The Minded Institute

Home
United Kingdom
London
The Minded Institute

We are a world leader in yoga therapy, providing research-based professional training. We hope you enjoy learning with us!

The Minded Institute is an international leader in yoga therapy and mind-body training. We wholeheartedly believe that yoga therapy and aligned disciplines can play a vital role in prevention, management, and treatments of various mental and physical long-term conditions. To support this mission we provide expert education to help yoga and health professionals in the service of this goal and work to translate the benefits of yoga therapy to health services. https://themindedinstitute.com/product-category/courses/

All of our courses incorporate a yogic therapeutic perspective, the psychological and physiological understanding of conditions and related yoga practices, up to date research, and guide for best practice - based on years of clinical experience. As the body-brain-mind connection is often crucial in unearthing the benefits of yoga therapy we also like to do a deep dive into neuroscience when appropriate!

20/02/2026

Choosing a yoga therapy training is not only about content.

It is about accreditation.

BCYT accreditation, CNHC registration and IAYT standards shape your professional recognition, scope of practice and long-term credibility.

Understanding yoga therapy accreditation helps you make an informed decision, for your clients and for your career.

We’ve written a detailed guide explaining what these frameworks mean and how they differ.

Read the full article at themindedinstitute.com/blog

—

19/02/2026

We are pleased to announce the inaugural recipients of the Robin Monro Awards.

Named in honour of Dr Robin Monro, pioneer of modern yoga therapy in the UK and founder of the Yoga Biomedical Trust, the Awards recognise pioneering, field-shaping work that advances the discipline in practice, research, accessibility, professional education, and healthcare integration.

Inaugural recipients: Dr Sonali Sudarshi, Liz Oppedijk, Elaine Collins.

Full announcement via the link in the comments, or comment MONRO to be sent the direct link in your DMs.

17/02/2026

New research sheds light on what makes yoga therapy effective

Despite exponential growth in yoga research, studies examining yoga therapy specifically remain scarce. The yoga therapy community often extrapolates from general yoga studies, hypothesising how findings translate when combined with therapeutic frameworks. That's why this new paper by Shirley Telles et al. (2025, PMID: 41651142) matters; it directly investigates which features of yoga therapy practice predict better outcomes, something rarely examined in our field.

304 participants completed a structured yoga and allied therapy programme. Multivariable regression analysis identified certain dimensions of treatment satisfaction that predicted measurable improvements in sleep, digestion, and overall health indices:
- Communication satisfaction
- Time spent with the practitioner
- Accessibility & convenience
- Financial & technical aspects did not predict outcomes.

In conventional medicine, patient satisfaction is linked to the depth and quality of the practitioner relationship. In complementary and integrative medicine, this relationship has been less studied, yet it takes a more central role than in allopathic medicine. In yoga therapy, the therapeutic relationship is considered paramount; it's one of the key distinctions between yoga and yoga therapy. Within this relationship, the practitioner attunes to the client, understands their specific needs, and collaboratively adapts practices accordingly. This study suggests that these relational and contextual dimensions may function as active ingredients in therapeutic change, not merely supportive elements, but mechanisms of action themselves that augment the power of the various yoga practices employed.

As yoga therapy seeks recognition within healthcare systems, demonstrating these mechanisms with empirical evidence becomes essential for establishing the field's distinct value.

At the Minded Institute, we place considerable emphasis on attuning to clients and understanding their needs, so seeing this empirically supported was gratifying.

WE'D LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU: What do you believe most specifically leads to the best outcomes for your clients?

16/02/2026

We have established the Sally Roach Scholarship for Integrative Yoga Psychotherapy (IYP).

Before her death, Sally knew that a scholarship would be created in her name, ensuring that her commitment to therapeutic work would continue.

The scholarship provides £5,000 toward IYP training for one accredited yoga therapist demonstrating financial need and alignment with the values she embodied.

Applications close 15 April.

Link in comments, or comment SALLY to receive the details directly in your DMs.

13/02/2026

Yoga therapy is increasingly recognised as a valuable complementary approach in trauma recovery.

In a 2023 survey conducted with PTSD UK, 85% of respondents with PTSD or C-PTSD reported symptom reduction when using body-centred approaches such as yoga.

However, PTSD and Complex PTSD differ significantly in presentation and clinical needs.

This IAYT-approved CPD, led by Heather Mason and Rachel Bilski (PTSD UK), is the first of its kind to address both PTSD and C-PTSD within an evidence-based yoga therapy framework.

The 30% discount code (PTSD_CPD30) expires in 48 hours.

The training covers:

– Neuroscientific foundations of trauma
– Distinctions between PTSD and C-PTSD
– Practical adaptation of yoga therapy in one-to-one and group settings
– Safety, duty of care, and referral pathways

If trauma presentations form part of your work, this course offers structured, clinically grounded training.

Comment PTSD to receive the full course details.

12/02/2026

NEW COURSE ALERT

When clients bring their emotional world into sessions (and they will), do you have the skills to hold it?

We're launching Integrative Yoga Therapy Counselling: a 5-day intensive that brings together what's usually kept separate.

✨ Formal counselling skills ✨ Somatic processing ✨ Nervous system regulation ✨ Yogic & Buddhist tools grounded in science

Taught by myself and Shaura Hall, our first formal collaboration after 14 years working alongside each other.

This training does something rare: it integrates what's usually fragmented. You'll leave able to work with talking, the body, and physiological regulation as one coherent practice, not three separate skill sets you're supposed to toggle between.

22-26 April 2026 | Live Online Early bird ends 1 March

Link in comments for full details

11/02/2026

£300 discount: Early Bird pricing for the full Yoga Therapy Training ends 15 February.

To receive the discount, the registration form needs to be completed by this date.

If you’ve been sitting with whether this training is right for you, this is the moment to decide.

Full details and registration via the link in comments or comment BIRD to be sent further details directly.

10/02/2026

This weekend, the 2024 cohort of the Minded Yoga Therapy Training had their final training module.

The ending of our yoga therapy training is always emotional, but this year was truly unique. The group asked Heather, the Course Director, not to look. They went into a different room, then entered the room where she was waiting, one by one, in a queue, wearing caps and gowns, chanting OM, and forming a circle around her, just as one would at a university graduation.

She was awestruck and teary-eyed. Heather spoke to one of the students afterwards, who said: "We did this because undertaking this course has felt like a degree. We wanted to honour that. For some of us who didn't complete a university course, we wanted this ceremonial aspect, because doing this training is like undertaking a university degree."

At Minded, we have put our hearts and souls into creating something that can help change people's lives and provide them with the knowledge to support others in doing the same. This was the biggest collective recognition that our intentions are felt and being realised.

Heather later said: "When you see your life's work holding such meaning for others, it in turn gives your own life meaning. I will never forget this moment. It was a pivotal moment, a tangible manifestation of our intentions, and great hope for the future."

From all of us at Minded, and especially from Heather: love and thanks.

09/02/2026

Would you like to teach accessible chair yoga in your community?

We’re offering two fully funded scholarship places across a linked training pathway that supports you to go on to teach your own accessible chair yoga classes, even without a prior yoga teacher qualification.

The scholarships cover:
• Basic Yoga Techniques (1-day CPD for healthcare, caring, and community settings)
• Accessible Chair Yoga Teacher Training – Part 1, focused on inclusive, effective chair yoga for older adults, people with disabilities, and those with limited mobility

These scholarships are intended for practitioners who are underrepresented within yoga therapy and/or working in settings where access to training and care is limited.

📅 Training runs February & March 2026
🎓 Course tuition is fully funded (assessment fee and book not included)
🤝 Applications are managed independently by our partner organisation, Fierce Calm

👇
Comment CHAIR to receive the full details and application link.
Please share with someone this opportunity might support.

08/02/2026

If you want to change your life, change the story you are willing to live.

We all carry narratives about who we are, what’s possible, and where we belong.
When one story loosens, something new can emerge.

What story are you holding at the moment?

06/02/2026

Pause & Paws
A human–dog sound bath experience.

This offering began with Minnie, and a curiosity about vibration, sound, and the way dogs already listen with their whole bodies.

Held in a small, carefully designed space, this shared sound bath supports calm, regulation, and connection for both humans and dogs. No prior experience with yoga or sound baths is needed.

📍 London
🗓 Sunday 8 March

The full film exploring how this experience came to be can be viewed on our website.
Comment DOG and we’ll send you the direct link.

05/02/2026

A rare opportunity to observe yoga therapy developed within the United States Veterans Affairs healthcare system.

In this two-part observation, physician and yoga therapist Dr Jayashree Pathak shares a clinical model shaped by real-world veterans’ care. Participants observe both assessment and therapeutic intervention for chronic and neuropathic pain, alongside Dr Pathak’s clinical reasoning, trauma-informed approach, and sequencing decisions.

This is yoga therapy practised in dialogue with modern healthcare, complex presentations, and clinical accountability.

🔗 Learn more and register via the link in comments.

Address

220 Arlington Road
London
NW17HE

Website

http://www.themindedinstitute.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Minded Institute posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Practice

Send a message to The Minded Institute:

Shortcuts

Featured

Help Mind Body

Want your practice to be the top-listed Clinic in London?