Yin Yoga is a static way of being in yoga poses for longer periods in order to better nourish the deeper connective tissues and organs. It is a perfect opportunity to soften and cultivate your mental state as well, allowing the energy body to redistribute vitality throughout our system. This 10-day non-residential course for yoga teachers and dedicated practitioners is designed to deepen one’s understanding of the experiential, philosophical and practical application of yoga and meditation and is intended for those with at least two years of practice or more. It’s 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 course is a prerequisite for Sarah’s other teacher trainings. 8 Limbs will host her Level II Training: Mindfulness & Inner Practices in Yin Yoga in March 2019. Info and registration will be available by March 1, 2018.

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. The training is the first

In this 10-day 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
• The use of touch and hands-on adjustments
• 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

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 and view the DVD assigned for this training before they arrive. Readings from these books and viewing of the DVD are an integral part of the training so please order the materials upon registration of the course so you have ample time to read/view them before the training begins.

Outside reading prior to and during the course will be required to enrich one’s overall understanding. You will also be asked to write a 2-3 page paper on Yin yoga and Mindfulness meditation upon completion of the course for assessment.

This is a 70-hour Yoga Alliance training and attendance in the entire program is required. Those who are unable to attend all of the classes will be awarded the certificate based only on the hours attended. Please plan your time and travel accordingly in order to not miss any of the sessions. Each day will include two hours on Yin Yoga, two hours on Yang Yoga, and two hours on Mindfulness Meditation.

A teacher-training manual with articles will be handed out on the first day of class. Everyone will also be required to bring Sarah’s book Insight Yoga to class, and to have viewed, at minimum, her DVD, Insight Yoga.

Schedule:

• Friday, Sep. 28th to
• Sunday, Oct. 7th, 2018
• Daily, 11:30 am – 5:30 pm

Required reading and viewing:

• Insight Yoga by Sarah Powers
• Insight Yoga (DVD) by Sarah Powers
• Yin Yoga: Principles and Practice by Paul Grilley
• Mindfulness in Plain English by Bhante Gunaratana
• Buddhism: A Concise Introduction by Huston Smith

Suggested listening and viewing:

• Yin Yoga (CD) by Sarah Powers
• Earth: Balancing Yin Energy (DVD) by Sarah Powers
• Heaven: Balancing Yang Energy (DVD) by Sarah Powers
• Yin & Vinyasa Yoga (DVD) by Sarah Powers
• Anatomy for Yoga (DVD) by Paul Grilley
• Yin Yoga (DVD) by Paul Grilley

This training, which offers 60 contact hours, counts for three 8 Limbs 500-hour Teacher Training Modules.

About the Teacher: Sarah Powers

Sarah PowersSarah 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 QI gong.

Sarah feels that enlivening the physical and pranic bodies, as well as learning to meet our psychological reactivity is paramount for preparing one to deepen and nourish insights into one’s essential nature – a natural state of awareness. She has competed level 3 of Internal Family Systems Therapy training and been a student of Transpersonal Psychology for 28 years. She also draws from her in-depth training in the Vipassana, Tantric and Dzogchen practices of Buddhism.