Yoga for Motherhood Teacher Training
May 24 – 26, 2004
Vienna, Austria
Learn how to teach yoga for the post-natal body.
The time after having a child is a very special and intense phase. Having a new person to care for is demanding on the body and the mind, as well as transforming to all aspects of life. Welcoming the baby is often easier for people than welcoming the changes that are felt in their lives and their bodies. How we practice has the power to encourage a healthy and accepting relationship with these changes.
This yoga teacher training is for teachers and serious students who want to skilfully and safely use the practices of yoga and pranayama to help reduce stress, rebuild strength and provide support for new parents. Most general yoga teacher trainings only give a few hours to Pre-Natal Yoga instruction, with a very brief mention of Post-Natal Yoga. Our current culture focuses on pregnancy/birth and very little on the care and needs of new parents, especially mothers.
After giving birth, the body is in a different state than before pregnancy, it is a time that requires attentive yoga practice and sensitivity as teachers. It is especially important to understand that during this vulnerable time we often cannot see these shifts from the outside. Many women experience birth trauma, yet do not often have proper support to deal with the effects of this trauma.
The training provides insight into the emotional needs of new parents and creates a groundwork for teachers to invite and include students who are continuing to practice yoga or beginning a yoga path.
It is recommended that you have training in Pre-natal Yoga, experience in practicing yoga during pregnancy, or work with Pregnant clients in a healthcare capacity. Basic understanding of the physiology and anatomy of pregnancy is required.
This weekend will give yoga teachers the tools to feel confident welcoming post-natal students in their regular group classes. Longtime students wanting to learn how to adapt their personal practice to their needs after giving birth will come away ready to safely practice at home.
Understanding the physical changes from giving birth, as well as the ongoing changes from lactation are key along with the process of healing from the birth event.
We will highlight the different needs of vaginal birth and Caesarian recoveries.
Currently common yoga practices and how to modify them are one focus. We will break poses down and look carefully at how gravity and the muscular expression of poses affect the pelvic floor and abdomen. Postures to improve spinal resilience for carrying little people and incorporating pelvic awareness in twists will be explained. You will learn how to plan intelligent sequences for the needs of the post-natal person and how to teach them in a group setting where the other students aren’t post-natal.
We continue with the tools to lead a group of post-natal women in a specialty class, as well as how to teach parent-baby yoga. We will look at the “fourth trimester” and the connection between primary caregiver and child in order to inform the yoga practice.
You will be introduced to facilitation techniques to encourage a supportive and safe circle for parents of babies to find community during the post-natal time which can be isolating. We will discuss common conditions and issues that women deal with post-birth and how to handle them in the yoga room.
We will discuss the business of running groups for this niche as well as teaching techniques for online and in-person classes.
This training will expand your knowledge of mindfulness meditation techniques, Restorative Yoga and guided meditations as a way to provide rest for the sleep-deprived parents.
May 24 – 26, 2004
Alkemy Studio
Vienna