Learn the Practice. Experience the Work. Become the Practitioner.
An immersive, hands-on training in traditional Thai Yoga, therapeutic touch, movement, energy, and holistic wellness.
SPRING ‘27 | FIVE INTENSIVE WEEKENDS LOWELL, MA
Ancient Wisdom for Modern Times
Rooted in the traditions of Thai medicine, SomaVeda® Thai Yoga brings together mindful movement, therapeutic touch, breathwork, and an understanding of the connection between body, mind, and spirit.
While these practices have been passed down through generations, their relevance in our modern world is perhaps greater than ever.
In a world where stress, physical discomfort, and disconnection from our bodies have become increasingly common, Thai Yoga offers a different approach to supporting well-being. The practice encourages awareness, connection, and compassionate touch.
Throughout this training, you'll learn more than a collection of techniques. You'll explore the philosophy behind the practice, develop an understanding of traditional holistic approaches, and gain hands-on experience working with others.
As you learn to support others, you'll also have opportunities to deepen your own awareness, confidence, and connection to the practice.
You Don't Need Experience. Just a Willingness to Learn.
Whether you're already working in the wellness field, considering a new direction, or simply curious about traditional healing arts, this training offers a place to begin. You don't need previous experience in Thai Yoga, massage, or bodywork. You'll learn the foundations through hands-on practice, guidance, and experience throughout the program.
Expand your understanding of movement, assisted stretching, and therapeutic touch while learning new ways to support your students beyond the yoga mat.
Yoga Teachers
Deepen your understanding of the connection between body, mind, and energy through traditional Thai Yoga. Learn how mindful movement, therapeutic touch, and breathwork can complement the work you already do.
Reiki & Energy Practitioners
Considering a new path or feeling drawn toward work that involves helping others? Thai Yoga offers an opportunity to learn a traditional healing art, develop practical skills, and explore the possibility of incorporating this work into your life or a future professional practice.
Those Exploring a New Direction
Build on your existing skills with traditional Thai Yoga techniques, assisted stretching, rhythmic compression, and mindful movement. Explore new ways to approach therapeutic touch and expand the services you offer your clients.
Massage Therapists & Bodyworkers
Expand your approach to holistic wellness by exploring the principles of traditional Thai medicine, Ayurveda, and therapeutic touch. Discover how Thai Yoga can complement your existing practice and offer additional ways to support the people you work with.
Holistic Wellness Professionals
You don't need to have professional goals to study Thai Yoga. Maybe you want to share these practices with family and friends, deepen your understanding of holistic wellness, or simply learn something meaningful for yourself. Your reasons for beginning are entirely your own.
Those Who Simply Want to Learn
No Previous Experience Required
Whether you're beginning something new or building on years of experience, you'll be guided through the practice from the foundations onward.
Learn by Doing.
Grow Through Experience.
Thai Yoga is a practice best understood through experience. Throughout five intensive weekends, you'll learn by doing, working directly with others as you explore traditional techniques, body mechanics, movement, and therapeutic touch.
You'll spend time both giving and receiving Thai Yoga, allowing you to understand the practice from both perspectives. Through demonstrations, guided partner work, repetition, and feedback, you'll gradually build the skills and confidence to bring these techniques together into complete sessions.
Small Groups. Personal Guidance. Meaningful Connections.
Training in a small-group setting allows for personal attention, hands-on guidance, and plenty of opportunities to ask questions. You'll practice alongside others, learn from different bodies and experiences, and develop confidence in a supportive environment.
Rooted in Tradition. Passed Down Through Generations.
SomaVeda® Thai Yoga is rooted in the traditional healing arts of Thailand and a lineage of teachers who have preserved and shared these practices. Throughout your training, you'll learn not only the techniques, but also the philosophy, traditions, and respect for the practice that have been passed down through generations.
From the Foundations to a Complete Therapeutic Practice
Over five intensive weekends, you'll progress from the foundations of traditional SomaVeda® Thai Yoga to learning how to bring individual techniques together into complete therapeutic sessions.
Along the way, you'll explore body mechanics, assisted stretching, therapeutic touch, traditional philosophy, and holistic wellness principles. You’ll develop a well-rounded understanding of the practice.
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Begin with the foundations of SomaVeda® Thai Yoga in Level 1, including introductory techniques, mindful movement, breathwork, and proper body mechanics. Develop the awareness and practical skills needed to give and receive Thai Yoga safely and comfortably.
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Explore assisted stretching, rhythmic compression, traction, rocking, and other traditional Thai Yoga techniques. You'll also be introduced to complementary practices such as Tok Sen, energy medicine tools, herbal compresses, and reflexology.
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Explore the holistic principles behind SomaVeda® Thai Yoga, including Sen energy lines, traditional Thai medicine, and foundational Ayurvedic concepts. Learn how breathwork and practices such as B.E.T., EFT, and tapping fit into a traditional approach to well-being.
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Learn to assess client needs, recognize contraindications, adapt techniques for different bodies, and develop appropriate session plans. Emphasis is placed on thoughtful decision-making, clear communication, and creating a comfortable, supportive experience for each client.
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Bring your skills together through guided practice and complete Thai Yoga sessions using the SomaVeda® Therapeutic Protocol. You'll also explore professional ethics, practitioner responsibilities, and the foundations of establishing your own practice.
By the end of this training, you'll have the practical skills to offer Thai Yoga sessions, adapt your approach to individual needs, and begin sharing this traditional practice with others.
Imagine What You'll Be Able to Do
Learn seven complete 90-minute Thai Yoga sequences that you can draw from to create thoughtful, flowing sessions tailored to each client.
Give Complete Thai Yoga Sessions
Use proper body mechanics, positioning, and movement to deliver techniques comfortably while protecting your own body.
Move With Greater Confidence
Develop the awareness to modify techniques, work within appropriate boundaries, and respond to the individual in front of you.
Adapt to Different Bodies and Needs
Learn to combine therapeutic touch, mindful movement, communication, and presence into a supportive session.
Create an Intentional Experience
Some students come to Thai Yoga to expand their professional skills. Others are considering a new direction or simply want to share these techniques with family and friends.
Whatever brings you here, you'll leave with a foundation in traditional SomaVeda® Thai Yoga and practical skills you can continue developing.
You don't need to know exactly where this path will take you before you begin.
Where You Take This Practice Is Up to You
Meet Your Instructor
Elizabeth Miller, DSNM
A Lifelong Love of Movement, Teaching, and Learning
Movement and teaching have been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I grew up as a competitive Junior Olympic gymnast, which eventually led me into coaching. Working with athletes taught me about the human body, movement, and the important connection between physical ability and the mind.
My love of teaching later took me overseas as a Peace Corps volunteer and eventually into public education in Massachusetts.
During my years as a classroom teacher, I completed my yoga teacher training. I was drawn to the way yoga brought together movement, mindfulness, and an understanding of the body.
It was also during that training that I was first introduced to Thai Yoga.
After years of working in education, I was experiencing burnout. I loved teaching, but I was struggling with the stress that came with it.
I began teaching yoga in studios, gyms, and private homes, eventually developing a yoga and mindfulness program for an elementary school. Although I was doing work I cared about, I found myself feeling exhausted again.
During the pandemic, I started seriously thinking about what I wanted the next chapter of my life to look like.
I wanted more freedom with my time, the opportunity to keep learning, and work that allowed me to support others without constantly sacrificing my own well being.
I remembered experiencing traditional Thai Yoga while traveling in Thailand. I loved the movement, stretching, pressure, and the way the practitioner used their entire body.
When I discovered the Thai Yoga Center and began reading about Dr. Anthony B. James and the SomaVeda® curriculum, I was interested in how the training brought together so many things I had spent years studying and teaching.
I remember wondering whether I was too old to change careers and start over. But I also couldn't imagine spending another twenty years feeling unhappy and stressed in my work.
So I decided to enroll.
Finding My Way Into a Different Career
In July 2021, I graduated as a Certified SomaVeda® Thai Yoga Practitioner and began building my wellness practice.
For the first time, I felt like I had found work that brought together my interests and experience in a way that made sense. I could work directly with people, teach them about their bodies and wellness, and continue learning.
My practice grew through referrals, and I continued studying with Dr. James and the Thai Yoga Center.
In 2023, after approximately 1,000 hours of continued study, I became a Certified SomaVeda® Thai Yoga Instructor. By then, I was working with around twenty clients each week and had begun teaching others the practice.
In 2025, I completed my doctorate in natural medicine through the American School of Natural Medicine, continuing my education in holistic approaches to health and wellness.
Today, I've spent thousands of hours working with clients on my Thai Yoga mat, and I'm still learning through this work.
From Practitioner to Instructor
Although my career has changed over the years, I've never stopped being a teacher.
My trainings are very hands on. I demonstrate techniques, explain what we're doing and why, and give students plenty of time to practice with one another. I pay close attention to body mechanics, positioning, and adapting techniques for different bodies.
I encourage questions, mistakes, and repetition. I also share examples from my own client practice so students can understand how what they're learning applies to real sessions.
My goal is for you to understand the work, not simply memorize a sequence of movements.
My Approach to Teaching
My education in traditional Thai Yoga has been through the SomaVeda® system under the mentorship of Dr. Anthony B. James.
Dr. James studied traditional Thai healing arts in Thailand, including teachings connected to Grand Master Phaa Khruu Samaii Mesamarn and the Buddhai Sawan tradition.
I take this lineage seriously and teach the SomaVeda® methods as they were taught to me, including the traditional techniques, philosophy, body mechanics, and holistic principles that are part of the system.
Thai Yoga is much more than assisted stretching. I want students to understand the traditions and philosophy behind the techniques they're learning.
Honoring the SomaVeda® Lineage
What I Hope You'll Take Away From This Training
One of my favorite parts of teaching is watching students grow more comfortable and confident with the practice.
I remember being a beginner myself, learning new movements and figuring out how to position my body while working with another person.
My hope is that you leave with a solid understanding of Thai Yoga, confidence in your abilities, and the foundation to continue developing your practice in whatever direction feels right for you.
2027 | 164 hr. Thai Yoga Practitioner Training Details
Weekend 1: March 20 & 21
Weekend 2: April 10 & 11
Weekend 3: May 1 & 2
Weekend 4: May 15 & 16
Weekend 5: May 22 & 23
Daily Schedule
Saturdays & Sundays
9 AM to 6 PM
This 164 hour training combines five intensive weekends of in person instruction with online coursework included in the SomaVeda® curriculum.
Training Dates
Bodhi Sanctuary
Lowell, Massachusetts
Location
Tuition & Enrollment
EARLY BIRD TUITION
available through January 31, 2027.
$2,777
Payment Options
Tuition can be paid in full at enrollment. Financing through Affirm may also be available at checkout, allowing you to spread the cost over time, subject to approval and financing terms.
REGULAR TUITION
$3,333
After enrolling, you'll receive an email with your enrollment agreement and instructions for completing your registration.
Your Certification & Professional Opportunities
Upon successful completion of this 164-hour training and all required coursework, you'll receive your SomaVeda® Thai Yoga Practitioner certification.
This training is designed to prepare you to offer complete Thai Yoga sessions, understand the SomaVeda® Therapeutic Protocol, and begin developing your own professional practice.
As part of the program, you'll also learn about professional ethics, client communication, practitioner responsibilities, and the Native American Indigenous Church (NAIC) framework.
Bodhi Sanctuary is an auxiliary branch of the NAIC, and graduates receive NAIC AFM membership as part of their professional foundation.
This training is offered through an NCBTMB Approved Provider for continuing education.
Hear From Past Students
“I wanted to learn Thai Yoga so that I could incorporate it into my classes and offer something different at my studio beyond teaching asana.
I really loved watching and learning the techniques. Elizabeth's mindful approach to the practice was inspiring, and I appreciated how she cared about the practice and led by example.
Practicing with our sangha and learning from each other's backgrounds and experiences was especially meaningful. I plan to incorporate the techniques immediately into my hands-on assisting and continue expanding my knowledge of Thai Yoga.”
Amy | Yoga Teacher