A training-intensive for yoga teachers and inquiring students
The theme for the 2026 training will again be Optimal aging — with deeper work along fascial lines and some fresh takes on the breath as a vital facet of healthy aging. The asana component will reinforce and delve deeper into fascial lines and approaches to asana that especially empower functional movement. This will include work with resistance bands to explore the fascial lines, as well as breaking down the poses to explore not only variations on the normal poses, but variations for chair yoga that make the poses more accessible, and also focus in on the key points to work in order to intensify the benefits. Our treatment of asana in the training will be oriented toward mobility via the fascia, joint freedom related to functional movement, and depth and efficiency of breathing. Much of the asana work will of course be connected with the upper body. But the breath is really a whole body experience. The lectures will focus on the fascial lines from this applied perspective, and will also bring in dimensions of breathing practice — breathing during asana practice, and key features in pranayama practice, specifically applied to the many dimensions of health and optimal aging. Our breath capacity and efficiency can’t be addressed in isolation from movement, especially when it comes to functional movement patterns. Although we usually think of pranayama in terms of seated or reclining practices, asana practice is really key, particularly if any seated or reclining practices are to ultimately be of benefit. While this will certainly be relevant to teaching older students, it’s not just an ‘old person’s’ topic: the decline in our breathing capacity and vitality begins in our late 20’s, and can decline steeply through what we call ‘middle age,’ though we may not fully realize what has already taken place until later years. So it is never too early to start! The ‘After-Sessions’ will be an exploration of the development of pranayama practice in all of its dimensions, putting the practices and their goals in the context of the development of the idea of yoga itself. The development of the idea of yoga — especially for the heath yogis, who brought together the many dimensions of yoga practice into a manageable and accessible system — was really driven by the understanding of Prana — which is even more ancient and fundamental than the idea of ‘yoga’ itself as a spiritual practice. The theme will be a better understanding of ‘Being Yoga’ — what the ‘state’ of yoga is, as experienced through ‘doing’ yoga. This is intended not only to clarify your own practice for you, but also to strengthen and sharpen the message of your teaching. What you’ll take from the training is a greater depth of knowledge directly related to actionable ways in which you and your students can benefit from yoga practice, a new take on both asana and pranayama that remains true to the tradition, and an even fuller appreciation of the therapeutic wisdom and applications of the full range of yoga practices.