Sacred Seeds Clinically-Informed Restorative Yoga Certification (CLIR)

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Sacred Seeds Yoga School

Canton, MA

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Purpose

A certification focused on safe, ethical, trauma-aware chair-based yoga for people in crisis settings, including shelters, residential programs, and correctional environments.

What to expect

It teaches how to support immobile or highly vulnerable populations with clear cueing, strong boundaries, and restorative practices that prioritize safety and dignity. The lineage is from Iyengar Yoga. This training certification is for people who want to reach people in clinical situations and teach them tools.

Style/Lineage

CLIR Chair Yoga (Clinically-Informed Restorative Yoga)

Core competencies

By the end of this program, graduates will be able to…

Practice Skills	Explain the physiological markers of the relaxation response (slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, longer breathing, slower brain wave patterns) and how restorative yoga activates them Identify the primary benefits of restorative yoga: psns activation, improved sleep, reduced pain and anxiety, increased interoception, self-compassion, and reduction of sns dominance List the eight elements of the bug cat bog restorative framework: breathing, unveiling, growth, credit, awake, time, being, one-pointed focus, and goal Demonstrate the full awakening sequence with clir-appropriate cueing, including eye-focus instructions, counting breath introduction, and seated alignment cues from a chair Practice dirga (3-part breath) and anapanasati (counting breath) as primary clir pranayama techniques with appropriate clinical adaptations (shorter ratios for beginners, progressively longer exhale)
Lifestyle & Ethics	Explain the three types of trauma (acute, chronic, complex) and their definitions as presented by nancy pando, licsw Describe the emotional and psychological signs and symptoms of trauma including anger, anxiety, panic attacks, guilt, shame, dissociation, and obsessive behaviors
Teaching Skills	Identify the key safety protocols for clir yoga teachers including knowing exits, informing others of class location and time, and protecting oneself with safety devices Apply non-invasive observational skills to identify trauma-activated students and adjust teaching style, pacing, and verbal cues without drawing attention to the individual Demonstrate delivery of a complete clir class verbal script using trauma-informed language, counting breath cues, and body-positive anatomical references without trigger words Identify the specific clir class protocols for clinical environments: no physical assists, same sequence every class, limited range of motion, appropriate clothing, staying in one spot, no loud breathing
Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics	Identify the vagus nerve as the 10th cranial nerve (cn x), its pathway from brain to abdomen, and its control over the heart, lungs, diaphragm, and digestive organs Apply the see-saw model of sns/psns balance to explain to students how yoga practice shifts the body from sympathetic dominance toward parasympathetic restoration Identify identify the enteric nervous system (ens) as a separate system from the autonomic ns, comprising 200-600 million neurons in the gut from esophagus to anus Explain how regular, consistent yoga practice builds and rewires neuropathways, improves mind-body connection, and strengthens healthy behavioral choices over time Explain the mechanics of inhalation (decreased thoracic pressure draws air in), passive recoil exhalation, and the ventilation process of oxygen/co2 exchange through the alveoli Describe how each clir thread addresses a specific segment of the kinetic chain and how the awakening sequence initiates communication between peripheral and central nervous systems
Yoga History & Theory	Explain how concentrated emotional experiences create physical manifestations in the body, and how the human energy field carries emotional energy that influences physical tissue List all seven chakras with their sanskrit names, locations, colors, elements, chants, demons, and corresponding clir threads (threads 1–7) Apply chakra-based intention setting to clir class delivery without using language that may feel spiritual or triggering in secular clinical environments

AYC allows each school to state and evaluate the competencies each student acquires. Students rate how well the program delivered them.

Program Emphasis

Evaluation methods

Program evaluations

Direct Observation
Written Submission
Solo Project Or Presentation
Oral Exam

Students will be assesed through a combination of oral/written exams, written submissions, direct observation and solo projects

Program Faculty

Featured Faculty

Jacqui Bonwell

Jacqui Bonwell has been teaching Yoga & Meditation in the New England area for the past 20 years. She has graduated hundreds of Yoga teachers from 200 & 300 hour Sacred Seeds Yoga School programs since 2010. She has studied tirelessly under Rolf Gates & Johnny Gillespie.

jacquibonwell.com

Canton, MA, US

Policies

AYC Policies

Progam Code of Conduct

Refund Policy