Happy Back Yoga Teacher Training

Become the Teacher People Seek Out for Back Pain Relief and Spinal Health

Whether you’re looking to expand your expertise, level up your teaching, stand out in a crowded market, or better support students with complex spinal conditions, this training will provide you with practical, evidence-informed strategies, and the proven Happy Back Yoga Method. The course is approved for Continuing Education (CE) credits through both Yoga Alliance and the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), allowing you to advance your professional credentials while deepening your skills. Because this is an advanced professional training, we want to ensure it is the right fit for your experience and goals. Apply by booking a personal call with Rachel, who personally interviews each applicant to ensure they are ready for the course and that the training aligns with their professional aspirations.

The Happy Back Yoga Teacher Training Certification is my most comprehensive and advanced professional program, designed to transform yoga teachers, therapists, healthcare professionals, and movement educators into confident specialists in therapeutic yoga for back pain and spinal health.

This is not simply a course about anatomy or yoga poses. It is a complete system for understanding the physical, emotional, and neurological factors that contribute to pain and dysfunction—and how to help your students create meaningful, lasting change.

At the heart of the training is the Happy Back Yoga 3A Method™, my signature approach developed through more than 30 years as a physical therapist, 25 years of yoga therapy study, certification as a Hakomi Therapist, and thousands of hours working with clients suffering from back pain and spinal conditions.

The Happy Back Yoga 3A Method™

True healing requires alignment on multiple levels:

1. Structural Alignment
Learn how the body’s architecture influences pain, posture, movement, and function. Discover how to create space, stability, and support throughout the spine using therapeutic yoga techniques.

2. Dynamic Alignment
Movement patterns matter. Learn how to assess and correct dysfunctional movement habits that contribute to recurring pain, tension, and injury.

3. Neuro-Emotional Alignment
Pain is not only physical. As a Certified Hakomi Therapist, I bring a mindfulness-based, somatic psychotherapy lens to this work, exploring how unconscious beliefs, emotional patterns, and early life conditioning shape posture, breath, and movement. When we are disconnected from our authentic self or living out of alignment with our deeper values and purpose, this often expresses itself in the body as tension, collapse, guarding, or pain.
In this section, you will learn how to recognize these patterns in your students—and how to support gentle awareness and change through embodied practice.

What You’ll Learn

This in-depth training covers:

• Functional anatomy of the spine and nervous system
• How to identify common patterns contributing to pain
• Modifications and adaptations for individual needs
• Private session design and client progression
• Class sequences for different conditions
• How to design Happy Back Yoga Classes & Workshops
• Business Coaching and Marketing Materials 

Therapeutic yoga techniques for a wide range of spinal conditions including:

• Lower Back Pain & Sciatica
• Degenerative Disc Disease, Disc herniations / bulges
• Piriformis Syndrome
• Facet Joint Syndrome
• Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction and pelvic imbalances
• Upper back and thoracic restrictions
• Neck pain and cervical dysfunction
• Scoliosis and postural asymmetries

We also cover an important part of healing from back pain that is often overlooked:

• How stress and emotions affect our musculoskeletal system and can contribute to chronic pain patterns
• Emotional patterning, belief systems, and their relationship to posture (Hakomi-informed somatic inquiry) 

Learn How to Think Like a Therapeutic Teacher

One of the greatest challenges for yoga teachers is knowing what to do when students present with different conditions and pain patterns.

This training teaches you how to assess, analyze, and make informed decisions rather than relying on generic sequences.

You’ll develop the confidence to answer questions such as:

• What is causing this person’s pain?
• What movement patterns are contributing to it?
• Which poses will help?
• Which poses should be modified or avoided?
• How can I create a personalized practice that addresses the root cause rather than just the symptoms?

Professional Development and Business Training

The program goes beyond clinical skills.

You’ll also learn how to build a successful therapeutic yoga practice and become a certified Happy Back Yoga Teacher qualified to:

• Teach specialty workshops
• Lead retreats
• Work privately with clients
• Develop therapeutic yoga programs
• Build a niche expertise in back pain and spinal health

Built on Decades of Experience

This training reflects the integration of my work as a physical therapist, Certified Hakomi Therapist, and yoga therapist, along with studies with some of the most respected teachers in the field, including Aadil Palkhivala, Judith Lasater, Aman Keays, Jo Zukovich, Pessi Feig, and many others.

Most importantly, these methods have been refined through years of working directly with students and clients who have successfully reduced pain, improved function, and transformed their relationship with their bodies.

More Than a Certification

This is a professional pathway for teachers who want to make a deeper impact.

If you are ready to move beyond teaching poses and learn how to facilitate true healing, this training will give you the knowledge, confidence, and practical tools to become a leader in therapeutic yoga for spinal health.

The Happy Back Yoga Teacher Training is my signature program—and the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to understanding how the body heals, layer by layer.