The Seat of the Teacher: Holding Space for Your Students

Gain the skills and knowledge to support your students' healing journey through compassionate and informed yoga instruction.

We invite you to join us for an inspiring weekend designed to enrich your skills and deepen your understanding of your role as a yoga teacher. While it’s easy to get caught up in playlists and creative sequencing, being a compassionate facilitator who knows how to hold the space for their students is crucial, now more than ever.

We’ll begin our time together by exploring the concept of meeting our students right where they are. To do so, we must acknowledge and understand trauma, how it impacts the nervous system, its prevalence in the world around us, and how it may commonly manifest itself in yoga spaces. With that deeper level of understanding, we’ll explore how the practices of Yoga can naturally address trauma, and how you as a teacher can be better prepared to support your students along their path.

We’ll also explore the language choices we make, and how impactful they can be on our students and those around us. From carefully considered cuing to the music quietly playing in the background, everything we do sets the tone and creates the container for our students to either feel welcome or wary in our presence. Special attention will be paid to the language of Yoga Nidra, ensuring it supports a calming and inclusive environment.

Furthermore, we will explore the crucial topic of power dynamics in yoga spaces. Understanding the inherent power you hold as a teacher and questioning if your language inadvertently asserts dominance is essential for creating a compassionate environment. We’ll reflect on the use of physical adjustments and the motivation behind them, as we explore the purpose of postures in our modern world.

Additionally we will discuss what it truly means to "hold the space," including the importance of non-attachment to outcomes and maintaining neutrality as a teacher.

Our hope is that you’ll leave feeling refreshed, inspired, and better equipped to support your students as they navigate their personal path with the practices of yoga.
What You'll Learn:

Compassionate Facilitation: Gain insights into how trauma affects the nervous system and its manifestation in yoga spaces.
Mindful Language Choices: Explore the impact of your language and cuing on creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Yoga Nidra Language: Learn how to use language in Yoga Nidra to foster a calming and supportive atmosphere.
Power Dynamics: Understand the inherent power you hold as a teacher and how to navigate it ethically in your classes.
Physical Adjustments: Reflect on the purpose and motivation behind physical adjustments in yoga practice.
Holding Space: Master the principles of non-attachment and neutrality to effectively hold space for your students.

This workshop is ideal for yoga teachers, mental health professionals, and anyone interested in creating effective and authentic yoga environments. Gain the skills and knowledge to support your students' healing journey through compassionate and informed yoga instruction.

Join us to enhance your teaching practice and make a positive impact in the lives of your students.
Tentative Schedule





THURSDAY



3–5 pm
Registration


5–6:30 pm
Integral Yoga Hatha – Mixed Level


6–6:30 pm
Meditation


6:30–7:30 pm
Dinner


7:30–9 pm
Welcome circle and brief introduction



FRIDAY



6:30–8 am
Integral Yoga Hatha Mixed Level


8:00–9:30 am
Breakfast


10:00–11:30 am
Meet your students right where they are


12–12:30 pm
Puja at Kailash or Meditation at Guru Bhavan or Chidambaram


12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch


1:30–2:30 pm
Be Free (Journal, Hike, Read, Rest etc.)


2:30–4:30 pm
Sticks and stones and setting the tone


5–6:30 pm
Mixed Level Hatha


5–5:45 pm
Yoga Nidra


6–6:30 pm
Meditation


6:30–7:15 pm
Dinner


7:30–9 pm
Power plays and postures



SATURDAY



6–7 am
Integral Yoga Meditation


7:10–8:40 am
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 1
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 2


8:30–9:30 am
Breakfast


10–11:30 am
Holding the space


11:45 am
Van to LOTUS (meet behind dorms)


12–12:30 pm
Meditation at LOTUS


12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch


1:30–3:00 pm
Be Free (Journal, Hike, Read, Rest etc.)


3:00–5:00 pm
Bringing it all together


5:30–6:15 pm
Dinner


7:30–9 pm
Satsang (Gathering of Seekers of the Truth)
Kirtan, Video of Swami Satchidananda
Talk with ………………………



SUNDAY



6–7 am
Integral Yoga Meditation with …


7:10–8:40 am
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 1 with …
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 2 with …


8–9:30 am
Breakfast


10:00–11:30 am
Closing sharing circle


12–12:30 pm
Meditation


12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch


2 pm
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