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Using Elemental Yoga's unique Five-Body System of assessment and intervention, we will study the basic techniques of Integrative Yoga Therapeutics, including physical postures, therapeutic postures designed for fascial expansion and release, Restorative Yoga, breathwork, meditation, relaxation, and compassionate self-observation. This method forms the backdrop for all other areas of study in our training program, including the art of assisting students, addressing special issues such as spinal anomalies or emotional imbalances, and sequencing a yoga class.

Through the use of Integrative Yoga Therapeutics, we will examine ways to detect and address spinal anomalies such as scoliosis, lordosis, kyphosis, and sacral/lumbar spine issues. We will also work with students who have physical injuries, chronic pain disorders such as fibromyalgia and arthritis, hypermobility, and emotional issues such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, and mixed anxiety and depression. Unlike many other didactic programs, this program's therapeutic component is deeply experiential and kinesthetic, and takes place in live clinic settings. These live clinics involve real people from the community, which offers our teachers-in-training the opportunity to see physical and emotional imbalances expressed in "live" students, and to observe the efficacy of therapeutic yoga interventions in action.

We will explore the dynamics of therapeutic work, the ethics of the student-teacher relationship, boundaries, self-awareness, the nature and evolution of personal samskaras or patterns of thought, movement, and behavior. We will also discuss the personal and professional intersection of these issues, including the awareness, development, and regulation of empathic skills.

As a teacher-in-training, your self-study will include an examination of your strengths and challenges, how they influence your path to self-awareness, and how they impact your personal and teaching relationships. You will learn to ignite and potentiate an ongoing practice of self-exploration and reflection that will enhance your spiritual development and teaching ability. You should be prepared for self-examination (in verbal and written form) throughout the year.

An extensive portion of the training will be devoted to addressing anxiety, insomnia, and depression in students in large and small class settings; we will learn the anatomy of anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, and depression, their impact on our mental, emotional, and energetic bodies, and how to employ tools from Integrative Yoga Therapeutics to intervene in and improve these issues.

We will also journey into the energetics of yoga, including the nadi and chakra systems and the structures of the nervous system. We will discuss techniques designed to assess students' difficulties and help restore balance to the nervous systems of individuals as well as groups.

We will cover basic pranayama techniques, including ujjayi pranayama as it pertains to the vinyasa practice, as well as other pranayama techniques and their impact on the nervous system. We will examine the core body in depth from physical, emotional, and energetic perspectives (emphasizing mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, and the psoas muscle), and discuss the ethical issues pertaining to the development of core strength and power. We will focus on the development of dristi (attention) on both external and internal levels during the physical practice, and the roles of dristi and ujjayi breath on facilitating the release of tension held in the body's organ systems and connective tissue.

As the training year progresses, the lens of anatomy will facilitate the development of our assisting skills in both vinyasa and restorative classes. As the training year draws to a close, we will use this growing cache of skills to delve into the study of sequencing and the architecture of a yoga class. Sequences to alleviate anxiety, insomnia, and depression will be discussed, as well as the necessary preparation of the body for safe opening and expansion. The Sequencing module of the training will also explore using the building blocks of a class to facilitate advanced postures, the opening of particular parts of the body, classes of postures, actions within postures, or effects of postures. We will also look at sequencing targeted to impact students' mental and emotional bodies, therapeutic sequencing to deal with injuries, asymmetries, and special issues, and individualized sequences for trainees' home practice. Trainees will design their own therapeutic sequences and teach them in live class settings.

The practice of Restorative Yoga is an integral portion of the training, encompassing a full weekend in its own right. Restorative Yoga's extraordinary power for healing at both gross and subtle levels will be explored in detail. Teachers-in-training will learn how to adapt Restorative Yoga to address the nervous system, immune system, and emotional body, both in their own practice and in class and private settings. They will also learn the Restorative Yoga Therapeutics sequences for anxiety, insomnia, and depression designed by Bo Forbes.

Completion of the training requires assisting, with live supervision, in ten (10) vinyasa classes. There will also be two-three student clinics throughout the year. Run by graduates of the program, these student clinics will facilitate the further assimilation of the challenging art of assisting students. Students who wish to do so, or to request participation in our National Assisting Rotation, may also assist in Restorative Yoga Therapeutics classes with Bo's supervision, thought assisting in these classes is not a requirement of the training.