Why This Course Exists
Applied Yoga Anatomy Training
Everything yoga teachers need to know about the human body
The vast majority of yoga teachers still use outdated one-size-fits-all cues that don't work for most students. You can do better. This course enables you to help individual students with specific goals and unique bodies.
Skeletal Variation
Embrace the fact that every body is different and learn why many common alignment cues are completely outdated.
Knowledge to Action
Understand why some poses are easier for some students than for others. And how to help your students advance their practice.
Beyond the Usual
Build expertise on fascia, the nervous system, breath and much more that other anatomy trainings don't cover
Most yoga teachers don't understand the human body.
Yoga is a very physical practice. To teach it well, you need to understand how the body works on the mat. That's why we study yoga anatomy. Unfortunately, getting a solid understanding of the human body as it relates to yoga is not as straightforward as you may think. And that's why most teachers feel like they don't really understand yoga anatomy.
Some 200 hour YTTs (like my first training in India) skip the anatomy part completely and rely only on simple movement cues and - if those don't seem to work - harsh physical assists to get students into the shapes that the teacher wants to see.
Other programs (like the 20 hour anatomy workshop that I took to fill the knowledge gap that I brought home from India) teach yoga anatomy as if it was a seminar for medicine students at university. They'll have you remember long lists of Latin terms for bones and muscles. But these grocery lists of names don't help you much when your student struggles in Down Dog and asks you for help.
Then there are some teachers (like the leader of my second YTT) who only focus on alignment. They teach you a library of cues that will get all students into the "perfect pose". The problem is, however, that the "perfect pose" doesn't exist. It's a myth. One-size-fits all cues don't work for most people.
If you're a yoga teacher who genuinely cares about your students, then you need to go beyond what most anatomy courses teach you.
What yoga teachers need to know about anatomy
You need to learn about all the ways in which your students are physically different. (E.g. some have relatively long arms other have relatively short arms).
Plus, you need to understand the impact that skeletal variations, stronger and weaker muscles, body proportions, injuries etc. can have on the yoga practice of your students. (E.g. long arms make it easy to step through from Down Dog into a lunge).
Next, you need to learn how to help students who find themselves struggling in poses that seem to be no big deal for others. (E.g. tell the student who has relatively short arms to place their hands on blocks so that stepping through becomes easier.)
Since most students are not aware of all the ways in which they are unique, you as the teacher should be able to "read" human bodies so that you can see obvious differences (like short arms vs. long arms) quickly. You need to know which questions you can ask your students to learn more about the less obvious ways in which they are unique.
Finally, you should learn how to sequence and teach in a way that's safe, accessible to all students, and at the same time challenging for those seeking intensity. This means including props, giving options, and teaching multiple variations of a pose.
What you can expect from this training
I created the Applied Yoga Anatomy course to save you time, money and energy. In 20 hours I'll teach you everything that you as a a yoga teacher need to know about anatomy, biomechanics and movement science.
The course includes no fluff at all. It's based on cutting-edge research. And I did my very best to translate technical (aka. dry and confusing) information into actionable teachings that you can apply immediately to your own practice and your teaching.
The program will help you unlearn outdated cues that you have heard and maybe used a Million times. And you'll learn what to say instead.
What is more, the course also includes loads of little golden knowledge nuggets that you can use to make your teaching more interesting.
Most importantly, this program will turn you into a teacher who can speak with authority and who teaches yoga in a way that honors and respects each student's unique body.
Flexible Schedule
This program fits any schedule. We've had high-ranking executives, stay-at-home moms with 3 toddlers, college students, business owners, freelancers, people who work night shifts at the hospital … It just works.
Lifetime Access
No need to stress out about about being on time, finishing before the deadline or taking tons of notes during class. You can press pause, watch lectures again, take classes multiple times, or put the training on hold if you need to …
All Questions Answered
Our lead trainer Jess will respond to every single question you have with a short, personal video. The beautiful thing is that you also get to see answers to all the other student questions which we collect in our big Q&A library with 800+ questions.
Involved Community
We have an active training community full of amazing people. You can get involved as much or as little as you want. Since our course and community are integrated you'll never have to check a separate facebook group or log into a different platform. It's all in one place.
Teachers Club
Movement Wisdom offers never-ending support. You can always come to our monthly community calls to get your questions answered and join the Movement Wisdom Teachers Club to stay in touch with other graduates who are professional teachers.
Podcast Edition
The entire training is also available right inside your favorite podcast app. This adds another layer of flexibility and convenience to your learning journey.
