FAQs

I’m so yinterested, but I don’t teach yoga currently. Can I sign up?

Absolutely. This is not a problem for committed practitioners. On nearly every training I have run there have been participants who did not desire to teach. Some do change their mind throughout the course of the training, but many are content to be immersing themselves in the practice they love, and they embark on the journey for the contemplative opportunities and practices that the training provides. If you have questions or doubts, why not book in for a (zero obligation!) chat and you can run your concerns by me? I have no interest in working with people who are not aligned with the energy and vision of the teachings, so you don’t about to worry about being signed up to something for which you are not a good fit.

Do I need to have completed a 200-hour general yoga training when I enrol?

Not at all. Even if he majority of people who sign up may have done some kind of yoga training, because I prioritise everyones’ personal yin practice and teaching practice, each teacher leaves with a much stronger connection to their bodies, irrespective of their former training. The Art of Yin involves a fair amount of unlearning, and that is the common denominator irrespective of how much training you have completed prior. All real learning starts with embracing your ‘tabula rasa - beginner’s mind’, and calling on your discernment as you progress through the content, practices and teachings. 

However, should you be interested in completing a 200-hour yoga training, you might be interested in my Yoga Therapy programme. It is designed to extend beyond the 100-hour Art of Yin training, and help you take your learnings and apply them to the ‘yang’ practices. If you want to teach hatha or vinyasa through a functional lens, learn more about myofascial release, experience the powerful energetic yang flows created by Paul Grilley, and sink deep into iRest yoga nidra, then you might be drawn to the complete Yoga Therapy training.

The best of all is that the 200hour can be completed as an immersion, or as two 100hour modules (yin & yang), so you have options which can work around your personal life and your professional needs.

More info on the Yoga Therapy curriculum can be found here.

I cannot make all sessions ‘live’ at the assigned times. Can I still take part?

To maintain the integrity of the training, the intimacy of the space, and the privacy of the trainees, I prefer not to record the Zoom teacher trainings. Therefore attendance ‘live’ is required for all sessions. * It is advisable to commit to the full experience as if you were showing up in person. Because in truth, you are! And I most certainly am. You will have greater opportunities to make connections with your training colleagues, not to mention all the practices and teachings. You will finish by 3:30 pm each day (if in GMT timezone anyway) and will have sufficient breaks and variety so as to ensure maximum learning and embodied enjoyment. It’s very manageable, it really is.

* In some cases I can facilitate a short absence/brief absences to teach a class in the event of being unable to find cover etc. Please email or book a call to run through this with me ahead of the schedule. 

How is Part II different to Part I?

To break it down in very simple terms, Part I covers hip anatomy and lower body yin poses while Part II covers shoulder anatomy and upper body yin poses. Part I is lower body meridians while Part II is upper body meridians. Part I provides the thorough grounding in the practice which is essential in order to embody it from a place of integrity. Part II takes you on a journey deeper into meditation, shadow exploration, and finetuning your teaching language. I’d hazard a guess and say the triggers are perhaps more plentiful on Part II, but the yinsights are more frequent ;-) And perhaps the philosophy is that effective teaching should trigger. You do not want to feel indifferent on the other end of a yoga teacher training. Your triggers will become your most potent opportunities for healing and integration.

Speaking of (y)integration, what about Part III?

Well, Part III has a truly beautiful symmetry to it in that it brings to completion the functional approach vision with 14-10-7, Paul Grilley’s Functional Sutras, and the deconstruction of the archetypes. From there we dive into the spine and the Daoist energetic and meditative practices. From rebound to interoception and culminating in the relevance of the deeply feeling yin practice for trauma access and recovery, the final piece of the journey dials up the personal commitment a notch. You are more than ready for it now. The journey deepens from shadow to dissociation, and the magic potency of yin as the ultimate somatic practice of integration is unveiled. By the end of Part III, there is no doubt in your minds, hearts and souls that yoga can be therapeutic. But much more than that, you are likely to leave with the deeply felt sense that yin may just be the original yoga therapy. Practising and mastering trauma-yinformed teaching is where I envision you as you depart. 

Who are Yoga Alliance Professionals?

Yoga Alliance Professionals - Peace of Mind!

Yoga Alliance Professionals are a UK-based accreditation body. Choosing the right Teacher Training Course is a big decision. To help give you peace of mind, I have been selected to become a TrainerPro, the new and prestigious trainer level with Yoga Alliance Professionals, who are an independent professional body for Yoga Trainers and Teachers globally.
Being a TrainerPro verifies:

• My Training Courses meet the highest standards.

• A fully qualified Senior Teacher leads the Courses.

• Graduates receive a globally recognised teaching certification.

Can I start teaching yin yoga before I finish up with Part III next April?

This is such a personal and deeply individual question. I encourage all trainees to start teaching as early as possible  (family and friends and your other training friends) so as to gain in experience and confidence. It is likely and probably advisable that you make your regular yin practice your main priority for the 4-month duration of the course from start to finish. This will help you get a felt sense of all aspects of the yin practice, and your teaching will be all the better as a result. I would imagine that after a few months, or maybe a summer of rebound (integration time), you might consider adding yin to your offerings in the Autumn of 2023. I can certainly advise more on this as we share the journey together.

What does training with a professionally qualified teacher mean for me as a trainee?

I came to the yoga world from the education world, from teaching French and Music at second-level to teaching yoga, from mentoring newly-qualified teachers to training yoga teachers. In many ways, it’s the professionally trained and experienced teachers who are perhaps best equipped to train yoga teachers. Quite simply, they have the pedagogical skills to do so. There is a deep need for educators in the yoga education world. I have personally struggled in the past to find teacher training offerings that succeeded in marrying the world of the mind and intellect with the world of the wisdom of the body. I really believe it can and should be done, and this is my work with each student who crosses my path.