Online CPD: Lakshmi Voelker Accessible Chair Yoga Teacher Training – Part 1

Teacher

Liz Oppedijk is co-founder of the social enterprise Accessible Chair Yoga CIC and a leading expert on chair yoga. She is passionate about bringing yoga to those who may not think it is for them, and has taught accessible and chair yoga to people with a wide range of abilities, including those with Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, stroke, cancer, and other conditions, as well as those with dementia or learning disabilities, and to their carers.

Liz’s special interests are training a community of chair yoga teachers to bring yoga to care homes across the country and carrying out research into yoga’s effectiveness in the social care and healthcare sectors. She is a qualified yoga therapist and regularly lectures on accessible and chair yoga, yoga for Parkinson’s and dementia, and yoga in care homes for The Minded Institute and other organisations.

Liz is an official Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga teacher trainer and a regular facilitator for Jivana Heyman’s Accessible Yoga training. She is co-author of a book on chair yoga, Get Fit Where You Sit: A Guide to the Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga Method, published in September 2023 by Shambhala Publications, and her research on yoga in care homes and mindfulness for Parkinson’s is due to be published in 2024.

Find Out More

Location

We use Zoom to host these online trainings, for those who do not yet have an account, please visit http://zoom.us and sign up for a free account. Please also test your computer audio and visual to ensure they are working prior to the training start time.

You will receive a zoom link and password in your confirmed booking email, which will come from: info@themindedinstitute.com

Training Terms and Conditions

By booking onto this course, you agree to abide by The Minded Institute Course Terms and Conditions.

Assessment

Part 1:

There are two assessments: a 16-question, open-book written assessment and a practical assessment, which involves teaching a half-hour chair yoga class based on the Lakshmi Voelker Method.

Assessments are to be completed within 1 month from the date of the course you attend. There is a separate assessment fee payable (see Payment tab).

Upon successful completion of the course and passing the assessments, you will receive your LVCYT (Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga Teacher) certification and will be able to run your own chair yoga classes/sessions with confidence. This course is certified by Yoga Alliance (USA) and Yoga Alliance Professionals (UK).

The online portion of the course is 21 hours, plus 10 hours of self-study and 1 hour for practical assessment/one-to-one mentoring.

Payment

Part 1: Standard Ticket – £425

£350 early bird (until 1 month before the date of the course)

• Fee for assessments – £100 early bird (until course commencement). £150 thereafter.

Part 2: Standard Ticket – £425

£350 early bird (until 1 month before the date of the course).

Please note: There is no requirement to book onto the second part of the course in order to take the first part. For those wishing to receive IAYT accreditation specifically; you will need to take both parts.

Required Reading

Required reading – Get Fit Where You Sit: A Guide to the Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga Method by Lakshmi Voelker and Liz Oppedijk. Available from your local bookshop or at Amazon UK or Amazon US.

Special rates

Those who are training with or have graduated from a Yoga in Healthcare Alliance (YIHA) programme may receive a further discount of 15%. Please contact info@themindedinstitute.com to receive a discount code.

Testimonials

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘Liz’s passion oozes through her teaching style and makes you want to learn and spread the joys of chair yoga. I have to say I had a complete misperception of chair yoga before this course and have since gained so many invaluable tools on this course that I didn’t even know was possible. It’s definitely inspired me to teach chair yoga and what a lovely gift that is to share with others.’

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘I have gained so much more confidence in my teaching and delivery of chair yoga from this course. I have been teaching chair yoga for about 4yrs now and my reasons for doing the course we’re really just to gain a few more ideas to enrich the practice I deliver; however, what I gained has exceeded all my expectations, changing the way I deliver my sessions in a very positive way.’

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘I have found this course a real eye-opening experience. I have looked at chair yoga trainings/videos, etc. before and they have always seemed so dry and pretty dull. LVCY brings energy and life into this age-old practice, making it available to all, whilst still upholding all yogic principles. The thought of teaching LVCY seems to excite and interest me more than teaching my regular classes. This is definitely going to be a big part of my future path forward.’

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘When I was learning Laksmi Voelker chair yoga, I practised with a few friends and they were unanimous in their feedback. “It was more fun than I was expecting!” and “It was more challenging than I was expecting!” This is a good summary of how it feels to train to be a chair yoga teacher too. Fun and challenging, but Liz and Lakshmi are very encouraging and have developed my teaching skills more broadly than just with regard to teaching chair yoga. I felt I got better value for money from the training than I was expecting.’

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘LVCY has provided me with everlasting knowledge to empower and improve the health and well-being of those who need it the most. I will be forever grateful for all that I have learned, the compassion and expertise of the teachers and the collective ethos which will live on through the practice of LVCY.’

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘The Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga course with Liz was fantastic and exceeded my expectations. Liz is an extremely knowledgeable teacher and it was brilliant to be able to soak up all she knows about the subject. The course melds practical, theory, discussions and partner work together evenly and perfectly whilst there are also a great variety of learning methods, such as a manual, handouts, audio and videos to help you further your knowledge at home. This course is a must for anyone who wants to become a more inclusive yoga teacher. I have already noticed that my own mat teaching has become more accessible and I can’t wait to start teaching chair yoga out in my local community.’ 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘The LVCY course is a unique opportunity to take a longer and deeper dive into the principles and practices of chair yoga. The course offered a depth and breadth that prepared me to teach with confidence. The content is comprehensive, and Liz is an absolutely amazing teacher – knowledgeable, helpful, patient, kind – the video sessions were like having a chat with a friend (about chair yoga!). Highly recommend if you are interested in teaching populations that would benefit from chair yoga!’

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘Through my LCVY Teacher training, I have gained a powerful new skill to enable me to share the healing benefits of yoga to those who are not able, for whatever reason participate in a traditional mat yoga class. I have gained the ability to adapt traditional yoga asana safely to the chair. I feel the confident that I can share the benefits and inclusiveness of LVCY to those individuals who truly need it the most. What a gift! Namaste!’

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘I really loved and enjoyed the course. It helped me grasp the essence of chair yoga as a complete and valid practice in its own right. It helped me understand and appreciate much deeper just how invaluable this work is for a wide range of different populations, and just what an incredible vehicle it is for making this healing practice accessible to so many more people. I really enjoyed the methodology of LVCY and learning how to offer different options of flexibility, and how to incorporate other practices and tools for wellbeing and self-care that can be done in a chair – fantastic. And last, but not least, I really enjoyed Liz’s teaching style, both very natural and friendly, and professional at the same time. I would certainly like to spend more time learning with her in the future. Thank you so much for being so inspirational, Liz!’

Yoga Teacher & Massage Therapist

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘This course is just what I needed as a yoga teacher seeking to specialise in chair-based yoga. The LVCY approach really has the chair at the heart of the practice rather than seeing it as a modification or a lesser option. You’ll learn all the skills you need to teach engaging, challenging, and inspiring yoga seated on a chair and I’m really looking forward to teaching LVCY for my local community.’

Project Manager & Yoga Teacher

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘Having the chance to learn from Liz was such a blessing and very enriching. I loved the course and had such a positive experience of learning. I loved connecting and networking with like-minded individuals, and it has really been a very heart-warming experience. The course is so accessible for everyone, and I loved how it is founded in such a way which allows everybody to honour their bodies whatever level they are at.  … Everyone should learn chair yoga! It’s truly for EVERYONE. It’s inclusive and is such evolving practice. I wish I had taken the course sooner. I can’t wait to share what I have learnt with everyone I know. Thank you so much for everything Liz! Who knew a chair would become my best friend!’

Occupational Therapy Assistant

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘As a disabled chair yoga practitioner, it was hugely empowering to be in a space where chair yoga was taken seriously and treated as the full, meaningful practice that I know it to be. As someone who had never taught yoga before this course, I found the opportunities to practice teaching in the breakout rooms daunting but extremely beneficial. Teaching my assessment class felt like a wonderful celebration of everything I had learnt both from my own chair practice and the LVCY course. It was wonderful to learn with people who treat chair yoga as the full and meaningful practice that I know it to be. … I didn’t think it was possible to learn so much and gain so much confidence and enthusiasm in such a short space of time. I felt supported and valued throughout the course and while preparing for my assessment. I am so grateful to Liz and the other students I studied with for their encouragement and wisdom. Thank you so much.’

Mental Health Peer Group Facilitator

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘This is a detailed and informative course, made all the more pleasurable to learn by the delivery from Liz.  The manual I received complements the book, Get Fit Where You Sit: A Guide to the Lakshmi Voelker Method. Liz makes the learning clear to follow and understand. A wealth of ideas, knowledge and opportunity to share vastly with others that may feel yoga is inaccessible for them.’

Yoga Teacher & Company Director

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘I learn best by doing so it was perfect for me that we had plenty of opportunity to receive teachings and the breakout rooms, which gave us a chance to test out what we were learning. … I was pleasantly surprised by the training. I believed that it would be all about adapting the poses for the chairs, but it was more comprehensive than that. I love breathwork and yogic philosophy and the training encompasses work around this and encourages the student to think on other levels not just the physical.’

Holistic Therapist & Yoga Teacher

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

‘Experiencing the training whilst less mobile myself, due to a recent fall and collar bone injury, was very meaningful, as it really gave me a taste of how chair yoga could be extremely useful for those in a similar position, as well as those with more ongoing challenges. Experiencing by doing throughout the course was most powerful overall … Has been a huge learning curve and really opened up new options for me to extend and develop my own teaching, and own practice … Have already started to incorporate chair-based options in class where relevant and helpful to individuals.’

Community Learning and Development Worker & Yoga Teacher

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Who Is It For?

Yoga teachers, yoga therapists, healthcare professionals, exercise professionals, carers, and community workers may all follow this course. For those without a yoga teacher qualification, an 8-hour course on Basic Yoga Techniques must be taken as a prerequisite to part 1.

Part 1 of the programme must be completed before taking part 2.