This is a great opportunity - wherever you are - to participate in a therapeutic wisdom training with Doug Keller - online, with great resources for your continued study of what he has to share!
This training takes the place of his yearly intensive in Dayton Ohio - a tradition for the last 16 years, which regularly has included new participants as well as ''regulars'' who come back every year for more, a great group of teachers who have always been enthusiastic, friendly, and generous in sharing with each other as we all focus on the topics Doug brings each year.
This year will include an in-depth look into the role of the Vagus nerve in our health and practical means for working with it, and then an exploration of imaginative approaches to sequencing, both in your own practice, in your classes (whether live or online) and in working therapeutically with students.
Taking into account the problem of ''Zoom fatigue,'' the lectures will be 3 hours per day (1pm-4pm US Eastern standard time),
followed by a break and then a Question and Answer session -- and Doug is flexible on the time devoted to it.
All of this will be recorded with high quality video and audio simultaneously with the live event, in addition to the illustrated notes included in the video, which will be available for you to download or simply view online through Vimeo.
The training also includes:
An illustrated manual/workbook covering the topics of the training, and also online access to each day''s illustrated slides: a physical copy of the manual will be mailed to US participants, and a PDF of the manual will be sent to all participants outside of the US (because of the cost of shipping, and unpredictable delivery times);
A prerecorded video asana practice for each day, tailored to the topics being covered on that day - so you can get a guided asana practice in at a time that works for you;
A video lecture by Doug on the history of sequencing in yoga, which you''ll be able to watch in advance of the training;
And of course access to all of the video-recorded lectures and Q&A sessions for an extended period of time through Vimeo, which gives you a lot of flexibility in how to view them.
This will give you lots to work with and to inspire you for a long time to come, even after the training is over!
The course is good for 20 hours of credit with Yoga Alliance, IAYT and Anusara therapy training, and a certificate will be provided:
13 hours video lecture
3 hours asana practice
4 hours Q&A (or possibly more)
Even if you can''t be there at the time of broadcast (due to time zones, etc.), you can fully take and benefit from this training!
Description of the Training:
You can also download it as a pdf by clicking here
Inspirations for the Path Inward - The Therapeutic Wisdom of Yoga
Key themes this year have to do with our relationship with our nervous system, and how we respond to events and stresses - via a discussion of contemporary insights into the vagus nerve and related therapeutic issues - as well as an in-depth treatment of sequencing in the practice and applications of yoga.
Thursday: The Vagus Nerve and Deeper Dimensions of Yoga Therapy in Asana and Pranayama
We have long been accustomed to thinking simply in terms of the 'sympathetic' (fight or flight) and 'parasympathetic' (relaxation response) nervous systems when discussing the effects and benefits of yoga practice. But recent research into the vagus nerve paints a richer and more varied picture of the dimensions of our nervous system. This picture parallels and elaborates upon yogic terms such as the 'gunas,' the 'vayus' and the 'granthis' - blocks or 'knots' discussed in hatha yoga.
On this first day, Doug will share an accessible understanding of these new insights, based on the work of Stephen Porges and Stanley Rosenberg, with special emphasis on simple and safe corrective exercises that can easily be incorporated into asana, pranayama and restorative or Yoga Nidra classes. This pertains especially to simple and safe adjustments for the neck that 'reset' the nervous system, which is useful both at the outset and end of practice.
Understanding of the vagus nerve, and how actions and alignments affect its function and effect on states of the nervous system, represents a crossover in yoga therapy between physical and breath practice, and the deeper aspects of our mental and emotional responses. Doug's discussion will touch upon enlightening insights from Rosenberg's work with anxiety, depression, ptsd and autism as a craniosacral therapist, and how his practical understanding of balancing the nervous system can inform our work as yoga teachers and yoga therapists.
This will set the stage not only for practical work in neck alignment and action in asana, and principles of breath for pranayama - and also discussion of trauma-aware approaches to yoga and paths of self-inquiry for students, as well as discussion of therapeutic issues addressed by yoga that come into greater focus with this awareness of the vagus nerve.
The Following Three Days will Incorporate Therapeutic Topics into an In-Depth Treatment of Sequencing
Just as music begins with a limited set of notes or vibrations that combine into scales, chords and keys that open into a field of creative possibilities, sequencing in yoga is a bit like music.?
The possibilities for action with our body are actually pretty limited: yet from a limited number of possibilities, we can form asanas, struck like 'chords,' with scales running along fascial or pranic lines, to be played at different tempos and expressing different keys or moods.?
These latter three sessions will examine ideas to guide and inspire you on a number of levels - from getting a bit creative in your own practice or classes, to ideas for directing sequencing toward addressing pain problems, joint health and mobility, and imbalances that give rise to the need for a 'tune-up.'
Friday: Running the Scales - Connecting Upper and Lower Body
This session will lay out the basic fascial lines we're working with, both postural and functional, with a special eye to connecting upper and lower body - hips/legs and shoulders/arms as well as neck and sacrum - and their relationship to classes of poses, and how the poses relate to and complement each other.
Even when a practice may be focused on a particular class of poses - such as backbending - the fascial lines and understanding of the key muscles related to them will alert you to ways in which to keep it a balanced and well-rounded practice that leaves you feeling good.
This session will be geared toward principles for teaching a general class, with insights for pinpointing and addressing common pains, limitations and therapeutic problems in a mixed class setting.
There will be some suggested 'homework' as to constructing some sequences from these ideas, with the support of the workbook.
Saturday: The Body Map - Envisioning Your Composition
This session will look more specifically to locating and relating pain and joint problems to each other along fascial and functional lines on a 'body map,' allowing you to organize your ideas about asanas and mini-sequences (or 'chord progressions') would more specifically address them - also taking into account how you may need to work differently or with different emphasis on the two 'sides' of the body.
This will include tuning into the 'tight spots' - or unstable spots - that show up in the normal course of practice, and how to address them in a more whole-body way, rather than just 'chasing the pain.'
This session will involve tools for assessment as well as pointers on the key muscles or muscle groups that always need to be taken into account in practice - and how to work with them in a way that suits your body.
We'll include consideration of how these ideas might be brought into a general class when you are aware of specific problems affecting some students - and by the same token, this session is geared toward more individual work.
Some homework exercises in body mapping will be included.
Sunday: Challenges and Progressions
This final session will incorporate and address questions and issues from participants (collected via email or chat box during the course of the series) where a more extended treatment of questions of interest to the whole group is needed, and will address the matter of more progressive sequencing - how to work progressively from simpler actions toward more challenging poses, where strength or flexibility are issues.
This will include ideas about working with scoliosis and related postural imbalances such as the shorter leg syndrome.
Registration Information
Where: Online via Zoom
When: August 6-9, 2020 (1 pm - 4pm Eastern)
Cost: $450 or $150/ Individual Day
For Information and to Register and Make Payment Contact:
Sharon Shultz
10950 Cherokee Drive
Lakeview, OH 43331
937-210-1929
sharonlshultz@gmail.com
*Please note:
1. We must have your mailing address to send you the workbook and your email address to send the Zoom access link.
2. Paying by check saves both you and Doug money but Credit Card Payments can be accepted. If you chose to pay with a credit card contact Sharon for a payment invoice.