Insight Yoga Teacher. Intensive

Insight Yoga Teacher Training Intensive - Yin / Yang Yoga + Mindfulness Meditation

Course Description

This course is intended to deepen one’s understanding of the experiential, philosophical and practical application of yoga and meditation. It is intended for those with at least 2 years of practice or more. It is recommended that you have attended a prior teacher training course if you intend to teach this material, but is not essential for those interested in simply cultivating their own practice.

This intensive will deepen one's ability to teach/practise both a receptive Yin style and an active flow or Yang style of yoga with an interest in promoting a conducive inner environment for meditation. Please come with a basic understanding of the practices, and a strong interest in committing to the further exploration of both yoga and meditation.

This is a 10 day training broken up into two 5 day intensives. Both sections are required. Each day will include 2 hours on Yin Yoga, 2 hours on Yang Yoga, and 2 hours on Mindfulness Meditation.

Asana

The physical discipline of hatha yoga centers on the harmonious embodiment of postures. How we practise these postures is as important as which asana we choose and how we orchestrate them. Increasing our repertoire of different ways to practise allows us to vary our sequences at different times in our life, continually keeping the practice appropriate as well as fresh and alive.

In this training we will explore:

• Yin Yoga - how, why and when to practise this style safely and effectively
• Organ health and Yoga practice (sequences for the kidneys, liver, etc.)
• Balancing the Yin style with a Yang practice to support structural strength and stability
• Proper physical alignment in active postures
• The primary focus of ujjayi breath in asana: length, depth and direction
• Mindfulness in asana
• Sequencing of postures for various levels, from the beginner to the intermediate
• How to assist those with injuries
• The use of touch and hands-on adjustments
• Skillful verbal communication
• The teacher/student relationship

Philosophy

• Subtle body anatomy according to Yogic and Chinese philosophy
• Meridian theory and Chinese Medicine
• Buddhist Psychology and emotional maturity

Pranayama

Pranayama is the expansion of the life force through breath regulation. It is the profound practice of circulating and redistributing prana in both the physical and subtle body through various breathing and visualization practices.
• Overview of Pranayama practices:
Kumbhaka (breath retention), Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing), Kapalabhati (breath of fire)

Meditation

The essence of a committed yoga practice is meditative focus and awareness. Developing and sustaining a formal meditation practice can be a continual source of insight, rejuvenation and compassion. It is a practice that can reveal and disempower our negative, fragmented aspects while potentially revealing our essential nature. Meditation can also deepen one's awareness and acceptance of oneself and of the world, deepening one’s openness and wakefulness. We will discuss and practise Buddhist mindfulness meditation (Sati Patthana - The Four Foundations of Mindfulness), with an emphasis on how to share these practices with others.

Study and Reading

Acquiring an intellectual understanding of the rich diversity of Yoga and Buddhism inspires one's dedication to the path of awakening; it also fosters a clear level of communication and discussion with others.

Outside reading prior to and during the course will be required to enrich one's overall understanding, as well as writing a 2-3 page paper on the readings. A teacher-training manual with articles will be handed out on the first day of class.

Required Reading
1. Insight Yoga by Sarah Powers
2. Yin Yoga by Paul Grilley
3. Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana

Suggested Reading
1. Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach
2. Feeding Your Demons by Tsultrim Allione
3. Breath by Breath by Larry Rosenberg

Required Listening + Viewing
Sarah Powers Yin Yoga (CD), Insight Yoga and Yin & Vinyasa Yoga (DVDs).

Recommended Viewing
Anatomy for Yoga and Yin Yoga by Paul Grilley (DVDs)