National Institute of Mental Health &Neuro Sciences
(Institute of National Importance), Bengaluru-560029
Department of Integrative Medicine
Invites Applications for the Certificate Course in
“Basics of Yoga Therapy (BYT) for Mental Health Professionals”
Batch 4 - 2025
About the Course
Psychiatric disorders, including depression and anxiety, are among the leading contributors to the
global disability burden. Despite the widespread use of conventional treatments such as antidepressants
and psychotherapy, these interventions do not provide consistent therapeutic efficacy for all
individuals. Serious mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar affective disorder, present even
greater challenges, often necessitating the incorporation of additional techniques to enhance resilience
and improve long-term outcomes. This is particularly true in countries like India, where limited
healthcare resources, a shortage of trained mental health professionals, and the need for culturally
sensitive care further constrain the effective management of these conditions. There is a growing need
for interventions that not only address the specific cultural context but also empower individuals to
take an active role in their healing process.
Yoga, a widely recognized mind-body practice, has proven therapeutic benefits, particularly for mental
health. While traditionally aimed at promoting sound mental health, recent research has validated its
efficacy in treating major psychiatric disorders such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, and stress-
related conditions. Additionally, yoga’s philosophy— emphasizing mindfulness, self-awareness, and
inner balance—enhances psychotherapy by fostering emotional regulation and deeper self-connection.
Given the growing prevalence of mental health disorders in today’s fast-paced world, there is a
critical need for prevention strategies. Yoga’s holistic, non-pharmacological approach and
patient-empowering techniques make it a valuable tool for both prevention and management of
mental health issues. Its philosophical foundation also supports personal growth alongside symptom
relief.
Conventional psychotherapists can enhance their practice by integrating yoga’s principles, which
deepen mindfulness, improve emotional resilience, and boost self-awareness. By combining
traditional therapy with yoga, therapists can offer more holistic care and promote long-term well-
being. However, there is a shortage of trained professionals in this area, underscoring the need for
capacity-building and awareness programs to address this gap.
NIMHANS is a premier health institute of India and it has been working towards clinical application of
yoga for more tha n a decade now. With more than 150 peer reviewed publications in the field of
Yoga and mental health, NICY has scientifically validated yoga modules for various neuro-
psychiatric disorders which include depression, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder,
mild-cognitive impairment, Parkinson’s disease, somatoform pain disorder and substance use disorder.
These modules are being taught to patients at NICY with 6-8 separate batches of yoga sessions for
respective disorders being conducted by more than 10 trained yoga therapists every day.
NIMHANS has also taken initiatives in promoting
Integrative Psychology where yoga-philosophy priciples could be applied as psychotherapeutic tools.
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Participants in the certificate course will receive both theoretical knowledge and practical
training on the philosophy and application of yoga practice in psychotherapy, along with
essential precautions for working with such patients, under the guidance of NIMHANS
faculty.
This basic level program will not enable the student to become a trained yoga therapist
for treating mental and neurological disorders as this would require a more in-depth
training. This is a basic level program aimed at providing practical and theoretical
exposure to basics of yoga therapy and tradition-based lifest yle advices and their
application in mental health. This will enable mental health professionals to select patients
for whom yoga therapy can be applied and develop skills of integrating simple yoga based
lifestyle tips into their clinical practice.
Eligibility: Those who have completed or are currently pursuing the following qualifications:
a) MBBS/BAMS/BHMS/BNYS/BUMS/BSMS graduates who are currently working or have
worked in the area of mental health clinical services.
b) Ph.D. in Psychiatry/ Clinical Psychology/ Psychiatric Social work/Social
Work/Psychiatric Nursing
c) MPhil/MSc in Clinical Psychology/ Psychiatric Social work/Social
Work/Psychiatric Nursing/Post-graduate Lay counsellors or Teachers with basic
knowledge of counselling
d) Direct candidates, those deputed from other organizations and sponsored
candidates from State/Central government /Armed forces/Other NGO’s can be
admitted to the course.
Note: Preference will be given to candidates who are directly involved in delivering mental
health services
Details of the Course:
Duration: 8 weeks (8 weeks online training – 2 hours per week , every monday and wednesday
with weekly online evaluation by the Department of Integrative Medicine, NIMHANS.
Course Start date: 3rd Feb 2025 (online: Monday & Wednesday: 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm)
Number of Seats: Maximum 100 per intake in every batch; students are encouraged to join for
one-day offline workshop at the end of the course organized in the Department of Integrative
Medicine, NIMHANS, however this is not compulsory.
. Fee Payable (non-refundable tuition fee):
1) For Medical Professionals:
Rs 5,000 for those working in private institutions/ Rs 3000 for Government employees/students
2) For non-medical PG professionals: Rs.3,000 for those working in private institutions/ Rs 1500
for those working in Government Institutions or students
3) For nursing professionals/counsellors/teachers: Private college: Rs.2,000 for those working in
private institutions/Rs 1000 for those working in Government Institutions or students
4) Training fee for foreign students/professionals: a) High income country: $ 300; b) Middle
income: $ 150 c) low income and SAARC countries: $ 50
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Procedure for Application: Selection will be done based on the eligibility. The interested
candidates should fill the google application form: https://forms.gle/8fReEYuYA9kxSQDw9
OR send hard copy on a plain paper along with following documents:
i. One page write up on why they want to pursue the certificate course
ii. Bio data with a recent passport size photograph, full postal address, email id/ phone
number.
iii. Education, Research and work experience related documents/certificates as per eligibility
criteria.
Note: Please note that incomplete applications will not be considered and no intimation will
be given regarding the same. Selection of candidates for the course will be sole discretion of
the course committee.
Apply by filling the google form - https://forms.gle/8fReEYuYA9kxSQDw9 OR
Send Hard copy of the application along with supporting documents titled ‘Certificate
Course in Basics of Yoga Therapy for Mental Health Professionals -4’’ to...
The Professor and Head, Department of Integrative Medicine, NIMHANS Integrated Centre
for Yoga, NIMHANS, Bangalore-560029.Ph: 080 26995730
Email:
[email protected] Course Coordinators:
1. Dr Hemant Bhargav, Associate Professor, Department of Integrative Medicine, NIMHANS
2. Dr Nishitha Jasti, Scientist -C (Yoga), Department of Integrative Medicine
3. Dr Aditi Devi, Senior Scientific Officer, Department of Integrative Medicine,
4. Dr Bharath Holla, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Integrative Medicine
5. Dr Kishore Kumar R, Professor of Ayurveda, Head, Department of Integrative Medicine
6. Dr Aarti Jagannathan, Additional professor of Psychiatric social work, Department of
Psychiatric Social Work
7. Dr Shivarama Varambally, Professor of psychiatry, Department of Integrative Medicine
Email:[email protected] For clarifications contact: Ph: 080-26995730
Important Dates:
Course Start date Last date to receive applications Intimation to selected candidates
3rd Feb 2025 24th Jan 2025 27th Jan 2025
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