Trauma-Responsive Yoga Teacher Training: Level 1

Established 2020

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Sanctuary

Denver, CO

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Purpose

This program prepares individuals to teach accessible, affirming, and trauma-responsive yoga to individuals of varying experience and structural anatomy. Upon completion of this program individuals will have the skills to be a trauma-responsive yoga teacher.

What to expect

The Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher Level 1 training takes over a 16 week period for a total of 250 physical clock hours. Our program has weekday, evenings, and weekend schedules (see website for exact schedule).

Investing time and effort into this program will enrich you as a yoga educator by enhancing your practice, leveraging your current skills, introducing you to a new skill set , and refining your understanding.

This training has a strong focus on the following core areas:

Hands on Assists with Consent & Appropriate Touch

Identifying yoga-related adverse effects

Intro to the 7 primary Chakras and Yogic Psychology

Intro to Yoga Business

Intro to Yogic Philosophy, Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Yamas, and Niyamas

Mitigating yoga-related adverse effects

Posture Clinics & Adaptive Modifications

Trauma-Responsive Accessible & Adaptive Sequencing

Trauma-Responsive Chair Class Sequencing

Trauma-Responsive Vinyasa Class Sequencing

Trauma-Responsive Pranayama, Meditation, & Yoga Teaching

Trauma-Responsive Restorative Class Sequencing

Trauma-Responsive Hatha Class Sequencing

Trauma-Responsive Virtual Teaching

Understanding why yoga-related adverse effects occur

Style/Lineage

Yoga is a contemplative practice. There is a breadth of robust research that concludes a variety of adverse effects can occur when engaging in contemplative practices (e.g., dissociation, headaches, insomnia). Yoga is also practiced by unique individuals with varied structural anatomy and experience. Initially developed for mental health clinicians, our program is rooted in all 8 limbs of yoga with an accessible, affirming, and trauma-responsive focus. The program style integrates the insight of Anubhava Tradition with the physical & clinical of the Ghosh lineage.

Additional Information

Prequisites

Prospective teachers must complete a program intake interview.

Prospective teachers must be a certified yoga practitioner or have a verifiable established personal yoga practice.

Prospective teachers must demonstrate their technical ability by completing a brief yoga sequence via instruction.

Required Materials

Yoga Anatomy Made Simple: Your illustrated Guide to Form, Function, and Posture Groups by Stu Girling

Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith

The Yoga Sutras: A New Translation and Study Guide by Nicholas Sutton

The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga's Ethical Practice by Deborah Adele

The Illuminated Breath: Transform Your Physical, Cognitive & Emotional Well-Being by Harnessing the Science of Ancient Yoga Breath Practices by Dylan Werner

Yoga For Your Type: An Ayurvedic Approach to Your Asana Practice by Dr. David Frawley and Sandra Summerfield Kozac

Yoga Resource Practice Manual by Darren Rhodes and Michael Longstaff

Payment Plans, Program Fellowships, & Program Scholarships are available.

Core competencies

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

Practice Skills	accurately demonstrate each of the five foundational pranayama practices with correct posture, breathing technique, ratio guidance, and appropriate modifications for varying student capacities. accurately perform each foundational chair yoga and standing asana from the curriculum with safe alignment, demonstrating modifications, prop usage, and risk mitigation strategies. accurately perform foundational forward bends, hip openers, and backbends from the curriculum, demonstrating safe spinal alignment, appropriate prop usage, breath integration, and posture-specific risk mitigation. accurately perform foundational twists, arm balances, and inversions from the curriculum, demonstrating safe alignment, appropriate prop use, controlled entry and exit, and posture-specific risk mitigation. accurately perform sun salutations a, b, and c with correct breath-movement coordination, demonstrate a hatha, vinyasa, and restorative sequence from the curriculum, and perform chanting, meditation, and mindfulness practices with proper technique.
Teaching Skills	define and distinguish between 'trauma-informed' (awareness-based) and 'trauma-responsive' (active adaptation-based) yoga teaching, listing the key principles that differentiate each approach. apply trauma-responsive principles in a teaching scenario by adapting cueing language, environmental setup, and pacing to prioritize student safety, choice, and nervous system regulation throughout a class. list the 4 monitoring essentials used to assess practitioners for hyperarousal and hypo-arousal/dissociation throughout practice, and identify the criteria defining students at high risk for adverse effects during mindfulness-based practices. explain the physiological and behavioral signs of hyperarousal (e.g., rapid breath, flushing, agitation, panic) and hypo-arousal/dissociation (e.g., glazed eyes, slowed movement, emotional numbness) and the nervous system mechanisms behind each. identify common asana misalignments in each major posture category (standing, forward bend, hip opener, backbend, twist, arm balance, inversion), and list adaptive cueing strategies, modification options, and prop usage approaches for each. list the key principles of trauma-informed cueing for pranayama and meditation practice, and identify the posture, technique, and safety considerations specific to guiding ujjayi, kapalabhati, bhastrika, bhramari, nadi shodhana, and foundational meditation/chanting. define informed consent in the yoga teaching context and list the elements required for valid consent for scent use, hands-on assistance, and postural adjustments; identify how anatomical variation affects asana practice. design and teach a 1-hour all-levels virtual restorative, hatha, and vinyasa yoga class, creating a complete lesson plan with class management notes, posture modifications, prop usage guidance, and adverse effects monitoring protocol.
Other	List the 7 domains of adverse effects experienced with mindfulness-based practices, the 8 types of impairment (and their average duration) and the 7 lasting bad effects (lbes) in order from most to least common. Describe the 8 dimensions of hyperarousal and 5 dimensions of dissociation (hypo-arousal) reported by practitioners experiencing adverse effects, and explain the 2 dimensions present in both hyperarousal and dissociation. and explain the 2 dimensions present in both hyperarousal and dissociation. describe the 8 dimensions of hyperarousal and 5 dimensions of dissociation (hypo-arousal) reported by practitioners experiencing adverse effects, and explain the 2 dimensions present in both hyperarousal and dissociation.
Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics	Identify the three anatomical body planes (sagittal, frontal, transverse) and the joint motions associated with each plane and the joint motions associated with each plane. locate each major joint and its primary muscle groups on oneself or a peer, and demonstrate concentric, eccentric, and isometric muscle actions within foundational yoga postures using appropriate alignment and control. accurately demonstrate all six scapular motions while verbally identifying each action, apply anatomical variation awareness when modifying a posture for a student with distinct body proportions, and cue diaphragmatic engagement during pranayama.
Business Skills	list the available yoga teacher certification tracks, distinguish between employee, independent contractor, sole proprietor, llc, and corporation business structures, and identify at least three yoga teacher liability insurance options. explain the significance of budgeting, strategic networking, and a targeted marketing plan for building and sustaining a yoga teaching practice, and describe the legal implications of copyright in class content creation.
Lifestyle & Ethics	list the three doshas (vata, pitta, kapha) and their corresponding gunas, and identify the primary qualities associated with each doshic constitution. describe how each yama and niyama applies to the lived experience of a yoga teacher, explaining the ethical significance of each principle in the context of personal practice and professional conduct.
Yoga History & Theory	list all seven chakras, their anatomical locations, their associated developmental stages, and the primary emotional and energetic themes of each center. describe the balanced, deficient, and excessive characteristics of each chakra, explaining how imbalances in each center manifest in physical sensations, emotional patterns, and behavioral tendencies. list and define each of the eight limbs of yoga (ashtanga), explain the significance of kriya yoga as described in patanjali's yoga sutras (tapas, svadhyaya, ishvara pranidhana), and identify the sutra references for each.

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

Evaluation is comprehensive. All evaluation is pass/fail. The program is designed so that student teachers must pass an assessment before moving on to the next concept. We strive to ensure that all student teachers receive the support they need to complete their evaluations successfully. Student teachers will be evaluated by direct observation for their participation in class discussions, class practices, assistant teaching, and solo class teaching. The nature of teaching requires student teachers to communicate with students in non-biased, trauma-informed language. All student teachers will have their communication skills evaluated by direct observation and graded skill demonstration. Oral exams are utilized in anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics to foster a more fluid, conversational understanding that mimics the use of this knowledge in the yoga practice room. Written exams are used for evaluation in the Intro to the business of yoga. Reflection papers (written submissions) are required in every module, except practice and teaching skills, to evaluate student-teacher comprehension before moving on to the next module. Yoga humanities utilizes one group project and five solo presentations to assess the student teachers' preparation for presenting the concepts in a class setting. Lastly three solo projects are used to evaluate the student teacher's skill level when tasked to create, teach, and guide yoga, pranayama, and meditation classes.