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Pranayama, Mudras, Bandhas: The Anatomy of the Subtle Body with Joseph Le Page

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Meets live virtually weekly on Tuesdays from 8:30-11:30 AM Mountain Time

November 4, 2025 – February 3, 2026
(No classes Dec 23 or 30 | 12 week, 36-hour course)

In the ancient texts of Hatha Yoga, which include instruction in asana and pranayama, the most important element of study is the understanding and experience of the body of subtle energy. This body is made up of energy centers (chakras), energy channels (nadis), and energy currents (prana vayus).

It is through the knowledge of this subtle body that Yoga postures and other practices are performed with ease and fluidity. This experiential understanding of the subtle body is also key in optimizing the health benefits of Yoga, including physical and psychological flexibility, equanimity and optimal functioning of all the physiological systems. The subtle body also serves as a bridge to our spiritual Being through understanding the intelligence and energy at the heart of creation.

The sciences of pranayama, mudra and bandha allow us to awaken and channel the energies of the subtle body and are therefore essential for receiving all of Yoga’s benefits. In this course, we will gain an in-depth understanding of pranayama, mudra and bandha, as well as pranic healing techniques, all of which serve to create a deep awakening of the subtle body, harmony in our physical being, psycho-emotional equanimity and an unfolding of the full potential of spirituality. 

The science of pranayama encompasses the traditional breathing practices that awaken the subtle body, optimize our physiology, balance the mind and emotions and serve as a doorway to our spiritual Being. This course presents 30 pranayamas along with their variations and therapeutic applications, allowing the teacher to instruct pranayama in therapeutic settings, within yoga classes, and to offer pranayama workshops at the beginning and intermediate levels. The pranayama material is supported by the soon to be released book, Pranayama for Healing and Transformation, by Joseph Le Page and Karin Silberberg.

Mudras are gestures of hands, face and body to balance our physical being, awaken subtle energy and serve as a bridge to spirituality. This course focuses on the use of mudras therapeutically and combining mudras and pranayamas in Yoga Therapy. The course also presents the use of mudras for meditation and spiritual transformation. The study of mudras is based on the book Mudras for Healing and Transformation by Joseph Le Page and Lilian Aboim.

Bandhas play a key role within Asana practice and also in pranayama. Within the texts of Hatha Yoga, bandhas are included in the category of mudras. They have a special role in creating an energetic container within the physical body for the awakening and channeling of subtle energy and the unfolding of our spiritual Being. This course presents the various dimensions of bandha practice in pranayama, asana, and meditation.

This course also presents the therapeutic application of pranayama, mudra and bandha for individual and group Yoga Therapy sessions. Additionally, we learn how to channel the energy of the subtle body through pranic healing, an ancient Indian science that directs breath and prana to specific areas of the body to optimize physical health and remove energetic blockages. 

Through this course, you attain an in-depth understanding of the science of pranayama, mudra and bandha to heal the physical body, awaken and channel subtle energy, balance the mind and emotions and unite more deeply with your spiritual Being.

Fees, Eligibility and Continuing Education:

  • This course is open to all Inner Peace Yoga Therapy students as well as yoga teachers/yoga therapists from other schools
  • For those already certified as Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT), this course offers 36 hours of continuing education via Approved Professional Development
  • Tuition fee $500 payable below.

This 36-hour course will meet virtually each Tuesday from November 4, 2025 – February 3, 2026.

Class time is 8:30—11:30am MT each week, no class Dec 23 or 30. Students are encouraged to attend sessions live, but each session will be recorded and placed on our learning platform so that students can also participate via recording. Students are expected to listen to the recordings from any missed session before the next week’s session takes place.

Click here and learn more!

The Art and Science of Yoga Therapy and the Five Koshas

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On February 26th, Joseph Le Page will be presenting the twelve-week course, the Art and Science of Yoga Therapy, for Inner Peace Yoga Therapy.

“Within this course, we use the model of the Five Koshas, the five dimensions of our being as a framework for the theory and practice of Yoga Therapy. The objective of the model of the Five Koshas is essentially spiritual; to provide a clear path to union with our true Being.

Along this journey however, as we traverse each of the koshas, we gain an in-depth awareness of each of the dimensions of our being, allowing us to cultivate integration and harmony which supports our overall health and the process of healing. Along this journey of awareness, we also cultivate health and healing which both support our journey and reflect our growing approximation to the source and essence of health.

Through an in depth understanding of the model of the Five Koshas, we create a foundation for the Art and Science of Yoga Therapy, serving three main functions:

  • The Koshas form a framework for healing at each level of our being; each facet of our lives requires consciousness, care, and evolution cultivated through Yoga practices specifically designed for each person’s individual needs.
  • Secondly, the koshas function as a framework for developing competencies at each level of being, allowing the Yoga Therapist to master an understanding of health at physical, energetic, psycho-emotional, intuitive, and spiritual levels.
  • The third function of the koshas is to remind that that the purpose of all of Yoga, including Yoga Therapy is the recognition of our true Being, whose very nature is wholeness and peace, and that health and healing are ultimately reflections of our union with the one source energy.

On the video, we review each of the koshas briefly and meditate on them!

Get to know more about the Art and Science of Yogatherapy!

 

Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras as a Journey of Healing

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Understanding the Spiritual Essence of Yoga Therapy with Joseph LePage

Meets live virtually weekly on Fridays from 8:30-11:30 AM Mountain Time

September 23 – December 9, 2022 (12 week, 36-hour course)

The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali is a key text of Yoga tradition. In 196 short aphorisms, we find a compilation of the essential philosophy, methodology and techniques of the Yoga. This text also forms a foundation for the study and practice of Yoga Therapy. In this 36-hour course, we will explore the Yoga Sutras in detail with a special focus on their vision of health and healing at all levels of being. This course is based in Joseph Le Page’s upcoming book, The Yoga Sutras in Practice to be released in 2023.

Areas of Study:

  • Patanjali’s vision of health and healing at all levels of being
  • The nature of the mind in relation to health and healing.
  • The role of surrender and divine grace in healing.
  • The sound and symbol of OM as a vehicle for healing.
  • The impediments to healing and their symptoms, including depression and anxiety.
  • A road map for the treatment of depression and anxiety in Yoga Therapy.
  • The means to promote healing including one-pointed concentration and breath awareness.
  • The cultivation of positive qualities that support healing including loving kindness, compassion, inner joy, and the ability to not take things personally.
  • The five kleshas as the root cause of dis-ease.
  • Kriya Yoga, the Yoga of inner transformation, as a road map for the journey to healing.
  • The relationship between karma and dis-ease.
  • The three gunas and their relationship to stress and dis-ease
  • The limbs of Yoga as the foundation practices along the journey of healing.
  • The inner and outer limbs, relative and absolute Yoga Therapy.
  • The practice of samadhi as a path of healing.
  • Mastery of the five elements as a path of healing.
  • Harnessing the power of the mind and positive qualities in healing.
  • The role of the prana vayus in balancing the physical systems of the body.
  • The chakras as a map for health at all dimensions of being.
  • The role of the senses in the healing process and healing of the senses themselves.
  • The role of the mind in the perfection of the body.
  • Enlightenment, kaivalya, as absolute healing.

Learn more

Each week will include a balance of theory and experience including guided exercises, meditation, and sharing within the group.

Participants will receive weekly material from Joseph Le Page’s upcoming book, The Yoga Sutras in Practice. Participants will also receive weekly study materials and meditation scripts.

Fees, Eligibility and Continuing Education:

  • This course is open to all Inner Peace Yoga Therapy students as well as yoga teachers/yoga therapists from other schools
  • This course is an Elective for all Inner Peace Yoga Therapy students pursuing their 800-hour certification
  • For those already certified as Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT), this course offers 36 hours of continuing education via Approved Professional Development
  • Tuition fee $500 payable below.

This 36-hour course will meet virtually each Friday from September 23 – December 9, 2022. Class time is 8:30—11:30am MT each week.

Students are expected to attend sessions live, but each session will be recorded and placed on our learning platform. Students are expected to listen to the recordings from any missed session before the next week’s session takes place.

About Joseph

Joseph’s innate desire for wholeness led him to his first Yoga class in 1973, and his first meditation retreat at the Tibetan Buddhist Samye Ling Tibetan Center in Scotland, with his first trip to India in 1975. He made six subsequent journeys to India for study in Yoga, Yoga Therapy, and Ayurveda. He is a graduate of Kripalu Yoga Teacher Training and Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy training. His master’s degree in teaching has supported his development of experiential education methodologies.

He founded Integrative Yoga and Integrative Yoga Therapy in 1993, and is a pioneer in the field of Yoga therapy training programs. He began teaching yoga therapy in hospital settings in 1995 and continues up to the present as Director of The Healthy Heart Program, which conducts Yoga Therapy group programs in public health settings throughout Brazil.

Joseph has been a speaker at major conferences including Yoga Journal, the International Association of Yoga Therapists, the Kripalu Yoga Teacher’s Association, the International Association of Yoga and Ayurveda, and others. He is co-founder and director of the Enchanted Mountain Yoga Center in Garopaba, Brazil, one of the largest Yoga retreat centers in South America.

He is the co-author of the book Yoga Toolbox for Teacher and Students, one of the most widely used materials in teacher training programs in the US and in Brazil, published by Integrative Yoga. He is also co-author of the book Mudras for Healing and Transformation, also published by Integrative Yoga.

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