Lyons Institute | Craniosacral Therapy Courses & Massage Therapy CEU Online
Online Courses in Craniosacral Therapy, Structural Integration & Equine Bodywork Training
Lyons Institute courses are made for massage therapists, manual therapists, and bodyworkers who want to expand their skills and grow their practice. Whether you're a seasoned manual therapist or just beginning your journey, our self-paced video courses meet you where you are—building from foundational concepts through advanced, clinically applicable techniques.
Our training covers Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy, Structural Integration and Rolfing, and equine bodywork, so the courses suit practitioners working with both equine and human clients. They're an especially good fit if you're looking to add a specialty, refine your hands-on skills, or bring proven approaches to common conditions like lower back pain, TMJ dysfunction, and plantar fasciitis directly into your practice.
They also serve anyone who needs continuing education: all our courses are approved for CEU credit from the NCBTMB, so licensed therapists can earn credits toward their credentials while learning at their own pace, with lifetime access to revisit each technique until it's second nature.
Yes, the demonstration of the techniques is in many ways more powerful because you can watch it over and over. But, just like taking an in-person course, the true development of your skills comes through practice. The videos are extremely demonstrative as if you were actually at a live class. And the anatomy that is covered is very detailed beyond what is offered in a live class.. It is a very beginner friendly course, but seasoned practitioners appreciate the depth of materials offered and the knowledge of someone who has been practicing these techniques for over 37 years.
Choose the course or course package you'd like to take, you can view all of our course offerings on our Courses page. Click on the course enrollment button and complete the checkout form to purchase your course and create your account. You'll receive access to the online course and can begin learning immediately.
There are no official prerequisites for any of our courses. Some courses are designed to provide a foundation for students who are new to the subject, while others build on existing knowledge and professional experience. For course sequences, it is recommended that you begin with the level one course and progress through the sequence in order, but it is not a strict requirement.
It is the student's responsibility to make sure they follow the laws of their specific state or country in regards to licensure to practice massage/bodywork.
Yes. Lyons Institute's online courses are designed to give you the flexibility to learn at your own pace. You can work through the lessons according to your own schedule and revisit course material as needed during your access period.
Many of our courses condense a large number of concepts into a relatively short amount of time and we encourage our students to work through the material slowly, ask questions, and spend several practice sessions exploring each new technique before moving on.
You receive lifetime access to your course content after enrolling. You can return to the lessons and course materials whenever you like, allowing you to learn at your own pace and revisit the material whenever you need it.
Yes. When you enroll in a course all course video lessons and text materials are available for you to download for offline viewing.
We ask that you do not share or distribute these materials with others. More information can be found on our Terms and Conditions page.
Yes, but very limited at this time. Presently teaching in China. After having taught since 1992 both live and online courses, I feel in many ways the online methodology is superior in many ways!
Yes. Lyons Institute is a continuing education provider with the NCBTMB ( Judah Lyons AP# 450084-06 ). If your profession and state accepts CE credits approved by the NCBTMB, then Lyons Institute courses can count towards your credit requirements.
Credit hour totals for each course can be found here.
Please consult with your state licensing body to determine if your state places a limit on the number of credit hours that can be completed online.
Continuing education requirements are determined by each state and licensing jurisdiction. Even when a course carries a recognized CE approval, your state may have additional requirements or limitations, including restrictions on online education or specific subject areas.
The number of CE hours earned for each course can be found on our CEU Information page.
After you successfully complete the requirements for your course, including passing the course exam, you'll receive a PDF of your certificate of completion via email. Keep your certificate and other course records with your professional education records in case they are requested during an audit or renewal.
Lyons Institute online courses combine instructional video lessons with supporting course materials to guide you through the subject in a structured format.
The video lessons are a combination of theory lecture, anatomy visualizations and technique demonstrations.
When you enroll in a course you create a username and password for your account on lyonsinstitute.com. You can log in to your course, work through the lessons, and return to previous material as needed.
Yes. Online courses provide the flexibility to begin your training according to your own schedule.
Course access and video availability are provided through the Lyons Institute online learning platform. This includes the ability to download each video lesson for offline viewing.
Course videos and materials are intended for personal educational use and should not be copied, shared, or redistributed.
Lyons Institute courses are designed for convenient online access across common devices. A reliable internet connection and a current web browser are recommended for the best experience.
We attempt to provide our video content at the highest quality possible, so please be mindful of data usage if you are streaming on a mobile network plan.
All course lesson videos are also available to download and watch while offline.
Yes. One of the advantages of online learning is the ability to work through the material at your own pace. You can pause lessons when needed and return to your coursework later.
Each course has a final exam that can be taken after completing all of the course lessons. The exam can be repeated if necessary in order to obtain a passing grade.
Successful completion of the course exam is required to earn the certificate of completion and CE credits.
That depends on your existing credentials and the laws governing your profession and location. Completing a course does not automatically expand your legal scope of practice. Before offering a new service professionally, confirm that the techniques are within your scope of practice and meet any applicable licensing or regulatory requirements.
Upon successful completion of a Lyons Institute course, you will receive a certificate of completion for that course, along with continuing education hours approved through the NCBTMB. Lyons Institute has provided training and certificates of completion to craniosacral therapy and structural integration practitioners for over 20 years. Aside from our NCBTMB continuing education approval, we are an independent training provider and are not affiliated with any other certification organization. A certificate of completion is not a professional license: practitioners must still follow all local laws and licensure requirements for the practice of massage therapy and bodywork in their area.
Our courses are designed to layer directly onto the work you already do. The techniques are meant to be practical and immediately applicable, so you can bring them to your table right away rather than starting a separate practice from scratch. If you're a licensed massage therapist or bodyworker, craniosacral therapy and structural integration become additional tools and specialties you can offer existing clients.
Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy is a gentle, non-force approach that emphasizes awareness, presence, and the body's inherent capacity for regulation and change. Rather than relying primarily on forceful manipulation, the Biodynamic model teaches practitioners to develop sensitivity to subtle changes and work with the body's natural rhythms and processes.
The Biodynamic model emphasizes stillness, presence, and an awareness of the body's inherent organizing forces. Training in this approach helps you develop a refined palpatory awareness and learn to work with subtle physiological and energetic patterns rather than relying solely on mechanical techniques.
The course is designed for practitioners and students interested in developing a deeper understanding of Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapy. It can be particularly valuable for massage therapists and bodyworkers looking to develop a gentler, more perceptive approach to their work.
You'll learn foundational concepts of the Craniosacral Therapy and specifically the Biodynamic approach along with techniques and principles for developing palpatory awareness and working with the craniosacral system. The course uses detailed instruction and visual demonstrations to help you understand both the concepts and their practical application.
Structural Integration is a form of manual bodywork developed from the pioneering work of Dr. Ida Rolf. The approach focuses on the body's connective tissues, structural relationships, and patterns of movement.
Structural Integration takes a whole-body perspective, using specific manual techniques and movement awareness to address patterns of tension and imbalance. The goal is to support greater structural organization, ease of movement, and body awareness.
Learn more about Structural Integration
While both are hands-on, soft-tissue practices, they work toward different goals. Massage therapy generally focuses on the muscles, working session by session to relieve tension, reduce pain, aid recovery, and promote relaxation. Structural integration takes a whole-body approach centered on the fascia—the connective tissue web that surrounds and links the muscles—with the aim of improving how the entire body is organized and aligned.
For a practicing massage therapist, this doesn't mean choosing one over the other. Structural integration techniques give you a different lens, working with fascia and whole-body alignment, that complements the muscular, symptom-focused work you already do, and lets you offer clients a more structural approach when that's what their body needs.
The course is built for massage therapists, manual therapists, and bodyworkers who want to add a structural, whole-body approach to their skills. Whether you're looking to practice structural integration as a complete method or simply borrow from it. It's designed to develop practical skills you can apply directly in your practice, and it works for two kinds of practitioners in particular:
Those who want to learn the full series. If your goal is to offer structural integration as a distinct service, the course teaches the complete 10-session Structural Integration series, giving you a proven "road map" to work the fascial planes of the body and create lasting structural change across a full protocol. This suits practitioners who want to take clients through the whole progressive series the way structural integration is traditionally practiced.
Those who want to integrate techniques into existing work. You don't have to adopt the entire series to benefit. Many therapists take the course to fold individual structural integration techniques into the massage and bodywork they already do—using them to address specific issues like lower back pain and plantar fasciitis when a client's body calls for a more structural approach, without changing the rest of their practice.
What will I learn in the Structural Integration course?
The course teaches all the basic moves and techniques needed to perform the entire 10-session Structural Integration series, so you come away with both the individual skills and the framework to apply them across a full protocol. Specifically, you'll learn:
This course is designed for equine massage therapists, bodyworkers, and horse professionals, as well as human-focused massage therapists who want to extend their hands-on skills to equine clients. It also suits dedicated horse owners who want to learn practical techniques to support their own animals. The course helps you alleviate painful conditions horses often suffer from and deepen your relationship with the horses you care for. The approach sets it apart from many equine massage programs: it teaches fascial approaches drawn from founder Judah Lyons's training at the Rolf Institute, along with trigger point therapy to reduce the ischemic tissue that's a major source of pain and dysfunction in horses. A particular emphasis is learning to recognize the signs that a horse is in pain, something many equine massage classes leave out. If you're drawn to deep-tissue, myofascial, and trigger point work for horses, this is the course for you.
This course is designed for equine bodyworkers, massage therapists, and horse professionals who are drawn to the gentler, more subtle side of equine bodywork, as well as practitioners already trained in craniosacral therapy for humans who want to apply it to horses. It also suits horse owners looking for a light-touch way to support their animals' well-being. The course introduces applying craniosacral therapy specifically to horses, covering biodynamic craniosacral foundational concepts, equine field dynamics, and cranial, diaphragm, and limb holds for horses. Rather than the deep myofascial and trigger point work of the massage course, this training focuses on the quiet, perceptive craniosacral approach. It's ideal if you want to work with a horse's craniosacral system to support its natural healing and deepen your connection with the animals in your care.
Comfort and safety around horses is important, since you'll be working hands-on with large animals, but you don't need to be an experienced equine bodyworker to start. The course begins with methods for assessing structural issues that lead to patterns of stress and pain, then moves into the musculoskeletal anatomy and the myofascial techniques for working those muscle groups, so it builds your knowledge from the ground up. That said, a foundation in massage or bodywork, or familiarity handling horses, will help you get the most from the material.
You don't need to be supervised by a veterinarian to take the course, but the we strongly encourage involving the horse's vet in your work to keep the animal's overall well-being in view.
Yes. The equine courses are approved for NCBTMB continuing education credit, so licensed massage therapists and bodyworkers can earn CE hours while learning equine work. Specifically, Equine Craniosacral is approved for 6 CE hours and Equine Myofascial Massage for 8.5 CE hours, and the combined equine bodywork course is approved by the NCBTMB for 14.5 CE hours. As with all our courses, you earn the credit by watching the video lessons and completing a test on the material, and you'll want to confirm that your specific state accepts NCBTMB-approved courses before purchasing for CE credit.
Can't find the information you're looking for? We're happy to help you find the right course or answer questions about enrollment, continuing education, and online learning.
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