Sacred Rest Online Teacher Training Ancient Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and Connection
16th September 2022 - 20th November 2022: POSTPONED*
*Due to the accrediting organisation closing down, I have taken the decision to postpone this training whilst I take steps to have the course accredited by a better established internationally recognised governing body. A new date will be arranged once this has been arranged.
A 60 hour accredited course for qualified yoga teachers (minimum 200 hour qualification required). Non qualified yoga teachers are also welcome, and will receive a certificate of attendance. All attendees will also be offered £795 off the 200 hour Sacred Rest Teacher Training being held in 2023. For more information, please contact Gillian directly.
Course Description This course explores the art and science of rest, and how rest can become a sacred act that fosters connection to ourselves, each other, the planet and the great mystery.
When we understand rest from the perspectives of both science and historical wisdom we begin to see the soulfulness of science, and the science that backs up what the ancient philosophers already knew. By weaving these two perspectives together the yoga practices are revealed as prayers that serve to honour our bodies, their functioning and their deeper purpose.
The course draws on the modern scientific understanding of the nervous system, brain, gut brain, and behaviour including the contemporary models of polyvagal theory and attachment theory. Alongside these perspectives, the course will be structured upon philosophical frameworks from the Taittiriya Upanishad (koshas) and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (yama and niyama). Within these frameworks and understandings we will look at relaxation / yoga nidra, meditation, pranayama, restorative yoga and mudra. Therapeutic applications and contraindications will also be considered.
Our nervous systems are designed to communicate with each other, and yoga is ultimately about connection, which is at the heart of this training. When rest is practiced as an act of benevolence that serves to honour ourselves individually, as a society and the planet, it allows for powerful healing to occur.
The trees act not as individuals, but somehow as a collective. Exactly how they do this, we don’t yet know. But what we see is the power of unity. What happens to one happens to us all. We can starve together or feast together. Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
What will I Learn? This immersion course offers 60 hours of study and practice of:
Philosophy of yoga (koshas, yama and niyama)
Polyvagal theory in relation to yoga
Attachment theory in relation to yoga
The autonomic nervous system and the physiology of relaxation
Nidra / relaxation
Restorative yoga
Mudra
Pranayama
Meditation
Holding space
Teaching skills
Variations to adapt and modify
Course Logistics This course is made up of a mixture of live online sessions, pre-recorded videos and home study. Live online sessions start in September (see dates below). Pre-recorded practice videos and home study tasks will be sent out prior to each live online weekend module. Please note, this means that the first batch of pre-recorded videos and home study tasks will be sent out mid August in preparation for the first live online Weekend Module in September.
Weekend Modules: Live Online
Weekend Module 1: Friday 16th September to Sunday 18th September 2022 (9.30am-3.30pm each day)
Weekend Module 2: Friday 14th October to Sunday 16th October 2022 (9.30am-3.30pm each day)
Weekend Module 3: Friday 18th November to Sunday 20th November 2022 (9.30am-3.30pm each day)
Pre-Recorded Videos and Home Study
Required watching: pre-recorded practice videos will be sent out to you prior to each Weekend Module. These videos contain practices for you to experience and observe in preparation for each Module. You will be required to complete Practice Appraisal Forms, and the practices will be discussed and explored during the live online Weekend Modules.
Journal keeping: you will be required to keep a journal during the training to encourage and support a meaningful and critical engagement with the practices in the course. A journal document will be sent to you to help provide guidance and prompts.
Open Circles: Live Online These open circles provide a group space for us to reconnect as a group inbetween the live online Weekend Modules and to raise any questions we may have, and for discussion.
Wednesday 28th September 2022, 7-8pm
Wednesday 3rd November 2022, 7-8pm
Mentor / Professional Tuition Each attendee will have three Mentor / Professional Tuition sessions after each Weekend Module. These sessions will happen either over the phone or via zoom with Gillian, and are to support you in whichever way you most need it in relation to the training.
Attendance Attendance on the three live online Weekend Modules and the two live online Open Circles is mandatory for your certificate to be received. In the case of absence, it is the student's responsibility to make up the content of missed sessions. This may require additional time and cost in order to certify. In addition to the live online Modules and Circles, trainees are also required to:
Observe / experience all the pre-recorded practice videos, and complete Practice Appraisal Forms
Have 3 sessions of Mentor / Professional Tuition
Offer a sharing of 20 minutes Sacred Rest with the group, either live online, or pre-recorded (this might be anything from a meditation or yoga practice, or it could be a creative offering such as a poem, song or story)
Complete a Training & Practice Journal
Assessment The Sacred Rest Teacher Training is a non-graded course. The emphasis is on competence in holding a space of Sacred Rest and the ability to:
Create an appropriate environment for rest
Using effective language that nourishes and inspires recipients
Be aware of health and safety considerations and demonstrate their sensitivity to adapt for individual needs.
All trainees will be assessed on an on-going basis throughout the course. Regular feedback will be given and mentoring provided throughout the course.
Who is the Course for? For yoga teachers who wish to develop their skill of holding space for sacred rest. Also open to serious yoga students and other trained professionals (in massage, counselling, etc) who wish to learn more about sacred rest.
A 200 hour accredited Sacred Rest Teacher Training is being organised for 2023. People who attend 2022's 60 hour Sacred Rest Teacher Training will receive £795 discount from the 200 hour training in 2023. Please contact Gillian directly for more information.
Certification Upon completion of the training you will receive a certificate of completion. People who already hold a 200 hour teacher training qualification will receive an Independent Yoga Network accredited certificate. 100% attendance, including the homework, is required with no exceptions to receive a certificate.
Course Costs Total cost: £795 Deposit upon booking: £350 Remainder required by 19th August 2022: £445
Terms of Payment, Cancellation and Refund Policy You may cancel your place up to 19th August 2022 for an admin fee of £50. On 19th August 2022 you are required to pay the remaining fees. At this point resources will be sent to you (the course manual, pre-recorded videos, etc), and the course will be non-refundable.
Application Process Please complete the application form below. Once you have submitted your application form, I will contact you to discuss the course in detail and if you decide you would like to go ahead and book, I will send you through an email with a link for payment of the deposit.