The Adaptive Gentle/Chair Yoga Teacher Training provides a solid foundation for Yoga teachers so that they will know how to adapt the traditional Yoga asana for those students who may be limited in movement owing to age, illness, disability, or injury. Through the use of gentle assists, various props and mindful observations, the teacher will receive an overview of how to adapt and teach those students who have all types of limitations and age-related conditions; and how not to feel insecure when working with them.
This course prepares you, the teacher, to adapt, adjust, and accommodate the traditional Yoga class so that students of any age, shape, ability, or disability may enjoy the Hatha Yoga experience safely and comfortably.
Curriculum
- Focus on asana (postures); how to adapt for various conditions/limitations
- Learn how to work with props including wheelchairs and walkers
- Review anatomy and physiology as it relates to various conditions such as osteo- and rheumatoid arthritis, scoliosis, spinal conditions, osteoporosis, various cancers, multiple sclerosis, PTSD, Alzheimer’s, etc…learn what to do and not do for specific conditions
- Deepen experience through pranayama (breath work), meditation, Yoga nidra (Yogic rest), and Raja Yoga (philosophy)
- Learn how to create a safe space/environment for your students
In this training you will…
- Receive an in-depth training manual, specifically designed to support you as you continue to grow as an Adaptive teacher
- Gain access to a student portal that provides a centralized location for all your training materials, recordings of the daily practices, and other resources to facilitate a deep immersion
- Collaborate with your fellow teachers-in-training during break-out sessions, designed to help to get to know one another
- Practice teaching and receive constructive feedback from your trainers and peers
- Work one-on-one with people living with specific conditions
- Observe and participate in several classes including Gentle Mat, Chair, and Restorative Yoga; Yoga for Arthritis; Yoga for the Heart; Yoga for people living with multiple sclerosis; and Yoga for Osteoporosis
- Complete a research paper exploring a physical or mental condition of your choosing and develop a practice to support the student with that condition
- Create and design your own Chair/Gentle Mat Yoga class to share as your final practicum
Once you have met all requirements, you will receive a Certificate of Completion from Integral Yoga as an Adaptive Gentle/Chair Yoga teacher.
Upon graduation, you can expect to be able to guide people living with limitations confidently and compassionately through a Hatha Yoga experience that is both safe and satisfying. You will be able to teach in many settings, including Yoga studios, gyms, assisted-living facilities, nursing homes, veterans’ organizations, schools, prisons, and hospitals.
Prerequisite
This program is open to certified Yoga teachers of all traditions with a minimum 200 hours of training.
Please note: health care and movement therapy professionals without a 200-hour Yoga certification, but with comparable experience (such as physical therapists, occupational therapists, Feldenkreis trainers, etc.) will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Technological Requirements
Please be aware that you must have regular access to the Internet to participate in this online training. You must be able to run Zoom on your computer, and also have an active e-mail account for delivery of course materials.
Tuition
Tuition must be paid in full before the start of the training unless you are enrolled in the payment plan (see below). After the training begins, there are no refunds.
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$1295 regular tuition
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$1200 early bird tuition when you register by November 15, 2021
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$1200 for IY Active Teachers
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$650 for repeat students (no further discounts)
A payment plan is available in two monthly installments of $670. The first installment is due at time of registration, the second installment will be due the following month. Students enrolled with the payment plan are eligible to receive the early bird discount of $95 as long as the first payment is made by the early bird deadline of November 15.
Certification and Continuing Education Credits
Testimonials
“I really appreciated the way the asanas were covered—the demos, the instructions, the modifications. It has helped deepen my own teaching in my regular classes. It felt like we learned every aspect of gentle yoga—the warm-ups, the chair yoga, the floor work, asanas against the wall.”
— Joseph
“The sequencing of the curriculum was helpful to me, progressing from explicitly taught lessons, to nonjudgmental group practice, to our own creative application of the skills learned.”
—Debbie
“It was a great introduction to the art of modifying postures for various populations.”
—Susan