Yoga Therapy Training:
675 Hour Professional Diploma

Eligibility & Accreditation

Eligibility and professional accreditation vary by year of training and entry pathway, as outlined below.

Year One – Minded Therapist Diploma (370 hours)
Year One is a standalone professional qualification leading to certification as a Minded Therapist. This diploma is professionally accredited by the National Council of Integrative Psychotherapists (NCIP).

This year is suitable for yoga teachers and health or mental health professionals seeking to develop robust yoga therapy and mental health competencies, without completing the full yoga therapy diploma.

Year Two – Integrative Minded Yoga Therapist Diploma (675 hours total)
Year Two builds on the Year One Minded Therapist training and completes the full professional diploma in Integrative Minded Yoga Therapy.

The qualification is NCIP accredited. British Council for Yoga Therapy (BCYT) accreditation applies to students entering via Entry Point 1 (Yoga Professionals). Eligibility to apply for International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) accreditation applies to Entry Point 1 students who complete the required additional electives.

Entry Pathways

• Entry Point 1 – Yoga Professionals: For qualified yoga teachers. This pathway enables eligibility for BCYT accreditation and, with additional electives, application for IAYT accreditation.
• Entry Point 2 – Health and Mental Health Professionals: For medical, allied health, and mental health practitioners. No prior yoga teacher training is required. This pathway is accredited by the NCIP.

Progression from Year One to Year Two is optional and subject to eligibility requirements. Accreditation outcomes depend on entry pathway, completion of required training hours, and any additional elective study.

Cost & Payment Options

At The Minded Institute, we personalise payment plans to best support your financial needs. Our 2026–2028 training costs are as follows:

Year One – Minded Therapy Diploma (370 hours)

• Early Bird Rate: £4,950
   Deposit: £1,200 (registration must be submitted by 15 February 2026)

• Standard Rate: £5,250
   Deposit: £1,200

• Pay in Full: Receive an additional £150 discount on either rate

Year Two – Integrative Minded Yoga Therapy Diploma (675 hours total)

• Early Commitment Rate: £4,950
   Deposit: £1,200 (if Year Two deposit paid alongside Year One deposit)

• Standard Rate: £5,250
   Deposit: £1,200

• Pay in Full: Receive an additional £150 discount on either rate

Flexible Payment Plans
We offer flexible instalment options so you can spread the cost of your training:

• If you join the October 2026 cohort, your Year One payments can be extended through to March 2027.

• If you continue into Year Two, payments may be extended through to March 2028.

• Payment plans are tailored individually and agreed upon in writing before training begins.

This means you can manage tuition costs across the academic year, rather than paying everything upfront.

We are committed to making our training accessible and are happy to discuss individual circumstances during the interview process.

Additional Costs (not included in tuition fees)

• Personal therapy sessions (Year One: 8 sessions | Year Two: 6 sessions)

• Supervision for case studies (external, approx. £45 per 45-minute session)

• 30 CPD hours during Year One

• Observation sessions (£20–25 each if arranged through The Minded Institute)

• Required reading, insurance, DBS check, and first aid certification

Graduates of Year One who do not wish to complete the full second year may choose up to two additional Year Two modules (excluding Modules 15 and 16). This allows you to deepen expertise in areas of personal or professional interest without committing to the full diploma.

Each module includes all standard learning requirements plus:

• A written assignment integrating theory, practice, and reflection

• A client-based assessment demonstrating applied skills

Successful completion leads to a certificate noting the additional hours and an updated transcript.

Fee per module: £750

Our yoga therapy training is delivered by a multidisciplinary faculty of leading experts from the UK and beyond. Every member of our teaching team is both a highly qualified clinician or academic and an experienced yoga therapist, bringing a unique blend of scientific knowledge, therapeutic skill, and lived practice to the course.

Heather Mason

Minded Founder, Course Director & Senior Lecturer | Integrative Minded Yoga Therapy

Heather Mason is the founder and director of The Minded Institute and the primary lecturer for the Integrative Minded Therapy training. The programme brings together her lived experience, years of meditation and yoga practice in Buddhist monasteries, and academic study in Buddhist Studies and Medical Physiology.

Heather is also the director of the Yoga in Healthcare Alliance, supporting research, training, and advocacy for greater access to yoga within healthcare and public institutions.

Dr Samantha Bottrill

Senior Lecturer | Clinical Skills, Psychotherapeutic Principles & Eating Disorders | Advisory Board Member

Dr Samantha Bottrill is a Senior Clinical Psychologist and yoga therapist who spent more than a decade working within the NHS at the Maudsley Hospital’s eating disorders service. At The Minded Institute, she teaches clinical skills, psychotherapeutic principles, eating disorders, and supports psychologists in integrating yoga therapy into clinical practice.

Elaine Collins

Senior Lecturer | Integrative Yoga Psychotherapy & Clinical Supervision | Advisory Board Member

Elaine Collins is a practising yoga therapist and psychotherapist, and Co-Director of the Integrative Yoga Psychotherapy Diploma. She teaches across integrative yoga psychotherapy, leads the supervision programme, and brings specialist expertise in chronic pain, complex trauma, anxiety, and depression

Hayley Unwin

Senior Lecturer | Experiential Anatomy & Cancer

Hayley Unwin is a Senior Physiotherapist, cancer rehabilitation specialist, and educator with additional training in yoga, clinical Pilates, and mindfulness. At The Minded Institute, she teaches experiential anatomy and cancer, bringing together physiological and psychological approaches to rehabilitation.

Dr Claire Sandberg

Senior Lecturer | Physiology, Health Conditions & Perinatal Mental Health

Dr Claire Sandberg is a former NHS and RAF anaesthetist and critical care doctor who now works exclusively in yoga therapy and professional education. At The Minded Institute, she teaches physiology, selected health conditions, and perinatal mental health, and created the Institute’s Perinatal Mental Health CPD.

Rachel Bilski

Lecturer | Yoga Philosophy, C-PTSD & Motor Neuron Disease

Rachel Bilski is a yoga therapist, supervisor, and educator specialising in complex trauma and mental health. At The Minded Institute, she teaches yoga philosophy, PTSD, and Motor Neuron Disease, combining lived experience with extensive

clinical expertise.

Shaura Hall

Senior Lecturer | Addictions, Integrative Practice & Clinical Supervision | Advisory Board Member

Shaura Hall is an integrative therapist, yoga therapist, interfaith minister, and educator with more than 15 years of clinical experience. She teaches integrative therapeutic practice and founded The Minded Institute’s Supervisor Training Programme.

Deidre (Dee) Opp

Lecturer | Integrative Practice & Clinical Supervision | Supervision Manager

Dee Opp is a Minded Yoga Therapist, Integrative Yoga Psychotherapist, and Supervisor Manager at The Minded Institute. She teaches from a deeply creative, trauma-informed approach, drawing on experience across psychotherapy, yoga therapy, and the UK prison system.

Liz Oppedijk

Lecturer | Chair & Accessible Yoga, Parkinson’s Disease & Dementia

Liz Oppedijk is a yoga therapist, researcher, and founder of Accessible Chair Yoga. At The Minded Institute, she teaches chair and accessible yoga, Parkinson’s disease, and dementia, and created the Institute’s Chair Yoga CPD pathway.

Dr Sat Bir Singh Khalsa

Lecturer | Sleep Disorders

Dr Sat Bir Singh Khalsa is an internationally recognised researcher in yoga and sleep science, with appointments at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School. At The Minded Institute, he teaches sleep disorders and the evidence underpinning yoga therapy.

Shweta Panchal

Lecturer | Inquiry Skills & Yoga Sutra

Shweta Panchal is a psychotherapist, supervisor, and educator with expertise in relational psychotherapy and psychoanalytic theory. At The Minded Institute, she teaches inquiry skills and supports students in integrating psychological and somatic approaches.

Veena Ugargol

Lecturer | Emergency Situations & Clinical Risk

Veena Ugargol is a BABCP-accredited CBT Psychotherapist and Yoga Therapist working within the NHS. At The Minded Institute, she teaches emergency situations and the management of clinical risk, informed by extensive experience treating complex mental health conditions.

Dr Raquel Chinchetru

Lecturer | Chronic Pain

Dr Raquel Chinchetru is a Health Psychologist and yoga therapist specialising in chronic pain and women’s health. At The Minded Institute, she teaches yoga therapy for chronic pain and leads the Institute’s Chronic Pain CPD programme.

Dr Lana Jackson

Lecturer | ADHD

Dr Lana Jackson is a Chartered Clinical Psychologist and Yoga Therapist specialising in paediatric mental health. At The Minded Institute, she teaches ADHD, integrating clinical psychology, mindfulness, and yoga therapy.

Nadyne McKie

Lecturer | Fatigue Conditions

Nadyne McKie is a trauma-informed psychotherapist and Yoga Therapist working across NHS and private practice. At The Minded Institute, she teaches fatigue conditions, including post-viral fatigue and Long COVID, combining clinical expertise with lived experience.

Ayala Homossany

Lecturer | Creative Approaches to Yoga Therapy

Ayala Homossany is a yoga therapist, educator, and author specialising in trauma-informed therapeutic practice. At The Minded Institute, she teaches creative approaches to yoga therapy, integrating movement, creativity, and nervous system regulation.

Elizabeth (Libby) Walunas

Lecturer | Neurodiversity & Autism

Elizabeth (Libby) Walunas is a certified yoga therapist, embodiment coach, and educator specialising in neurodiversity and autism. At The Minded Institute, she teaches yoga therapy for autistic adults and supports greater accessibility within therapeutic practice.

Lindsey Brown

Lecturer | Menopause

Lindsey Brown is a yoga therapist specialising in menopause and women’s health. At The Minded Institute, she teaches menopause, drawing on extensive experience supporting women through this stage of life and delivering specialist professional education.

Gill Milnes

Lecturer | Grief

Gill Milnes specialises in grief through both integrative psychotherapy and yoga therapy. At The Minded Institute, she teaches grief, bringing together psychotherapeutic practice with yogic perspectives on death, dying, and healing.

Module Dates and Delivery

Our professional yoga therapy training is delivered in the UK over sixteen modules, Thursday to Sunday, 9:00am to 5:30pm (Sundays finish at 5:00pm). All modules follow the same four-day format.

Students can choose to attend:

• Fully online — live via Zoom, accessible to students worldwide

• Hybrid — a blend of in-person learning at our central London venue and online attendance

This flexible structure allows both UK and international students to participate fully, without compromising on quality or interaction.