People often ask us what is the difference between our therapeutics-based Hatha Teacher Training and a regular Hatha Teacher Training that is offered by most studios. We think it's a really important question, so we opted to answer in this week's blog post. Our therapeutics-based Hatha Yoga Teacher Training is unique in that it teaches trainees how to make a yoga practice adapt to the needs of the practitioner rather than trying to get the practitioner to adapt to the practice. In our training you will learn how to safely teach a diverse set of students so that every single student receives maximum benefit from the practice.
As therapeutic yoga teachers we offer yoga for people who may have stayed away from the practice for fear of being too big, too inflexible, too weak, too afraid of the big poses they have seen in photos, too afraid of hurting themselves, or too intimidated by what a typical yoga practice might require.
One of the main tenets of our method is to teach mindfully and with intention. We constantly circle back to the questions:
- "What is my intention in teaching this posture, this breath practice, this guided meditation?"
- "Who do I want to affect and what is the best method to achieve the effect?"
Staying firmly rooted in this mindset helps teachers create classes that are adaptable to the broad spectrum of bodies and conditions we see in yoga classes today.
More and more healthcare professionals recommend yoga as an adjunct to plans of care and it is incredibly important for us as yoga teachers to be knowledgeable about how yoga can help, but also about how yoga can potentially hurt.
We teach how to design therapeutic sequences and how to adapt to the needs of various populations ranging from those who are perfectly healthy to those who are rehabbing injuries and surgeries to those with chronic medical conditions.
We cover anatomy extensively so that graduates can read bodies and offer appropriate modifications. And we delve into the many ways yoga props can help people access yoga poses they may otherwise find impossible.
We teach our trainees to strive not for fancy looking postures but rather for sensations, shifts, and positive changes.
We're so excited about your interest in our Teacher Training Program! We hope you can attend our next Open House on November 9th. Please note that we have filled 5 of the 12 available spots for our 2015 Teacher Training. Given our interest list, we expect our training may fill up before the Early Registration Deadline of November 15th.
If you're pretty sure you want to register, but would like to speak with us to get more information before making your final decision, we'd be happy to schedule a 1 on 1 session to talk to you about the training and answer any questions you may have. Just send us an email to get the ball rolling.
Warm regards, Emily
200 Hour Teacher Training Director