Course Description: Yoga therapy is the adaptation and application of ancient Yoga techniques and practices to help individuals facing health

Transcription

1 Course Name: Yoga Therapy II HHHA144 Course Description: Yoga therapy is the adaptation and application of ancient Yoga techniques and practices to help individuals facing health challenges manage their condition, restore balance, and improve their state of mind.

2 UNM TAOS Syllabus Course Name: Yoga Therapy II HHHA144 Credit: 1 Contact: Saturday/Sunday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Location: TBA Instructor: TBA Textbook: YOGA THERAPY, by A.G. Mohan and Indra Mohan (Shambhala, 2004) Course Description: Yoga therapy is the adaptation and application of ancient Yoga techniques and practices to help individuals facing health challenges manage their condition, restore balance, and improve their state of mind. Yoga Therapy for Personal Wellness presents students with a comprehensive and integrated model that addresses all aspects of health and well being both for maintaining health and for resolving conditions of ill health. Yoga Therapy II will expand on the first course. Students will learn how six factors diet, environment, lifestyle, exercise (in the form of asana), breathing techniques (in the form of pranayama), and mental techniques (in the form of mantra japa) can be used to restore balance to both body and mind. In addition, this course encourages students to develop abilities to better think, analyze, and discern structural and functional issues. Emphasis will be on identifying and applying practical therapeutic yoga methodologies to themselves and others. Students learn to utilize and adapt ancient disciplines such as Vedic chanting and mantra japa for the treatment of psychological and physiological imbalances. Course Outcomes: By the end of this course, you should have achieved the following: Read and responded to text thoughtfully Understood and explained the health benefits of yoga Developed yoga skills for immediate personal application and specific clinical conditions Demonstrated postures, proper alignment, sequencing, breathing, and modifications Learned how to create a personalized practice Developed observation, assessment, and critical thinking skills Described and demonstrated breathing and relaxation techniques Understood the basic yogic principles of movement and breathing Prepared and presented a 15 minute practice for a specific condition in-class Instructor s Expectations: This instructor expects students to attend class, be punctual and attentive (turn cell phones OFF, please), and demonstrate a willingness to learn by: participating in class discussions, taking notes, participating in class sessions, and demonstrating how yoga therapy applies to specific conditions. Class Format: The class meets over one weekend. The format is such that each day is divided into segments which include: lecture (theory), application, demonstration, practice, group exercises, and interactive discussion. All students are expected to participate. Non-participation will result in a lower grade. During this time we will also discuss therapeutic assessment and application, and the development and modifications to movement for specific conditions.

3 Course Requirements: Students are required to keep up with reading assignments; participate in class discussions, practices, and case studies; prepare a 5 minute presentation/practice for a specific condition/person in class; and learn a number of breathing practices, asanas, and Vedic chants. Attendance Policy: Students must attend the entire weekend workshop, arrive on time, and stay until the workshop ends. Absence may result in a student being dropped from the class. Communication: If you need to reach me, please do so by at moniquep@unm.edu. I will respond to your promptly. I m sorry, but I am not available by telephone at home. Grading Policy: In-class participation and exercises 70% Develop practice for a specific condition/person 15% Quiz on postures/breathing techniques 15% ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): In accordance with University Policy 2310 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), academic accommodations may be made for any student who notifies the instructor of the need for an accommodation and who registers with Amie Chavez-Aguilar at Student Affairs ( , aca@unm.edu). It is imperative that you take the initiative to bring such needs to our attention, as the instructor is not legally permitted to inquire. Students who may require assistance in emergency evacuations should contact the instructor as to the most appropriate procedures to follow. Dropping the course: It is the student s responsibility to drop a course. Do not assume that failing to come to class will result in your being dropped from the course. Withdrawing from the course: If you need to withdraw from this course, you may do so. If you consult with me (instructor) before withdrawing, you will receive a WP (Withdrawal Passing) grade. Due Process: If you have any problems in the class that cannot be directly handled by talking with the instructor, the appropriate person to contact is the Academy Head or the Student Affairs Department.

4 Yoga Therapy for Personal Wellness Textbook: YOGA THERAPY, by A.G. Mohan and Indra Mohan (Shambhala, 2004); *Please bring texts to class Segment DAY 1 Class Content 1 Course overview and goals: Review syllabus, Assignments, expectations; Invocation, In class lecture: An Introduction to Yoga & Yoga Therapy, Practice Sequence I. 2 Lecture: An Introduction to Yoga & Ayurveda: The Six Factors to a Sound Approach to Yoga Therapy 3 Assessment: Symptoms and their causescompensatory, congenital, habitual issues; The Six Factors that destroy yoga 4 Guided Awareness Meditation, Principles of Movement & Breath 5 Lecture: Key Principles of Yoga- Maintaining Structural integrity, Physiological & psychological well-being, containing movement within breath, moving from central axis of the spine, breath-centric practice vs. asana-centric, movement in all 3-axis. 6 Personal Wellness asana practice; introduction to Samastithi, Parsva Uttanasana, Uttanasana, Shavasana, Dvipada Pitham, Bhujangasana, & Apanasana. 7 Lecture: The use of sound in Mantra; the benefits of Chanting, call and response chanting exercise. 8 Principles of Movement: Strength, Flexibility, Structural Alignment, Proper Functioning of Body Systems, and Mental Wellness; review list of asanas. 9 Lecture: Pranayama; benefits, studies, ujjayi breathing, in-class exercise 10 Adaptive evening practice for fit person with a sedentary job or a morning practice for a relatively unfit person, with ujjayi breathing At home: Study text and handouts, prepare a 5 minute presentation & practice for a specific condition, e.g. physical, psychological, physiological, emotional, spiritual.

5 Segment Class Content DAY 2 1 Invocation, questions, lecture: the use of pranayama to Remove impurities, exercise: Sitali Pranayama 2 In-class practice: Practices for menstruation and constipation. Practice Sequence II. 3 Lecture: Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: How Yoga Therapy can reduce symptoms while working to permanently remove the cause. 4 Postures for Pranayama with therapeutic situations 5 Evening practice for fatigue, utilizing Sitali breath 6 Call and response chanting, Lecture: The 3 Gunas, Factors that affect our mental state, Yoga Psychology, The pain/pleasure cycle (Vritti Samskara), The use of Mantra Japa Meditation 7 Lecture: Structural goals & adaptions 8 Exercise: Nadishodhana Pranayama 9 The complete practice: combining asana, pranayama, chanting, and mantra (theory) 10 Class case studies/practice presentations 11 The complete practice: combining asana, pranayama, chanting, and mantra (application), questions, closing words, feedback forms.