In this 26-hour training, you’ll learn the fundamentals of serving older adults and how to adapt yoga practice to serve their complex needs. Jivana will approach the perspective from the perspective of the koshas, which yoga describes as the five layers of our being. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn from guest teachers who specialize in specific aspects of aging that will support your teaching toolkit. Plus, the training includes four pre-recorded workshops, which incorporate practices that support older adults.
This program is designed for yoga teachers, however practitioners who want to understand more about building a safe and effective personal practice will get a lot out of the training.
Enrollment includes 1 year of access to all course content, including live session recordings, pre-recorded workshops & associated resources.
In the training, you’ll explore:
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Aging Gracefully with Yoga with Jivana
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Expanding Energy & Breath as We Age with Jivana
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Our Aging Minds with Jivana
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Creating an Appropriate Practice for Older Adults with Jivana
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Yoga & Health Care: Supporting Older Adults with Eve Adler
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Mental Health, Dementia & Grief: A Decolonized Perspective with Ekta Hattangady
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Yoga for Arthritis with Dr Steffany Moonaz
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Empowering Older Adults with Reduced Mobility Through Yoga with Jess Geevarghese
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Benefits & Challenges of Yoga for Older Adults with Carol Krucoff
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Addressing Loss & Grief with Wisdom with Jivana
Plus, access pre-recorded workshops:
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Yoga for Post-Stroke Recovery with Sunny Barbee
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Addressing Frailty in Older Adults with Dr. Yasmin Bedi
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The Art of Teaching Yoga to Older Adults with Liz Oppedijk
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An Ayurvedic Menopause with Kallie Schut
The population of older adults is incredibly diverse, so yoga teachers need to have expansive knowledge if they want to serve this community. We need up-to-date information and training so we can keep our students safe and offer them a truly effective practice.
In so many ways, aging is a blessing and our yoga practice can truly flourish as we grow older.
But it can be challenging to find reliable information about how to practice yoga to support aging bodies and minds through the many transitions that come with age.
On a physical level, yoga practice for older adults needs to evolve to serve the special requirements of aging bodies with a variety of conditions. Yoga can meet older students where they are, offering opportunities for strengthening and balancing, mobility and ease. However, it’s important for teachers to have an awareness of the benefits — and risks — that come along with asana.
Emotionally and mentally, yoga offers tools to handle the challenges that come with aging. This includes facing loss and grief, and for many people, doing so in isolation. Yoga offers supportive philosophy, spiritual guidance, and community, as well as potent subtle practices such as relaxation, pranayama, and meditation, to help our students find some calm in the ongoing process.
"The Accessible Yoga for Older Adults online course helped me discover how I can enrich the teachings I offer in my class. With a better understanding of the shift in our bodies as we age, I have gained more empathy and patience as I teach to students with a range of different needs. My classes have evolved to be more inclusive and accessible with the knowledge gained from this course." –Euying
COURSE OVERVIEW & SCHEDULE
Accessible Yoga for Older Adults is a 26-hour online course, including 20-hours of LIVE training, plus 4 x 90-minute pre-recorded workshop videos.
This course will be led by Jivana Heyman, plus special guest presenters Eve Adler, Jess Geevarghese, Ekta Hattangady, Carol Krucoff & Dr. Steffany Moonaz
with pre-recorded workshops led by Sunny Barbee, Dr. Yasmin Bedi, Liz Oppedijk & Kallie Schut
All sessions will be captioned and recorded.
Enrollment includes 1 year of access to the course content, including live session recordings, pre-recorded content and associated resources.
July 9 - August 10, 2026
Mondays & Thursdays (10 sessions)
10am-12pm PDT (USA)
1pm-3pm EDT (USA)
6pm-8pm BST (UK)
(convert to your local time-zone)
*Session 1 will be available as a FREE course preview
Session 1 (FREE PREVIEW)
Thursday July 9th, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Aging Gracefully with Yoga: Anamaya Kosha
with Jivana Heyman
In this opening session, Jivana will offer an overview of the pancamaya kosha model that yoga uses to understand the layers of our human embodiment. In particular, he’ll reflect on the ways the anamaya kosha (physical body) changes as we age, and how yoga can help us to age gracefully. This includes a discussion of:
- How we can prepare for aging even in our 40s & 30s
- The benefits of yoga for healthy aging
- Exploring flexibility of body and mind
- A risk / benefit analysis of practicing asana as we age
He’ll also share a short practice focusing on building strength and improving balance for older adults, and conclude with a short summary of what you’ll learn in the rest of the program.
Join the first session of Accessible Yoga for Older Adults as a FREE course preview
If you are curious about this 26-hour online course with Jivana Heyman & guests, we invite you to join the first live session as a FREE course preview.
Enter your details below to register to receive access to this 2-hour session with Jivana Heyman, Aging Gracefully with Yoga: Anamaya Kosha, on July 9th, as a preview of the full course.
(If you are unable to join live, that's okay! Registration for this free course preview will also include access to the captioned replay).
Session 2
Monday July 13th, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Expanding Energy & Breath as We Age: Pranamaya Kosha
with Jivana Heyman
In this session, Jivana will continue with an exploration of adapting asana for older adults, since it’s a vast and complex topic.
He’ll discuss the ways that asana practice supports strength and increased stamina – particularly strong muscles and bones as we age. He’ll also explore subtle yoga practices that focus on increasing prana (energy) as we age. This includes pranayama, breathing practices, and how we can find appropriate practices for ourselves and our students.
This session will include an asana practice for people with osteoporosis or those who may be at risk for bone loss.
Session 3
Thursday July 16th, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Our Aging Minds:
Manomaya Kosha
with Jivana Heyman
We usually think of yoga as a physical practice, but that’s just one small part. According to traditional teachings, yoga is ultimately about the mind. As we age, working with our own mind can become easier or more challenging depending on our life circumstances and a host of other issues. In this session, Jivana will continue an exploration of the breath and how it works with the nervous system to calm the mind. He’ll explore how we can support older adults with the inward, more subtle yoga practices such as pranayama and meditation. After all, meditation is the heart of yoga practice, but it can be challenging to turn inward when you’re experiencing trauma, stress, grief, or memory loss, which is common for so many of us.
This session will include a couch asana practice designed to prepare us for meditation.
Session 4
Monday July 20th, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Creating an Appropriate Practice for Older Adults: Vijnanaya Kosha
with Jivana Heyman
In this session, Jivana will explore yoga practices that connect us to the wisdom body, vijnanamaya kosha. This is our intuition, or higher mind, which we may have greater access to as we age. As we know, age offers wisdom, but sometimes we need to work at it. We can become more sensitive to subtle changes in our bodies and minds as our interoceptive ability expands. This session will focus on important considerations for sharing yoga with older adults as we support them to connect with themselves.
This session will include an asana practice designed to address joint mobility, muscle strength, and balance, as well as a practice to help people get up off the floor.
Session 5
Thursday July 23rd, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Dementia, Mental Health & Grief: A Decolonized Perspective
with Ekta Hattangady
In this interactive workshop, you’ll reflect on your understanding of dementia and the unconscious biases you hold.
Ekta will bring forth perspectives from their experience working with people with dementia, and from Buddhism, that allow for a more expansive view of the human life span and its accompanying malaise.
This workshop will include reflection, journaling, discussion, and a slideshow presentation.
Session 6
Monday July 27th, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Yoga for Arthritis
with Dr Steffany Moonaz
In this session, research scientist and yoga therapist, Dr. Steffany Moonaz will provide a clear rationale for yoga's role in managing arthritis and chronic pain as a whole-person experience. Participants will learn the scientific basis for yoga's impact on biopsychosocial-spiritual outcomes and the importance of all 8 of yoga's limbs for unraveling stress-pain and fear-avoidance cycles.
The session will include a yoga practice aligned with existing evidence, with options for attendees to choose their own adventure along the way.
Session 7
Thursday July 30th, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Yoga & Healthcare:
Supporting Older Adults
with Eve Adler
Explore the knowledge and tools you need to work with older adults in healthcare settings. We’ll review current research about changes that can occur in the body and mind with age, and explore the importance of exercise, both physical and mental, in the aging process.
We’ll also consider questions that older adults should ask their doctor before starting a yoga practice, safety guidelines when practicing asana, how to practice chair and bed yoga in healthcare settings, and the importance of resting between poses. We’ll also discuss the essential topic of how to best support caregivers of older adults. The workshop will end with a short yoga practice.
Session 8
Monday August 3rd, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Empowering Older Adults with Reduced Mobility Through Yoga
with Jess Geevarghese
While it’s easy to think of “older adults” as a monolith, there’s tremendous variation in their ability, mobility, and needs. The session will address the diverse needs of older adults in a yoga practice, which is crucial for fostering inclusivity and ensuring safety. Specifically, we’ll discuss the differences in needs of active older adults and those with decreased mobility in a yoga practice. We’ll discuss the different types of aged care facilities (in the U.S.), and dive into the considerations necessary for working with this less mobile population. We’ll also consider how to best work with mixed-level classes in these spaces, and the business aspects related to serving this population. Interspersed with the lecture will be two 20-minute practices for this population.
Session 9
Thursday August 6th, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Benefits & Challenges of Yoga for Older Adults
with Carol Krucoff
Yoga offers numerous benefits for older adults — helping relieve pain, build strength, boost balance, enhance flexibility and improve mood. This presents both a great opportunity and a serious challenge for yoga teachers since some commonly-taught postures and practices may pose significant risks for older bodies. This workshop will offer essential information about health challenges common to seniors — including heart disease, high blood pressure and osteoporosis — and present evidence-informed movement considerations to help reduce risk and enhance effectiveness for people in this demographic.
We’ll explore practices that can help older adults reduce fall risk, improve and/or maintain bone and joint health, relieve anxiety and enhance wellbeing.
Session 10
Monday August 10th, 2026
10am-12pm PT | 1pm-3pm ET
Eternal Awakening:
Anandamaya Kosha
with Jivana Heyman
This session will be divided into two parts, including a reflection on the anandamaya kosha, the bliss body, as well as a course summary.
First, Jivana will discuss how yoga connects us to an eternal place of peace and joy, as well as offering us acceptance of loss and grief as well as illness and our eventual death. He’ll also consider the intersection of ageism and ableism, and ways we can use the tools of yoga for healing as individuals and in community.
Then, he’ll review the presentations from all of our guest faculty and offer a summary of the entire course.
PRE-RECORDED WORKSHOP
Yoga for Post-Stroke Recovery
with Sunny Barbee
In this workshop, Sunny Barbee explores the practices of yoga as an approach to rehabilitation, recovery, and healing post-stroke. We’ll define stroke, and discuss the potential effects students may present with after stroke, including motor, sensory, cognitive, communication and emotional changes. We’ll experience several practices that can help support the process of recovering from a stroke, including chair yoga, restorative yoga, hand yoga and mudras, mantra, pranayama, visualization and mediation. We’ll also explore how the practices of yoga can assist in relieving spasticity and improving balance, as well as supporting the nervous system, the mind-body connection, and promoting self-compassion for students who have experienced a stroke.
PRE-RECORDED WORKSHOP
Addressing Frailty in Older Adults
with Dr. Yasmin Bedi
In this workshop led by Geriatrician and Yoga Therapist, Dr Yasmin Bedi, we'll start with understanding key aspects of the ageing process, before defining the term frailty. We'll also review key research measures and tools to identify frailty in medical science, and how these can be useful when designing a yoga session. We will then review how to safely work with frail individuals and key elements to include in a yoga session. The included sample practice will cover each of these elements, sharing ideas for you to incorporate into your yoga sessions designed for aged-care and hospital settings.
PRE-RECORDED WORKSHOP
The Art of Teaching Yoga to Older Adults
with Liz Oppedijk
In this workshop, Liz Oppedijk shares practical, experience‑based approaches to teaching yoga to older adults in ways that feel safe, inclusive, and that support participation, confidence, and connection. The session begins with a chair‑based practice, followed by a lecture exploring four key teaching skills: thoughtful sequencing, clear cueing, mixed‑level teaching, and creating a sense of community. Drawing on her work teaching accessible yoga in community classes and residential care settings, and the key principles from the Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga Method, Liz offers practical strategies for adapting yoga while preserving its integrity and therapeutic value.
PRE-RECORDED WORKSHOP
An Ayurvedic Menopause
with Kallie Schut
In Ayurveda, yoga’s sister science, it is taught that the stages of life are closely aligned with a dosa (constitution) and the associated elements through which we can adapt and adjust as we move through the stages of life, including menopause. In this session, Kallie Schut, a South Asian wisdom holder, traditions protector and yoga teacher trainer, shares the principles of an ayurvedic approach to menopause through an informative talk, presentation and a short vata-pacifying yoga practice. Through this workshop Kallie shares ayurvedic and yogic tools, including mudra, mantra, and pranayama, to support the phases of change of perimenopause, menopause, and into post-menopause.
Are you curious about how this training differs from our signature 55-hour Accessible Yoga Training Online?
Check out our FAQs for further details about these two courses.
Check out the course FAQs
What course participants are saying:
"I highly recommend this training for its approach to ageing, and its focus on fullness and wholeness of all students. The course is well researched and the guest teachers were amazing. Jivana Heyman always brings a wealth of knowledge and experience." –Course Participant
"Full of excellent, warm and expert information. I feel ready to teach older adults and those needing more options, and to take better care of myself as I age. I'm so glad I invested in this thoughtful and skillful course." –Kelly
"I really appreciated the level of compassion and empathy of Jivana and of each presenter." –Lisy
"I gained insight about my students, and myself, from each presenter. Nothing but sincere gratitude for the wisdom shared." –Kasey
"I found The Accessible Yoga for Older Adults course incredibly valuable. After each class, I was able to take my new knowledge and directly apply it to the classes I teach. I also found my own spiritual practice enriched through what I learned." –Vicki
Equity Pricing Explained:
Upon registration, you’ll choose from one of three pricing tiers that best suits your financial means:
- Community Rate (supported by your peers)
- Sustainer Rate (covers your enrollment)
- Supporter Rate (covers your enrollment + supports peers)
Need help clarifying which pricing tier is most appropriate for you? Please refer to this helpful graphic by Alexis J Cunningfolk.
Each tier offers 2 ways to enroll:
- Single upfront payment
- 3-month payment plan, with equal installments charged upon registration and on the same date each month for the duration of your plan.
If the pricing options available are not financially accessible, please refer to the partial scholarship application information below.
Intention of Equity Pricing:
Our equity pricing structure and scholarship program was created to amplify training access for those who hold marginalized identities and those experiencing significant financial hardship.
If neither of those qualifications apply to you, please consider enrolling at the Supporter or Sustainer Rate, which supports the ability to offer Scholarships and a Community Rate to folks experiencing financial difficulties.
Click your chosen pricing tier below to access payment options.
In addition to the live course, enrollment includes 1 year of access to the live session recordings, pre-recorded content and associated resources.
Community Rate $399
Sustainer Rate $499
Supporter Rate $599
Partial Scholarships
Please review our above tiered pricing and payment plan options, as well as the intention of our equity pricing structure.
If our tiered pricing and payment plan options are financially inaccessible, you are welcome to apply for a partial scholarship.
PARTIAL SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
What course participants are saying:
"I recommend the Accessible Yoga for Older Adults online course because of the amount of relevant, spiritual, and practical information it provides. I feel I am paying more attention to my students at an individual level and also providing a practice that feels more accessible and well-informed. Every session provided me with relevant, practical, and useful information that support and enhance my chair yoga practice for older adults, and the sample practices provided me with great ideas – I have already used some of them with confidence and success." –Anna Clara
"This course really opened a door for me to serve older adults!" –Hsin-Hong
"The Accessible Yoga for Older Adults online course helped give me more confidence in teaching my classes, to identify areas of concern with students and how to make yoga even more accessible to this growing student population. I was able to easily incorporate the knowledge into how I plan and teach classes. Each presenter was amazing - they shared so much information and knowledge in each of their specializations." –Sara
"I really appreciated the modules that included spirituality, dementia, mental health and grief, as well as building strong foundations and osteoporsis. I am literally transitioning my mother into a nursing home this weekend and all of these have helped me be more compassionate with her, and myself. Thank you. As someone who has been teaching seniors for a long time, and is now a senior, I learned about the latest science, and can incorporate some practical and creative techniques with different focus and intentions." –Kathy
