Our 200-Hour Trauma-Informed Viniyoga Teacher Training
At Life of Wellness Institute, we offer a deeply immersive path to becoming a yoga teacher—one rooted in live, personalized guidance and the timeless principles of Viniyoga, enhanced by modern neuroscience and Ayurveda.
This training is designed for those who want to move beyond scripted cues and rigid sequencing. Instead, you’ll learn to teach with adaptability, honoring each student’s unique body and nervous system. Every class is held live, ensuring real-time interaction with our Founder, Melanie Taylor, and your peers. There are no pre-recorded lectures—just embodied learning, thoughtful discussion, and direct mentorship.
You’ll leave with a thorough understanding of trauma-informed principles, functional movement, and breath-centered practices, along with the confidence to teach in studios, treatment centers, hospitals, community programs, or private settings.
Join a community of teachers who value depth over dogma, and learn to guide others with skill and integrity.
How We Compare
While many programs rely on pre-recorded content, our training is built around live sessions, ensuring you receive immediate feedback and tailored support. Where other schools may generalize, we focus on the individual—both in teaching methodology and mentorship.
Our graduates consistently share how this approach transformed their teaching, but we’d rather you hear directly from them. If you’d like to connect with a past student, we’re happy to arrange that.
“I would recommend this training to others with confidence! In fact, I have people already reaching out to me for information because of how highly I have spoken about this experience. This training was detailed, trauma-informed, and person-centered. It also taught skills that have led me to feel confident in my abilities to be a teacher in the world.”
— Alex Pattinson, RYT200
What You’ll Learn
This training equips you with the full spectrum of trauma-informed Viniyoga—blending ancient wisdom and modern science. You’ll graduate able to teach where yoga is needed most: studios, hospitals, treatment centers, and private practice.
Teach with Depth
Study yoga’s history and philosophy, from the Yoga Sutras to their practical application in nervous system regulation. Learn to sequence with intention, whether guiding a dynamic Vinyasa class or a trauma-sensitive Restorative session. Develop a trauma-informed lens for teaching Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, and Yoga Nidra.
Understand the Body
Dive into anatomy and physiology tailored for yoga teachers, with a focus on adaptive movement for diverse bodies. Master breathwork (Pranayama) and meditation techniques that foster resilience, rooted in Polyvagal Theory and Ayurvedic principles.
Build a Sustainable Career
Gain concrete business and marketing skills—from design to client intake—alongside teaching tools like mudras and trauma-informed cues. Benefit from 1:1 mentorship with our founder and Yoga Therapist, Melanie Taylor, and receive ongoing updates based on emerging science.
Science Meets Tradition
Explore the art of sequencing through dual lenses: Ayurveda’s timeless principles and contemporary Polyvagal Theory. Every technique honors functionality over form while adapting to individual needs.
Yoga Alliance Recognized
Graduate as a RYT-200 with credentials in Vinyasa, Yin, Restorative, and Yoga Nidra—ready to teach anywhere.
Why Choose Us?
Follow Your Passion with Purpose
Discover where your teaching belongs—whether guiding trauma-sensitive classes in hospitals, cultivating resilience in private practice, or adapting yoga for clinical settings. Your mentorship includes tailored business strategies to align career and values.
Join a Committed Global Community
Learn alongside an intimate cohort of carefully selected peers across time zones, forging connections that last beyond certification. Our alumni network includes teachers leading in treatment centers, studios, community interventions, and nonprofits worldwide.
Rigorous Standards, Respected Certification
As a Yoga Alliance RYS-200 school, we exceed requirements with 100% live training hours and trauma-informed practicums—ensuring your credential carries weight in any professional setting.
1:1 Mentorship Rooted in Experience
Melanie Taylor, our founder and Yoga Therapist, provides personalized guidance drawing from 30+ years of experience in business management, yoga therapy for mental health and teacher development.
Science-Based Learning - Stay Current, Stay Relevant
We provide annual manual updates incorporating the latest neuroscience and trauma-informed research, ensuring your foundational materials remain cutting-edge. Plus, you'll receive our Science Newsletter—with peer-reviewed study breakdowns and clear "TLDR" takeaways you can immediately apply in teaching. No jargon, just practical insights.
Live Learning for Embodied Teaching
Experience the full support of in-person training from your own space. Our 100% live virtual sessions give you real-time mentorship, immediate feedback on your teaching, and interactive guidance to hone your skills as you learn.
Join Our Next Cohort
Fall 2025 Cohort – Registration Open
Orientation: Sept 18, 2025 (6-8:30 PM MST)
Training Dates:
Sept 20-21, Oct 4-5, Oct 18-19, Nov 1-2, Nov 15-16, Dec 13-14
Jan 10-11, Jan 24-25, Feb 7-8, Feb 21-22, Mar 7-8, Mar 21-22
Time: 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM MST
Affordable Payment Plans
Pay in Full
Price: $2,997
We are a Registered Canadian School and provide T2202s to all Canadian students for tax purposes. For other countries, please speak to your teacher for more information.
WHAT OUR STUDENTS HAVE TO SAY
“I would recommend this course to EVERYONE!! Even if they don’t want to teach yoga or know anything about yoga. The knowledge and support you will gain from Mel will change your life!!
I am filled with more confidence, and my flame has been reignited! I believe I can change my life and my career and help support others in their own healing.” – Cori Williams.
“This training was detailed, trauma-informed, and person-centered. Melanie holds space for her students and encourages them to find answers within themselves. Her warm energy and nonjudgmental approach gave me the tools to care for myself—which in turn helps me care for others. I feel ready to teach and provide a safe environment for all.” – Alex Pattinson
“Trauma-informed yoga gets to the heart of what yoga is meant to be. I wanted training that aligned with my values—from our first call, I knew this was it. Melanie facilitates a beautiful online space where I never felt like I was missing out, no matter where in the world I was.”— Mary Whiteside
“I feel equipped to support clients with intention, compassion, and clarity—not just as a teacher, but in my own healing. This training clarified my dharma: how to serve others while honoring my wellness. The community we built is lifelong. Learning from Mel has been an honor I’ll carry forever.”—Alyssa G
Hi, I'm Melanie
For over thirty years, I’ve been where you are—passionate about yoga’s healing potential but disillusioned by trainings that prioritized perfect poses over people. That’s why I founded the Life of Wellness Institute: to create a different kind of teacher training. One where your lived experience matters more than handstands, where nervous system science trumps rigid alignment cues, and where you’ll learn to build a career that sustains both your students and yourself.
My approach—honed through three decades as a yoga therapist and trauma educator—is what I call sacred pragmatism. No spiritual bypassing, no toxic positivity. Just proven tools: breathwork adapted for real trauma recovery, movement that respects anatomical diversity, and business strategies that let you teach from integrity instead of burnout.
Hundreds of teachers have used this framework to carve their own paths—in hospitals, nonprofits, and private practices where their work actually changes lives. Now, I’m sharing every lesson I’ve learned so you can skip the years of trial-and-error and step confidently into your calling.
This isn’t just about teaching yoga. It’s about creating spaces where healing happens—and making a living while you do it.
No pressure, just clarity!
Frequently Asked Questions
Program Basics
Absolutely. Many students join to build nervous system regulation tools for anxiety or stress, deepen their understanding of trauma-sensitive practices, and create sustainable self-care routines. The training meets you where you are.
We combine 100% live Viniyoga training with trauma-informed neuroscience and Ayurveda. Unlike pre-recorded programs, you’ll get real-time learning and feedback from our founder Melanie Taylor and learn from your peers in an intimate cohort.
Eligibility & Accessibility
While a 6-month practice is recommended, it’s not required. We begin gently with restorative yoga and progressively build skills at your pace.
Yes. We adapt for chronic pain, hypermobility, mobility aids, and neurodivergent needs like sensory-friendly pacing. Note: Acute injuries may require doctor’s clearance.
Absolutely. Our Community Agreements are designed to cultivate an emergent space for everyone.
We use gender-neutral language, honor pronouns.
Curriculum & Certification
Our foundation is Viniyoga—a trauma-sensitive approach emphasizing breath-centered movement, adaptive sequencing for diverse bodies, and neuroscience-backed nervous system regulation.
You’ll learn about trauma, how to recognize and support trauma responses, use activation-aware cueing (e.g., no “push through pain”), and apply frameworks from the Life Of Wellness institute Trauma-Informed Framework.
Yes. We’re a Registered Yoga School (RYS) at 200-hour and 300-hour levels. Yoga Alliance registration is optional for teaching.
Payment & Logistics
New cohorts begin each September and continue through Spring. Live sessions follow a consistent schedule shared upon enrollment.
Live sessions are held from 8 AM to 3 PM MST/MDT with minimal self-paced homework. Designed for working professionals and caregivers.
Tuition is $2,997 CAD. We offer an equal 6-month payment plan at $499.50 CAD/month with no fees or interest. All payments are processed securely in CAD. GST is applicable for Canadians, and waived for international students.
You’ll retain ongoing access to core materials and receive lifetime updates to trauma-informed research and methodologies.