Certifications

Online Sessions:

  • To be determined

In Person Sessions:

  • Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health: October 26-31, 2025 Book here!

Join the Premier Chair Yoga Certification Program
Featuring the Lakshmi Voelker Method

Gain the knowledge and confidence to teach Chair Yoga classes to a diverse audience with our certification program. This program is ideal for healthcare professionals, yoga teachers, yoga practitioners, or anyone interested in teaching chair yoga or wanting to enhance their practice.

  • Certification Benefits: Upon completion, you will receive a certificate for 25 CEUs for in-person certification and 30 CEUs for online certification (as applicable).
  • Prerequisites: A yoga teacher qualification OR Lakshmi’s 8-hour yoga pre-certification class with a certified yoga teacher.
  • Inclusive Yoga: Bring the benefits of yoga to those who cannot or prefer not to get down and up from the floor. Our Levels of Flexibility ensure every pose can be adapted to your students’ needs.

The Lakshmi Voelker Method: Overview of What You Will Learn

  • How to adapt yoga poses safely and effectively to a chair (Chair-asanas)
  • How to teach chair yoga to everyone, regardless of levels of flexibility or range of motion
  • How to motivate and encourage your students to sit actively to improve or maintain good health and wellbeing
  • Key yogic principles that help you develop your personal voice and style, allowing you to bring the essence of yoga to your students
  • Five forms of LVCY: Single, Double, Pair, Weighted, and Wheelchair Yoga
  • Additional Eastern and Western disciplines and modalities
  • And more (see below)!

How Can I Get Certified in Chair Yoga?

Getting certified in chair yoga with Lakshmi Voelker is a straightforward process. If you are a qualified yoga teacher or have completed 8-hour Lakshmi Teacher prep course, here’s how you can become a certified Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga Teacher (LVCYT):

  1. Choose Your Certification Program:
    • Online Group Certification: Participate in online group sessions and complete a 1-on-1 video call.
    • In-Person Group Certification: Attend in-person sessions at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health.
  2. Register for a Training Program:
    • Check the upcoming session dates and schedule a consult.
    • Early bird discounts are available.
  3. Complete the Training:
    • Participate and complete all online or group sessions.
  4. Receive Your Certification:
    • Upon successful completion, receive your certification and start teaching chair yoga.

The Lakshmi Voelker Method: More Details About the Program

This Chair Yoga certification will enhance and add new dimensions to your teaching and caregiving skills.

You will learn how to adapt yoga poses to a chair – what Lakshmi calls Chair-asanas – and teach chair yoga to everyone, no matter their Level of Flexibility or range of motion.

Your LVCY Teacher Training Program includes:

  • Levels of Flexibility – Our Unique Proposition: LVCY poses are presented in multiple levels of flexibility, allowing students to adapt each pose to their personal needs. This includes accounting for varying degrees of flexibility in the upper and lower body as well as the right and left sides. This innovative approach makes this chair yoga program suitable for all ages and fitness levels.
  • Active Sitting: Learn to teach your students active sitting on a chair (sitting up, not down!), which can improve posture and breathing, countering the negative impacts of sedentary lifestyles and promoting better health and wellbeing.
  • Key Yogic Principles – Bringing Yoga’s Essence to the Chair: The Lakshmi Voelker Method incorporates key principles from yoga philosophy, such as the Yamas (social restraints) and Niyamas (personal observances), and offers tips on how to integrate them into your teaching or personal practice.
  • The Five Forms of LVCY:
    • Single Chair Yoga
    • Double Chair Yoga (each student uses two chairs)
    • Pair Chair Yoga (work in pairs)
    • Weighted Chair Yoga (use weights for bone and muscle mass building)
    • Wheelchair Yoga
  • Chair-asanas for:
    • Sun Salutation
    • Moon Salutation
    • Earth Salutation
    • Warrior Series
    • Balance Series
    • Many more yoga asanas and yoga-related postures
  • Additional Eastern disciplines and modalities, including:
    • Pa Tuan Chin
    • Acupressure Hand Movements (for arthritis relief)
    • Acupressure Knee Movements (for strengthening)Various breathing techniques for meditation, relaxation, and asanas
    • Chakras and their meanings, colors, sounds, and affirmations
    • Do-In Chinese Self Massage
  • Pranayama (Breathing Techniques): Deep breathing techniques that help to fully oxygenate the body and massage the organs, improving energy and mental clarity while reducing pain and anxiety. Practicing pranayama techniques during chair yoga classes and daily life significantly enhances health and well-being.
  • Meditation: Relaxation techniques that provide physical, mental, and spiritual health benefits.
  • Plus:
    • Basic anatomy as it applies to chair yoga
    • Key precautions and contraindications when teaching chair yoga
    • How to create a safe environment for teaching chair yoga
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