Cikitsā Krama Sādhana Mālā Yoga Therapy Training
is a 2 year, 600 hour course, conducted in-person and online, accredited by BCYT (British Council for Yoga Therapy).

This course will be led by Sue Chudley with Dave Charlton and Ranju Roy. All faculty members have an extensive background of training within the approach as taught by TKV Desikachar and T Krishnamacarya.

Key features of this approach are:

• it is rigorously anchored in the teachings of yoga, based on the foundational texts
• it emphasises the application of yoga therapy to individual needs – viniyoga, whether working one-to-one or with small therapy groups
• to be able to show therapeutic, safe use of yoga tools and established beneficial practices which include movement with the breath and calming the mind;
• to honour an holistic view for each client.

The course is structured as 9 modules, each comprising a 3 or 4-day in-person retreat and additional online meetings. The syllabus is based on the methodology developed by TKV Desikachar and Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram, Chennai and aligns with the BCYT curriculum. Training will ensure that all graduate yoga therapists are be competent in, and be able to give evidence of, the safe application of yoga therapy to members of the public, respecting the yama and niyama, the values underpinning yoga and yoga therapy as presented in the CNHC Codes of Conduct, Performance and Ethics.

Grounded in Yoga and Ayurveda texts, key elements themes of the course are:

• the nature of the therapeutic relationship
• observation through role play
• a methodical approach to the causes of diseases, practical and achievable solutions, and the appropriate use of yoga tools
• Anatomy & Physiology and pathology based on case studies
• the self-development required to become an effective yoga therapist

Each module addresses one aspect of the Pañca Maya, the 5 dimensions of a person, presented originally in the ancient taittiriya upaniṣad, which together present a holistic view of the whole being.

The course will also address adhyātmika krama, the practice of Yoga that seeks to transform at the level of vijñāna maya, both for the therapist and ultimately for care seekers. This covers the self-development required to become an effective yoga therapist. It is this existential dimension that potentially elevates yoga therapy and distinguishes it from more exclusively body-oriented therapies.

The course consists of 300 contact hours + 300 hours of study through assignments and your own case studies, with additional hours for research. This is a serious, but ultimately rewarding, commitment, leading to a BCYT Diploma in Yoga Therapy, entitling you to membership of CNHC.

Successful applicants will have a background training within this approach to the level of 1-1 teacher – AYS practitioner status or equivalent, with a minimum of two years post qualification yoga teaching experience including work with individual clients. In exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the tutors, alternative equivalent prior experience or learning may be taken into account.

The course leader, Sue Chudley, trained as a Yoga Therapist with Dr N Chandrasekaran and has continued to study with teachers in the Krishnamacharya tradition, including at KYM.

Dave Charlton and Ranju Roy of Sādhana Mālā, have extensive experience in Yoga training, therapeutic application of yoga and the Sanskrit texts.

Contact Sādhana Mālā for further information, dates, costs and the syllabus. See below next dates for Module 1 – Fundamentals of Yoga Therapy, which functions a stand-alone introduction for prospective students, and the first module of the full course.

Cikitsā Krama Sādhana Mālā Yoga Therapy Training
Module 1: Fundamentals of Yoga Therapy 
Friday 15th – Sunday 17th January 2027
Venue: Millers Farm, near Blakeney, Gloucestershire

The next full course will progress with Module 2 in February/March.