workshop or Event is cancelled, full refunds will be given.

Online Courses Refund Policy

• No refunds are granted after the student begins the course.
• If there is a cancellation in the Install payments, then the access to the course will end and there won’t be a course completion or certification provided. And heaven forbid there is a cancellation of the remaining balance due after certification, the certification would be rescinded.