Appropriate for yoga therapists and instructors, other somatic/body workers and mental health professionals, this 8-week, 30-hour training offers accessible and powerful tools to expand your somatic, mindfulness offerings. You'll explore my unique yoga therapy framework, grounded in trauma-informed best practices, nervous system regulation, self-compassion, somatic parts-work, the 4 windows of knowing, and deep-imagery. With 9 hours of personal exploration, 14 hours of training and practicum, and 7 hours of at-home practice and reflection, you will come away with tangible skills to bring to your students and clients.
By listening more deeply to the unique language of your body, you will gain valuable and actionable insights that will enhance your life in significant and ongoing ways.
Through training and practice time, you'll learn to integrate aspects of this somatic model into your work with your clients and students.
This model will support both you and those you work with in cultivating a deeper sense of safety, connection and compassion, both inside of yourselves and within the therapeutic container that you hold.
My work as a yoga therapist integrates eastern yoga and mindfulness teachings with western psychology and neuroscience perspectives.
In this training, you'll explore my unique yoga therapy model, and learn how to offer it to yourself and your clients and students.
We'll work with the following frameworks:
The nervous system:
We'll explore the role of the nervous system and the basics of emotional regulation and polyvagal theory.
Your nervous system defaults:
We each have a tendency towards fight, flight or freeze and each requires a different set of tools and practices to bring us back to our parasympathetic or social engagement system. We'll explore the difference between hyper and hypoarousal and approach each with a different set of tools.
Self-compassion:
Self-compassion is the super-power we all need to feel safe and at home in our bodies. Without it, healing and integration is often elusive. Self-compassion training is an essential aspect of this therapeutic model.
Somatic parts-work:
Learning how to be in dialogue with different parts of our selves, our bodies, and our psyches helps us understand our emotions and our actions. Guiding somatic parts work is an excellent tool to support a deeper knowing of ourselves while building empathy and self-compassion.
The four windows of knowing:
We take in information through our sensations, thoughts, emotions and images but our tendency is to default to only one or two of those windows. Paying attention to all four, broadens our perspective and give us more access to our inner landscape.
Deep imagery/active imagination:
Our bodies and psyches often speak the language of metaphor. Inviting our imagination into the conversation gives us so much more access to our inner truths than our cognition alone can offer.
This 8-week, 30-hour course leans into the wisdom that personal experience informs our ability to skillfully facilitate. With that in mind, we will work with the model both personally and professionally. Here's how:
Two-hour introductory training to review trauma-informed best practices. I'll demonstrate, how to create a safe and connected therapeutic container for your students and clients. And we'll work with somatic practices that cultivate experiences of safety and connection within the body.
Saturday, Feb 21, 10am-12pm (MST) / Location, SLC (date/time may change based on trainee schedules)
2 contact hours
You'll take one 90-minute "personal-exploration" class discussing one or two aspects of the model alongside a personal exploration facilitated by yoga, breathwork, and other somatic, mindfulness practices, either on zoom or in-person.
On Zoom - Wednesday Evenings 6 - 7:30pm MST, February 25 - April 1
OR
In-Person - Friday mornings, 10 - 11:30am, February 27 - April 3, SLC, 9th and 9th neighborhood
The zoom class will be recorded. In the event that you can't make either zoom or in person, please take the class on your own before the weeks training course.
You'll also take one 2-hour "training-oriented" class weeks 2-6, reviewing the frameworks and practicing working with the model in ways that are applicable to you and your work. This is your practicum. This class will be offered hybrid (in person with zoom on), on either Tuesdays at 1 or 6pm (MST), Fridays at noon or Saturday mornings. Please fill out this survey to log your preferences.
19 contact hours (Week 7 training class will take place during week 8 in order to have a bit more integration time.)
One final 2-hour training-oriented class to review questions, practice facilitation skills and discuss how to best integrate your new tools. This replaces our week 7 training.
2 contact hours
Throughout the 8 weeks, I'll offer take-home prompts to help you integrate what you are learning. You'll consider what tools you'd like to integrate and take steps to put those practices into action. You'll be prompted to share what's working, what isn't and where you need continued support and reinforcement.
Goal sharing with the group will provide accountability and support.
Your certification will require a written reflection for me to review.
7 non-contact hours
Currently the 6 training classes for weeks 2-7 are TBD. The current options are Tuesdays at 1 or 6pm , Fridays at noon or Saturday mornings (MST). In the interest of accommodating as many students as possible, please take this survey to register your preferences.
You're a mental health or wellness professional interested in offering your clients more somatic, mindfulness tools.
You want to reinforce your knowledge of trauma informed best practices.
You'd like to gather more tools and resources around nervous system regulation and self-compassion.
You're interested in how somatic parts work and deep imagery can support and deepen the mind-body conversation.
You want to help people get out of their heads and into their bodies more and would like to add more somatic, mindfulness skills to your toolbox.
You enjoy trainings that include both a personal and practical element where you can experience the model in a personal way first and then practice using the tools.
You want to learn in community!
I take an individualized approach to wellness so this is not a cookie cutter experience. You'll receive a library of practices and resources to help you respond to the specific needs of your clients and students.
After each "personal class", you'll reflect on the practices that resonated with you. You'll arrive at each "training class" with a set of skills you would like to hone. In other words, you'll choose the tools to work with, practice and receive feedback around that make the most sense given your particular work in the world.
My work springs from the intersection of yoga, mindfulness, neuroscience, psychology, embodiment and nature-based practice. This integrative body, mind, brain approach is easily digestible, actionable and effective.
Over the last 20 years, I’ve created a unique blend of evidence-based practices that will rewire the brain to grow states of calm, connection and self-compassion and I can say with absolute confidence that they work!
Wellness professionals can include, yoga therapists and teachers and other somatic/bodyworkers as well as mental health professionals. If you are unsure whether you are a fit for this training, please reach out and we can talk about your specific situation.
You can receive continuing ed credits though Yoga Alliance and the International Association of Yoga Therapists. At this time, I cannot offer CE's for therapists as I am not a licensed mental health professional.
Absolutely. This course is for the beginning student as well as the seasoned practitioner. If you are serving others and have a desire to gather somatic, mindfulness practices and are willing to explore these practices for yourself first, than this is an appropriate training for you.
Yes! You are welcome to email me with questions throughout the course. If it would be helpful to set up a quick phone or video call, that's fine too. If you find you need additional individual support, adding-on a professional mentoring component, or discounted yoga therapy sessions may be a great option as well.
If you would like to take this training in two parts, over the course of 13 weeks with just one class per week, please send me an email. I will consider this if there is interest.
If you'd like to talk about how this course might fit with your specific professional development needs, send me an email and we can set up a time to chat.
Building a relationship between your body and mind takes attention, practice and commitment. There is no magic pill and there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
This training is a gift to your clients and students but it's also a gift to yourself! It will offer you the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.
Gifting yourself with an 8 week commitment to YOU is another way of growing self-compassion and self-love. It’s saying, you are worth it - your well-being is important, your body, mind AND brain are important - and feeling calm, connected and alive is important.
Give yourself the gift of “you’re worth it” and join me.
"Rachel’s depth of knowledge shines through experiential activities thoughtfully assembled and presented with warmth and authenticity. Rachel’s offerings are an indelible resource to longtime practitioners as well as the newbie."
- Steve
Hi, I’m Rachel Posner, yoga therapist and mindfulness coach. I utilize my 20+ years of experience and training as a yoga therapist and instructor, counselor and nature guide to merge embodied mindfulness, classical yoga, psychology and neuroscience. Bridging eastern philosophy and western science, my work is rooted in the understanding that the mind, body and brain are one integrated system, each intimately affecting the whole.
REFUND POLICY
I believe this course is highly effective and am committed to offering you a valuable and positive experience. That said, I know that it may not be for everyone. Therefore a full refund is available if you notify me via email, rachel@rachelposner.com within two weeks of the start of the course. Please give yourself the time and space to go through the material and practices in week one and two before you decide that this course is not the right fit for you.