John Kepner Seva Award Grant

International Association of Yoga Therapists
More than 5,000 individual members from 50+ countries, together with more than 150 Member Schools, help IAYT to support research and education in yoga.
Nearly 70 IAYT-accredited yoga therapy training programs educate the next generation of IAYT-certified yoga therapists, or C-IAYTs, who come from a range of lineages and backgrounds.
The annual Seva Award recognizes yoga therapists who bring yoga to those who have not had full access to these practices. This award was named in honor of Executive Director Emeritus John Kepner and his tireless efforts to advance the field and give back to the yoga therapy community.
Intended to help support and significantly advance the work of C-IAYTs or yoga therapists in training, the John Kepner Seva Award offers seed funding and publicity for well-defined and well-planned service projects.
IAYT and co-sponsor, the Give Back Yoga Foundation, commit annual support to these awards.
What projects will be considered?
We’re seeking to support active and ongoing projects that benefit a population that may not otherwise be able to access yoga therapy. Positive consideration is given to yoga therapists from historically underresourced, underserved, marginalized, minoritized, and underrepresented backgrounds. Your application should include specifics about how your project will be communicated to and integrated into the community.
One winner will receive:

• $1,008 (US) prize for project facilitation
• Registration for one person to attend IAYT's Symposium on Yoga Therapy and Research (SYTAR),Three nights at the conference hotel
• $400 toward travel to the conference
• Up to 20 yoga mats from Give Back Yoga Foundation to facilitate project classes (if applicable)
• Opportunity to tell the project's story in IAYT’s magazine Yoga Therapy Today
• Recognition at SYTAR 2026
• Social-media coverage from IAYT and Give Back Yoga Foundation
• Two-year beYogi membership (valued at $327)
• Lifetime Sequence Wiz membership (valued at $199/year)
• Four runners-up will receive:
• $500 (US) prize for project facilitation (increased from previous years to support travel to SYTAR)
• Up to 20 yoga mats from Give Back Yoga Foundation to facilitate project classes (if applicable)
• Opportunity to tell the project's story in an upcoming IAYT publication
• Recognition at SYTAR 2026
• Social-media coverage from IAYT and Give Back Yoga Foundation

Eligibility

Through this award, IAYT and Give Back Yoga Foundation are dedicated to honoring and amplifying the voices of yoga therapists serving individuals with limited access to yoga therapy and/or individuals from historically marginalized communities.
We encourage yoga therapists whose identities are underrepresented in the profession to apply, including people of the global majority (PGM), those with disabilities, and members of LGBTQIA2S+ communities.[PGM refers to the more than 80% of the world's population who are Black, Indigenous, and/or of color and encompasses the term BIPOC.]Applicants must be current IAYT members and hold active C-IAYT credentials or be students(s) in an IAYT-accredited yoga therapy training programIf applying as a group, all must be current IAYT members, and at least one person must be an active C-IAYT.
You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member.