Neuroscience-Informed Yoga Teacher - 20-Hour Professional Certification

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Yoga Teacher Academy

St. Johns County, FL

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Purpose

A training that fills the gap in:

Why they shut down.
Why they over-effort.
Why they second-guess themselves.
Why a well-designed class can still miss.

What to expect

Bring the nervous system into teaching itself - showing how readiness, attention, and state shape what students are able to take in, process, and integrate in real time.

And how your choices as a teacher (pacing, cue density, transitions, tone, presence) either support that process or compete with it.

Style/Lineage

A resource built for yoga teachers who want to teach the whole student

Core competencies

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

Teaching Skills	Analyze real-time teaching moments to determine when to intervene, where to direct attention, and when less input creates a stronger learning experience Analyze breakdown moments to determine likely causes and guide timely adjustments before the class loses coherence Offer adjustments using a single, clear cue and allow that cue to carry through across multiple repetitions before introducing additional instruction or refinement Apply timely and precise guidance in ways that support student continuity without disrupting the flow of practice Analyze what observation reveals about the relationship between instruction and movement response using what is seen to refine the timing, placement, and content of future cues Develop a complex sequence that maintains structural continuity by layering variation within a stable, recognizable pattern rather than replacing the established structure Establish and maintain a consistent class rhythm by aligning the pace of instruction with the pace of movement, adjusting language volume as effort or complexity changes Analyze patterns of variation across the room to distinguish which differences require a teaching response and which reflect normal processing that does not need immediate correction Evaluate recurring student responses across classes to refine sequencing, timing, and cueing decisions Evaluate the long-term impact of teaching decisions by assessing whether students demonstrate increased automaticity, decreased correction need, and greater stability over successive classes Evaluate teaching choices through the lens of student autonomy, nervous system awareness, and long-term development as measures of quality teaching
Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics	Apply neuroscience-informed principles by aligning pacing, cueing, and class progression with changing levels of student readiness Structure the opening phase of class using simplified sequences and reduced cueing to support nervous system orientation before complexity is introduced Build movement pattern familiarity across a class by returning to established entry points, transitions, and key actions frequently enough for students to anticipate and move through them with less cognitive effort
Practice Skills	Analyze how the pacing of layering affects what students retain what falls away, and what gets replaced as a sequence develops over multiple rounds Analyze a complex movement sequence to identify which single cue has the greatest organizing effect, distinguishing between cues that describe what is happening and cues that change how it unfolds Examine how language emphasis shapes what is retained in student movement over time distinguishing between what has been reinforced and what has been introduced but not sustained Analyze attentional patterns in class to determine where instruction is most likely to be received and applied Examine how the pacing and rhythm of instruction affects students' ability to stay with the practice distinguishing between timing that supports flow and timing that creates disconnection
Lifestyle & Ethics	Regulate cognitive load in real time by adjusting the pace of instruction, reducing language when movement demand increases, and providing clear anchors during holds and slower sequences

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

Solo Project Or Presentation
Other
Direct Observation

Students will be evaluated through direct observation and feedback

Program Faculty

Featured Faculty

Valerie Lucas

aka Valerie Ugrinow

Neuroscience-informed yoga educator and mentor specializing in state-aware cueing, intelligent sequencing, and sustainable capacity-building in modern yoga teaching.

valerie-lucas.com

St. Augustine, FL, US

Policies

AYC Policies

Progam Code of Conduct

Refund Policy