Curriculum Guide Yoga Teacher Training By: Nancy Wile Yoga Education Institute

Transcription

1 Curriculum Guide Yoga Teacher Training By: Nancy Wile Yoga Education Institute Yoga Education Institute, 2018 All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use, sharing, reproduction, or distribution of these materials by any means is strictly prohibited.

2 Table of Contents: Overview of Yoga Teacher Training.. 2 Requirements 5 Day 1: Yoga Teaching Techniques and History 5 Day 2: Teaching and Practicing Warm Ups and Sun Salutations.. 9 Day 3: Teaching and Practicing Standing Postures 10 Day 4: Teaching and Practicing Seated Postures Sequencing for Different Styles of Hatha Yoga. 11 Day 5: Arm Balances, Front Lying Postures, Forward Facing Inversions Day 6: Back Facing Inversions, Back Lying Postures Art of Sequencing, Introduction to Iyengar. 13 Day 7: Pranayama, Bandhas, Meditation, and Mindfulness. 15 Day 8: Studio Selection Day (1). 17 Day 9: Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, Chakras, Mudras.. 18 Day 10: Yoga for Specific Health Issues, Restorative Yoga, Savasana, and Yoga Nidra 21 Day 11: Effective Use of Props, Chair Yoga, Partner Yoga and Hands On Adjustments Day 12: Studio Selection Day (2).. 24 Day 13: Yoga for Special Groups (Prenatal, Kids) Day 14: Sanskrit Pronunciation and Meaning, Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga.. 26 Day 15: Yoga Sutras, Yin Yoga. 27 Day 16: Business of Yoga, Developing Workshops and Retreats.. 31 Day 17: Studio Selection Day (3). 32 Day 18: Yoga Unveiled, Question/Answer Session

3 Overview of Planning a Yoga Teacher Training One of the main things I ve discovered over the years of yoga practice and teaching is that yoga training never really ends. There s always something more to learn. As I write this curriculum guide, I know that a few months from now, I will be adding, revising, clarifying new ideas that, hopefully, will make your sharing of yoga that much more informative. I have found that when working with trainees, I learn a tremendous amount from them each year. They always show me a new perspective on an old idea, and they ask questions that I hadn t even considered. As a teacher trainer, it s important to be honest with your students and admit when you re not sure of something. If one of your trainees stumps you with a difficult question, it s the perfect opportunity to research that area and report back to your students about what you have learned. Make each training day a mix of physical and discussion based activities. It s important to have a mix of both each day, so that students are neither exhausted from doing only asanas all day nor stiff and drained from having long intense philosophical discussions all day. You may also want to schedule a yoga class, either before or after each workshop that is open to your larger yoga community. By attending your class, your trainees get a chance to watch your teaching more often, and it will also give them a convenient class during which they can assist you. We find it s best to limit the number of trainees during any one session to twelve students. When there are more trainees than that, it s difficult to give each trainee the attention and support they need to develop their teaching skills. 2

4 Sample Schedule This sample schedule simply gives you an idea of how to coordinate and plan your training. You are not required to follow this exact schedule. Quick Sample Schedule Guide for group training days Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10 Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15 Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 History of Yoga, Different Styles of Yoga, General Yoga Teaching Techniques Teaching and Practicing Warm-Ups, Sun Salutations, and Moon Salutations Teaching and Practicing Standing Postures Teaching and Practicing Seated Postures, Introduction to Sequencing Teaching and Practicing Arm Balances, Front Lying Postures and Forward Facing Inversions Teaching/Practicing Back Facing Inversions, Back Lying Postures, Art of Sequencing for Hatha Yoga, Introduction to Iyengar Yoga Introduction to Pranayama, Bandhas, Meditation, and Mindfulness Practices Studio Selection Day/Guest Lecturer (topics may include kudalini, ayurveda, nutrition, aroma therapy, etc). Anatomy of Hatha Yoga, Biomechanics of Movement, Introduction to Chakras, Introduction to Mudras Yoga for Specific Health Issues, Savasana and Restorative Yoga, Yoga Nidra Effective Use of Props, Partner Yoga, Hands On Adjustments Studio Day/Guest Lecturer (topics may include kundalini yoga, acro yoga, aroma therapy, hot yoga, nutrition, ayurveda, etc) Teaching Yoga for Specific Groups (prenatal, kids yoga) Sanskrit Pronunciation and Meaning, Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga Yoga Sutras and the Philosophy of Yoga, Yin Yoga Business of Yoga, Yoga Teacher Ethics, Finding Your Voice as a Yoga Teacher, Developing Yoga Workshops and Retreats Studio Selection Day/Guest Lecturer Review any questions, Watch part of Yoga Unveiled, Final Discussion, Celebration 3

5 Before or after a training session is a good time to also offer optional yoga classes (your regular yoga classes) that are open to the public. Students can use these classes to complete their hours of attending class, assisting, and observing class. Individually scheduled practicum. This includes: assisting, attending, and observing during your regular classes (at least 30 hours total of class attendance, observation, assistance total of hours), as well as one short practice teaching scheduled individually with you (30 minutes focused session). The individually scheduled practice teaching session should be a focused practice that assumes warm-ups were already done. The session can focus on a specific area (i.e. hip openers, arm balances, meditation, etc.) Group Based Practicum (one practice teaching during group session for each trainee). Each trainee should do a practice teaching session for the rest of the group as part of their practicum. They should teach the rest of the training group (or part of the training group) a one-hour class, after which the group leader and other trainees will give feedback, giving specific feedback regarding their specific strengths and any areas to keep working on. At the beginning of the training, each student should select a day/time during the later group training sessions to do their group based practicum. If you have more than 6 trainees, then allow each trainee to choose five other practicum that they will attend (rather than attending every practicum). Please see the sample practicum sign-up sheets. We have found that it works well to schedule the group training sessions for longer weekends (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) and to schedule each long training weekend about three weeks apart. This gives students time to review what they have learned, complete any homework, and think about any questions they may have before the next weekend session. It also allows students to complete their training (including their practicum) in about 6 months time, which seems to be the right length for most students. The studio selection day/guest lecturer days give you an opportunity to include specific topics that you would like to emphasize in your training, or to bring in outside experts in related yoga topics that are of interest to your group. Finally, trainees must complete additional outside assignments as part of the program (see below). 4

6 Requirements: Your students must complete the following requirements in order to earn their 200 hour certification with Yoga Alliance: 1) Complete the group training workshops 2) Complete Yoga Practice Teaching Practicum (a group based practice teaching session, and a one on one evaluated practice teaching session) 3) Assist, Observe and Attend Yoga Classes at your studio complete yoga class/ workshop attendance log (30-40 hours) 4) Anatomy Coloring Book Assignment 5) Complete the Online Course at: which includes: a) Written exam b) Sample lesson plan (outline of a class) c) Yoga Book Review d) Signed Yoga Teacher Ethics Form Anatomy Coloring Book Assignment For the Anatomy Coloring Book assignment, please use: The Anatomy Coloring Book, 4 th Edition by Wynn Kapit and Lawrence Elson. It can be purchased on Amazon at: Kapit/dp/ /ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid= &sr=8-1&keywords=anatomy+coloring+book+4th+edition&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER Trainees can purchase this book prior to beginning the program, or purchase once the program begins. You can also just make copies of the required pages for them to complete. Those who wish to complete the assignments in the Anatomy Coloring Book early may do so. Assigned pages include: 20, 21, 25, 67. Additional pages to give trainees (but not required to color) include: 47, 49, 52, 54, 55, 59, 60, 61, 62. Yoga Class / Workshop Logs The Yoga Class/Workshop Log may include any yoga classes taken at your home studio during the training, or during the 6 months prior to the training, or up to 6 months after the training. Getting Started Before starting the training, take a little time to get to know your new trainees. Find out why they want to be at your training. It may be that they want to become a full time yoga teacher, or they may want to teach part time, or they may just want to enhance their own practice and share what they learn with a few friends. Understanding what s important to your students will help you determine which areas to emphasize and which areas to perhaps more briefly review. Depending on the size of your group, you may want to break them into smaller groups when practicing what they learn. For example, if you have 9 trainees, frequently break them into groups of 3 to practice new things. Change up the groups frequently, so everyone has a chance to work together. 5

7 Day-by-Day Training Guide Day 1: Yoga Teaching Techniques and the History of Yoga Warm Up: Start by having each trainee introduce themselves by giving their name, how long they have practiced yoga, any particular styles they follow, and what they hope to gain from the teacher training. You may find that some of your trainees simply want to learn more about yoga and enhance their own practice, while others want to build a full time career in yoga. It s a good idea to understand each student s motivation for attending your teacher training, so you can meet their expectations and help them meet their goals. Do a brief yoga practice for about 45 minutes (warm ups, sun salutations, and some postures, before ending in child s pose and savasana) to help everyone relax and become more present in the training session. Training Session: Begin by asking students what yoga means to them, and what they believe makes a good yoga teacher. Share your own ideas about what makes someone a good yoga teacher, and what you feel is the purpose of yoga, as well as what you have gained from your own yoga practice, and how you hope to benefit your new trainees. Begin discussing the history of yoga. Explain the beginnings of yoga, and how yogic philosophy and practice developed throughout the years. Explain the importance of specific literature to yoga, including the Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Explain how yoga came to the West and some of the people who were instrumental in its development here. Some yoga masters to include in your discussion may be: Swami Sivananda, Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Vishnu-Devananda, Sri T. Krishnamacharya, Indra Devi, Pattabhi Jois, BKS Iyengar, and TKV Desikachar among others. Ask students about who they admire in the yoga community and why. Remind students that they don t need to mimic any other teachers and should develop and be true to their own voice. Discuss the eight limbs of yoga, as well as the different styles of yoga and of hatha yoga. Explain that the focus of this training is to help students not only learn the basics of good practices in teaching yoga, but also to develop their own unique practice and 6

8 voice as a yoga teacher. Students are not expected to fit a cookie cutter mold, but to develop their own strengths and rhythm as a teacher. Discuss the basic skills necessary for any yoga teacher. These include things such as: having a personal practice, effective communication strategies, using positive reinforcement, and general ways to connect breath with movement and help students develop their inner awareness. Have students practice their communication skills by teaching down dog. First demonstrate how to teach this pose. For example, you may say, From all fours, spread your fingers wide. Curling your toes under, press your hips up and back into down dog. As your students try this out, you may notice that they tend to say things like, Now we re going to. or then you ll want to Help them practice getting rid of these unnecessary words or phrases, teach them how to keep their instructions concise and clear. Too many words or imprecise language can break the flow of the class and cause more confusion for students. Another teaching example: Tadasana Standing with your feet parallel, lifting up through the crown of your head, draw your shoulders back and down. Chest lifts as your tailbone releases down. Explain the importance of counter poses and modifications when teaching yoga. Give demonstrations of different counter poses and modifications. For example, after doing camel pose, you can use child s pose as your counter pose in order to relax the muscles along the spine that were contracted during camel. An example of a modification would be offering different options for foot placement in tree. Instead of bringing the foot to the opposite thigh, students may bring the foot to the opposite ankle or calf. Then have students name their own examples of counter postures and modifications and demonstrate them to the group. Give a brief introduction to working with students with special issues. This will be covered more fully later in the course, so at this time, just explain that students with medical issues, or who are pregnant, require special considerations and modifications, and may have difficulty participating in a regular yoga class. You can then discuss the main points of sequencing for a general hatha yoga class. Sequencing will be covered in more detail later in the training, so at this point, it s just a matter of introducing the ideas of sequencing a class. Let trainees know that this sequence doesn t need to be followed exactly, but that it s a good starting point. The main idea is to start with focused breathing and warm ups, before moving into active standing postures, then balancing postures, then moving to front lying postures, seated postures, reclined postures, and relaxing into savasana, and including a brief meditation at the end. This general sequence can provide a simple way for new teachers to create a class that flows well and that starts slow, then builds energy through the early and middle parts of the class, and then begins to slow down more and more until students relax into savasana. 7

9 Working in groups, have students write out their own sample lesson plan. Once they have completed their sample lesson plan, give them some time to share their ideas with the rest of the group. Explain the idea of having students practice at their edge. This means having students go into a posture to the point where they feel their muscles working and may begin to feel a slight discomfort, but there is no pain and they can maintain their slow, smooth breath. Once they reach that edge, they can back off, and then use their breath to possibly push that edge a little further the next time. Explain the importance of having a regular home practice. Only through your own home practice can you begin to gain deeper insights into the more subtle aspects of yoga practice, and to bring those insights to your students. Finally, discuss some of the basic yoga teacher ethics, and have students discuss their ideas for working with students with specific issues, as outlined on page 37. Students may also answer the optional review questions on their own to reinforce their learning. End the training by first answering any questions. Then have students lie in savasana. Give them this quiet time to allow their brain and body to synthesize the information they have gained during the session. 8

10 Day 2: Teaching and Practicing Warm-Ups and Sun Salutations Check if there are any questions from the previous training day. Begin the training by doing some focused breathing and a brief warm up and practice, ending in child s pose, or ending back in a seated position. Warm Ups Begin by asking students why warm-ups are an important part of a yoga practice. Explain the benefits of warm-ups and the differences between warm ups and static stretching. Begin teaching the warm ups by demonstrating how you would teach the warm up and then demonstrating and discussing any alignment issues, modifications, or instructional cues. Do this for the first 5-6 warm ups and then have students practice teaching a couple of those first 5-6 warm ups. Depending on the size of the group, students may practice teaching to the whole group, or for larger groups, split into groups of 3-4 students and have trainees practice teach with the others in their small group. Give specific and encouraging feedback to trainees, as they practice their teaching. After going through each warm-up, have students create their own warm-up sequence. They can do this in small groups or on their own and then share by reading through their sequence or quickly showing it (not showing it at the normal yoga pace, just quickly showing each warm up for a couple seconds, to show how they all flow together in their sequence). Sun Salutations Start by breaking down the different parts of a standard sun salutation, and the alignment issues of each part. These parts of the sun salutation include: mountain pose (tadasana), folding forward into forward fold (uttanasana), lunge, plank, up dog, down dog. Go through the traditional forms of sun salutation (A, B, and C), and other variation of sun salutations. Have each student practice teaching sun salutations. Demonstrate moon salutations, and have students try teaching a moon salutation. Answer any questions. When you finish the training, have students go into savasana. Giving your trainees a chance to relax at the end of each training day can help their brain synthesize the information they have learned that day. 9

11 Day 3: Teaching and Practicing Standing and Balancing Postures Warm Up: Begin by doing an easy warm up. Then have students come up one at a time to teach a sun salutation. Give them feedback on their teaching. Finish a short practice. Standing Postures Begin going through the standing postures. For each standing posture, demonstrate how to teach the posture, explain the benefits of the posture, and then show different variations or modification of the posture. After presenting about 5 postures, have students practice teaching a standing posture. Depending on the size of the group, you can have students practice teaching a posture to the entire group, or split everyone into smaller groups in which they can practice teaching each other. After going through all the standing and balancing postures, show your trainees examples of different sequences of standing postures, and explain how the use of sequences can help create a sense of flow in the standing postures. Have students create their own standing posture sequences. They can do this individually or they can work together in small groups to do this. Once everyone is done, have them share their sequence with the rest of the group. Have a short discussion about standing postures in general and the importance of proper alignment in those postures. End the training day with savasana, giving students a chance to synthesize what they have learned that day. 10

12 Day 4: Teaching and Practicing Seated Postures and Sequencing for Different Styles of Yoga Warm Up: Begin by doing an easy warm up. Then have students come up one at a time to teach a sun salutation. Give them feedback, as necessary, on their teaching. Seated Postures Begin by explaining proper spinal alignment in general for seated postures, and the overall benefits of certain groups of seated postures (stretching the hamstrings, engaging the abdominal muscles, etc). Go through each seated postures. Demonstrate how to teach each posture, explain the benefits of the posture, and then show different variations or modification of the posture. After presenting about 5 postures, have students practice teaching a seated posture. Depending on the size of the group, you can have students practice teaching a posture to the entire group, or split everyone into smaller groups in which they can practice teaching each other. After going through all the seated postures, show your trainees different ways to sequence seated postures, paying attention to counter postures and moving the spine in different directions. Have students create their own standing posture sequences. They can do this individually or they can work together in small groups to do this. Once everyone is done, have them share their sequence with the rest of the group. Sequencing for Different Styles of Hatha Yoga Discuss general ideas in sequencing a yoga class. You may think of the practice like the experience of walking over a hill. At the beginning of a practice, the intensity level is low as you begin to focus on your breath and take time to center yourself before practice. The intensity slowly builds from warm-ups or sun salutations, to more challenging standing postures. The intensity level then comes down as you move back to the floor for seated and lying postures, before moving into the peacefulness of savasana and mediation. Demonstrate and discuss the general sequencing ideas presented for specific types of hatha yoga classes (general hatha, vinyasa, power yoga, gentle hatha, restorative, heated). End the group training with savasana, giving students a chance to take in everything they have done that day. 11

13 Day 5: Teaching and Practicing Arm Balances, Front Lying Postures and Forward Facing Inversions Warm Up: Start with a gentle warm up, leading into student-led sun salutations (give your trainees a chance to practice teaching sun salutations) and a short practice. Training: Discuss inversions and their benefits, as well as when they are not advised. Go over the general way to sequence arm balances, inversions and lying postures. When sequencing your inverted and lying postures, use this general guide: 1) Start with arm balances, if you are including them (i.e. side arm balance, crow, spider). 2) Prone postures (i.e. locust, cobra, bow). 3) When starting prone postures, start with less challenging postures or with modifications (locust). This way your students can continue to do those postures instead of more challenging ones, if necessary. 4) Counter the prone postures with postures that gently flex the spine (i.e. child s pose, hare/rabbit), so the muscles that were contracted in the prone postures are then stretched and relaxed. 5) Do more active, forward facing inversions (rabbit, prep for headstand, headstand, handstand, etc.) starting with the less challenging postures. 6) If including seated postures, you can add them at this point. 7) Move onto supine (back lying) postures and back lying inversions (i.e. bridge, plow) 8) In supine sequence, include both inversions (i.e. bridge, plow) and twists (reclined spinal twist). 9) Do more relaxing/restorative back lying postures towards the end of the sequence to prepare for savasana. Arm Balances: Demonstrate how to teach the arm balances presented in the manual, along with their variations and modifications. Have each student practice teaching one or two arm balances. If the your group is small, you can have each student teach to the entire group. Otherwise, split students into smaller groups to practice teaching. Front Lying Postures Demonstrate how to teach front lying postures. Explain the benefits of each, and show the variations or modifications of each pose. Have each student practice teaching a front lying posture. 12

14 Forward Facing Inversions Then, demonstrate how to teach forward facing inversions. Go through each one, and have students practice each one, using the wall if needed. Show them the variations and modifications, and explain the benefits of each. For headstand, show trainees how they can bring students into it step by step, and prepare for it using dolphin. If trainees need you to spot them going into headstand, have them go into a prep for headstand and lift one leg up. At that point, place your hand under their lifted leg, and have them press their leg down into your hand, as you lift their leg up. As you lift against the resistance of their downward push, it will make it easier to lift their leg, and lift them into headstand. Show trainees how to spot their students, and then have them work in pairs, helping each other into headstands and half or full handstands. Discuss any questions trainees may have, then have them lie on their backs and do some gentle twisting before going into savasana. Give trainees a chance to stay in savasana, giving them a chance to synthesize what they have just learned during the training. 13

15 Day 6: Back Facing Inversions and Back Lying Postures Start with an easy warm up, and then move on to trainee-led sun salutations. This gives your trainees another opportunity to practice teaching sun salutations. Discuss the contra-indications for many of the back facing inversions, such as pregnancy, high blood pressure, neck problems, etc. Demonstrate the different back facing inversions included in the manual and any others that you would like to add. Demonstrate how you would teach each postures and go through each one step by step, indicating the different points where students could stop when it s not appropriate for them to do the full posture. Demonstrate the variations and modification of the different back facing inversions. After going through all the back facing inversions, give each student a chance to practice teaching one of the postures, or get trainees into smaller groups where they can practice teaching different inversions. Introduce the different back lying postures included in the manual, along with any additional postures you would like to include. Demonstrate how to teach each one, and discuss the alignment issues, variations, and modifications of each. Have students practice teaching some of the back lying postures, either to the entire group, or with their smaller group. Working in groups of 2 or 3, have students create full sequences incorporating what they have learned so far throughout the training. Their class sequence should include warm-ups/sun salutations, standing postures, forward facing inversions, front lying postures, seated postures, back facing inversions and back lying postures. Have each group talk through (or quickly demonstrate) their sequences, and get feedback from the rest of the group. Art of Sequencing Spend time discussing more aspects of sequencing for hatha yoga. Have trainees work in groups or pairs to develop class sequences. Finding Your Voice as a Yoga Teacher Discuss some of the general characteristics of effective yoga teachers. Then have trainees brainstorm ideas about their own overall message as a yoga teacher. Have students write down a few draft ideas of what is most important to them as a yoga teacher what is the main idea they want to share with their students. Examples could include: 1) finding ease within each posture or within any situation, 2) empowerment in yoga practice and in life, 3) letting go of attachment to the outcome of the yoga practice (and letting go of attachment in other areas of life). End the day in savasana, allowing students a chance to integrate what they have learned. 14

16 Day 7: Pranayama, Bandhas, and Meditation Pranayama Start the session by having trainees sit in a circle. Discuss the importance of proper breathing habits, and common problems with the way we breathe. Demonstrate diaphragmatic breathing and explain the benefits of breathing this way. Explain the benefits of pranayama and breathing exercises in yoga. Review the anatomy and physiology of breathing and the respiratory system. Discuss the main parts of the circulatory system. Have students do the first exercise as follows: 1) Have students lie on their backs and relax, placing one hand on their heart and one hand on their belly. 2) Where do you feel your breathing? Can you feel where the movement of your breath originates? Just make a note of it. 3) What does your breathing feel like? Is it rough, jerky or rhythmic? Does it feel smooth or mechanical? Just make a note of it. 4) What is the frequency of your breath? Is it fast or slow? How long is each breath? Is your inhalation or exhalation longer or the same length. Just make a note. 5) Have the students take a few more breaths and then come back to sitting. Have them share what they discovered about their breath. Next, have students stand with their feet hip width apart and begin breathing slowly and deeply. After a few breaths, have them begin to raise their arms as they inhale, and drop their arms to their sides as they exhale. Ask them to notice how movement can help deepen the breath. Discuss the practice of pranayama, and different sitting postures suitable for pranayama. Discuss different aspects, purposes, and benefits of breathing exercises and pranayama. Practice each of the breathing exercises and pranayama with your trainees. After practicing all the pranayama, put students into groups of 3-4 students, and have them practice teaching each other a few of the different exercises. Give students feedback on their teaching. Teach each of the bandhas to the trainees. Practice each one a few times. Place trainees in groups of 2-3 students and have them practice teaching different bandhas to each other. 15

17 Meditation Introduce meditation and how it differs from relaxation. Meditation involves focusing the mind on one object (breath, mantra, a candle, etc), while relaxation is the act of consciously relaxing each muscle group in the body. Mention the benefits of mediation. Also, mention that starting out with just a five minute daily meditation can be very helpful. Meditation doesn t have to be long. Starting with something is better than not starting at all. Do the first exercise with your trainees to practice focusing their minds. Have them lie on their backs or sit in a comfortable position. Have them visualize a lake with a white swan in the middle on the surface of the lake. Try to form a clear image of the swan and then hold it as steadily as possible in your mind. Then imagine the number 100 on the swan. As you take a full breath in and out, see that number change to 99. With each full breath, go down one more number. If your mind wanders away from the number to something else, then simply start again at 100. Do this for one minute. Ask your students: How far did you manage to count before your mental image of the swan faded and another thought took its place? How many times did you need to start again at 100? There are no right or wrong answers, just notice how your mind shifts. Discuss the general guidelines for meditation (see preparing for meditation). Ask students to decide on a time, place, and object of meditation for their own personal daily meditation practice during the next couple weeks. Discuss different sitting positions that can be used for meditation. Although sitting is preferable, if someone will only meditate lying down, then that is better than not doing it at all. Discuss general issues that trainees may find come up with their students when they meditate. Lead students through the five different meditation practices outlined in the manual. Explain how the meditation works and then have them practice that meditation for just 1-2 minutes. Get feedback from the trainees about their experience with that particular meditation, and then move on to the next one. After completing all five meditations with your trainees, have them discuss which forms of meditation they found most productive for themselves and why. Have students break into groups of 2-3 students and practice teaching each other how to do their favorite meditation. Discuss the mantra OM (AUM). Practice chanting OM with the trainees. Guided Meditations For the section on guided meditations, have your trainees start by lying on their back. Get them to relax through the use of slow deep breaths. Once they are relaxed, talk them through one of the guided meditations. Once you are done with the guided meditation, do one or two more. Have students break into groups of

18 students and practice talking each other through a guided meditation. Discuss the use of active meditations. Give students a chance to ask any questions from that day s training. Have students relax in savasana to end the training. Day 8 Studio Selection Day This can be a good point to bring in your specialty sessions, or bring in training sessions that are unique to your studio. Examples may include: teaching heated yoga, kundalini, nutrition for yogis, aroma therapy, etc. 17

19 Day 9 Anatomy of Hatha Yoga Have students bring their Anatomy Coloring Book, in addition to their Anatomy of Hatha Yoga manual. Review the anatomical terminology. You can have one of the trainees be your model to demonstrate the saggital, frontal and transverse planes. Review the location terms, demonstrating and giving examples of each term. Review the movement terms and have the trainees demonstrate examples of specific movements (flexion, extension, abduction, etc). Discuss the different types of bones, their functions and how yoga can improve bone strength. Discuss what joints are and the different types of joints. Have students demonstrate examples of the different types of synovial joints. Remind students that the neck is not a ball and socket joint (it is a pivot joint) and it is best not to quickly roll the neck better to move it from side to side, forward and back, etc. You can also view the different types of joints shown in the Anatomy Coloring Book (page 22). Explain the difference between ligaments and tendons (ligaments connect bone to bone, tendons connect muscles to bones and cartilage). Discuss and demonstrate the different types of muscle contractions (concentric, eccentric, isometric). Mention how proper alignment in yoga postures causes them to require less muscular force. Discuss the spine: Four segments cervical (7 discs), thoracic (12 discs), lumbar (5 discs) and the sacrum and coccyx where the vertebrae are fused together. In the cervical, thoracic and lumbar segments, the vertebrae are separated by intervertebral discs, which absorb shock and allow movement. Cervical spine is curved in an extended position, the thoracic is in a flexed position (kyphosis), and the lumbar is in an extended position (lordosis). Discuss and demonstrate kyphosis (too much rounding in the thoracic spine hump back), and lordosis (too much arching in the low back). You can also see examples of this on page 27 of the Anatomy Coloring Book. Explain how yoga helps keep the intervertebral discs healthy. The lengthening and twisting of the spine column in yoga practice helps improve blood flow and increase circulation to the discs. Bringing more oxygen rich blood to the discs helps to reduce the degeneration and dehydration that can occur with age. Go through the biomechanics of movement. Demonstrate and discuss proper technique in forward folds, back bends, lateral side bends, and twists. Forward folds maintain a flat back (not rounded or arched) and hinge from the hips, by pressing the hips back as you reach the chest forward. Back bends lift up through the chest first, then press the hips forward so the pelvic bowl begins to tip back before arching. Maintain a slightly firm abdomen to protect the low back. 18

20 Twists First lengthen through the spine, then twist on the exhale, using the core muscles to twist. Lateral bend keep shoulders stacked on top of each other and chest open to isolate the motion as a side bend. Split the trainees into groups of two or three and have them practice the four basic movements and give each other feedback regarding their form. Review the muscles of the neck and spine. Discuss and ask for demonstrations and examples of yoga postures that stretch and strengthen the muscles along the neck and spine (erector spinae). Review the muscles of the shoulder girdle / shoulder blade stabilization (posterior torso and shoulder). Discuss the movers of the shoulder joint (posterior), and the rotator cuff muscles. Discuss and ask for examples and demonstrations of yoga postures that would strengthen and stretch the upper back and shoulder girdle. Ask for examples and demonstrations of yoga postures that would strengthen and stretch the muscles that move the shoulder joint. Review the muscles of the anterior torso, shoulder, and chest. Ask for examples and demonstrations of yoga postures that would strengthen and stretch these muscles. Review the muscles of the arm, and ask for examples and demonstrations of yoga postures that would strengthen and stretch these muscles. Review the muscles of the posterior hip and thigh, and have trainees give examples and demonstrations of yoga postures that would strengthen and stretch those muscles. Review the muscles of the anterior thigh and ask for examples and demonstrations of yoga postures that would stretch and strengthen these muscles. Continue doing this for the muscles of the back of the lower leg and ankle, and the front of the lower leg and ankle. Pick out 4-5 postures and have the trainees determine the joint action involved in that posture, as well as the muscles that are being contracted (strengthened) and the muscles being stretched during that posture. Split the trainees into groups of 3 or 4, and have them complete the chart on page 32 (where it lists the body part in one column and a posture or movement to stretch or strengthen that muscle group in the other columns). Have them also complete the chart for the movements of the spine. They may use a posture more than once. After they complete the chart, have them use another sheet of paper to create a sequence that flows by changing the order of the postures they listed. Once they are done, they can share their sequence with the rest of the class. 19

21 Chakras Have trainees sit in a circle. Explain what the chakras are (energy centers) and describe the seven main chakras. Explain the Nadis (energy channels). Practice Alternate Nostril Breathing and describe it as a practice that brings balance to the energy channels. Discuss each of the seven main chakras explaining the issues associated with each one, as well as the yoga practices that can help bring that chakra into balance. After doing this for each of the chakras, have the trainees lie on their backs in a comfortable position. Once they are relaxed, talk them through the Chakra Meditation (Increasing Energy Flow Through the Chakras) found in the manual. Bring trainees back up to a seated position and have them complete the exercise towards the end of the manual, writing down asanas that focus on each of the seven chakras. End the training session with savasana. 20

22 Day 10 Yoga for Specific Health Issues Discuss with students the specific ways that yoga can be helpful for specific health issues (such as low back pain, allergies, fatigue, etc) Discuss what yoga therapy (or yoga for specific health issues) is. It adapts the practices of yoga to the needs of people with specific health issues. The idea is that people can benefit more quickly from a yoga program that is designed for their specific health needs. Yoga therapists prescribe specific regimens of postures, breathing exercises, and relaxation techniques to suit individual health concerns. Discuss each health concern addressed in the manual and how yoga can help that specific concern. Health concerns included in the manual are: back pain, neck pain, knee problems, arthritis, allergies and asthma, high blood pressure, digestive issues (irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, etc), headaches, depression and anxiety, and low energy or chronic fatigue. Go through the specific postures and exercises that may be helpful for each particular health concern and the reasons why each may help. After going through all of the health issues, have trainees pick one health issue and design a yoga sequence that would be useful for someone with that issue. Have trainees share their sequence with the rest of the group. Teaching Restorative Yoga and Savasana (May also want to include Yoga Nidra) Have trainees start by sitting in a circle. Discuss the physiology of stress, and what is happening in the body during the fight or flight response. Discuss the functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system. Discuss the relaxation response and the effects of relaxation on the nervous system. Explain how restorative yoga is different from a typical hatha yoga class. Take students through a gentle warm up practice, illustrating a warm up sequence that would be appropriate for a restorative yoga class. Practice some of the quieting postures, emphasizing the slow gentle pace of a restorative practice. If you have bolsters, blocks and blankets, make sure each student has all these props. Demonstrate how to teach the restorative postures, emphasizing that students should stay in each posture for at least a few minutes. Demonstrate proper use of the bolsters, blocks, and blankets. For example, in cobbler s pose with a bolster (p. 35) if a student is straining to get their head to the bolster, the teacher can place a block with a blanket over it on top of the bolster, so the student can more comfortably reach their forehead to it. Restorative yoga should be all about finding 21

23 comfort in the posture, where there is a gentle stretch, but the student can relax completely. Remind students that even in restorative yoga, it is important to move the spine in all directions, so if you do cobbler s pose with a bolster, it s a good idea to counter that with reclined cobbler s pose on the bolster. Split students into groups of 2-3. Have them practice getting each other into the restorative postures. Show trainees how to get their students into legs up the wall and different variations that can be done. Have students practice getting each other into this posture. Have students create their own restorative practice including gentle warm ups, quieting postures and restorative postures. Have them focus on sequencing it in a way that the fewest unnecessary movements are needed. Explain the benefits of savasana, and discuss different ways to help students relax into savasana (aroma therapy, hands on adjustments, guided visualization, etc). Explain what yoga nidra is, and do a yoga nidra practice with the group (see yoga nidra script). End the session with a discussion of any questions from the group. 22

24 Day 11 Effective Use of Props, Chair Yoga, Partner Yoga, Hands On Adjustments Begin the training session with a brief practice. Effective Use of Props Go through the use of props (blocks, bolsters, chairs, blankets, straps, etc) for postures. Begin with chairs and how chairs can be used as props or for chair yoga. Chair Yoga Have trainees place chairs on their mats (folding chairs work well). Make sure the chairs are placed on mats, so they don t slide during the practice. Explain what chair yoga is, the benefits of practicing chair yoga, who might be interested in chair yoga, and how to format a class. Demonstrate how to teach each of the chair yoga postures and exercises. Demonstrate how to use a chair for support for regular standing postures. After demonstrating and having trainees practice the postures, split the trainees into groups of 3 or 4 and have them develop a sequence for chair yoga, which they can then share with the rest of the group. Props Then, go through the use of other props (blocks, bolsters, straps, blankets) for standing postures, seated postures, and lying postures. Have students practice teaching each other postures using props. Teaching Partner Yoga, Hands On Adjustments Have the trainees stand against a wall and line them up by height. Pair off trainees by height. If there is an odd number of trainees, put yourself in the line up also and have one of the trainees be your partner. Partner Yoga Discuss the benefits of partner yoga. Demonstrate the first partner posture, and then have the trainees practice it with their partner. Continue doing this for each partner posture. After completing all the partner postures, have each trainee choose their favorite posture to do once more with their partner, this time talking their partner into the posture. After completing the partner yoga section, take a short break, and then move on to adjusting and assisting. Hands On Adjustments / Assisting 23

25 Demonstrate the first posture s hands-on adjustment/assisting, and then have trainees practice doing the adjustment/assisting with their partner. Give each partner plenty of time to practice giving the hands-on adjustment, and instruct the partners to give each other plenty of feedback about their use of the adjustment. Did the hand placement feel correct? Was there enough or too much pressure? Etc. Continue doing this for each posture. Help guide trainees in their practice and let them practice their hands-on adjustments on you. Answer questions as they come up. Finish up the group training day with savasana and answering any questions from the trainees. Day 12 Studio selection day This can be a good point to bring in your specialty sessions, or bring in training sessions that are unique to your studio. Examples may include: teaching heated yoga, kundalini, nutrition for yogis, aroma therapy, etc. 24

26 Day 13 Yoga for Special Groups (prenatal yoga, yoga for kids) This training day focuses on yoga for special groups. Prenatal Yoga. Discuss the benefits of prenatal yoga, and remind trainees that prenatal students should have approval from their doctor before participating in any class. Discuss safe and unsafe postures for pregnant women during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, and why certain postures are unsafe. Discuss the changes that take place during pregnancy by trimester. Demonstrate different yoga postures and how they can be modified for pregnant women (i.e. full lunge, dancer, warrior 3, forward folds, locust, etc). Review the check-in procedures for prenatal students. Demonstrate warm-ups and standing postures that are appropriate for pregnant women. Demonstrate seated and side lying postures appropriate for pregnant women. Have trainees develop and share with the rest of the group, yoga sequences that would be good for pregnant women. Yoga for Kids Discuss the benefits of yoga for kids. Discuss the developmental stages that kids go through and the formatting of a yoga class for different age groups. Focus on preparing a yoga class for elementary school age kids (most common age for kids yoga). Demonstrate different standing and kneeling postures that can be done differently for kids. Demonstrate how to teach different yoga games and partner activities for kids. Demonstrate some seated and lying postures that can be done differently for kids. End the training day with savasana. 25

27 Day 14 Sanskrit Pronunciation and meaning, Introduction to Ashtanga Yoga Start the group training session with a brief warm up, and sun salutations. Pick a few trainees to continue teaching a few additional sun salutations. Have students come into a circle. Discuss the background of the Sanskrit language (historical Indo-European language, one of the 22 official languages of India, spoken fluently by about 50,000 people, transliterated using the Latin alphabet through the International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration). Discuss the reasons for including the Sanskrit names of yoga postures into a practice, and the reasons for using any Sanskrit at all (provide a uniform system of naming yoga postures, gives a better understanding of the source of yoga, and may create particular sound vibrations that are helpful). Go through the different Sanskrit letter sounds with the trainees. Practice saying the different Sanskrit related terms. You can do this as a call and response practice, where you say the word and then the trainees repeat the word out loud. Discuss the meaning of the yoga related terms. When you get to the sanskrit names of yoga asanas, have the trainees stand up. You can say the name of the posture as everyone practices the posture and repeats the name back to you. After doing this for a few postures, go back and link the postures together in a practice as you all say the names of each posture. Many students learn best by doing something active, so connecting the sanskrit name of the posture to actually doing the posture can be helpful. After doing this for each posture, have students individually write down a sequence of five to six postures using the sanskrit names. Once everyone is done writing their sequence, have each trainee demonstrate their sequence, using the sanskrit terms. Have trainees then write a few sanskrit terms, and practice saying those terms and explaining what they mean to the rest of the group. Finally, have students complete the matching exercise, and then go over it as a group. 26

28 Day 15 Yin Yoga and the Yoga Sutras Start the training with a short practice. Yin Yoga Discuss the different aspects of Yin Yoga and its history. Then you can do a Yin practice as part of the Yoga Sutras training. Yoga Sutras I found that it can be helpful to make a yin yoga class part of the yoga sutras. Just discussing it, makes for a lot of sitting. Incorporating a yin yoga practice can help make it easier for trainees to digest and contemplate the information from the sutras. Please see the Yin Yoga for Yoga Sutras Script for an example. Begin by discussing the background of the yoga sutras and mentioning that the sutras are the first step by step practice manual for yoga. There are many different books available today that offer translations and interpretations of the sutras. It can be nice to read different interpretations to get different perspectives and find which ones are the best fit for you. Discuss the organization of the sutras. It is divided into four chapters (padas) and there are 196 sutras in all. Pada 1 is Concentration, Pada 2 is Practice, Pada 3 is Experiences, and Pada 4 is Absolute Freedom. Discuss the three principles of the yoga sutras: 1) Suffering is not caused by forces outside of us but by our faulty and limited perception of life and of who we are. 2) The unwavering peace we seek is realized by experiencing the unlimited and eternal peace that is our true identity. Though hidden by our ignorance, it exists within us, waiting to be revealed. 3) Self-realization is attained by mastering the mind. Only a single-pointed, calm mind can reveal the true self. Summarize the main point of each chapter. Read through the first four sutras. After reading them, ask your trainees to think about the identities that they give themselves. Ask them how they define the practice of yoga. What does it mean to them? For the next part of this session, you can incorporate a yin yoga or restorative yoga session, as you read through select sutras and give some commentary. You can use the Yin Yoga for Yoga Sutras Script or see the ideas below. Cobbler s Pose: Have your students get into cobbler s pose (if you have bolsters, they can go into cobbler s pose with a bolster). Once they are comfortable, mention that the next group of sutras looks at the idea that many of our thoughts are colored 27