I totally loved the handouts and videos and will use them for years to come. I have two private clients right now. She has SI joint instability and he has chronic sciatica! This info makes me look like I know what I’m doing. Thank you!!

“Comprehensive and well‐presented. Inspiring to include posture enhancing asanas and facts in each class. Convincingly presented to inform that posture is foundationally important.”

“Very in‐depth! Loved all the visuals. Appreciated all the different angle/shots of REAL bodies. Gridlines helps me see more. I appreciate so many poses shared in the manual.”

“The case studies were informative and very applicable to teaching yoga safely. Sherry’s knowledge of body alignment presented in a user‐friendly manner was just great.”

The content in the handouts and the videos were complete and thorough. Seeing the videos of the different teaching styles was very encouraging for me to explore. Be ready to study and learn. There is so much science and practice that makes this program completely comprehensive. Thank you for such a brilliant effort!

I enjoyed your workshop very much. I feel a big shift coming in my teaching philosophy as a result of the knowledge your are sharing. I look forward to reading the manual, watching and doing more of your videos, and the next live workshop.

I am so delighted to have passed my Chair Yoga Dance programme. It was a most wonderful experience and I am so pleased I decided to do my training with you.
I learnt so much from your very comprehensive programme and feel more confident in being able to put together routines and exercises in a safe and professional way.
The whole course was fun and very enjoyable from beginning to end and although we have never met I feel as though I know you personally.
Thank you Sherry, for sharing your skills and your extensive knowledge with your students. It is so appreciated and invaluable.

I just wanted to say thank you for recommending that I look into the online Intro to James Knight’s Gentle Somatic Yoga that you offer. I have been using all of James Knight’s GSF’s daily off his YouTube channel as the major source of physiological therapy for my SMA and injuries. All have been a key of my success and healing, as well as an integral part of my daily routine or lifestyle. I am very eager to start the remainder of the 100-120 hour online GSY. Just as with your online Chair Yoga program, I know it will be almost like being there, on the mat or chair, learning. Thank you for the detail that goes into providing such excellent, excellent teaching and for the invaluable resource of information through your handouts and outstanding videos (So many videos!!!). I can hardly wait.

I want to let you know how much benefit I am deriving from this membership which in turns provides so much benefit to my students.

I am so grateful to you for all your support. Coming from a career in education I know that your course presentation and organization was a perfect way to learn all that material. I most appreciate access to the video library and use it often. I am now teaching chair in an assisted living community and a gentle class at a studio…..One more thing……..You were SO RIGHT about the nursing home population. Everything you said was true-EVERYTHING.

After my training in Wheelchair Yoga, Chair Yoga & Gentle Yoga, I have now completed the Corporate Yoga Program (yogavista is addicting 😉).
It was wonderful again how Sherry passed on her knowledge! Together with the chair yoga program, the content for corporate yoga was expanded.
All the information from the various training courses complement each other so wonderfully! I am very sure that I can now also offer corporate yoga classes.
Thank you so much Sherry!!

I recently took Justine’s Low Back Teacher Certification Program. I have been teaching yoga since 1974. I started my career as a physio therapist and I am also a Qigong Instructor. I’m giving some background information on myself so you know Justine, how deeply and sincerely I mean this compliment. In my humble opinion, every yoga teacher should take this course. I have been studying in one form or another most of my life, but this class was a great blessing for me. Your teaching method and your knowledge of the subject matter, not to mention your sense of humour made this course a joy to participate in but more than that, taught me a great deal. I feel that I will be a better teacher for it. What a blessing it was to find you!

I have been so blessed to have a great support system when studying both the chair and gentle yoga modules. I can’t begin to tell you how much I have used what I learned in both studies – much of which I use in current classes. But above all, thank you so very much for all that you have instilled in me. Your inspiration and support is priceless. And I know it will continue to be ongoing as my yoga journey as a teacher continues!

I live in Ireland and have over 350 students. I don’t have a gym of my own so I travel throughout the County on a daily basis to rural areas with low levels of population to Community Halls where Students come once a weekly and get their exercise in with an age profile of 6o – 92. I really mean this Sherry you have played a huge part in helping me get this going with the vast knowledge, great ideas and variety gained from your online tutorials, Dvd”s and courses completed with you.

What I like best about Yoga Vista Academy is your warmth, integrity, sincerity & authenticity. You are the real deal! You walk the talk. Your nurturing & caring nature radiates out and can be felt even on a video medium. Every now and then you share glimpses of your honest concerns for a student that’s absent or struggling. Your keen eye picks up those subtle events.

You continually challenge your students and you generously share medical knowledge that improves our personal lives. Plus you do it all with professionalism. Bravo!

“The demonstration of poses was especially eye-opening as you explained, not just what you were doing, but why it mattered for Seniors.”

“Love the energy and playful approach! Yoga is meant to be fun and playful!”

“Very helpful! Learned more about the realities of working in these facilities.”

I found this program very resourceful. It’s been my pleasure to be a part of this program as doing something good for senior people has been my passion during the past ten years, not to mention Thailand is coming towards the aging society sooner or later.

My favorite thing about Yoga Vista is Justine!!!! I don’t want the manual as I’m already signed up for the training. I’m just so happy she is our new HYT teacher. I wish I lived near Yoga Vista as I would love to be a member of your studio but Jamul is a long, long drive.

The chair yoga teacher training program was invaluable to hone and fine-tune my yoga education to serve the 55+ population I teach in South Florida. I found that during my 200 hour certification, anatomy was my weakest area because I just didn’t have much of an interest or understanding, but in this program it was so easy to follow that I found myself becoming an anatomy geek. It was general anatomy, yes, but also what happens to the body as it ages, or with various health conditions. I find myself incorporating many of the concepts and movements into my traditional hatha mat classes as well, and the class attendance has improved as a result. I was dubious about how well I would learn using video content, and was very pleasantly surprised to find out how effective it was. Not only did I feel as if I was there, but I have all of the content as reference materials too! I highly recommend this course, and all Yoga Vista Academy offerings. May we keep up this vital work that blesses so many!

“Wonderful info on how to get into corporations. Clear explanations of the ramifications of repetitive postures at work.”

“Sherry is a fabulous presenter. Her enthusiasm and passion is infectious. The material presented was concise, sequential and extremely practical. I felt there were so many tips that I can immediately put into practice. Thank you!”

“Excellent information! I have a ‘bucket sitter’ student at home. I can’t wait to offer him exercises to help with head and neck tension and to stretch those tight hamstrings.”

“Loved all the ideas to bringing Yoga to the desk world… they need it so much!”

I have watched a couple times now and found a Log online. Education is certainly empowerment and with your guidance I can proudly say my balloon can hold 18-20 oz.!!! Leaks and accidents are a thing of my past as well as the crazy ‘stresses’ and ‘urges’ I used to battle! Thank you for resolving 15 years of “oh my goodness”!!

I’m currently volunteer teaching both a gentle yoga and a chair class at my church. I really loved the course and all the videos that were available for me to study and learn from.

I turned 82 yrs young this past Aug. I opened up a yoga studio in my home. Word is slowly leaking out about me and I can’t even imagine what my days will be this coming year. Because of you, I found somatic yoga. I’ve taken James’s course and have been doing this for myself for two years. I feel great, better than ever! So I decided to incorporate as much of somatics into my senior chair yoga classes as I could. Miracles have been happening for me and my clients. Everybody has been so excited that they can move and feel so much better. My students range in age from early 60’s to 94.

I’m a doctor by background and I just wanted to tell you how much I am loving the anatomy section.

This is my fourth week teaching my chair yoga classes. I am doing three a week and everyone is loving it. We did the dance to ‘What a Wonderful World’ this week. THANK YOU. Sherry, I am HAVING SO MUCH FUN AND CANNOT THANK YOU ENOUGH. I hope I get to hug you one day in person. You are a blessing to me and so many others!!!!

I though the Program was Amazing. All the advice and learning compliment the materials. The videos are a great resource for class ideas.

I have started a chair yoga class in the memory care unit at our Continuous care facility after taking your Yoga in Senior Care Facilities Workshop. I have about 10 people (about half participate). I have had great success in learning that using sing-a-long songs like – Jesus Loves Me, row your boat or You are my sunshine are great motivators to get them moving. At first I was very nervous having very little experience with patients with memory issues. It is quickly becoming my favorite class. Thank you for your support!

Justine’s low back certification has been some of the best training I have done to help students with a myriad of back issues.

A young man, who has a brain injury as a result of being knocked off his bike, joined my home classes just before the summer break and returned today. He has been having plenty of physio and continues to do so but has practised yoga in the past and is really enjoying getting back to it. In the few classes he did earlier in the summer he just came for half my class which we practise in our chairs but he was keen to stay for the full class once strong enough to manage the transfer onto the z-beds.. so today he did so and his assistant stayed and helped him with the transfer and a few times in positioning himself. It worked really well and he is keen to continue with the full class from now on. He is so motivated, it’s a pleasure to work with him. I really am so grateful Sherry for your part in starting me off on this course.

Thank you for a really incredible course. I’ve learned so much!

I have found the material very helpful. It is informative, clear and easy to understand. I only wish I had this info during my 200 hr YTT! It is filling in the missing gap of my anatomy knowledge, especially as it applies to yoga!

I recently gave up my job to teach more classes and set up a lovely chair yoga class in my home town Tramore for the active retired, and a nursing home has asked me to start this Tuesday so I start your module on Teaching Chair Yoga in Senior Care Facilities before I started on the Teach back. It’s so great to have each and every module, handout and video to help us yogis along in their journey to help others. I will be eternally grateful to you and all your time, effort and love in creating these online courses.

“Monique’s presentation was so pertinent with the population I work with as they become more sedentary. I loved the use of Yoga and specific poses as disease intervention. The concept that Rest and Relaxation in Yoga allows the body to de-stress and benefit the issues of metabolic syndrome is my biggest takeaway form this presentation and will share it with students, friends and family. Thoroughly enjoyed the practice!”

“10+ Monique is great at explaining things and making it easy to understand. She is way knowledgeable and calming.”

“Loved Monique – MORE MORE MORE! Her presentation was SO simple, clear and easy to remember. Loved the part about prana, apana and brahmacharya. What else can we learn from Monique? LOVED the practice at the end! Thank you!!”

“Monique’s wonderful illustrations and making something so intricate understandable.”

I’ve had to expand my chair classes as they’ve been a huge success. Word has spread through neighboring studios and they send their Seniors my way. Just wanted to thank you for your updates and constant vigil. Very much appreciated. I see not only great strides in my students but a social bonding as well. They rarely miss a class. Which is a far different story from when I was just teaching mainstream Yoga. If I find I have medical questions I can usually refer back to my notes for the most part and send them in a good direction. I’ve incorporated a bit of humor from my own perspective and hopefully encouraged them to laugh in the face of aging. It has become a beautiful practice for all of us.

Thank you for referring me to Bruce who hired me to work with his mother. I appreciate it!

I think this is one of the best online courses I have ever taken. I do teach chair yoga already, and I have already gotten so many new ideas! I am passionate about my seniors, and I know this wonderful course will make me an even better teacher!

I truly appreciate all the teachings from Yoga Vista. You got me hooked on anatomy, chair yoga, vini yoga and soon…somatic yoga. They all compliment each other so well and allow us teachers to quickly adjust a class (getting away from teaching with a script…one-size-fits-all).

Thank YOU for your inspiring course and continuing to inspire with videos, the forum, newsletters, etc. You inspired me to rise to the challenge to offer a class that really has meaning, depth, “meat” and value. I hope we get to meet in person. You are a jewel!

I took the Online Pelvic Floor Workshop with Viki. I think this kind of workshop that you offer to teachers is very valuable and an experience that yoga teachers are rarely offered. It gave me some very valuable awareness information about a part of my body that I thought I knew. I think that much of what we already do in chair and standing yoga incorporates many good pelvic movements, and I am still studying some of the exercises in the workbook to try to adapt them to the chair.

Enjoyed the presentations, handouts and videos. I got started watching and couldn’t stop! This was very helpful.

I watched the Yoga Therapy for Metabolic Syndrome module of the Gentle Yoga Program. Monique Lonner has a lovely way of explaining the conditions (pre-diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol etc) in an easy to “digest” (haha) way. The accompanying manual is also very are easy to follow and reference.

The first course I completed in the area of working with Seniors was through University of Limerick which gave me a good base and foundation but having completed both Chair and Gentle Courses along with online material , youtube clips, dvd sets, and so much more information from the video libraries it has given me the opportunity to continue exercising and pass on a wide range of knowledge and advice to my students in 17 weekly classes I have on a weekly basis, so huge thanks and blessing Sherry for continuing to pass on your invaluable knowledge and skills.

I like the way you break down the modules and provide separate sections on anatomy and conditions, which give me a deeper understanding about the seniors. It is also inspirational to watch various videos and observe amazing classes and see how seniors enjoy moving in each postures.

I am a recently retired elementary school teacher who specialized in working with students with additional needs in an inclusive setting. Since starting to teach yoga in 2019 I have strived to follow the same philosophy as I did with my young students by making my classes accessible to all. Over the past year, I have completed the requirements to become certified in gentle yoga, chair yoga and chair yoga dance through Yoga Vista Academy. I found all of these programs to be comprehensive and well organized. I learned a great deal about anatomy as well as a wide variety of ways to create safe and engaging gentle and chair yoga classes. Safety considerations for seniors as well as for people with various conditions were throughly presented. The programs all provided a combination of reading, listening to presentations as well as being able to practice the concepts presented in numerous videos. I feel that working through the certification module is so beneficial for consolidating the concepts taught in the course in a practical way. I would definitely recommend the programs offered through Yoga Vista Academy for those yoga teachers who want to provide accessible and inclusive yoga classes.

Yoga Vista academy emails are always packed with information, videos and inspiring insights from Sherry and her students and staff. I can always count on learning something new. Your generosity and willingness to share this knowledge with others so freely is a blessing and truly speaks to the true meaning of yoga!

Sherry’s enthusiasm, positive energy, combined with her industry experience and knowledge led me to create a higher standard product as a result of the direct advice and mentorship I received from her. I felt like someone finally GOT ME on all levels!”

After my success with wheelchair yoga, I immediately booked the Dual Training Chair + Gentle Yoga. (Warning: Yogavista is addictive 😉) Even the subject of “anatomy of aging” is incredibly informative and exciting! Many handouts and videos show how many options there are for gentle yoga or yoga on the chair. In this way, even older or less flexible people can benefit from the health benefits of yoga! Thank you Sherry, you have enriched my yoga life so much!

Justine has a down-to-Earth approach to passing her wisdom on to others. Her language is simple and direct and her humor frequently erupts, making learning less a chore and more something to look forward to. The use of videos enhances the class, especially because the videos, for the most part, are those of Justine’s presentation to a class of students. Something that I appreciated was her use of a skeletal model of the spine and of the pelvis. I have incorporated much of what I have learned from Justine into my own yoga classes, taught primarily to older adults. I am a more knowledgeable and a more insightful teacher as a result. I highly recommend this course for yoga teachers who want to vastly expand their knowledge of proper low back care when teaching a yoga class.

Thanks to your business training, I just landed a private senior (she’s 86) 30 min yoga session every Tuesday and Thursday!

I have learned a great deal from your program and it served as a great resource for me. My niche is teaching Gentle and Chair in a retirement community, as well as teaching Chair Yoga for Stroke Recovery to support a program developed by a Neuropsychologist. Every week I add new movements and sequences thanks to your classes.

Very much enjoying the course and have been teaching ‘Catch a Falling Star’ and ‘Forever Young’ to the children in the village school where I live. They love it and great opportunity for me to practice also.

I am offering a Chair Yoga for Vets on Veterans Day and am confident with my ability and looking forward to the challenge. Thank you for everything!

Independent study using computer prepared manual, pictures, examples and videos gave me the feeling of being “in” a classroom. The quizzes helped me to know that I was on the right path. I was able to practice adaptations for Yoga in a chair and standing that I could recommend to students who were unable to manage asanas in the traditional Yoga way, or were not strong enough to manage Yoga on a mat. I found that during the time I was teaching these principles, the students were gaining confidence, strength, balance and flexibility at their own pace. The class gave me great respect for the effort the students were making and the increase of joy in their faces as time went on! It gives me a great feeling to assist seniors with the knowledge obtained from the class.

It’s been an incredible journey. Loved the way new information formatted. Great videos, meeting new teachers, becoming friends ,exploring new ways to help seniors live better. Sherry and Justine made the course easy and fun while learning. Looking forward to my last get together in 10 days.

I had the pleasure of attending a Workshop with Sherry in DC. What a powerhouse, filled with knowledge, humor and a joyful way of imparting her know-how.”

Every night and morning I am spending at least two hours. I am so excited to finish and start practicing. I live in Carmel, Ca where we have a huge elderly population. I have been watching your videos since November in the middle of my teacher training. I love the way you teach all the anatomy tidbits. I find chair yoga so fascinating because anyone can do it! You are an inspiration!

I think it is really brilliant how you lay this out. It makes sense to me, even if sometimes I need to re-watch to make sure I understand, that is just how I need to learn. But this is broken down into all the necessary aspects, lyrics, song structure, movement/choreography, and each builds upon the other allowing for the repetition that is necessary for really learning the dance.

And a huge thank you Sherry for putting this course together. I don’t really have anything but praise for it. I found it very, very informative, well planned, easy to follow, and hard and extensive enough I’m sure, to ensure only those really interested in the training/qualification would put the time and effort in to see it through. Great course. PLUS I was also soooo lucky in being able to come and meet you all and join some of the classes at Vista.

I am so grateful to be a part of this yoga community! I have learned so much about anatomy, thanks to you and Justine. I really like the way the course is designed. Taking the a test after each section is brilliant! I have three notebooks full of information that you guys provided throughout the course. Wonderful to have to refer back to. Having access to the teaching videos is something that I take advantage of on a regular basis. A chair yoga teacher who attends my gentle yoga classes when in my area, is so impressed with what I have learned is going to take the chair yoga course you offer.

I have only positive things to say about Yoga Vista Academy’s Online Chair Yoga Teacher Training course! I found the course to be well organized and thoughtfully constructed down to the last detail. Sherry is very knowledgeable with the aging body and yoga, and energetically shares that knowledge in her writing and videos. She was so responsive, offering assistance and feedback throughout the entire process. Her positive energy and attitude shine through in this online course.

Personally, I thought the program was GREAT, WONDERFUL and AWESOME. I teach a variety of classes and I have used all I have learned in every single class. Whether it is with my Assisted Living clients or my 30 year olds. The anatomy portion was more than I could have expected. I learned so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

One of my favorite things Sherry is your great enthusiasm! It is very contagious! And anytime I am watching you with a group of people doing the class together, my heart melts…it’s so heartwarming watching those seniors following along and moving to the beat. I absolutely love it.

Thank you for your teachings. Your chair yoga course is very thorough and student friendly course to take. I learned a lot watching the videos as well.

Excellent teacher training for all Yoga Instructors that want more knowledge for incorporating students wheelchair users or offering a specialized class.

For me, being an online student I haven’t had the opportunity to meet Sherry in person or visit her Yoga Vista Studio. Hesitant at first to sign up for an online course(especially a yoga course) I mean, how good could it really be, it’s online? It didn’t take very long (the 1st module) to realize the high level of Sherry’s yoga knowledge and her ability to relate and transfer that knowledge to us even via online. Any doubt I had disappeared, I knew I had made a wise decision to sign up for the Chair Yoga Training Course at Yoga Vista Academy.

Since I started the course I’ve had a few things come up that have forced me to postpone my training for a bit. Sherry has been so understanding and fully willing and able to work with me as I get my life and training back on course. Because of her I hope to soon be able to add my name to the list of Chair Yoga Course grads at Yoga Vista Academy.

But for me the most important and best about Yoga Vista Academy is Sherry herself. She has been able to make me feel part of her community and able to send her love for yoga and her students even all the way to the other side of the US. I feel close to Sherry, and I’ve never even meet her. This is the best thing about Yoga Vista Academy. In a word Sherry. Thank you Sherry.

Thank you for this great opportunity to learn through your Chair Yoga Course! I am enjoying it very much and applying so many of the techniques and tips to my regular yoga classes.

I am thrilled I took this program! Your On-Line Program was so informative and I have learned so much. The addition of upgrading this program to the “LIVE” option including a qualified/seasoned Yoga Teacher and Location to support, encourage, and educate me made this opportunity complete. Not being a 200 hour, I had my reservations on whether I would be able to complete this program with a successful Teachback. I know I could have not succeeded at the level I did with out the compassionate and honest feedback and support of my Mentor Teacher, Lynda! She watched me come into the program like a deer in headlights and with gentle but firm direction, she never gave me the feeling that I do no less than succeed if this is what I wanted.

I am so excited to finish the chair Yoga certification. I loved every minute of it!!!! As a nurse, the anatomy was very informative and great to help anyone understand the body. The videos are amazing and the support you give is great. I cannot say enough good things about your program!!!! I was worried taking an online class, but it was as if you were there there the entire time!!!! I learned so much and will tell everyone how amazing this course was. I am going to take all the classes on your site, and continue to learn. Thanks again!!!! This was life changing for me!!!!! Thanks again!!!

I would highly recommend the Live! program to any aspiring chair yoga teacher, or to any yoga teacher who wants to add chair classes to his/her repertoire. I found the line on the cover of your Teaching and Certification Training Manual to be true: I have indeed been empowered with knowledge, skills and confidence! For me, the live element was key to my decision to do this training. I know from experience that I don’t finish most of the online learning I begin. Lynda is a fantastic teacher with much to share. In addition, I know that I learned a great deal from the other student teachers in our live group. My experience was more than worth my 6 hour round-trip commute.

Thank you for providing such a comprehensive course. I found it so easy to work through the modules because of the way the course was designed. The information on how to sequence and to better understand the physiological issues, that seniors may present with, was invaluable. I felt fully supported throughout the course, and I will continue to refer to the course materials ongoing.

What I like best with Yoga Vista Academy? So many things!! First and most of all, they teach a form of yoga that doesn’t hurt your body (ahimsa). From France, I can download valuable videos and workshops (last one on pelvic floor-amazing). I discovered chair yoga with Sherry’s Videos. It was new for me because we don’t have this approach here, so a great source of inspiration. I love Justine’s work too, with this bio-mechanics aspect, so brilliant!! And for sure, I will take time to discover the other teachers who seem so interesting too! Thank you Sherry to answer so kindly to my mails! Your personality and opening heart is a delight and an inspiration!

I enjoy greatly in my Chair Yoga online courses. It changed, in many aspects, the way I see my own aging and also my ideas about sharing yoga with seniors.

Loved the connection to other yoga concepts such as the yamas and nyamas, fantastic and easy to understand description about how these diseases start, info about the role of the diaphragm and it’s movement and beneficial effects on the organs, lots of useful extra pointers in the stretches and breathing. the simplicity of restorative poses.

I really enjoyed this unit. So much relevance for my own body and for my students. Also I purchased ‘pain free’ based on your recommendation. Love it. It is so practical. Thanks for your great work.

Since I graduated and got certified, I m starting another chair yoga class in another village and was approached by a local care home to do a class there too. I am seeing if I can fit it into my schedule as the local high school asked me to do a yoga class there for the students and one for the teachers so it is all full steam head!! Thank you Universe.

I appreciate all the time, effort, collaboration, and years of learning that were so evident throughout this course. The course was structured really beautifully, introducing material that built from the ground up what it means to be a chair yoga teacher for seniors at all different levels of health/fitness. The Methods and Philosophy section communicated the essential elements of teaching and structuring a class so that I had a nuanced lens through which to view all the great video material and really learn from them. The Anatomy of Aging section was so rich. I thought having the three sections on anatomy, conditions and poses for each general body area was very helpful. The yoga aspects included in the anatomy and conditions section reinforced each other, and having a separate pose library because it made pose ideas easily accessible for constructing a class. The program was full of so many great pearls!

Oh my gosh! What didn’t I learn! I think that twenty hours was more in depth than basic teacher training 🙂 For me, I have a pretty extensive background in Anatomy and Physiology. What I really learned were the variety of postures “to do” and “not to do”. I thought going in that it would be just modifications on traditional but there are so many other important adjustments.

The other thing I learned was to really not be afraid to work with seniors. I love them and have always had a desire to work with them at a deeper level than I have in the past (pharmaceuticals) but I was nervous in not wanting to hurt them so your course helped me so much. You are seriously awesome and so are all of the other teachers you had do the videos and I loved the fun little sayings that popped up thru the videos too 🙂

You’ve been a terrific motivator. Probably the best there ever was 🙂

The course was excellent — as usual. With the growth of the Chair Yoga Movement (thanks a lot to you) a course like this is a must for any instructor. Your material and workshop have made me a better teacher and that has improved the wellness of my students. The Yoga community owes you much for all you provide.

I have learned and relearned so much. I am a retired nurse and anatomy and physiology have always been one of my passions. I love incorporating all the new poses and information from the course. I will certainly be going forward with the extras that have been provided. I am loving every minute of it!

I wanted to reach out and thank you for putting together such an awesome, awesome training. It not only met but exceeded my expectations around the content that was within each section.

THANK YOU so very much for everything – knowledge, info, support. I feel like this course is now one I will keep referring back to – without it being yet another dusty yoga book on my shelf. I know I’ll be dipping into the manuals and talks for a very long time.

“Totally met and surpassed my needs and expectations. I received the reminders I needed in feeling his postures inside out and received new insights in translating the poses to the chair. As always, James both spoke and listened in a personable and understandable way. He brought out the best ideas from all of us!”

“New concept for me. What an enthusiastic and positive guy.”

“Challenging and useful information. Very nice presentation.”

“I learned so much! He is such a gigantic ‘heart’. This was my 2nd time to experience his work, and it’s starting to settle into my slow brain! 🙂 Can’t wait to learn more!”

“Your passion for your work radiates! It was so helpful to receive experience of your teaching of the somatic movements – it will make my presentation of them to my students much easier. Love your work, love your teaching. Appreciated the chair demo’s.”

“Content well organized.”

There is a lot I like about your information but lately I’m especially enjoying the YouTube videos created by the teachers working on their certification for Chair and Gentle Yoga.

When they worked my eyes and told me that I could no longer do the positions on the ground I was destroyed … I had waited a lifetime to become a yoga teacher and suddenly 4 retinal interventions stop me! To discover that someone had given the importance of yoga even when sitting, made me born again … so thank you!

I’m very pleased to be a graduate of Yoga Vista Academy! I can’t wait to continue my education and am planning to sign up for more classes – especially the teaching mixed floor and chair classes…. Thanks again for all the incredible work you and your staff do for those of us out here. I love everything you’ve done.

I truly love the fact that Yoga Vista Academy offers a platform where the materials and videos are always available. I am a big fan of e-learning through pre-recorded videos and written materials. I am currently enrolled in a children yoga teacher program that is offered by video conference. Although, it’s fun to be able to interact live with my teacher, I would much prefer to be able to watch the video a few times as I find that I forget information especially if it’s new. I need to hear and experience it more than once for it to sink in, hence the beauty of Yoga Vista Academy online certification programs.

But even after enrolling in the course, the task seemed daunting. Enter Corey Stiles, professional mentor extraordinaire and all around amazing woman. Because of her and Sherry’s unwavering positive encouragement during the Fast Track Mentor Program, never giving up on me, even when I gave up on myself for awhile, I was not only able to complete the course, I developed a level of confidence with designing classes and teaching seniors that I truly hadn’t expected.

The Park District thought it would be a great idea to partner up with the local hospital and to offer my class for free for 6 weeks! I already get around 20 people every Tuesday, and yet, they allowed 50 people to sign up! Over 60 people showed up!

Having my Master’s Degree in Education, I am very particular about online training programs and I have to say that the Yoga Vista Academy Chair Certification program was exceptionally well-designed and informative. In addition, getting constant encouragement and support made the training very personalized. Thanks for a great job Yoga Vista Academy!

Thank you very much for the detailed feedback. It is very helpful. I’m really enjoying the course, especially the practice videos. Thanks for all the time and effort you put into creating this. I can only imagine the many, many hours that went into planning, filming, and editing it. I’m grateful to have them as a resource even after I complete the certification.

I just wanted to extend my thanks. I couldn’t have done this without Viki’s support! She is an extremely skilled teacher and a delightful, kind person.

I am glad to say that the Live Mentoring Program was an asset. Those sessions were definitely a plus to be able to ask questions and receive constructive critiques. Jane was such an informative mentor and personal teacher, the sessions had a relaxed atmosphere just like when you are teaching your chair yoga classes which I still love watching. Thank You for a wonderful experience.

Just wanted to let you know how much I am learning from the how to make yoga videos course. The best thing is that you have taken away my fears of the camera, the computer and the finished product! Thank you!

I really, really appreciate your comments on “Area of Improvement”. As yoga instructors, we rarely get constructive criticism but I feel it is so important to improve our abilities so we can better serve our students and community. I will definitely use your cueing suggestions.

I’m thoroughly enjoying the course and learning so much. I’ve worked with seniors a number of years and have been teaching chair yoga for about 10 years. I started this course as a refresher and to learn some new ideas, but this course is so much more than I expected it to be! Love it! You’re a great teacher.

I think just helping people realize that their posture unconsciously becomes their real physical body is my imperative take away from the Posture Project and what I try to relay to people in my class. I have not tried to just tell my fellow man or woman at the grocery store that their hip leaning is creating an imbalance in their body and it shows, however I do think telepathy is a growing trend, and people are picking up on the unified field of thought. So, maybe if I just starting projecting posture corrections onto people they will begin to find new breath in the unconscious faults that become crystallized in their physical vessel.

I can’t thank you enough for the joy and creative ideas you bring me. All the very best to you, I wish health to you and your family, and appreciation to all of the wonderful and innovative yoga teachers who contribute to Yoga Vista.

Thank you hugely for sharing your professional insights and business savvy. As a yoga teacher working with fellow seniors, I find your gentle, healing style of teaching, coupled with your va-voom personal style, both inspiring and joyful.

Despite this being an online class with no direct contact, I felt completely supported throughout the process. You were there to answer any questions, and I felt comfortable asking for help. I enjoyed the mix of readings, quizzes and videos. It is user friendly and comprehensive.

I really needed this class. I am tone deaf. I struggle to find 8 counts ( and I teach low impact aerobics 8 times each week). I took all of your strategies to help me! Your visuals of lyrics were a new helpful approach for me.

I learned so much from your videos, style, instruction and care! Thank you both from the bottom of my heart!

I felt compelled to write after watching your online yoga for seniors videos. They are exceptional and you are a pure joy to observe at work. I am a medical doctor and yoga teacher training in yoga therapy. My background is emergency medicine but I have more interest in sports and exercise medicine and integrative health these days. I work with patient groups and I am particularly interested in older adults. You are a wonderful ambassador. I love that your classes cover all the key areas building maintaining muscular strength, range of motion, decreasing stiffness and working on balance and coordination (I love the picking fruit exercise) but also fostering a sense of connection and all the other deeper wonderful layers of meaning we know and love from our own yoga practice and teaching. Please keep up the good work.

I truly found the Chair Yoga Program to be beyond informative. You offer SO many resources to the student. I loved that a mentoring program was offered, studying at your own pace, yoga videos, modules, and “spot on” yoga lessons. I learned so much regarding anatomy and the aging of our bodies and how to correct and decrease pain. I liked the emphasis on how to cue and speaking loud and clearly. Honestly, I would highly recommend this training to any one that wants to incorporate these important subjects. For me personally, I have become a better version of myself.

I did the workshop over the weekend and taught many of the stretches using reasons and knee anatomy in both my chair and mat classes. So grateful to you both for my updating, understanding and variety in teaching.

My daughter had spastic cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair exclusively. She just turned 20 and her school is trying to find “work” for her in our community as she transitions out of special education. Recent my daughter discovered you on YouTube and is an avid fan of your chair yoga. Her mobility specialist thought her interest in yoga, music, and how social she is might be something she could do for a “job”. In addition to the chair yoga being a huge benefit to my daughter and her CP. Emma wanted to work at our local hospital and long term care center as a good friend of ours works there. So this summer her specialist set it up for Emma to go to our long term care center and do yoga with the residents. Emma and the residents are really enjoying this.

I like Yoga Vista Academy for many reasons including lots of important, applicable information for a demographic that benefits from chair yoga, full length and shorter videos on focused sequences, and inspirational instructors.

What I like best though is how user friendly the information and sequences are; offering me the opportunity to incorporate different flows and poses into my classes for a very appreciative group of yogis. They enjoy learning and experiencing something different each week and I am able to offer something for everyone for the benefit of all.

Thank you Sherry, Justine, and everyone at the academy!

Thought I’d check in after completing the “Teaching Yoga @ Senior Care,” course. I loved that you shared the meaning of “inspiration,” as being “in spirit.” Light bulb aha for me. You have a tremendous capacity for love and healing. Thank you for igniting my flame and making it shine a little brighter!

Yoga Vista Academy‘s Chair Yoga Certification Program provided a written PDF to accompany the video presentation which I found beneficial to the student to read and follow as well as a great reference source to keep. I have already referred back to the PDF notes several times. The library of postures is also a good reference source for poses and their unique names. I found the videos to be very helpful especially to see the students go through the asanas to the best of their ability with modifications provided to accommodate each body and level of ability.

I wanted to tell you that I think the best take away from this course was not having to handle seniors with kit gloves like they are made of glass, and giving them multiple challenge level options so they can choose as to how they feel that day.

It was such a blessing for me to come across the Yoga Vista Academy online program. It’s inexpensive and easy to work. I was able to recieve such detailed knowledge on the aging process and all the main issues that can contribute to pain. Learning about the anatomy was so helpful. I appreciated the information to print and videos to reinforce what you are learning. I loved Sherry’s style and she really inspired me to become the best chair yoga teacher I can be.

There are different types and styles of yoga and working with students on this program that brings such variety and benefits. All the teachers are dedicated and inspiring. You become a part of that community, with the ability to use the videos as often as you desire. I could go on and on about Yoga Vista Academy online program. I plan on continuing going through some more of the many workshops and programs, for there are many! I recommend it highly!

Taking this class has been an amazing experience for me. I am impressed with the amount of past and ongoing research you have put into it. This is obviously a labor of love for you and you must know how many lives you have touched. The lessons are well constructed and easy to follow. Your positive attitude is infectious. I LOVE all the videos and watch at least one a day, whether it’s chair yoga, gentle yoga, somatics, or one of the educational clips. One of the things I most appreciate is the time you take to make the class personal. You responded immediately to every email I sent, answering my questions an offering encouragement. I also appreciated the time you took to thoroughly review my teachback and provide specific, helpful comments. Where do you find the time and energy for all this?!? I am amazed. Thank you so much for the work you do. You have personally blessed many lives, and your love and compassion is radiated to the world through all those you teach. You are a gem.

I’ve reached out to you before as I’ve found your style in leading chair yoga classes very forward thinking! I do a lot of program testing and development for MOSSA and I like how you focus on just getting people to move better to enhance activities of daily living – very much what we focus on these days!

I can’t recommend this course enough for people who are working with the aging population. It is a must! Their expertise in the aging population and their slides and explanation and demos as well as experiencing for ourselves, helped bring the understanding to a maximum potential.

Thank you so much again for your wonderful Chair Yoga course!! I especially enjoyed the great review on Anatomy. I greatly appreciate that your resources will be my wonderful library of information to refer to when needed. The online setup worked great for me too. I also gave my feedback via Yoga Alliance.

Many thanks to Justine, your students and yourself for the continued support that I received throughout the learning process. It is easy to become overwhelmed with all that there is to know, but you kept the information so well organized and consistent throughout the process. It was also easy to see the relationship between the chair yoga and gentle yoga materials which helped to make the dual-certification process even more rewarding for my students and myself. I highly recommend both for anyone who may be on the fence.

Cute story from our Polar Vortex Minnesota winter. Last week temperatures dipped into the -30° and less range. I cancelled most of my classes, but my boss convinced me to teach one of the Chair Yoga Classes, totally against my better judgement. I am not a Minnesota native at all, and this weather challenges me, so, I had no desire whatsoever to teach or be out. I sat in an empty classroom for quite some time, until finally 5 brave souls arrived. As I was so stressed about getting to the class, I did not prepare for the class. So, I asked, “What would you like to do today?” Immediately, I heard “Chair Yoga Dancing!”

Let me see…there is so much to choose from. First of all I enjoy your newsletters that keeps us connected to new and practical approaches to teaching gentle and chair yoga. I also enjoy the structure and platform of your online programs that allow me to go at my pace yet feel like I am part of a live course. I often return to materials that I read and practiced from your programs and learn something new from it each time.

This was a very valuable course and one I can keep referring to. It was an excellent experience working with Peggy, Nelda, Lauren, Kristi, and Moon. I learned something from everyone.

I am loving Yoga Vista Academy!! I went through this class a few years back and decided to re-visit. So glad I did!! Sherry and the teachers are incredibly positive and the anatomy is presented in an easy-to-understand manner with just enough information to get it. I have taken way too many trainings (😆😆) and this, by far, is the best.

The course has really helped me to gain confidence in teaching seated yoga, by basing it so strongly in the context of the physiology of ageing. The depth of information about anatomy, injuries, philosophies and yoga modifications to work alongside everyone’s particular body issues, is really exceptional. I’ve found it so helpful and I know that it will continue to provide endless stimulation and ideas.

I am a retired school teacher… and I just wanted to let you know that I have begun your Anatomy course and I am really loving it. I’ve taken many courses in my life and I wanted to tell you that I really like how you’ve laid that out. Your handouts are very professionally put together , easy to follow but rich with content. I can’t wait to get started again this morning. Suffering from mobility issues myself, I Know that your courses are going to benefit me enormously both Professionally and personally.. Your programs go far deeper than other ones I have taken.

I am confident that I could give a class, I already do.
I use a wheelchair myself (not 100%, these days i can walk a bit again, i have ms) and that is why i know a bit more about how to use the wheelchair in poses and how it is if you can’t move and how to adapt. I used to cycle in the hand-biket-eam and there I got to know teammates with different types of paralysis and mates without legs etc.  Knowing disabled people and being disabled yourself makes you not afraid to give lessons to disabled persons, I think that is half the work. Every lesson you learn more and more about the different ways to move and how you can adjust everything, which I love.
But i missed the more science know how … something your lessons gave me.

I began this incredible journey of Chair Yoga Teacher Training 12 months ago with the goal of finishing by June. In April, when my accident occurred, I was not sure I would teach again and/or finish the training. As my recovery progressed, it became very clear to me that continuing with the training would not only benefit me with my healing but enable me to readily understand and relate to the many challenges specific to the senior population. The training was and continues to be invaluable to me personally and professionally and I thank you for the expertise provided in the training, the continued resources of newsletters and videos and your ongoing support.

Wow! What a fantastic program! The information was comprehensive, easy to follow, and very relevant. Just what I was looking for! I’m so excited and feel very blessed to have the opportunity to share this knowledge with others, as so many people will find it very useful in their day-to-day lives. Your support and encouragement throughout was wonderful. Thank you for giving me another way to share the magic of Yoga! With Much Gratitude.

One thing that I was not expecting from this Program was the effect that it was going to have on me — I benefited a great deal from doing the movements and felt the effects firsthand that my students will experience in my classes. Don’t go thinking that this won’t benefit regular practitioners — you’d be pleasantly surprised to find out just how wonderfully these movements complement an established asana practice. While my faith in online programs has been restored, it wouldn’t have been possible if there weren’t a team of people who not only are truly dedicated to helping others, but make sure that you as the student are learning and make sure to help you if you have any trouble. THANK YOU Sherry and the entire Yoga Vista team for sharing your valuable wisdom and for putting together such a comprehensive program. Definitely going to pursue the Chair Yoga Program next 🙂

The layout of the course work is very cohesive. Completing the course has greatly enhanced my teaching skills and helped me to become more confident in my abilities as a Yoga teacher not only to seniors, but other populations as well. Thank you so much for the effort you have put into creating this course. I will be a devoted follower of Yoga Vista Academy in the future!

The first time I learned about YOU was on-line. I was researching ideas on yoga training and with the click of a button found you dancing to Living on the Corner of Joy and Gratitude. I felt your big heart and love for your students come through the computer screen that day. As I danced along and couldn’t quit smiling, I knew you had something special to offer and had to find out more. Fast forward to today and I have completed the on-line Chair Yoga training as well as my Teachback. I include several of your dances in my current Silver Sneakers classes. ‘The River’ is their favorite.

The workshop was great, and Viki was terrific. I didn’t know stopping your pee mid stream was problematic. I remember my OBGYN and an instructor in another training talking about stopping your pee as an example of kegels. I liked how Viki structured the workshop, going from broad strokes to fine lines. Talking about what the pelvic floor is, why it’s important, and how to train it held my attention and made the information digestible. Viki’s use of props, such as the pelvic floor muscles made of felt, the bag of oranges, and the buttons, was brilliant. This combined with her sense of humor and humility made the workshop accessible and memorable. Thank you for offering this workshop.

We use these songs and Chair Yoga dances each week where I work. I work with special needs adults and they absolutely love doing these together! Thanks for all that you do in making and sharing these videos!!!!! Elim Christian Services is a special needs school in Crestwood near Chicago and I work in Adult Services.

Thank you so much for the absolutely amazing talk you gave on osteoarthritis yesterday for SAYCO. You are a fantastic teacher! Everyone in the room was engaged. I can see why so many of the SAYCO teachers were thrilled to have you provide the CEU workshop; you are such a great speaker. You gave us solid content, made it personal, and made it fun. You are an absolute inspiration!

I thank you for your wonderful instruction. Love it. Love it. The information you provide would make anyone a better teacher. My students love the information and knowledge they gain. They tell me that their doctors asked them what they were doing differently as their lung capacity has improved (some had very little lung capacity). They proudly told me that they informed their doctor the only new thing they were doing was Anna’s Yoga. Their doctors told them to keep coming. Same results for different students and different parts of their bodies. I can’t take the credit. We do a lot of your “While you are at it.” I am following your game plan and it is amazing. I must admit I knew nothing about the human body before I took your classes. Both me and my students thank you for a job well done.

“Teresa Austin had a genuine, friendly, welcoming and attentive presence which allowed the workshop participants, myself included, to relax and share freely in discussion. She introduced me to a new, and previously unexplored avenue for inward connection and gratitude, by guiding us to place our hands on our hearts and then bring our awareness and gratitude to its beating, which is more oft than not, taken for granted.”

Just to let you know I am loving this course and so glad to have the Crown membership. What a wealth of information! I had originally wanted to do a 500 hr program but impossible to find one that fits the focus of a chair and gentle teacher who wants to focus on baby boomers and seniors and your program is the perfect solution. Thanks again and I am really enjoying it!

I taught at my first nursing home, and it was very challenging! They could only do a fraction of the movements. I found myself with a one-hour class and 15 minutes worth of material. Made it through okay, but realized I have a lot to learn 🙂 you have a really great program, and I’m continuing to watch your YouTube videos for more info. Thank you for your Compassionate Heart!

What LOVE best about Yoga Vista Academy is the comprehensive detail to the online trainings and manuals. As on occupational therapist with over 20 years experience, I have never taken an anatomy and movement course specifically for geriatrics AND with the detail and care the information was presented. I am so happy I found this resource. I haven’t finished the Chair Yoga for Seniors course just yet but have incorporated what I have learned thus far with the geriatric patients I have on my caseload. Thank you!

I’m so glad I took Gentle Yoga for Low Back with Justine. She is an amazing instructor and human being who genuinely cares about her students. The concepts and principles I learned from Justine changed the way I teach, and I believe all of my students are safer for it. Probably the best yoga instructor I have ever worked with. #genuine #safetyfirst #awesomeinstructor

I am organising activities at a 40 bedroom age care facility in Sydney. I have probably watched all your free videos and am very impressed by how you present your classes. I love your tone of voice, how down to earth you are, the fun, the inclusiveness … it gives anyone the feeling they can give yoga a go.

Thanks for your wonderful work, it has had a great impact on my Tuesday morning exercise Classes and I instruct movement to my ageing residents with more insight and care. The oldest is 104 years old and still runs up and down stairs!

I am Jyoti Nanda from India, and I have enrolled in the Gentle Chair Yoga For Seniors online course. Just wanted to say that this is an amazing course. I am a RYT 200 and an Ananda Yoga trained teacher. I am committed to making yoga accessible to as many seniors as possible.

Super glad and grateful for the opportunity to test pilot this fabulous comprehensive training from Yoga Vista Academy. Such a well thought out course and a great collaboration of teachers who are wheelchair users together with the ever generous Sherry Zak Morris. Thank you for such a wonderful and unique opportunity to offer something so special to the community. What a gift. Blessings to you all.

I am really enjoying the course. I was an elementary school teacher and I have attended many yoga training where there is not even a manual. I am impressed with the amount of thought, effort and pedagogy that has gone into the online chair yoga program.

I am teaching Chair Yoga classes and my students loved my classes, yet I felt something was missing and that I needed some basics that had to do with anatomy, safe practices and sequencing. When my plans to enroll in a 200 hour RYT didn’t work out, I decided to do the chair yoga certification with Sherry. This was exactly what I needed!

I had already felt a synergy and simpatico with the yoga vista team. I love teaching and I want my students to be safe, learn and have a joyous time! I want each class to be fresh and an in the moment experience for my students. I also want my students to grow stronger and healthier and be inspired. I felt I’d found a resource in yoga vista that also has the same goals and high standards and with great dedication and expertise.

I want to thank you for the suggestion to take The Anatomy of Aging and Movement Course. It took me almost all year to complete it — with balancing it along with my daily life and lots of travel this year. I also took the opportunity to take a look at Pain Free by Pete Egoscue and Natural Posture for Pain-Free Living by Kathleen Porter based on your suggestions.

“Exciting material and inspiring teaching. Nice to end with workshop with a blending of the practical and spiritual. Enjoyed the mythical art very much.”

“A beautiful end to a beautiful workshop. The depth of knowledge and thoughtful presentation were magical.”

“Teresa is extremely knowledgeable and I very much enjoyed hearing the stories, something I’ve wanted to know more about. I look forward to incorporating some of the stories into my class.”

“Magnificent presentation! Generous and loving presence, sharing her knowledge of the Hindu gods and goddesses and myths. Inspires me to want to read them in-depth and has given new meaning to the poses and their names. Beautiful Teresa!”

“I love story telling. Teresa did a great job fostering class discussions. I learned a lot from students experiences/ideas in this class. I loved honoring the gods and goddesses!”

It was a great course, the lessons and videos where extremely well done. It is an Honor to be a graduate of Yoga Vista Academy.

I’m so proud to be part of the Yoga Vista community and achieve my certification. It has shaped my direction and knowledge in profound ways! I’m so grateful for the supportive environment, your inspirational knowledge and energy. I will now take steps toward the gentle certification.

I would like to extend my thanks to you. I appreciate that throughout the program you touched base with me/us as students. I always felt that I could reach out to you if I needed to do so because your welcoming personality shines through, even in emails! Your program is a wonderful, comprehensive program.

Thank You for the awesome tips and honest feedback!

Just wanted to let you know I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this pilot Chair Yoga Dance project.

I loved the anatomy module, I learned so much it took me awhile to get through it but truly is was time well spent. I believe you and this program came at exactly the right time in my life. A BIG THANK YOU!

I also like the way that you try to encourage us to be creative, which shows both on your handouts and videos. One of the many best things in this program is that there’s no time limit, which doesn’t put much stress on the students (like me)! All in all, I have to say that I do love this fruitful program!

I really love the course so far! I love your personality, it shines through in all the videos and you never get boring 😂.

I started taking this course right after I finished the Gentle Yoga for Low Back Care course. It was briefly touched upon, when we had the option of doing teach backs, and my mentor in my previous course talked about setting up for filming. Then COVID-19 happened, and this course really came into play. Zoom was not really a mentioned element and live streaming, and this was quickly incorporated into this class. Wow! Great responsiveness to current events. Thank you! Gail

Your program has been priceless to me, and in turn my students. Just this morning I spoke to a lady about vertigo, a direct result of the program I watched on dizziness and vertigo. The resources and ideas have given me so many ideas, kickoffs, practices, and invaluable information to pass on and share. The Crown membership this past year was an excellent investment.

I have been enrolled with the Yoga Vista Academy since June and have been very pleased with the attention to detail and quality of the on-line program. Sherry is always knowledgeable and entertaining with her approach at offering the material, and Justine speaks to the ‘anatomy nerd’ in me!

I have been a teacher for many years and appreciate the difficulty in presenting material in a clear, concise manner, especially via online education.

Thank you for this opportunity to win this valuable teaching tool.

My favourite thing about the program (2 actually) was being able to download the handouts in order to compile the manual, and the videos – just loved them. So clear and concise and explained many things for me. I found the course extremely user-friendly.

I enjoyed it so much. For me, the anatomical part with the homemade fabrics was brilliant. A lot that I learned at the “De Gasquet Institute” is similar but Victoria’s style is so much impactful, with lots of great exercises and super creative ideas! I’m amazed by the quality of the pdf document too. What a work!! It’s full of care, respect and engagement… I’m touched in my heart !

You know that the only reason why “I got it”, is because your videos and handouts are exceptional and that I viewed your materials at least 3 times. In some cases, I used your videos for my personal practice and then taught your sequence to my students as a way of reinforcing what I learned from you. My students love your teachings and keep coming for more.

This Low Back Care Foundations Course is the harbor cruise, providing a high level understanding of types of back pain, causes, contraindications and recommended yoga poses and modifications. As a graduate of the Low Back Care Certification Program, I found that it builds on this Foundations Course as it goes into even more detail and prepares the student to create class plans whether 1:1 or teaching groups.

I’ve already started teaching chair dance yoga. Here in Ireland, I teach a couple of classes a week to wheelchair users through Irish Wheelchair Association. I did the course to liven up the classes and it’s worked a treat. A lot of them are over 60 or 70 and I did Que Sera Sera this week. They absolutely loved it! They’ve loved all of them but particularly this one.

This was a fantastic program. The online piece was very informative. The resources are of tremendous value, and can be used for reference over and over again.

I am taking your posture online class and I have now been asked to do a class specific for posture. So grateful for all that you and your staff do to educate me so my seniors can benefit.

So in love with teacher training. I am reading about the Posture Project right now. Everything is so well done.
I have a fantastic group of people in my chair exercise class that are loving all the new exercises I am teaching them. I tell them they are my guinea pigs as I go through Chair Yoga training. We are having so much fun!

I left school at 15 years of age, never having touched on anatomy at all. So I found this to be challenging but thanks to this course I feel grateful to be so enlightened about The body and my own body also!

Thanks for these very helpful tips. Thanks also for your nice comments. I really appreciate how much thought you have put into my teach back.

I have to say that I am THOROUGHLY enjoying this course. As a technical writer and instructional designer for the past 25 years, I have to admit that I am a bit “snobbish” about participating in training programs as an attendee. The design of this course is fabulous. I love that you provide the options of auditory and visual means for learning (I happen to be visual).

The size of each module allows a person to successfully complete the modules even within the time constraints of their personal and professional lives. I particularly like having the PDF files (not only because I’m visual) but because I can print them and highlight things that warrant my personal attention further.

I had 28 people in my chair class Monday 🙂 I might have to cap it soon….Thank you Sherry, for creating such a valuable program, which enables us teachers to go out and help others XOXOXOX

Your handout is well organized, well written and easy to understand. The photos and anatomy charts are very helpful. I appreciate that you included suggested modifications of poses and sample class sequences for our study. Justine, I admired your personal mix of ‘gravitas’ and humor, command of the subject, and skill in giving clear instruction for poses.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for creating this training for yoga teachers. I am a 200 hr trained teacher and I am enjoying all of this training, especially the anatomy. Well designed, well done. I currently have a chair yoga group I work with at an assisted living facility, and I get to practice on them. They love it! These classes are so needed for our senior population. I like to give them encouragement, for example, balance can improve, flexibility can improve. I get lots of hugs and compliments. I have found what I want to do in retirement. Thank you for helping me!

To be a witness of the whole adventure of dance creation was a sheer fun! Step by step instructions, made learning this dance such a enjoyable experience!

Sherry I have worked at a day program with disabled adults for 31 years and came about finding you on Yo site u tube. Myself and a coworker have been using your YouTube site to get the people we serve to exercise. They all get involved doing the moves and singing to the music.

I can honestly say that I’ve never had such a pleasant learning experience. I feel as if I have learned so much more through your program than I did in my 200 hour teacher training. The content was well presented, pertinent and informative. As someone who has struggled with figuring out how she best learns this program was very accessible.

Combine that with the incredible feeling of support, enthusiasm, and downright compassion that comes through in all that you (and all those involved in the program) do .. and you have one heck of a program!

Thank you so much for supporting me through the Chair Yoga Certification course. I completed my 200 hour course a year ago and have been teaching online and in studios since then. This course has now filled in many gaps in my knowledge and competence that I was not even aware existed. In particular the course was excellent on anatomy and safety. My existing students have noticed and appreciated the more in-depth focus in my lessons. I am now doing the Gentle Yoga course and already feeding what I am learning into my lessons. Thank you all so much. Namaste Hazel

As always your programs and information are filled with great information and ideas. You wanted to know my feedback on how this differed from the Chair Program. It was more concentrated on the specifics of what is happening to desk workers and really anyone who sits at their job where posture and ergonomics are important. The anatomy information in the Chair Program was great and I felt that the anatomy information in the Corporate Yoga Program was then a good addition with specifics to the desk worker vs general chair yoga. It helped me know how to explain and teach more effectively to desk workers with the additional information I learned in the Corporate Yoga Program. The 2 Programs are great together in building my knowledge to offer yoga to more populations in need of yoga.

Sherry’s course enabled me to break down what I’m doing in a chair dance and teach the components with less improvising and even more fun. Identifying the movements as steady, progressive, free flowing, etc. has also helped me to choreograph more thoughtfully. The dances are easy to learn and provide a foundation for creating my own in a way that is most enjoyable and beneficial to my students. Sherry has painstakingly and lovingly included and attended to every detail. What a joy!

Sherry is the queen of chair yoga dance and has included songs for every season! During the winter the jingle bells song was such at hit at several of the places I teach. All of the dances can be done seated or easily modified to standing and make you smile. Thank you so much Sherry!

How can I offer help to others when I still can’t help myself? I think I just made a very large step forward………. I’m talking right now at this very moment as I typed the words “how can I help others when I can’t help myself”. Thank you Viki for contacting me today with your encouraging thoughts. It prompted me to reach out to you to explain why I’m off track in my course. In doing so my heart and mind just became full of enlightenment and emotion’s.

I followed along with the lyrics, noting the beats per segment. Creating movements for each section seemed logical and fun and I could visualize some alternate patterns that I might want to use with my students. I was doing the dance along with the videos and was surprised by how energetic it felt even though the movements are so simple and slow. I like the format.

“Love! More please! I didn’t even remember this was part of the line-up. Thank you!”

“OMG! Kat! I LOVE! BEST restorative class … Ever! Let’s stay in touch – even though I said “Don’t ask!” I’d love to learn more about your Oregon retreat… xoxox”

“Very nice overview of restorative and the fundamentals. Helpful, useful and enjoyable. Kat is very knowledgeable and it was rewarding to learn many variations.”

“Best restorative practice I’ve ever attended!”

“A beautiful, healing practice. Kat placed much needed tender stitches in my newly broken heart.”

I completed the posture project for the 50+ this morning!!! I love to watch your videos which are very easy to listen and understand. You inspire me with so many ideas and I’m very excited to prepare my one hour class incorporating hula motion since I live in Hawaii.

I’m a new Yoga Vista student and I’m loving the ease of working at my pace. The best part is the comprehensive immersion into Gentle and chair yoga in such a way that I feel like I’m really a part of the class. The student participation and their sharing their experiences in the course information is very helpful to me. Thank you!

The Yoga Vista Academy means many things to me and has completely transformed my yoga teaching skills. Although some aspects of yoga are too subtle to be learned from books or lectures, I had absolutely no trouble developing a deeper understanding through all the videos and tools online with a variety of methods for attaining goals. The Yoga Vista Academy accommodates a wide range of lifestyles and values. The Yoga Vista Academy has changed my skills for the better and continues to transform them every day. I highly recommend this program!

The On-Line Chair Yoga Teacher Training program is full of wonderful instruction for all types of learning styles and laid out very well to pace oneself through the material. The use of the many teachers and experiences/education that Sherry and Justine have collected is amazing and drew me into learning the anatomy material with much more ease. The Yogajp.tv resource was absolutely a real plus. I did get this subscription before jumping into the program so I could get an better idea of how the classes were composed but also to have a resource for me to do out of my home meeting my requirements/restrictions that I was unable to find in the community. To see how this resource continues to evolve and all of the benefits one receives for their subscriptions is priceless.

Sherry, your exercises are helping to correct 30 years of computer abuse. I love your “Sleep Well Yoga” – floor exercises to relieve stress in your body. It is helping my rounded shoulders. I can now get the back of my hands to touch the floor when I am in Cactus pose. Today I presented your Strengthen your core with breath to my Senior Chair Yoga Class. My class loved it.

Thank you for putting all of this great information together in one place. I just finished the hip anatomy section. I wanted to tell you that it is one of the best, most concise explanations of the hip joint I’ve seen.

“Hundreds of people walk outside our doors throughout the year, and we pay no attention them. We only pay our attention to those that knock on our doors.” I think of our minds like that with energy and intuition. Intuition brought me to your online class. I am grateful for the intuitive knock.

I feel so blessed to have participated in this training and to have the opportunity to share it all with the senior’s in my community.
Thank you for your knowledge and inspiration Sherry, Justine, and everyone at Yoga Vista Academy.

I have people who have disk problems, low back pain, shoulder problems, heart problems, Plantar Fasciitis, and of course you noticed how crooked my fingers are. Your training certainly helps me to incorporate moves that relieve their pain. There isn’t a class where I don’t have one of my students come up after class and tell me how much better they feel since they started taking Yoga. Actually it gets embarrassing when they keep thanking me for teaching the class. I am sure I get more out of the class then they do.

I love the wealth of experience and knowledge offered by the instructors at Yoga vista academy! I love the variety of poses and progressions that the trainings provide! I know as soon as I learn something that it is going to have a tremendous impact on my students, and I am always excited to share what I have learned with them!

Yoga Vista Academy is helping me to help others and prepare them for longevity!

I’ve started my Gentle Yoga Teacher Training about two weeks ago. I just wanted to tell u know that I’ve really enjoyed taking your course. I am just happy that i found you!!! I was not able to find a course like this in Orange County. Your course for Gentle Yoga is exactly what I was looking for past couple of months and thank you for offering us who like to learn, share and spread the love to others!

It was helpful that I was teaching one or two classes a week of chair yoga already, and could practice new ideas on my students!! This course increased my confidence and knowledge and helped me to shift my perspective on sharing yoga. What I learned from Sherry and Peggy is how to empower my students to be life long learners and students of the body.

This program was like a delicious piece of carrot cake that I wanted to make last which explains my 3x go through. Fortunately my binder and the yoga vista platform with the videos are close at hand. Thanks again Justine for pulling this one of a kind program together and for offering it to the yoga teacher community around the world.

I never imagined that I would someday be a mentor to such a dedicated group of students who share a desire to help our seniors. I have been able to use this unique opportunity to share my knowledge, experience and passion for yoga in a new way. Getting to know everyone and seeing their excitement as they grow in their own personal yoga journey thru this program has been thrilling and such an honor.

The chair yoga training course was informative, easy to follow and well organized. The continual updates are so helpful to give our students new information and keep our classes fresh and fun. Sherry has a special way of making movement joyful and challenging. Our 4 times with our mentors helped us share new ideas and experiences.

I felt that I understood the theory of how you got to the finished product and felt confident I could then teach the dance. There was enough information backed up by very effective video support. It was enough to get me on the way to completing the steps myself

Thank you so much for the nice comments and thank you for sharing your knowledge of chair yoga, it is truly appreciated. Everything that I have learned from you has made me a more confident instructor and I will continue to research and learn more on your website. Thanks again for everything you do and for being my saving grace.

I’m very grateful to have had this opportunity to participate in your Yoga Vista Chair Yoga Program. It’s been so very beneficial in providing me the much needed skillset so that I could offer modifications and sequences so my students could move safely through the various ranges of motion in their joints and muscles.

I had my doubts last winter if I could make it through with everything going on in my life but I will say with no doubt that you inspired me, Corey, to finish. After you helped me with the timing and schedule I was re-energized.

I am into 4 weeks recovering from rotator cuff surgery. Kudos to you for your incredible great Academy! I’ve learned more about my shoulder from the info videos with Yoga Vista Academy than from the surgeon, PT and the PA.

I completed the Chair Yoga course several months ago, and it has been such a blessing. I am now teaching Chair Yoga twice a week at our local Regional Wellness Center, and twice a month at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home, and I continually refer to the course materials for insight and inspiration. Communication and support throughout the training and beyond has been great, and I highly recommend Yoga Vista Academy and its course offerings.

First, let me tell you how much I am enjoying the overall course. I have learned so much and am able to take the information and relate it to the classes I teach; a few chair as a sub, Hatha and restorative.

Delving into the course material over the span of about five months helped me learn the importance of the “why” behind each movement and communicate that to the seniors I teach. As I continued through the course I applied what I learned in my classes which made them fresh and vibrant each time. I have significantly expanded my movement repertoire and confidence regardless of my audience size or level. I am better equipped to pull up whatever is needed to meet the group or person in front of me.

The course material is meticulous, well organized and infused with live vignettes and lots of subject matter experts in related fields. The handouts and multidimensional libraries of anatomy and poses are just wonderful! I think it’s a win win for all yoga teachers wherever you are in your practice and teaching.

It was very useful the indications of how to teach in places like homes, where there are patients in wheelchairs and special conditions, since I had felt frustrated, and I understood thanks to your recommendations that even if that although there is apparently a small exchange of energy and others continue sleeping that is amazing, that they understood me even though they could not express themselves, and that reminded me of my father, an intellectual who lost his speech and his mobility due to an illness and I realized that everything was in our eyes and everything is expressed through them, it was very mobilizing. So for me this recommendation was wowwwww, and bring me up a lot of memories.

I learned so much from Sherry Zak Morris and her Yoga Vista Academy team during the six-month online Mentor Chair Yoga Program! The most impressive results for me are: I have more participants in my classes – my energy is in the flow! I used to get very tired after the sessions. Now I’m filled with energy, love and grace which the students give me back!

The Videos and Online Modules are very exciting; you learn Yoga poses and anatomy from a different perspective. Yes, and I found out that I’m an entertainer! We laugh and giggle a lot more during Chair Yoga! Thank you Sherry Zak Morris, Corey Stiles and Justine Shelton!

Namaste from Switzerland

I am proud that Yoga Vista Academy keeps me motivated to move, learn and dance for myself and my classes. Your shared knowledge is amazing. Thank you, Sherry, for your inspirational, innovative, healthy Yoga Chair Dance Program and the Yoga Vista Academy community. Your fun way to fitness has brightened my spirits and those in my classes.

I was concerned about taking an online course because of my need to ask questions. It’s not like you can just raise your hand and say, “excuse me, I don’t understand”, if that’s you, don’t let that hold you back. Whenever I had questions, I emailed Sherry and she responded within a couple of hours, and often even sooner. Her accessibility is remarkable and made me feel as though I had someone right next to me the whole time.

This course really fit my learning style perfectly. My teaching confidence in both chair and gentle yoga has soared since taking this course. I would highly recommend it.

Thanks for sharing your indepth personal knowledge of low back pain and for creating a superb teacher training program that prepares us teachers to safely serve our students. Feeling blessed to have discovered you two 🙂

I am happy to provide feedback on this great program. You are an innovator in this field.

Thank you so much for your amazing feedback and suggestions!!! You have no idea how happy I am right now. Your positive and encouraging words give me the confidence to move forward with my teachback class. This course has exceeded my expectations. It is so informative and wonderful. I have learned so much. Thank you both, for the inspiration.

Once again I found Sherry’s Dance Program an excellent professional training program. The videos were presented with a high level of technical expertise while the actual content was creative and imaginative, detailed and very easy to understand. The variety of dances means everyone can find dances and music they really like and respond to. People in my classes absolutely love these dances.

I’ve been fortunate to participate in her on-line pilot Yoga Dance project with teachers across the world, to collaborate on this innovative movement program. This is a well-conceived, unique and comprehensive course, with quality resources, well produced videos, that are supplemented with useful handouts. The course includes information from anatomy of aging, to song structure, from the how’s’ and whys’ of choreography to teaching safely to seniors. Sherry provides plenty of examples, complete with scenic backdrops, to communicate the information needed for yoga teachers to incorporate Chair Yoga Dance into our tool kit.

I´ve watched your program it´s amazing like your videos….I´ve been using what I´ve learned in your videos, and that´s was really great, all my students said wowwwww wonderful, because nobody here in Panamá teaches like this!

I recently took a course from Justine in Yoga for back care. It is one of the most wonderful courses I have ever taken. She takes such great care in explaining every step, every movement, every modification in a way that makes perfect sense.

More than her amazing way of teaching, she inspires me to be the best instructor I can be. Her humor, knowledge and obvious care for others is priceless. I am forever grateful for the gifts she gave me.

I am so very glad I decided to sign up for the mentorship program. It made a huge difference in my progress in the program. The Mentoring program was VERY helpful! I do like to work on my own, and I thought I would easily be able to do that as I have before with other online (unrelated) courses. But as I noticed myself letting “life” get in the way of my keeping up my pace, and the offer for the Mentorship program was so affordable it made it a no brainer to give it a try.

I got a lot of value from the conference calls and sharing with the others in the group. It gave the experience a much more connected and personal feeling to speak with others going through the same process. Gerry was very helpful of course by being there but not being too much. He was there to help and guide, and was there as much or as little as needed. I appreciated the weekly encouragements via our Facebook group.

Viki is a FABULOUS presenter! It gave me a great new appreciation for my own pelvis………just that awareness is so valuable to learning how we access movement in that area. Knowing that I can inhale and expand my sitting bones is VERY interesting!! (: Also, the c-curve importance was something that I know I will emphasize more often in all my classes. Thanks for all you do to share and assist us curious yogis!

You continually offer interesting, informative & educational tips; videos for a wide range of health issues as well as the aging population. I bring something new to my classes every week 🙂 thank you.

Yes, I love the course!! So thorough and inspiring, I want to eat it with a spoon and digest it all immediately. But I know that’s not possible! I wish I had found you a year ago, but at least I am with you now.

I teach chair yoga to cancer patients and stroke patients in Scotland … I wanted to say that I find your videos and newsletters helpful and they have given me lots of ideas for my classes, so many thanks.

I’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion through your courses and videos. I teach seniors at a senior center close by (volunteer) and I often refer your videos. They gave me a lot of good ideas and inspiration! I really enjoy teaching seniors and learn a lot by teaching them. (I just turned 50 a few month ago.)

The handouts, example flyers, the pacing of the material, the coaching sessions, the one on one interactions, the videos accompanying the specific modules were great! Then the practice video and the interaction with the course creator, plus the online coach and interaction with other course participants – was a great way to learn Gentle Yoga for Low Back Care. I plan to take more training with the folks at Yoga Vista Academy!

I have felt from the onset of the program that there was a real person that was available for support and guidance. I love the organization of the program! The online materials were easy to access, read and digest. I do appreciate the inherent redundancy in the chapters. This helps me remember concepts and asanas and to see their inter-relatedness. Thank you for offering this program! I know that I will use the written and online resources for years to come.

I had no idea how successful my chair yoga classes would be! I started a class in January as a volunteer at our senior center. From that I have grown exponentially via word of mouth. I am now teaching 6 classes a week, and am being asked to do more.

Thank you from the center of my heart for your patience and kindness. I am SO grateful that you, your amazing team, and chair yoga has come into my life!! I hear from my students how they have benefited from their practice of chair yoga. Classes are full, fun, and flexible.

If someone were to ask me where to find the best information and lessons about Chair Yoga, I would (and have, many times) send them to Yoga JP and Yoga Vista Academy. Even though the training is remote (as in, not in person), I felt as if I knew Sherry and Justine and the regular teachers and could go to any of them if I had questions. The information provided in the training is comprehensive, and having text and videos plays to everyone’s learning style. I could not recommend this program more. I already was teaching Chair Yoga, but this has made me a better teacher. Thank you to Sherry and the crew.

An area that I have been investigating is how positivity and happiness affect health, and the relationship between health and the positivity of Chair Yoga Dance. I am confident that every teacher who uses Chair Yoga Dance witnesses students having fun, laughing and increased smiles. It has been my experience that student’s level of happiness increases during Chair Yoga Dance and my students report they feel the psychological and physical benefits.

Dr. Barbara Fredrickson, a leading researcher at the University of North Carolina in the expanding field of Positive Psychology wrote, “When people get excited about their physical health potential it is possible to thrive in life, even in the face of illness.” I believe it is empowering for yoga teachers to understand the medical evidence underpinning the potential benefits of Chair Yoga Dance. This is especially true in the field of positive psychology and aging. I incorporate more of elements of positivity, eye contact and reassuring smiles during Chair Yoga Dance sessions, my students love the classes and keep returning for more.

I love what I do and your courses and guidance have given me an amazing range of insights into ensuring those who attend my classes are given the best support I can give. I hope that I teach with confidence based on knowledge and a growing skill basis. Your courses are so well structured and detailed and I love the detailed functional anatomy understanding I now have.

I also like to imitate your approach of being in partnership with the students, sharing my knowledge so we can all be happier and healthier. I thought I was going to be ‘lost’ once I retired from teaching but have found a new satisfaction in life, knowing I am making a difference in the lives of others, even at my age. I turned 65 last month.

I am so very happy and honored to be a part of Yoga Vista Academy and to be able to help others along their journey. I certainly would not have guessed when I first starting following the two of you and then taking classes thru certifications that I am doing what I am doing now… being an Academy Mentor Teacher!

I really loved Sherry’s video where she discussed teaching a chair yoga class vs a wheelchair yoga class. Learning about these key differences were very insightful & extremely helpful!

I have so appreciated this course and your approach to teaching teachers to be competent, caring and joyful in their work. I must say, I talk about you and this program all the time. I had a wonderful experience in my original 200hr training because of its somatics orientation. It blended perfectly with your approach. I wish all programs honored the wisdom and brilliance of our bodies in this way.

I am almost done with the course work. I have been really enjoying the quality and thoroughness of the curriculum. I am currently teaching Gentle Yoga to students who are in their 50s- 80s in the community clubhouse here in N.C.. The course information has been so helpful. I have about 25-30 students that faithfully attend my classes and have fallen in love with benefits of Gentle Yoga to keep their aging bodies, minds, and spirits healthy.

I am learning so much from it, and am enjoying it a lot. I’m finding the “Conditions and Injuries” sections invaluable, because it has finally put a real “everyday” human slant on anatomy study!

Viki is so engaging before I knew it the hour was over and I was wanting more!

Thanks for all your beautiful chair dances & other wonderful yoga stretches which I also bring to my gentle yoga classes. You are an inspiration!

I love learning about the ‘mechanics’ of problems we may have and her course gave me lots of easily understood new information. E.G. location of vestibular system (thought it was more inside the head), that vertigo can sometimes be cured, stamping/marching after uttanasana.

I know that you value our great news, we mortal Chair Yogi students of yours! For the past five months, each Tuesday morn I have been teaching at the Elenora sixties & better community Center’ and I’m growing in confidence as the class grows! A local retirement Center has given me the go ahead to teach every Wednesday morning there after I gave a Complimentary class to their residents Thanks once again for all your wonderful support!

I enjoyed the Anatomy Module. I knew a lot of the basic anatomy already, but I really appreciated tying that to the problems that Seniors have and then showing why certain poses helped with these problems. It is great to have all of this in a coherent, organized form. I will refer back to these chapters when I plan my lessons. Thank you for the user-friendly curriculum. I look forward to the rest of the course.

Sherry was so knowledgeable in chair yoga and how to teach a yoga class to seniors or people with physical limitations. I learn many poses/techniques to incorporate in my chair class that could really benefit my students range of motion and make their daily routines smoother.

I’ve been a life coach for nearly 20 years. The mentoring through YVA is among the most rewarding coaching I’ve ever done. It’s incredibly inspiring to encourage aspiring chair yoga teachers to help them discover the strength, the creativity and the confidence of the teacher voice inside. The mentor program in combination with the online course provide a solid structure that delivers strong, capable teachers.

The Anatomy of Aging module was fantastic. The anatomical details presented were sufficient for a yoga teachers purposes organized in an understandable and informative format. Insight was given into movement, conditions, injuries and modifications that exceeded my expectations. The self-paced study allowed me to progress at my own rate. The tests, teach back and assignments were terrific learning tools. Overall the organization of the course was an excellent way of presenting a large amount of material. I would recommend this course to every yoga teacher whether or not your interest is in Chair or Gentle yoga.

Justine I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the amazing 6-page feedback to my final homework.

The wheelchair program has a lot of great information to give you quality training so you can be confident to teach wheelchair yogis. The videos are extremely helpful and it would definitely not be the same without videos in the training program. You will see how different abilities may affect how you modify poses and also to be creative with each teaching situation. I highly recommend this course so you can expand your chair yoga program not only to offer something that may not be available in your community but to further understand people who use wheelchairs so you can empower them to do yoga which can benefit their well being.

Did I learn some things I did not know? YES!! Many things! I would have many of the same mistakes you spoke about….start with breathing, using nostalgic music, making my practice WAAAAAY to complicated. Loved the sample class, so helpful! I feel immensely grateful for taking this course before teaching on Monday.

I teach people Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Your certification was a turning point for me. It has changed my life. So grateful for you!

My journey teaching seniors has and continues to be influenced by your knowledge and guidance. As you know, I have completed your chair certification, very close to finishing the gentle yoga certification and once I have completed I will be signing up for Justine’s Low Back Courses. Having a Crown Membership with access to YogaJP has provided me with invaluable resources that I have been able to provide to my students who range in age from mid 60’s to 97. You are both an inspiration to me and I thank you.

A combination of experience, peer reviewed knowledge and a desire to spread the word. One of, if not the best trainings I have ever attended.

I just wanted to share with you that today I did my first full chair yoga in a nursing home. Todate I’ve taught to the Parkinson Association, then set up my own chair yoga class in my home town for the active retired, but today I took it to a whole new level where every one was in wheelchair, several amputees, deaf and even one blind man. Now! you’d swear I was doing this all my life as it was one of the most enjoyable, rewarding and humbling class, and boy our seniors love a laugh, they had me sing Joe Dolan-More And More, Neil Diamond-Hands Touching Hands. It was fantastic! Everyone engaged and love it.

So I guess I was so excited about it all that I just wanted to share it with you. This was all possible thanks to you, your team and all your invaluable handouts, videos, tests and teachbacks even though it’s an overwhelming amount of material. Love, love, love you and your Vista Team xxxxx

I am learning a TON! This program is so fascinating, approachable, and immediately applicable. I’m loving it!

I have learned so much about the anatomy of seniors, [which I am One], and how chair yoga can help seniors become more mobile through strengthening their bones and muscles and stretching the fascia through movement and staying hydrated.

I’d like to say how much I appreciate your commitment and sharing of your knowledge to enable newer yoga teachers like myself to learn and benefit from your wisdom so we may spread the love and benefits a little further into our own communities. I feel truly blessed to be teaching yoga and so grateful to have found you and the Yoga Vista Academy.

The residents and I at Magnolia Springs Loveland in Loveland, Ohio love Chair Yoga and your videos every Thursday morning!

I completed my 200 hour Yoga Alliance Training in 2009. Since then I completed trainings at Duke for Integrated Yoga for Seniors and with Yoga Vista Academy for both Chair and Gentle Yoga. The Low Back Care training has taken me to a whole different level of knowledge and teaching skills providing me with a solid understanding of low back conditions, the poses that empower and help my students improve their back conditions, the associated risks, as well as an ability to use that knowledge and teaching skills for creating a safe and effective yoga practice for my students.

I love that Yoga Vista not only inspires all ages and sizes to reach their fullest health and vibrancy through their classes but also that they are teaching instructors all over the world to do the same. Today is always a new day, a new chance no matter what shape you are in. I am passionate about bringing health and hope to those who may have challenges. Most yoga instructors don’t have the knowledge and understanding to help those with injuries, age, weight issues, etc. Yoga Vista ‘gets it’ and they do a great job equipping instructors.

What I like best about the Yoga Vista Academy is the generous sharing of ideas straight from the heart. I first became acquainted with Sherry over a year ago when I participated in Webinars she gave for Yoga Alliance members. I was struck by Sherry’s determination to make a difference in the lives of seniors, as well as her generous spirit of encouraging other yoga teachers to do the same.

And this is why I still enjoy reading each and every email coming from Yoga Vista Academy. I love being caught up to date on the latest happenings and courses. Thanks so much for what you do for yoga teachers and students.

Most of my teaching is in independent and assisted/step-up living facilities so I was very happy when this course was made available. As you know teaching the assisted and memory unit population is challenging but so rewarding. I absolutely loved when you expressed your mistake in trying to do a centering at beginning of class. No way does that work with this population and I love using your joint movements to begin class along with your playful suggestions.

“I’m trained as an ICU/CCU RN – career nurse x 20 years – I’ve never had this explained as thoroughly/understandably. EVER! I will take this info out into the world – should be required reading by all Western adults 50 and over! Outstanding – THANK YOU!”

“Loved, loved, loved how you presented all this info through a Yogic lens. You made very complex information very understandable! Wonderful movement practice.”

“She made a tough topic to grasp very clear and easy to understand. This is so important as a health issue today. The practice at the end was a perfect practice to illustrate the power of Yoga to deeply relax and mobilize energy in healing ways. ”

In my opinion, the live portion is extremely important. One reason being that questions can be answered which then can lead to additional questions and so on. Second, it is important to build relationships with real people. We spend so much time behind electronics that we forget how to really be with people who are also stepping outside of their comfort zone. It’s a great way to learn from one another and provide support. And of course, the teach back…. practicing in front of real people throughout the course helps to prepare for the teach back. When we teach, it is In front of real people. Lastly, it makes the experience meaningful. People make it something to remember. I highly recommend keeping and moving forward with the hybrid training.

I was encouraged by my family to embark on this wonderful adventure. I realized I would need to dedicate a lot of time and energy into this Yoga Vista Academy Program. However, Sherry Zak made it so easy and fun. She was there every step of the way (almost holding my hand). As I began the Program, I became more and more engrossed. It was so easy for me — the good music and fun dancing movements kept me engaged and motivated. In no time, I was able to choreograph my own dance. I am proud to say I was able to accomplish my goal sooner than I had anticipated. Thank you so very much Sherry for helping me achieve my dream.

I really learned a lot about teaching yogas to seniors, the anatomy, how to make the classes more beneficial and effective for them, setting up and preparing my classes for recording, using the proper apps, equipment and devices to record my videos, & using YouTube to share my videos with others.

Love Justine Shelton DVDs! I’ve used the lower back sequence in another class I teach & 3 people came up to be & said that their back feels much better. I’m planing to do knee & hip sequence this week. Thanks heaps for the great resources

I just had to share with you, I did What a Wonderful World all week. The first time I did it was with my Assisted Living group, and I started crying during the song! It was so moving, and they really loved it! Thank you so much for what you have created.

“10 At first I was trying to figure out what Dr. Bell was doing by spending so much time going around the room. Then the story unfolded as she wove the discussion through all of our personal stories. Brilliantly creative. A topic that I learned so much more about.”

“10 Fabulous format – I too was skeptical that it would work, but it did! Wealth of information, presented from a very heartfelt space.”

“10 This was amazing! Kimberley was extremely knowledgeable, appreciated her energy, answering everyone’s questions in an easy manner was huge for me. Incredible!”

I wanted to tell you that I am thoroughly enjoying your Gentle Yoga teacher certification. I have been chipping away at it slowly. Rather than speeding through it, I chose to read one chapter or module at a time and teach it in my style to my class. This morning, I did your class called “gentle yoga class: extra umpf of ujaii and sun salutation”. I absolutely loved it. At one point in the class, you asked a question to your students and I caught myself answering your question…haha..online…real-time.. what’s the difference?

I feel so blessed to have found you and Justine and your program. You have enriched my life and through the knowledge I have gained in your program, I can pay it forward.

I’m learning so much more in this anatomy training than I did in my teacher training. The training we got was way too much for beginner teachers. At least it was for me. Your teaching is so clear and applicable. Thank you!

I am so enjoying taking the chair yoga certification course! Once completed hope to visit “Yoga Vista Academy” You guys are awesome!!!

The videos are fantastic and the best learning tool ever! I have had many a late night watching all of you Justine, Mary, James, and of course your kind wonderful self. love how you interact with the seniors!

The course has really helped me to gain confidence in teaching seated yoga, by basing it so strongly in the context of the physiology of ageing. The depth of information about anatomy, injuries, philosophies and yoga modifications to work alongside everyone’s particular body issues, is really exceptional. I’ve found it so helpful and I know that it will continue to provide endless stimulation and ideas.

I just love the song by Rob Thomas. I’ve been learning it all day today & will do the dance in my seniors class tomorrow morning.

I enjoyed the course material. Even though I took a long time to actually finish I started using the poses in my classes from the get-go. Every time I log into the course I find something fresh that I’d forgotten about. I loved the way you married the poses and conditions with the anatomy. My original YTT didn’t do that and it was a huge frustration. I do really love getting your little videos each week and have definitely lifted some of those vinyasas and used them.

Thanks so much for all the endless hours it must have taken to produce this course. I’m sure everyone one of us who have taken it has benefited tremendously from all your effort, experience and dedication.

Yesterday, six women aged 50 – 75 (some of whom had never done yoga) joined me at a local yoga studio as models for my photo shoot. A highlight of the session was learning Chair Yoga Dance. I taught them your version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and one of my dances, (put together at the requested of an 80+ retired Army Colonel) – Rock Around the Clock.

The group had so much fun yesterday afternoon. None of them had ever tried Chair Yoga, let alone Chair Yoga Dance! I was more relaxed and joyful than I’ve ever been for any photo session. So, thank you for restoring my love of yoga and helping me find a joyful “retirement” career which is more rewarding than I could ever imagine.

I really loved the weekend with you and Sherry. About 5 years ago I was hired to bring yoga into a wellness center run by 4 orthopedic surgeons. They wanted to have a place for their patients to transition to after PT. I was asked to work with a lot of people with joint replacements and back issues. So my google search lead me to yoga vista academy. I learned so much from your newsletters and videos and was able to take that into the center. When Dawn said you were coming – I was so excited and grateful. That was the most inspiring weekend. Thank you for all the good work you do and your overwhelming generosity!!!

Before this project, I never REALLY looked at peoples’ posture very much. It’s amazing what I saw and learned from having to observe people and write this paper. Seems like everywhere I go now, I’m looking at a person’s posture and trying to figure out what the issues are and how to improve them. Thanks Sherry!

I can’t thank you enough for all I have learned through your course. I apply many of the exercises daily to give me relief from my repetitive work. I use the Tray-Flow, Celtic Cross, Lateral Bending Flow daily.

Thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow! I feel like I have improved my knowledge base and confidence. After completing this course, my confidence level is a 10. My Teachback is completed with lots a material to work with in the course. If you are teaching a combo class with wheelchair users then it will be helpful to take both the Chair Yoga and Wheelchair Yoga Training Programs.

I want to thank you for offering the mentoring program. I don’t know if I ever would have finished my program without the motivation, deadlines, and help offered in the program. I’m going to start by offering free classes at some of the homes and senior centers until I feel comfortable with this population.

Thank you for the specific feedback on my Teachback. Clearly you took some time to provide that type of detailed feedback and I REALLY appreciate that.

The course is wonderful, the mix of videos and reading is a great way to study no matter what learning style someone prefers. I loved this course and ever since I’ve started, I’ve been telling my yogi friends about your studio, certifications, classes, and workshops.

THANK YOU for your wunderful email! I feel loved, energised, vital and I’m on my flow IN TO ME!!!

Corey is a treasure – I am SO glad to have had her support in this journey. Thanks to her encouragement, I am through the final exam. I just need to spend more time watching videos and continuing to build on what I’ve already done, and in the next month or so, I can record my teachback. I already know what I will be writing for my field assignment, based on two friends in my class.

The course is so well thought through. I really love the methodology you used, the structure of this course, clear, step-by-step instructions. And it’s so inspiring! I believe and hope that many teachers will take this course and will spread joy and healing on all levels to many-many people!

You guys are the BEST! Love your energy, professionalism, knowledge…LOVE!!!
TGIF and thanks so much for having us as your NC “hOMe”

People are the very heart of the yoga visa academy. I love friendliness the optimism & positive support from everyone I have come into contact with.

The knowledge you share in such a loving & generous way, and the positive feedback & support you give is so enabling. I love that within 4 weeks of starting my Chair Yoga class Yoga Vista has already helped me to make a difference to people’s lives. One student told me she was now confident to climb the stairs using alternate feet (rather than leading with just one leg) and a second that she could now do up her shoes. I think that really says it all. Thank you so much …

Ever since the day I first called you when I signed up for the class because I had trouble getting on the website. You actually answered the phone, on your way to teach. I was amazed that I talked to you in person and you remembered me signing up. It was so personable. I know you are growing but if you can keep that intimacy it really makes a difference. I really feel how true and passionate you are in wanting to create great teachers. It is amazing how you link your students together creating a community. This helps so much especially with the distance learning. Thank you for all you do and I plan on getting more certifications from you in the future.

I am most grateful for your weekly newsletter, and I frequently go on line to check the different classes available on U Tube for inspiration. I want my students to enjoy and have different ideas to work every part of the body, and it is always so much fun not only to challenge myself but to challenge my students and they seem to love it. Thanks for being so generous in providing the access to your great class videos.

I want to let you know that I think Victoria (Viki) is wonderful. I feel her energy through the screen. She is a motivator for sure.

Almost done with chapter 1 and I love everything about this already! I loved your introduction and the picture of your half lotus pose is me!
I feel at home! The way you talk and present yourself totally draws me to this program!

Content… The amount of information in the course was unbelievable. It was well-delivered. The PDF documents were organized perfectly. And I appreciate the videos throughout. Applying different learning methods really helped it all come together for me. Testing… I actually felt like I got real feedback. This is so unusual this day and age and I feel like I am a better teacher for it. The course made me stop and think about who I am as a teacher.

I do enjoy your instructions, information, routines, dances, and laughter. You really make me feel I am there and a part of your family. I have fun while learning.

A BIG thank you to all of you! I learned so much through this program and now I have great resources (videos, manual, YOU) I can turn to when needed.

My community has fallen in love with chair yoga because of you and your amazing team!

The courses I have taken have been terrific . Not only did I learn a lot, it was information I could USE. Additionally the way the material was presented I have been about to recall it (sometimes spontaneously) or been able to look up something I wanted to refresh.

I started a chair yoga class three weeks ago and it is going very well. We had a reporter from our local paper come to class on Friday, it will be written up in our local paper. We are averaging around 21 lovely seniors ! Our reporter friend, 24 years young, did chair yoga with the class!

I really enjoyed it. Learnt a lot and feel much freer in my body already. I am very keen to do the full 100 hr course so please let me know when it is released, as I am in Australia so will have to be online. I am a yoga teacher and yoga therapist and have already started to use little snippets in my classes with great response. After about a week and a half of practicing GSY every other day, I did my regular personal home practice this morning and am feeling like I have a lot more space in my body. This work is amazing!

Awesome on line course! Sherry has been so helpful – Great Hands on Guidance! I never expected Sherry to actually call me and walk me through the steps to get my Mac set up for the course! I truly felt welcomed and on my way to success! The video’s and written materials are spot on! Great resources to go back to again and again! I am grateful that my Yoga Journey has taken me down the Chair Yoga path. Thank you to everyone at Yoga Vista Academy. Keep up the great work! Namaste!

I have a 90 minute class on Saturdays for Midlifers with asana adapted to individual needs. I have incorporated my chair yoga knowledge in my class as 2 of my students have mobility issues and have trouble getting onto the mat. What a blessing to know how to adapt the postures to the chair. Thank you so much for this certification class Sherry. It is really coming in handy teaching the 40+ age demographic.

Every class I get compliments and my class sizes are steady and growing. Love it! So much to learn. I hope that I can figure out a way to do this full time!

I do so enjoy the people that I share yoga with. We have a marvelous time. And I use your videos to learn and share even more. Thank you so much I feel so blessed to have been a part of your program.

Your dedication to helping all of us become better instructors is amazing and I am so grateful to be a part of this program. The special niche of helping seniors (and really anyone any age) to use Yoga to help us move through the problems of injury and aging and to get such positive results is unparalleled. Not only that but you do it with such grace, accessibility, vitality and fun. ❣️ Five Stars each to Justine, Sherry and Yoga Vista Academy⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I have been so blessed to learn about Sherry Zak Morris and Vista Yoga Academy with the online curriculum for Chair Yoga certification! She is a phenomenal teacher and explains everything clearly and with joy and a great positive attitude, which is contagious!!! Also, the mentoring of Josee Madison has been such encouragement to grow, improve in my knowledge of the human body and how to help hurting people. Sherry’s online teaching program for Chair Yoga is complete, detailed and thorough! I have confidence, through her knowledge and detailed understanding of the body, to be able to help so many hurting people and give them Hope! Kudos to Josee and Sherry for all you do! Thank you for your patience in helping me do my best!

I could never have completed this course in an in-person class situation. Both my husband and I are lucky enough to have our 90+ year old mothers alive and living on their own. Most of our weekends get spent with one or the other; they are a fabulous focus group on what works and what doesn’t for some of my classes! They love all I’ve learned as much as I do.

I have learnt so much from doing your Chair Yoga online course, I have been a teacher for 5 yrs now and a student for over 22yrs and I learnt so much than I did in my main teacher training, I would encourage anyone that is interested in teaching not just seniors but any form of chair yoga to invest in this amazing course. A friend asked me why did I choose Yoga Vista Academy and my answer was easy, I felt like Sherry and I taught along the same path, I like to think I teach from my heart and allow people to shine in their own light and that’s how I experienced doing my training during this amazing course. Absolutely LOVED the whole course, thank you for the experience and sharing your love of yoga with me.

The online material not only helped me learn it faster, but I felt more confident.

I do love the course materials, You Tubes, newsletters, etc. but somehow I became, in Corey’s nice word, “stalled.” A few days after Corey emailed me, I finished the section on the spine and took the tests. Thank you for creating the mentor/cheerleader position. I feel I’m not alone now.

I love the fact you are teaching us your methodology to teach our own dances. (this is what I signed up for)

I would like to thank you for offering such a wonderful course online. As I am going along and studying the material, I am learning so much about the body and the way to structure classes to help the older adults to stay active and live a more happy and healthy lifestyle.

Seriously though, thank you so much for your kind and encouraging words! I’m very happy to have found you on YouTube and absolutely love that we’re working together! Looking forward to many more dances together.

Just a note of thanks for a wonderful training experience! Integrity is the word that comes to mind when I think of the educational program you, Justine and all the other fine educators provide in this program. Your feedback was sincere and very direct and I really took it to heart in a positive way. It is obvious that you really love what you do and your willingness to share and give credit where due just shows how much you like to explore new modalities of movement and keep it all fresh and creative. I thank you for keeping us all inspired!!

Based on what I have seen in your YouTube videos, throughout the Corporate Yoga program and most certainly during your live Chair Yoga class — I definitely see what you’re doing, and can feel that you genuinely pour your heart and soul into the connections you have with others. Since changing career paths, I want to invest my collective skills and experience in something meaningful for people and spreading that goodness all around.

The program was excellent. I can see that it was designed to ensure successful learning. The video and PDF instruction worked well. Your support was beyond expectation and both you and Justine are fantastic at supporting the instruction responding to questions fully and completely, and providing additional information to support instruction to specific mobility or chronic conditions of current students. I really appreciate that a lot and I believe this is something that adds tremendous value to the learning experience. As a relatively new yoga instructor I feel I am learning so much and there is always so much that I feel I don’t know….having your consistent and fully supporting me with quick and thoroughly thought through responses is so helpful.

I am sitting here with a smile on my face because you have encouraged me so much. As I have said before, what a wonderful experience this has been to take and complete your course. There is just so much information that I have received and am now able to share with my students.

My classes here are so popular, too. I teach Chair Yoga 4 times a week in my small town of 20,000 people and I have up to 25 in a class!
With much gratitude for the amazing work you do.

First let me say that I am thoroughly enjoying all the information in the Chair Yoga course. I am blown away! The 20 hour anatomy portion is VERY informational and highly applicable to treating my patients… As an occupational therapist.

“10 Wow! She was such a world of information, and her teaching technique of asking for personal stories worked so well.”

“10 Loved her approach! So many new bits of info. Appreciate her ability to remember names. So helpful in understanding how balance works in general.”

“10 Excellent presentation on a very relevant topic for senior Yogis. Technical information presented in an easy to understand manner. Very effective presenter.”

“10 You rock Kimberley Bell! I have referred 2 clients to her.”

The handouts, the pacing of the material, the videos accompanying the specific modules, then the practice video and the interaction with the course creator was a great way to communicate foundations of yoga for low back challenges. I plan to take more training with the folks at Yoga Vista Academy! Gail Pickens-Barger RYT500.

Thank you so much for putting together this wonderful program, which has brought so much to my chair yoga teaching.

You and your co-workers continually inspire me to explore new ways of teaching and sharing yoga with those who over 50. I get so excited to get your newsletter because I know I will be learning something new that I can share immediately with my students. Chair yoga has been a passion of mine since I began a class in 2011 due to an overwhelming demand for yoga that doesn’t require going to the floor. I thought I would have to create this class out of thin air until I found Yoga Vista. Such a find that was!!! Thank you for sharing so much!!

Where I work is a day habilitation center for adults with multiple kinds of disabilities. About a month or so ago, we decided to try to find some morning exercise routine in which to start our day. While searching google for ‘chair yoga’, we came across your videos. Now every single morning from 8:30-9 am, we all pull out some chairs, set up YouTube, and work out to your videos! The people I work with, clients and staff alike, love your videos. A couple of fan favorites are “Can’t Stop the Feeling”, “I Can See Clearly Now”, and we always conclude with “Amazing Grace”.

Sherry and Justine, you have a distinct way of loving people through your programs. Every conversation or email throughout the process provided encouragement and affirmation that I was on the right path. I can see why you are successful— you care so very much. I’m honored to be a new member in your special sangha and look forward to the day when I’ll get to meet each of you in person and give you a great big hug. 🙂

I love this training program! There truly is NOTHING I would change. I could work at my own pace, study offline (handouts), study online (videos) watching as the material was discussed/ practiced and real, live class instruction demonstrated, then take the tests when I was ready. Since I tend to be more of a visual learner, this approach really fit my preferred learning style perfectly! There were plenty of real examples provided and lots of bonus extra videos to supplement my learning. I have all the handouts in one big binder and still refer to it for ideas, yet love the idea that I can go back to the website whenever I desire. After course completion, I felt well prepared to teach classes on my own…and I have!

I LEARNED SO MUCH from this course! Justine beautifully presents high quality information here that is particularly special because it is infused with her own personal experiences with herself as well as her clients. I am truly inspired and cannot wait to get out there and work with and help people with back pain. I have chronic back pain as well so that was my first motivation for taking the course; to use it for myself. It has made me so much more aware and present in my own body and has definitely helped strengthen my core. Often after a course I might still feel not very confident with the material to start using it, but the homework assignments and teachback final really make sure you are ready with at least a good amount of the material. I am sure I will refer back to it over the years and will always find something new and useful. Thank you Justine, for sharing your knowledge, your humor, and your heart!

The online class was perfect for me. It was easy to stop and start when I needed to and thanks for the extension from 6 months to almost a year! The videos made the experience more real and helped with ideas for my own class. As you know I have been borrowing and using you ideas for a long time!

The course is meeting my needs and expectations, thank you. I am pleased and excited to offer even more poses and information to my students. It is giving me added confidence and a good refresher on top of my 200 hour certification.

I was interviewed on Ireland”s National Radio Programme Radio 1 about the success of the groups because what I am doing with the Seniors is a very recent development in Ireland, so much credit goes to yourself for all the valuable information I have learned both from the course and all the you tube clips you send on, so a big thanks.

I chose Yoga Vista Academy training because of the quality of your video classes, but especially because of your emphasis on learning the anatomical issues and conditions of seniors and on how to meet their specific needs. I was NOT disappointed! I am a much more confident and skilled teacher as a result of this training. At the same time, I believe my classes, like your training, are creative and fun!

The Chair Yoga training was beneficial in so many ways: self-paced, practical anatomy lessons, accessible format.

How JAZZED I am to have met so many folks committed to the true Path that is the Yoga Vista “way”!

And, as I said in my evaluation, each presentation, all by itself, was TOTALLY worth the price of admission, on so many levels. Thank you, Justine and Sherry, for your incredible modeling of leadership, mentorship, and friendship, and gratitude as well for encouraging all of us to push through the challenges (mostly self-imposed!) as guides on this Path. It’s exciting, and VERY fun.

What an honor to have spent time sharing The Practice with you!

Sherry Zak Morris is an absolute amazing woman. She oozes positive energy, she is highly knowledgeable in her craft as a Chair Yoga Teacher and Gentle Senior Yoga Teacher and her presentation skills are exceptional. Sherry has also being very supportive. She is bases in the USA and I’m her student in Ireland and I’ve had more heart warming email from her with positive encouraging words and she is never too busy to reply. Her teaching methods has me in awe of her and I hold her in a very high regard. Sherry is a true inspiration and so lovely inside and out.

As a dance instructor of over 20 years this was fun for me and new.

I was prepared to take human anatomy at my local community college as an enrichment to my yoga teacher training, but the anatomy of the aging body is more than I would have had. I wanted to know the how’s and why’s of aging. These are the tools that allow me in depth understanding and compassion for Seniors and for those with limited mobility. The medical names are important to know, and are delivered in such a way that I remember terms and how they fit into my daily work of teaching chair yoga. I’m not going to just read and take a test, I’m retaining so much of what I am learning, and applying it. Your program has so many pictures, sequencing, cue tips, and practical helps. It just goes on and on.

Great Stuff! The content is world class, and I loved the option to read and watch the video at the same time. Super organized and easy to follow. The sections build on one another nicely. Definitely felt like a good value. Super glad that I can go back and watch the videos whenever I want to. That is a huge selling point.

Thank you for your help and time. May I also take this opportunity to let you know that I really have learned a lot during this training. You have provided such a complete experience and I have truly enjoyed it.

I enjoyed the Posture Project, feel like I am more aware of the misalignments in the yoga students and just in the general population! I catch myself looking at people everywhere I go with attention to their posture. I loved the idea of the questionnaire and the before and after photos of the students. The Fascia-nation sequence is a fun way to introduce the students to the fascia netting of our bodies.

I am learning so much thru this certification program! So grateful that I found You and Chair Yoga. I love the gentle yoga classes I teach and look forward to teaching Chair Yoga!

I have been teaching Chair yoga for the past 2 years and would never have attempted it without the help from your video’s. My 200 hour training covered a very small portion of chair yoga. After my Chemo, I know all about the aches and pains of aging and now I can feel for my students in a whole new light. I was asked to teach another class at the senior place, and feel I need more knowledge, so thank you for this course and hopefully this 73 year old body and mind can keep up. I love my class at the senior housing and the people, they keep me so motivated and uplifted, it is the best thing I could have done.

My experience with the Corporate Yoga program was incredible! I’ll admit that there was some apprehension when I was deciding to do it as it is 100% online — needless to say, this was my first time getting my feet wet with the world of online Yoga courses. After completing the program, let me tell you just how extremely pleased I am today with having made the right decision 🙂 Sherry and the Yoga Vista team will leave you feeling more confident, knowledgeable and prepared to teach in the corporate setting. Upon completing my initial program to become a certified Yoga teacher, I felt that I could have learned a LOT more about anatomy and didn’t quite know the best approach to working with students who have a limited range of motion/flexibility. Glad to report that I now look forward to having a diverse population of students to work with and KNOW that I can be there to properly help them in their Yoga journey.

I truly believe that all YTT 200 programs should also include a course like this one for aging/older adult population. Even though I tend to have clients that are between 16-40 I believe that it would be beneficial to have this type of knowledge under your belt.

I just wanted to let you know I am finishing up my first Happy Back workshop class. It was seven weeks of back education and exercises specific to each persons condition. I start my next one on Oct. 31st and it’s full! I am so happy and grateful that I had the opportunity to do your course. It has given me new passion for my yoga teaching.

It is clear that Sherry has put lot of time, effort and passion in creating this course. I was amazed by all the information that is in this course. It is so complete, detailed and thorough. And it’s fun!

Thanks again. You and these courses have been wonderful for me. Our chair yoga program at the Y has really grown and I am enjoying teaching a great deal. Namaste.

Thanks for all that you do!! You have changed my life, I quit my nursing job, I am teaching 2 classes, and possibly one more and I have started to take a course to become a yoga therapist. I could not have done this without your classes and your knowledge and support. Thanks to you and Justine!!

I had started this training to help my mother who is 85. She had a chair yoga class she attended in Michigan before we moved to Florida. We looked for a chair yoga class and there was none so I decided to take the training myself. It has been both wonderful and beneficial to myself as well as my mother. I have lost 48 lbs and increased my strength, flexibility and banished my back pain through the training and practice of chair yoga. I have severe scoliosis – and my posture has also improved. I am a musician (pianist/singer) who was struggling to sit at the piano and practice because of pain but now can sit and rehearse with no problems.

I have had the privilege to be mentored by Viki Boyko who was absolutely delightful and a wonderful teacher. She suggested that I start to teach while I was training. I have been working with a group of senior citizens. We meet at a church in the area twice a week. Many have shared with me that there doctors are delighted with the results from their chair yoga classes. My favorite story is about a retired gentleman who says his golf game has improved by practicing chair yoga. He says he relaxes his toes before he swings and it has made a great impact on his game. Thank you again for the opportunity to train. I think this is a marvelous program!

This is my first online course. I was skeptical (of myself) to remain engaged and motivated. But the course has so many components (reading, videos) that it has kept me engaged. I really enjoy the Deep Dives. I know that in a day I can block off a couple hours to complete a module and hopefully incorporate something into my next class.

I really like your program and recommend it to other teachers all the time!

I am so happy to be a member of the Yoga Vista Academy graduates. You both are doing amazing work in teaching and inspiring people to teach yoga to seniors. I have recommended your training to many people.

The online format you use is simple to navigate, and easy to follow. There is so much wonderful information to glean from the videos and in the written portion. When I first began teaching chair yoga, I would make up routines to work the 8 bearing joints, some of which I still use today. Then I discovered your Youtube Yoga Vista videos and became so inspired by your passion I just knew I had found mine too. Sherry I feel like you are my yoga sister!

“Relevant, superbly presented. Clear, concise information. Wonderful humor, Ahimsa, great imaginative visualizations. Lots of ideas to bring to class. Thoroughly delightful. So much information!”

“Wow! Viki is a delight! Her topic was also so relevant to the senior population and working on creating awareness to the pelvic floor health will definitely be a goal of mine. I especially enjoyed the various activities that targeted ‘getting to know’ the various parts involved and the poses and how to use them in this journey. Wonderful Energy!”

“Viki is an awesome presenter and very informative. I just loved her!! :)”

” What a delightful presentation! Loved the humor! Loved the up and down physical practice! Made everything we were learning stick more. Thank you Viki!”

“Viki- Not a moment too soon! I think I can begin to work with my pelvic floor. ”

“FANTASTIC info and presentation. The tools you created and used to teach very complex info WERE GENIOUS! Now I have so much info to use as I move forward on my on-going journey to pelvic floor health.”

“Oh my gosh! Once again, topic presented in such a fun and engaging manner! Viki’s eye contact was outstanding – manual content organized and easy to access….(Actually, the entire manual is SUPER! Thank you!)”

“It was a really interesting education on the pelvic floor and conditions that can be associated with dysfunctional states. Her props were great! Her enthusiasm was contagious!”

I have absolutely LOVED your training and knowledge and have learned so much!! I could not have made this change in my work life without you!!! I have brought the two things I love and are passionate about together – Seniors and Yoga!! (I am a former Activity Professional and Activity Director)

Since I graduated from your Program, I am happy to say that I teach Chair Yoga at Lynda’s studio every Saturday and Wednesday nights for a community program. People really enjoy the class. Thanks again for providing such a cumulative and informative course!

I am working with a Neuropsychologist on a 10 month program for Stroke Recovery Survivors, offering yoga at the end of each of her rehab sessions. I was “bold” as you said and approached her and the next thing I knew I was involved with hospital recovery groups, her program, and teaching stroke survivors at a healing house designed to support family and caregivers. It has been one of the biggest blessings in my life.

I just wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying this low back care training program. It has helped my husband tremendously. It has taken me years to get him to do yoga. My students are enjoying the information that I bring also.

WHAT I LEARNED THAT I DIDN’T KNOW?

“The different ways you sit and how that plays into your spinal posture and long term effects. It was a great Yoga Refresher on a calmer, more protective way of doing Yoga that is nurturing. And I learned about Breathing the pace, the connection and value that breathing plays into a good stretch.”

” That your muscles hold all your bones in place. I learned different ways to meditate and the best lying position for your spine.”

“How things work in my Anatomy. I want to remember to practice this and I know I need to relax. I need to practice – more!”

“I learned about the specific small muscles that impact the rest of the body, and about breathing/meditation.”

“I learned a whole lot about muscles. I realized how enjoyable Yoga and that it is a real benefit. I learned about the Breathing right left nostril thing.”

“How to open up and breathe!”

“I didn’t know anything about Anatomy! I learned the Breathing Effects of breathing through left nostril vs. right nostril.”

Thanks Sherry for selflessly sharing your dance moves and videos. I watch and learn a lot from them. I do teach Karma Chair Yoga (all voluntary) as an healthy alternative to different cultural groups and I incorporate a lot of dance and moves related to the music and the classes are so popular. I am a singer too so it helps in the movements.

Once again, I wanted to acknowledge you and your sharing of your contributions and your beautiful ideas and moves to benefit all our aging families, friends and communities.

“Loved Kat and her presentation. She gave me confidence that I can now offer a restorative class to my students, something they want and I want to do. Just have to convince them to buy some props! Her love and compassion is evident. She has a beautiful heart, and a great sense of humor.”

“Gentle Kat – so easy to trust. I melted into all her beautiful restorative poses. Great balance between explanations, answering questions, yet plenty of time to completely surrender in the poses – she was wonderful.”

The live mentoring component was invaluable. Viki is a highly skilled and effective instructor. She is extremely competent, and has a way about her that makes learning easy and fun. I found that her personal interaction with us was key to engagement in the program. In addition, Viki went above and beyond. She was extremely welcoming and supportive. She established relationships with the individuals in the class. She reached out to us with information, reminders, and follow ups. What was perhaps the most helpful, was Viki’s willingness to have us observe and participate in her chair yoga classes. Observing her teach provided an entirely different learning experience. For me, that was the most valuable learning lesson of them all.

Loved the program and have been recommending it big time. I learned a lot from it and have brought many things I learned into my regular classes as well. I feel so much better about teaching seniors and chair yoga after taking this course. You probably were able to tell I have mastered the tea cup and finally figured out how to cue it. All my students love that one and many others. My feedback is all positive. Being able to do it on my time table was extremely helpful. I did everything! The videos were great as well as the anatomy PDFs.

It hit home just how much posture is correlated with pain and discomfort. I always thought, “what’s the big deal? Just stand up straight!” Now that I’m a senior I have so much more compassion and I’m getting a taste of what my students are experiencing! The students find relief with regular practice with emphasis on awareness and alignment and that in itself is huge. Love your program. I have been inspired the whole way through. I am so thankful.

I am so grateful to all of you. Gerry has been an exceptional mentor.

I loved the Chair Yoga Dance Training program. It was so much fun and so easy to work through. The dances are a just the right amount of challenging. And, I love the variety in music. Since starting the program, I have used three dances during my gentle chair yoga classes (Que Sera Sera, Everything’s Gonna Be Alright, and The River) and my students LOVE them. Even those that don’t “feel like dancers” find them fun and easy to follow along with. Thank you so much for this training. I highly recommend it. 🙂

I just wanted to let you know that I work for an organization that services people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We do exercising with our people, they were getting bored with what we had been doing. I found your Chair Yoga videos and this was a game changer for them. I take a group out to the local parks on Monday mornings and we do them outside. They love the songs and learning the movements. Their favorite is Over the Rainbow with Israel. Thank you so much for what you do and making their exercise time something they look forward to.

I just want to thank you so much again for all you have given me. Thanks to you starting with chair yoga certification, I went on to study yoga therapy with breathe deeply program. And nowI am in Florida and teaching gentle and chair yoga to women 60 and over. I also have three private clients. I can’t tell you how great the information is that have given me. The anatomy of aging body is amazing! I watch your videos over and over. Your programs are so thorough there is nothing else out there!! I’m just preparing for my class and looking over some of your videos and I’m so happy to have them as a resource. Thank you again both so much for everything!!. I don’t think people say thank you enough to other people so thank you again for bringing your knowledge to us! I no longer have to go back to nursing and I feel so good that although I’m not a nurse, I’m still helping people.

I loved the Posture Project Course and use that information all the time. You have inspired me, I have become the queen of props. I have been using balls, magic wands, drumsticks, hats, ninja items, and anything from the dollar store. They love it!!!! Thanks. I could never do this without your certification. I am also in yoga therapy class, and have 3 private older ladies. It is really helping them. Thanks again to you and Justine.

While preparing for a chair yoga class I was presenting at an ALF for International Yoga Day I stumbled upon Sherry and YogaJP on YouTube. Needless to say, I was HOOKED. Now when I come across other chair yoga classes, they’re very vanilla in comparison.

In 4 months, at the age of 53, I will finally leave my federal government job in order to follow my true passion of teaching chair, gentle and low back yoga. I am extremely grateful for your teacher certification that is allowing me to transition to a new chapter in my life. I continue to be impressed with your materials and teaching as each time I reread or repeat a video, I pick up something new.

“Pertinent, energized presentation of LOTS of material in an understandable, ‘digestible’ manner. Especially appreciated thoughts about accessing your corporate wellness possibilities. Sherry, you absolutely walk your joyful talk.”

“Always fresh, creative and inspiring! This is such a relevant concern in today’s world. Not a day goes by that someone doesn’t present with tech based pain issues.”

“Loved it! Very thorough, fun, enjoyed the stretching exercises. Really appreciate the sample flyers to use for my own marketing.”

“So much useful information! This is such an important topic that is useful not just on a teaching level, but for family, friends and myself. It is always wonderful to practice while learning.”

Yoga Vista Academy’s Gentle and Chair Yoga Teacher Training was beyond my greatest expectations. So much detailed information on anatomy, aging and yoga was presented in such an accessible format. The factual information combined with practical applications and a multitude of resources will guide me for years to come. What a great investment in my yoga journey!

I’m thrilled I’ve learned so much from you and Justine. Thank you for all you do for me and for everyone who comes through your doors. You are truly an angel. You’ve helped me through a pretty rough time. But life is good and on we go. Sending a smile and gratitude.

Your video: the business and marketing of Yoga was very clarifying, I realized all the mistakes I made when doing it, so great learning, I have to put it into action. How to use sponsorships to grow……. a video of Shelly Anderson. It was incredible, I thought about everything I did not do, it was because I did not look for sponsors I did not know how, now I do. For me all this videos were so clarifying, I always review them because there is always something that escapes me because of the language, and I must see them more than once.

I enjoyed the course very much and learned a lot. My students have enjoyed all the new material I have been able to introduce.

I have loved this training! This training has instilled more confidence in working with low back issues, not only in teaching, but in personal practice. In fact, my own sense of self-esteem has strengthened with the empowerment of better understanding the nature of the problems that can involve the spine and how I can personally work with these issues in my spine and feel confident in teaching yoga to others with loads of low back pain. Chronic pain is a drain on life energy, but having the right tools to work with pain is pure gold!

Thanks for my report card, your kind and empowering remarks and certificate. Made my day!!! Today going to see an Egoscue practitioner for my knee deviation. Been sharing the book PAIN FREE with my classes. Life has taught me to be open to healing not fixing. Your holistic way of teaching and thinking is a powerful message for all. So glad you are a part of my life. Love, Moon

I just want you to know that I teach yoga in a town of 1300 people in Emo, Ontario, Canada. We are on the Minnesota border.
I teach chair yoga and Hatha vinyasa. I love your website and all the great energy that you share with us. I feel blessed that I found you!
Thanks for all you do!

“Very comprehensive information and fun! The research and statistics were eye-opening. I’ve found seniors love fact-based information about yoga. Can’t wait to share.

“Love, love, LOVE the posture project!!! Can’t wait to do this with my students. Thank you gazillions for sharing this with us. You are so gracious!”

“Sherry’s work with senior posture issues presented a wealth of knowledge that provided a comprehensive education on the issue. Her expertise, enthusiasm and love of what she does made her presentation extremely enjoyable and informative.”

Currently I’m offering 7 chair yoga classes a week (plus a twice-monthly healthy brains with yoga segment) and am loving it. I often hear from students how much they appreciate the variety of movement and themes from class to class, and I know that I’ve been able to offer that as a result of this training. One of the best compliments I have received from people who used to practice mat yoga was that they still felt as though they were practicing “real” yoga!

I have completed the studying and testing of the low back course now preparing to video sequences and send them in. I am excited to say that I was asked to teach a gentle yoga class with an emphasis on low back care to physical therapists and have now been asked to teach a class at their facility for their clients. This physical therapy facility is who I treated with following my accident (it will be 3 years in April). I am so grateful for their treatment and care and the opportunity provided by Yoga Vista to study online to receive my Chair Yoga, Gentle Yoga and now Low Back Care Certification. What a Journey it has been! Thank you Sherry and Justine.

I had 48 seniors this morning! They keep coming back for more!

I would definitely recommend to other students what a fine mentoring program you have. I still remember the day I received Sherry’s email regarding the program and how I could join in. As you could probably tell, I really needed the motivational perks to keep me on task and get it done! Phew!!

I am studying the Corporate Deskworker I must compliment you on such a fantastic course I am really enjoying it. It’s so interesting with lots of additional information I am now passing on to my students .

My love & excitement for what I’m doing with chair yoga is all down to your ‘generosity of spirit’ Sherry, and your willingness to share all that you believe is good with your students & trainees the world over. You are truly inspiring !

I have loved the training and look forward to feedback from both you and Jane. Someday I hope to get out your way and would love to take a class with you. I am tickled to share with you that since retiring I am now teaching 4 classes a week! I teach chair at State of Mind Yoga on Fridays, I also teach basics there on Monday nights, and a basic class at a very posh retirement center, where they are eager to bring chair yoga back. On Saturdays, I teach a basic at the park district in a nearby town. I could not be happier and owe so much of my success to you and Jane and all my other teachers along the way and to come.

I am a AFAA certified group fitness instructor with YogaFit training. I love all of your fabulous tips, DVDs and Utube productions. They have given me so much very important information to make me a better yoga instructor! I began teaching a chair class 5 years ago because I saw a need to modify for my seniors. It has become the largest growing segment of all the various classes I teach!! I feel so much more confident since watching your Youtube classes and DVDs.

And thank you for the posture project. I have learned so much from that and have a much stronger core as a result. I sit away from the backs of chairs for entire meals and or meetings. I observe more carefully others’ posture and can see how positively it has helped increase awareness in the members of my classes.

What I loved about the Online Chair Yoga Program! 1. The written PDF’s that went with most of the Video’s. 2. I liked the exams throughout because it kept it very fresh. 3. The PDF’s are fantastic reference documents, so those are so nice to have. 4. The video – MOST all were very good. 5. Library of postures is great to have with the handout’s as well, because the names are different than we use in other yoga classes! 🙂 6. In the video’s themselves, one thing I really like was being able to see the seniors do it with you. It gave me an idea of what those postures look like for them because I find myself wanting to correct their form when it may be all they can do.

I truly enjoyed and appreciated the flow of this program. The material was presented in a sequential and practical manner. The videos were just long enough to cover a new topic or song. After completing a module, I immediately wanted to learn the next dance. I’d describe this program as the “icing” to all your other programs.

I’m a senior nursing school student and we are currently doing a clinical rotation at senior apartment homes. Part of our rotation consists of holding a weekly dancercise class for the residents who wish to participate. We’ve been using many of your videos as a part of our class and the seniors (and we) are enjoying them. Thank you so much for this resource and for your joy in encouraging dance and yoga at all ages!

As I have challenges with my scoli back and various issues, this foundation for low back yoga workshop helped me tremendously in teaching me how to do the proper yoga poses, how to teach the poses and explained thoroughly the anatomy of the body.

I think that this was a fantastic format for taking this course. Having everything in bite-sized units made it seem like something that could be tackled via correspondence. Having video and text made sure that everything really made sense and sunk in. I so greatly admire the work that you all do that I am honoured to have taken this course.

I didn’t know anything about the problems of being in a wheelchair. Everything from spasms, to lack of use of core and breathing muscles, problems with body heat. All of the ‘real world’ experiences of wheelchair users was extremely helpful and vital to teaching a class with differing disabilities.

At first I was hesitant about online training. But after taking a course I realized just how valuable YVA training is. Not only are the trainings jammed packed with posture, anatomy and teaching strategies, I can pause, rewind and go back again and again so that I don’t miss one juicy detail. Looking forward to my next training.

What I like most about Yoga Vista is the quality and authenticity of your teaching, the teaching staff (Sherry, of course) and the variety of classes. Yoga Vista is fun (and funny), friendly, and accessible online which is huge for those of us that cannot make it into the studio or any studio!

I am now on permanent disability and was a former yoga teacher for seniors. I feel as if I am in class at home and not missing out. Thank you for connecting with ALL of us! Much appreciated for everything you do!

I am only halfway through Dr. Bell and am AMAZED!!! This information is invaluable not only for our yoga classes but anyone that is alive.
Thank you for making the workshop online so available. I am anxious to share some of the findings with one person in particular in my class. This may be life changing for her.

My gentle class has doubled in size, I had 29 last week!

I have been asked to teach at a Nursing Care Home for the Elderly and was feeling very nervous about it. Your course, however has reassured me and I found lots of points useful. For example- starting the class by checking which joints are moving, instead of starting with a quiet meditation. I loved the video showing how you do the shoulder and neck massage. Its something that I do not normally do in my yoga class, but will now be added as I feel much more confident with it. I also like the idea of greeting every student prior to commencing the class. I loved the course!

I have found so much joy in incorporating dances in my yoga classes. The dancing really changes the routine and the addition of the music and familiar songs makes the class a little jewel in the day for the seniors I teach and for me! I use the songs at the beginning, end and middle of the class.

The mentoring program was truly a stroke of genius. I doubt I would have finished the course without it. The idea of online courses is great but personally I love live, in person learning (probably a factor of age!) The online learning is dry and isolating so the mentoring gave it back the human connection that was so special.

I want to thank you and the team at Yoga Vista Academy for this Program. Well done. I commend you for the information, the technical approach, the direct projection of issues into actual lives, the poses that relate to individual body conditions. The videos are exceptional. Different teachers with their various disciplines and personalities are a great teaching tool. The program has refreshed and further educate me on various levels. Thank you so very much.

This Program is a very valuable and much needed program, I recommend it for anyone passionate about teaching to an inclusive market. It definitely would be beneficial to instructors wishing to offer yoga services a demographic that is misunderstood, under valued and under served.

“I learned more about metabolic syndrome than I ever have! And I have it. I can’t wait to download it! I LOVED her practice.”

“Good presentation – cohesive, followed structure, handled complicated topic in easily accepted format. Visuals excellent. ”

“Interesting and presented in an understandable format – a topic that affects many seniors – so information is vital for a safe practice.”

I just wanted to share with you what happened in my chair yoga class at the Senior Citizens yesterday. We had a regular class and I had been teaching the tray and tea cup exercises. At the end of class I passed out little battery operated candles and explained this would be our quiet restful closing. I turned off the lights as they turned on their candles and we did the tea cup. Everyone was quiet for a minute then they all broke out into the children’s Bible song “Let you little light shine”. It was such an encouraging and inspirational event. Thanks for showing me all the benefits and pleasures of chair yoga. Please keep it up! You just don’t know how many people you uplift and inspire!!!

I loved this program. It was above and beyond my expectations. The icing on the cake… what really tied it together for me, helping me stay on course and and gain the confidence to teach, was the mentorship program. I don’t think I would have done as nearly a good job on my teachback nor felt the confidence that I do (even if it’s at the sappling level ) if it hadn’t been for this part of the program and Corey.

Corey helped us build our skills and confidence session by session in a safe and affirming way, offering great feedback and sharing her wisdom as well. I feel blessed to have her as my mentor. Having a cohort of other students was also important aspect of the program. It gave me a sense of having a community in which to grow and develop as a teacher, and I really appreciated being able to learn from and share with the other students.

A very comprehensive and educational program. Sherry beautifully put together, and covered the most common problems desk workers face (from physical pains to mental stressors) and shared great insight on how we can positively impact these issues to promote wellbeing through a myriad of therapeutic-yoga approaches. If you are serious about teaching yoga and reaching out to the corporate desk worker world you should definitely check this program out!

I like the Yoga Vista Academy videos best! It’s great that you offer a spectrum of videos from the purely educational ones as well as the yoga class ones. The educational ones ground and inform what we do as teachers and the yoga class ones are fun and creative.

Thank you Sherry for being such an enthusiastic and inspiring advocate for senior yoga teaching and practice!

The course is so professionally done and it was an amazing collaboration across the globe – a very positive example of how we are all connected.

I enjoyed James’ class very much and have been incorporating some of the flows into my sessions with clients and group practices…and…oh yes…have weaved some of them into my own practices as well.

It’s all going smooth and sweet so far. And such a great training! Really good work. Many practical advices, examples, testimonies, shared experiences, all knowledge good and precisely presented, easy to follow (nice handouts!) and very practice oriented. Well done indeed.

Your occasional personal emails were great for staying motivated and finishing the course. If you didn’t send me that final email checking in to see how I was and letting me know how close I was to finishing (just needed the final teach back), I would still have it hanging over my head. Your personal touch made it much more than an impersonal online course for yoga.

Corey was an excellent mentor, even though I didn’t use her to full advantage! Just knowing that someone was there and keeping touch was great motivation to continue on. She quickly recognized where I was at and let me do my thing my way! Invaluable!!!

What I like best about Yoga Vista Academy is that it inspires me to be authentic in teaching my chair yoga classes, taking new ideas and putting my own personality into them so that they all ring true with my class members and feel good to my spirit as well. I hope that someday workshops will be offered in Florida so I can attend and become even more deeply involved.

As a visual learner the presentation format of video clips of Sherry talking suited me. On the other hand the layout of the scripted format (cheat sheets) were very well set out and great support. I also appreciated Sherry’s almost immediate and personalised responses to my questions.

Just want to let you know I did the chair yoga dance “Forever Young”. It was very well received so I will give it a try this week again.😃. I will think about pursuing the chair yoga dance program. Thanks very much for all you do for the advancement of chair yoga. Without you we would all not be where we are today in spreading chair yoga to so many people.

I just wanted to let you know that I am almost done your chair yoga class and I am loving it soooo much!!! You are an amazing teacher and so knowledgeable. I am a nurse and you know way more than I do!!!!! I just quit a horrible nursing job in which I was sitting all day and stressed out and trying to make a career change. I want to thank you so much for the information and the way it is presented. It is so easy to follow. Your enthusiasm is contagious!! I am thinking about doing the gentle yoga also. Thanks again, I think that you are just wonderful. I wish you were closer to me!!!

You guys are really ahead of the curve on this whole area of yoga instruction. I also think your online videos and discussions are just great and are a great contribution to the profession.

I am very happy with the course it is great and I highly recommend it to anybody. I improved my regular yoga classes and right now I am teaching two chair yoga classes one at the “Y” and the other one at the Seniors Center I absolutely love it. Seniors are great and the good part is that they appreciate it. I want to take this opportunity to THANK YOU. I was lucky to found you!

I think you did a masterful job of outlining, covering, explaining and repeating the cogent points. The best thing about the Program is the attention to detail of the cadence of the songs, the TIPS to watch for when the action is changing or pausing, the way to map out the songs. My village is so excited about adding dancing to our chair class that I feel empowered to mess up and still have fun.

“10 Oh my God! I never realized what a horrible thing vertigo can be. Information of BPPV – so timely and well explained.”

“10 What a master teacher Kim is! This info is so relevant and important to me individually and for all of us as teachers. I now have the language to explain BPPV in a clear, easy to understand way. Knowing where to go for help is a HUGE relief!”

“10 I’ve never seen a Q&A format work SO well – masterful, informed, compassionate teaching. Thank you! “What you thought of as deficits are truly your gifts to the world….” LOVE THIS!”

“James has such an engaging nature – he pulls you in to his enthusiasm. Will incorporate more somatics into my classes and look forward to more info on visualization.”

“I like James’ personal approach and openness. He explains concepts very clearly and skillfully alternates discussions with practice. I really appreciate that he demonstrated chair versions of somatic movements.”

“Awesome! It really brought home the idea of the fascia-so simple but such effects. Just so impressed.”

“James is so passionate about what he does. His energy shines thru his eyes and truly concerned about each and every individual.”

“Very good session. The energy was good, a lot of information that I can use for my students.”

“Learning about somatics today was so refreshing and opened a new world of opportunities.”

I just wanted to say how much I am enjoying the course! Thank you so much for encouraging me to go for it, I really am pleased I did! I have really enjoyed all of it so far and am loving learning more about our anatomy and conditions as we age. I find it fascinating how a subtle change to a pose or sequence can give different benefits. I am going through the course slowly and revisiting sections as I am new to yoga and there is a lot to learn… but I’m delighted by how many of the poses and sequences are feasible for me as a wheelchair user.

I have loved doing your course and pushing myself to video and look back at the way I run classes, I must admit I have enjoyed the learning experience and pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I now do cd’s and working on getting a proper video camera to make dvd for me to sell. A big Big thank you for the opportunity to learn about myself as well as the wonderful world of chair yoga.

The online course was of a very high standard under the expertise, guidance and professionalism of Sherry Zak Morris. The course itself was online but any questions or queries on any aspect of the course were expertly dealt by Sherry who always returned any of my queries very efficiently and in a quick response. There was in depth material and on line classes that suited the needs of all the requirements of my students.The course has been invaluable in increasing my knowledge and expertise to many groups of Seniors.

I just wanted to let you know how much I am enjoying this course so far. I have been teaching Seniors exercise to music for about 7 years for a nationwide UK Seniors charity (Age UK) as well as open Yoga classes and have always wanted to bridge the two. I found you on YouTube and I find your classes so much more fun and interesting than most of the more sombre classes I see online!! There are not many chair yoga courses in the UK as it’s not a very popular area at present so it’s great that I can get certified through your course. I’m finding it really useful and learning a lot!

I give the Yoga Vista Gentle and Chair Yoga courses my highest recommendation! Sherry and Justine have perfected the art of online teaching. The written materials are comprehensive, detailed, and some of the best reference sources in my entire yoga library. The many hours of videos are equally outstanding, offering a variety of teaching styles, methodologies, and information. I expected to receive outstanding instruction in Gentle and Chair Yoga. What I didn’t expect, but received in abundance, was these courses making me a better teacher overall, as well as a better teacher trainer. These courses truly have been a highlight of my ongoing yoga education!

I’m so excited!! I love, love, loved the in-person training. All participants were positive and energizing. Lynda is amazing; she shared so much valuable insight from her experience. I’m getting so much out of the manual and online training, but I personally would probably never complete it without the energizing and sharing quality of the live training segment. The live segment also gives me reasonable deadlines.

I think without having the mentor system I may not have completed when I did! I made a decision to set a date a few weeks before my final teachback. I shared this with Karen. She was so excited and positive about it that I didnt want to let her down, let alone let myself down by cancelling it. I also told my students a few weeks before so that would also keep me to my plan. I made a draft class plan and sent to Karen. She made a couple of suggested amendments which I considered carefully. It was a great feeling on teachback day when I reported to her that I had done it!!
I will miss our conversations but I’m sure we will stay in touch.

I just want you ladies to know how much I have enjoyed this course. You guys have done a fabulous job with organizing and teaching the materials. Thank you, Anita Whittle

Teaching “on the fly” happens all the time. Yesterday I taught my weekly Yin Yoga class. When I entered the room I had my normal group of students as well as two new students seated in chairs – (Enter YVA Chair Yoga and Yoga for Seniors training). I modified Yin Asana’s for the chair for these students. In addition, I had students with lower back-pain (Enter YVA Yoga for Low-Back Pain) and used certain movements for them. But wait – there’s more! I had a student that is 8 months pregnant (Enter YVA Pregnancy Yoga – STOP – there isn’t one!!), so I modified low-back and gentle yoga for this student. Total student population for this session – 27. One never knows what comes to them and we use the skills that we have learned over the years. THANKS Sherry Zak Morris and Justine Shelton for your teachings and instilling the confidence in us to address each class with a deep breath and confidence. You two R-O-C-K!

The Chair Yoga Certification course was totally amazing in the content offered and the way in which it was presented. I really love how you have the main portion of the program to complete, but there is also so much additional information to continue to study long after completion of the program. The anatomy section to me, was not at all “too much” because this is vital information for a yoga teacher. I also loved how you feature some of your teachers/mentors and their work, i.e. Somatic approaches with Erhard R. and James Knight. Justine’s videos were super helpful too. The program just covers so many areas but does not bog down in anything.

In my personal case I feel that this is wonderful for older adults. Every day I discover more the desire to live to enjoy that they have, I am surprised, I am fascinated, it is like that playful part that lacked yoga, they love to meditate, but I feel this part as a meditation in movement, although none of the musical themes are slow, they expect this part as children waiting for their candy, this is what fascinates me.

I have been following you and Justine now for a couple of years now and really love your caring and engaging teaching style. You are both so knowledgable!

I’m impressed with the feedback you have given me, and it is valued and appreciated. What makes it special is that I feel like I have a personal relationship with you – that I am NOT anonymous. Your whole course is written from a place of caring and educating, and your feedback has always been the same. Thank you!!

I wanted to thank you again for the fantastic workshop yesterday. When I taught today, I felt so inspired to try new poses with my students as well as doing a bit more explaining. The way you wove the workshop together made it so informative, kept us moving and gave us relevant information that we will be able to utilize daily in our classes.

I am completely loving the training. I’m so grateful I found you and Yoga Vista! I’m currently volunteering- teaching seniors chair yoga at our senior center in my town. I have my 200 our RYT and I am completely loving the journey into Chair yoga. Hope to get certified and to keep growing and learning.

I really enjoyed going through the course at my own pace and found that I learned and re learned many things—using your manual. I totally appreciate all that you share and promote. I continually add and learn things from the newsletter and reviewing the manual. The quizzes were helpful.

Last November I begun the Dual Certificate in Chair Yoga and Gentle Senior Yoga. With work, family and Christmas I had to put it to one side until January and all the materials I had read I decided to start again to refresh everything as I was near the end of the anatomy section and really wanted to absorb it all. I would like to take this opportunity to say how much I am LOVING this course the delivery and presentation of it all you really have ticked all the boxes. With your videos I feel I know you more as your personality shines out in each clip. The amount of work you have put into your courses is phenomenal, but you have made it so accessible for a student to learn and you set us up for success. You are my inspiration and hero and I just wanted to say special thank you for this gift of knowledge. I have lots more to finish on the course, and like my favourite lunch I’m savouring every bite.

Viki is a great mentor, very supportive and thorough and creative in her teaching.

I am a AFAA certified group fitness instructor with YogaFit training. I love all of your fabulous tips, DVDs and Utube productions. They have given me so much very important information to make me a better yoga instructor! I began teaching a chair class 5 years ago because I saw a need to modify for my seniors. It has become the largest growing segment of all the various classes I teach!! I feel so much more confident since watching your youtube classes and DVDs. I just took your “Posture Project” online course and loved it! So many great tools and tips to help me instruct an effective, safe and appropriate chair yoga class.

I feel blessed each and every day that I stumbled across your online Yoga Vista Academy Chair Yoga Course. Sherry you were so gracious in accommodating me and enabling me to do your course. I haven’t forgotten!!

Having left school at barely 15 years, my only subjects then we’re Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. Since doing your course I’ve studied anatomy. But not just Anatomy! Your Chair Yoga course gave me the fullest respect for my own body and a deep understanding of how we can offset and relieve the myriad of health issues that can be helped by practising a Chair Yoga Class. This knowledge learned is extraordinary for me. I found it challenging at times, but with the support and constant feedback from Sherry and all at Yoga Vista Academy, I never felt that it was not achievable!

Finishing this online course and receiving my certification to teach Chair Yoga, I feel absolutely confident in my understanding of what is the safe practice required of me to pass on to my Seniors or anyone with limited Mobility. I recommend this online Yoga Vista Academy course highly.

The course was marvelous! The information and presentation was organized but not at all dry (no pun intended!)…Viki displays lots of spontaneity, sensitivity and humor which kept me engaged. In addition, I was amazed by the prevalence of the problem of urinary incontinence and since completing, have been on a quest to learn more. (As it turns out, the more people I talk to about this training, the more are coming forth to share their own struggles with stress or urgency incontinence.). Needless to say, my personal bathroom habits have begun to evolve in an effort to maintain my pelvic floor health. (I know this sounds odd, but every time I pee, I can’t help but think of Viki!) Thank you for hosting this very informative workshop. Kegel on!

I found this course to be well designed/formatted and very comprehensive.
It flowed nicely from one area of the body to the next.
The Anatomy section was very detailed, and loved learning about the mechanical aspects of the human body.
The Conditions sections associated with the different areas of the body answered a lot of questions I already had about working safely with a wide variety of ailments that seniors may be experiencing.
The Poses section was filled with great step by step information, which gave me confidence, ensuring I was delivering the information to the class appropriately.
The videos were a fun and inspirational part of the class, seeing various members of the Yoga Vista Community sharing their knowledge.

I plan on celebrating my completion and certification (your honest and comprehensive feedback is amazing). Really I had an absolute ball last year with this course. Learning the dances, practicing them with my students has completely changed how I approach my chair yoga classes. I always include two yoga dances, and the end of the month culminates in an entire hour of yoga dances. The majority of my students, don’t miss a week and I am finding a significant retention of my students. I know it is due in part, to including yoga dance. But watching your delivery, and learning all the factoids and other bits you add to a class, including naming the postures, has helped to develop my teaching skills. I am a very good teacher because of what I’ve learned from you.

I am so impressed with the attention, care, and in depth analysis of the teachback and other aspects of teacher training certification for the Chair Yoga Program. Thoughtful, wise, and helpful. Wow. The uplifting positivity in how Sherry and others offered teaching is powerful. Great role modeling for us other teachers. Also powerful is the insight into age related issues which otherwise make teaching a chair yoga for seniors a bit intimidating. Very in depth in terms of aging related anatomy and how to offer modifications.

WOW! I received so much personal growth from the Chair Yoga certification course. The teachers are knowledgeable, experienced and supportive which provided for a wonderful learning experience. Each of their unique backgrounds and approaches provided another dimension to the course. The materials were rich with information and well-written. There was so much more that I received from taking this class than I had ever thought possible. Thanks so much for all that you and your staff do to help teachers like me grow in our yogic lives.

I really love the Chair Dance, it is my favorite part of the class now!  I have a background in gymnastics and dance (Ballet, jazz, modern and tap).  I used to choreograph floor routines and local musical theater, so the Chair Dance comes very naturally to me.  I love watching my classes smile and get into the movements.  One of my students, who has MS, said to me,” You don’t know what a gift it is to people that can’t move well to be able to dance!”  Made me cry…

My chair yoga classes are in high demand at Texas Woman’s University (TWU). Students, faculty, and staff are asking for classes. I have so much ambition for chair yoga and the investment has paid off in a number of ways: the Dean of Libraries wants private lessons, the library staff have increased morale because they see monthly chair yoga activities as fun, my TWU Fitness & Recreation supervisor wants to add Chair Yoga to the Group Exercise schedule.

You are AMAZING! I love what you offer for this wonderful community. I am loving all your brand new videos on YogaJP. I watch every one of them. Every week I watch a new video to get new ideas for my classes and also create my own. I just listened to your Safety Summary Video. I loved every minute of it. You gave an excellent presentation and didn’t miss a beat.

The Yoga Vista Chair Yoga Teacher Training was, by far, the most comprehensive teacher training I have had since becoming a 200 hour teacher. Information was provided in several modalities so that I could read, listen, and watch to learn about teaching chair yoga. I especially appreciated the section on Anatomy of Aging. This was very informative and gave me the confidence needed to work with seniors.

I also appreciated the huge collection of videos by Sherry, Justine, and other Yoga Vista teachers, as well as by other Yoga Vista Chair Yoga graduates. They continue to be a valuable resource to me as I grow my repertoire of movements and poses.

I started teaching chair yoga shortly after starting the course and my students have told me how much I have grown as a teacher during the time I was studying. When I graduated, I took the certificate and showed them and they cheered. I feel so lucky to have found such a great training program.

Thank you hugely for sharing your professional insights and business savvy. As a yoga teacher working with fellow seniors, I find your gentle, healing style of teaching, coupled with your va-voom personal style, both inspiring and joyful.

One should consider this Program if they are interested in learning how to expand their teaching and want to work with a new segment of the population or If they want to expand their knowledge of anatomy, sequencing and disabilities. This course has it all.

Gerry Hurtig is a real jewel! He is a great motivator and support for getting on with the plan. This is such a wonderful course you have put together!

After taking this Program, my confidence level is 10. I am already working with a wheelchair user and feel ready to work with many many more in the years to come. This Program provides an understanding of the needs of a wheelchair user regarding yoga as well as ideas for group classes, anatomy, props, and sample classes.

The way Viki helped us think of putting things together was really helpful. She is extremely knowledgeable! And it helps to have someone to connect with in a group and to be held accountable to to finish.

I’m a wheelchair user myself, my youngest sister has ms and my dad is 74 years old so I can teach him and my sister, comfortable Yoga Vista Academy yoga moves for sure!! So grateful and humbled for the knowledge I learned, Sherry. Soo excited to locate a yoga studio location, rehabilitation center, or assisted living location where I can work at after I finish the program!

Learned a whole lot, and really appreciate all the hard work you have done to get this all online to help other teachers such as myself!!

I want to thank you so so much for your wonderful class yesterday. The students {here in Korea} were so so so happy with your teachings. They felt really clear, gained confidence and were truly inspired by you and the teachings. All of them conveyed so much gratitude to you:)))) And I thought you did amazingly great!

I currently teach 3 chair yoga classes, and my students have commented on how much they like the new format! I have been shamelessly stealing your dances off the videos and have created a 2 of my own (honestly, just rearranging your movements, mostly). The dances are my seniors’ favorite part of the class.

I can not thank you enough for offering this amazing class on line. I am so thankful. I enjoyed it so much and learned so much.

This 60 Hr Chair Yoga Teacher Training course with Sherry Zac Morris of Yoga Vista Academy was a highly informative and most enjoyable course. Each topic is discuss in full detail and is backed up with a full color handout and backed up again with full educational videos. There are test at the end of the units that put you to the test but excellent to do. It has made me highly knowledgeable in Teaching Methodology, Techniques, Training & Practice, Anatomy & Physiology, Yoga Philosophy and Lifestyle & Ethic which I now carry with full confidence to my own classes that I teach.

Yoga Vista Academy inspires me through its newsletters and YouTube videos. However, the impact of working my way through the Chair Yoga Certification program has made a tremendous difference in my growth as a Chair Yoga teacher. Teaching Chair Yoga classes to people with widely differing abilities requires significant knowledge to ensure student safety as well as their progression. Yoga Vista Academy gave me that and so much more as part of their certification program. And I know there’s more to come!!!

I have thoroughly enjoyed your program. I will be doing the final assignments and teach back in the coming months. I can’t wait to say I have completed this and say I am a certified chair yoga teacher! Your program was well thought out and easy to follow. Thank you!

Hi Sherry, Thank you for the wonderful program. It is so well organized, clearly a labor of love.

I love how you have those diagrams to make the song structures easy to understand, and how you have the whole thing broken down with the different formats of songs. The way each module was separated and built upon also made sense to me as far as the order of learning each lesson.

I felt very comfortable in the academy from the first day. I could ask anything that was close to my heart and the structure of the training was great. I would do it again anytime. Who knows, maybe I’ll be doing another training in a couple of days. Thank you for everything!

I am very grateful for your course. The information provided throughout the course was great! I learned a lot and a couple of my friends from LMU YTRX program have shown interest in taking your course. I speak highly of you and your Yoga academy…

I wish you had more courses. I have now taken all of them. Except for gentle yoga because there is alot of overlap. I think you guys are awesome. You have changed my path in my life. I am not going back to my nursing job because of you. I have been trying to figure out what I love for so long. I am, and always will be a nurse and I am finding that people love that I am a nurse and have gotten a few classes because of it!! So, a million thanks again. I know you are sick of me praising you, but you and Sherry have really changed my life!! Thank you again!!!

I do not have the words to explain how much I have learned through this program. It is awesome! (Not easy, but awesome.) I find myself using the information and recommendations in my regular and corporate classes that I teach. It has really provided another dimension to my classes. Thanks to you and Justine for an excellent program.

SHERRY…..LOVED YOUR NEW DISCO YOGA DANCE ROUTINE. HOPE YOU CAN DO MORE OF THEM. MY GIRLS (70’s to the 90 year olds) ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE DANCES. IN FACT MY CLASSES HAVE INCREASED SINCE I INTRODUCED THEM. NAMASTE! BOBBY

I thought the [online] course was fantastic and it took me more than four hours as I could go over things and look in detail at what he was teaching and how he was teaching it. I think Somatics is wonderful!!

Writing to say how grateful I am for you & all the positive, creative, life-inspiring things you share with yogis. Had to admit – initially I felt yoga chair dance was a bit “hokey”–coming from a fitness background “I” wanted “my” classes to be “yoga”. But your YouTube dances have been tweaking my interest & I gave it a try the past 2 weeks in several seniors chair yoga classes & WOW was I wrong!!!! My yogis absolutely LOVE the chair dances & when it’s LOVE it’s all YOGA!!!! Thank you so much for opening me to something new!~Namaste, Kim

I really enjoyed your workshop and I learned a lot. At this time in my yoga teaching life I am very picky who I study with. I want to learn something for my students, learn something for me, and get a good ROI (return on investment) of time and money. You both hit all of these requirements and much more. Also I really appreciated your extensive handouts. Being a former tech head in my past life who had to attend a lot of technical training classes, I really value a comprehensive handout.

It is very interesting stuff and it all makes so much sense!! I think back through my career and maybe if I knew all this I wouldn’t have all the back issues that I have, who knows!! You did a great job on this! I can see the potential to bring this Series into Start-ups, HR Departments and Facility Departments who focus on ergonomics.