Why Greenwood Yoga

“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in life has a purpose”

What distinguishes Greenwood Yoga Academy's Yoga Teacher Training Course from other Yoga Training courses. (See our Prospectus on the 'Manuals' drop down in the header above.)

Greenwood Yoga Academy offers Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist training at an Advanced Diploma level and is the ONLY Nationally Government Accredited course in WA and the 3rd Yoga accredited course in Australia.

We understand that the word ‘accredit’ may be interpreted differently and therefore we consider it helpful to provide the following explanation.

We believe it is extremely difficult to explain ‘what level of accreditation or recognition’ is gained after completing a Yoga teacher training course at either a 200 or 500 hour level as the amount of hours completed does not signify whether it is to a Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma, Advanced Diploma or Graduate Certificate level. GYA considered it important to present a course at a well recognised level of qualification for their clients and therefore developed their course to be accredited at Advanced Diploma level by the national Government.

Government accredited courses are presented at Universities, Vocational Education Training organisations or Registered Training Organisations (of which GYA is the latter) as they are licensed to accredit courses, set standards and criteria for training and most importantly assess the skills and knowledge for an occupation. E.G.: for Naturopaths, Physiotherapists, Exercise Physiologists, Nurses, Fitness Professionals and more.

Information regarding levels of government qualifications can be viewed on the following national government Training website: www.training.gov.au

Greenwood Yoga Academy’s course is the ONLY government accredited Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist training course in WA and at present time is one of only three Yoga courses in Australia to have gained government accreditation. The units of competency within the GYA course are recognised nationally and therefore may be used as credits for other studies if they are relevant to other Natural Therapy courses. Having a government accredited Advanced Diploma level qualification is widely recognised throughout the general public, within the Health and Medical and Fitness professions as well as internationally.

Greenwood Yoga Academy’s course is recognised by Yoga Australia. This association is a ‘guiding’ association for Yoga teachers and students and not a ‘governing’ association which conducts training courses. Therefore, this association does not ‘accredit’ any course but ‘recognises’ courses which meet their recommended criteria for content of training courses for Yoga teachers. You can view their criteria and standards on their web page: yogaaustralia.org.au

Greenwood Yoga Academy’s course is the FIRST Yoga training course in WA to be recognised by the Australian Association of Yoga Therapists Inc. This association is also a ‘guiding’ association and has links to the International Yoga Therapy Association in America. The AAYT in Australia has stringent requirements for membership and for course recognition as this level of teaching Yoga is more specific to the individual using many complicated Yoga theories and techniques. Information about AAYT can be viewed at: www.yogatherapy.org.au (in Australia) and www.iayt.org (in America).

Yoga teacher training courses offering accredited to a 200 or 500 hour level may mean that they are recognised by other associations as those associations do not conduct courses themselves. Yoga Alliance in America is another guiding organisation which sets guidelines for criteria of content and you can learn more about Yoga Alliance at: www.yogaalliance.org

In summary, the main difference between GYA’s course and others is that it is a Government accredited course and as such:

• Government accredited courses focus on the assessment of both skills and knowledge and have levels that are widely known and recognised for their content and assessment criteria.
• Government accredited courses are regularly audited to ensure the trainers and assessors are all qualified with their Certificate IV in Training and Assessment and the Registered Training Organisation as the Training Provider of the course has developed and implements :
• Policies and Procedures
• Curriculum with Learning Outcomes
• Training Plans
• Assessment Methods and Assessment Tools
• Essential Elements for assessments
• Assessment recording

Other Yoga Teacher Training courses offering training at Diploma and Advanced Diploma may not always be government accredited courses. To check for government acreditation go to the Training Australian Sector website  www.training.gov.au to check if the course is accredited - check the information below:  

We sincerely hope this explanation is viewed as helpful to you if you are considering training to become a Yoga Teacher or Yoga Therapist.

History of Yoga TeacherTraining Courses at GYA

GYA has previously presented 3 courses as:

•  2004/2005 - Holistic Yoga Teacher Training Course
•  2006/2007 - Certificate III in Fitness (Nationally accredited)
•  2007/2009 - Certificate III in Fitness (Nationally accredited)

GYA is now presenting:

• 2010/2012 - Advanced Diploma of Holistic Classical Yoga Practices 52229

GYA is next presenting:

• 2011/2013 (in August) - Advanced Diploma of Holistic Classical Yoga Practices 52229

Margaret Willcocks developed the Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist training course that has been accredited by the National Government at Advanced Diploma level (March 2010) with support of her colleagues and allied Health and Medical professionals..

When developing this course Margaret was very mindful that the essence of the ancient scientific and spiritual teachings and practices of Yoga be respected and applied as the basis for one's spiritual, mental, emotional and physical wellbeing within a Yoga practice.

This course is primarily for people who have an interest in Yoga and who wish to become a Yoga Teacher and Yoga Therapist. It is also designed for people with a general interest in Yoga practices who wish to apply them to their daily life or professional practice.

MARGARET WILLCOCKS' QUALIFICATIONS: 

• Trading as Greenwood Yoga Academy (GYA), as a Registered Training Organisation (Provider Number 51556) and in turn is formally recognised by the National Accreditation Council under section 27 of the Vocational Education & Training Act 1996. 
• Certificate IV in Training and Assessment - 2005 and upgraded in 2009. 
• Diploma in Yoga Teaching from the International Yoga Teachers' Association (IYTA) in 1995 and a is a full member of IYTA. 
• Level 3 member of Yoga Australia (YA).
• Member of Australian Association of Yoga Therapists Inc
• Professional Member of International Yoga Therapists Association

Put your training in the hands of people who have the passion for excellence in all they do, respect for the tradition of Yoga and who you can trust to have the knowledge and experience to train you to teach Yoga with integrity and to an accredited level...  Trust Greenwood Yoga Academy.