Essential teachings on Yin Yoga, Mindfulness and how to sequence Yang poses with Yin sequences
An 8-day 55-hour Yoga Alliance registered intensive. For Yin/Yang Yoga Teachers and Dedicated Practitioners.
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 two years of practice or more. It is recommended that you have attended a prior teacher training course if you intend to teach this material. It will benefit most people to have taken a 200/500-hour yoga training program before coming to Sarah's Primary Level. For those interested in simply cultivating their own practice, prior attendance in a teacher training is not essential for.
This intensive will deepen one's ability to teach/practice 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 (having read Sarah's book Insight Yoga), and a strong interest in committing to the further exploration of both yoga and meditation.
This is a 55-hour Yoga Alliance training and attendance in the entire program is required – 48 hours of teachings and 7 hours of required pre-reading (outlined below) and essay writing (details provided at the end of the course). In order to be eligible to receive the Continuing Education Hours with Yoga Alliance, you must attend all of the hours of the training and complete the required assigned essay. Each day will include teachings on Yin Yoga, Yang Yoga, and Mindfulness Meditation.
In this training we will explore:
- Yin Yoga — how, why and when to practice 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
- Skillful verbal communication
- The teacher/student relationship
Asana
The physical discipline of hatha yoga centers on the harmonious embodiment of postures. How we practice these postures is as important as which asana we choose and how we orchestrate them. Increasing our repertoire of different ways to practice allows us to vary our sequences at different times in our life, continually keeping the practice appropriate as well as fresh and alive.
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 practice Buddhist mindfulness meditation (Sati Patthana–The Four Foundations of Mindfulness), with an emphasis on how to share these practices with others.
Study and Reading/Viewing:
Must read:
- 《Insight Yoga》 by Sarah Powers
- 《The Miracle of Mindfulness》 by Thich Nhat Hanh
- 《Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction》 by Damien Keown
Suggested Book/Video List:
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.
Students are required to read the books assigned for this training before they arrive. Readings from these books are an integral part of the training so please order the materials upon registration of the course, so you have ample time to read them before the training begins.
Outside reading prior to and during the course will be required to enrich one's overall understanding.
A teacher-training manual will be emailed a few days ahead of first class. Everyone will also be required to have Sarah's book Insight Yoga during each class.
To be eligible to receive the certificate for the Continuing Education Hours with Yoga Alliance, you will also be asked to write a 2 to 3 pages paper on the purpose and methods of Yin yoga upon completion of the course for assessment.
Daily schedule
2023 Nov 18th Sat. – Nov 25th Sat.
10:30-16:30
*Subject to change. Any changes will be notified well in advance.
Suitable for
- Practitioners who have been regularly practicing yoga for at least 2 years
- Yin-Yang Yoga teachers
- Yoga teachers who want to expand their teaching topics
- Practitioners who want to deepen meditation, philosophy and Yin-Yang Yoga practice to achieve physical and mental healing
CE Credits
This course qualifies for 55 non-contact hours CEs with Yoga Alliance.
Sarah Powers began teaching in 1987. She is the founder and author of Insight Yoga, which interweaves the insights and practices of Yoga, Buddhism, Taoism, and Transpersonal Psychology into an integral practice to discover and enliven the body, heart and mind. Her yoga style blends both a Yin sequence of floor poses to enhance the meridian and organ systems, combined with an alignment-based slow flow or Yang practice, influenced by Viniyoga, Ashtanga, Iyengar teachings, and Qigong. Sarah feels that enlivening the physical and pranic bodies, as well as learning to open to our psychological patterns is paramount for preparing one to deepen and nourish insights into one's essential nature – a natural state of awareness. She draws from her studies in Transpersonal Psychology, as well as her in-depth training in the Vipassana, Tantric and Dzogchen practices of Buddhism.
To learn more about her, go to www.sarahpowers.com.
