Using Technology for Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Online

Using Technology for Advanced Yoga Teacher Training Online

The camaraderie and learning experience of an advanced yoga teacher training in-person does not need to be lost when moving to an online training model. With the right class and right setup, you can use technology to complete an advanced yoga teacher training online in the comfort of your own home.

Whether you are social distancing or just enjoy the convenience of doing advanced yoga teacher training online, this blog will explore a few ways to make best of these online yoga teacher training courses.

Maximize the power of available technology.

By using technology creatively, it is possible to create a realistic space to learn advanced yoga teacher training remotely.  

It may be wise to use the largest screens you have available to view your courses and interactions. Moving your teachers and fellow students onto a computer monitor or larger television brings them more into the room with you, and non-verbal cues are more prominent.

While attending your online advanced teacher training course, consider using the “Do Not Disturb” features of your cell phone and computer. Disabling notifications frees up your mind to focus on your online training. If household and outside noise distractions take your attention, use earbuds or headphones to silence background noises.  

Create a comfortable place to learn.

You deserve a comfortable space in your home as you move forward in your online advanced yoga teacher training. Design an area just for you -even if you share it during the rest of the day.  

Design a space for learning and comfort. Keep your furnishings aligned with your screen for minimum neck, eye, and back strain. Use a desk or create one with bolsters, ottomans, and chairs that work with your writing surface.  

Privacy may be necessary to you during your online study time, so draw boundaries for family and even pets if possible. Kindly let everyone know that you will be attending a class at specific times and will need undisturbed privacy to focus on your training.  Most online yoga teacher trainings are sensitive to the needs of parents and at-home teachers, and may offer opportunities to view parts of the training in your own time.

Continue to socialize and network during your online advanced yoga teacher training.

One of the benefits of attending advanced yoga teacher training in person is the ability to mingle and network with your fellow yogis.  

Since much of your online yoga teacher training classwork will be done via computer, there will likely be a way to comment or chat with your classmates. Be sure to frequently participate and interact in chat and breakout room discussions. In fact, being online means your classmates likely have a social media account or e-mail account, so don’t be afraid to exchange contact information with your classmates in order to network online.

Use technology to listen with intention and connect genuinely with your fellow yogis.   

Explore what works best for you in an online advanced yoga teacher training course.

One benefit of taking an online course is the flexibility it can provide. This means flexibility in schedule, flexibility in learning environment, and more. Spend some of your study hours learning what works best for you as a student.

Depending on the course, you may have the option to choose between pre-recorded and live classes. Live classes can be interactive, with students and teachers interacting visually and verbally. Be sure to participate and interact to get the best out of a live class. A pre-recorded class means your teacher cannot see or hear you, but you can still reach out through e-mail or social media. And be sure to decide if you prefer pre-recorded or live classes before enrolling in an online advanced yoga teacher training course.

You should also make sure to determine what device you prefer to use for learning online. Is using a smaller mobile screen or tablet more comfortable than using a fixed television or computer screen for you? Experiment and decide what works best for you.

Take advantage of online advanced yoga teacher training courses in 2021.

While changing times may force you to rely on technology more than before, this is also an opportunity to further your yoga teacher training in a new way.

More advanced yoga teacher training courses are available online than ever before – use this to your advantage. For example, the training courses at Prema Yoga Institute are no longer limited to New York City, but are now available online with interactive trainings through 2022.

Have fun exploring your options and starting your journey using technology for advanced yoga teacher training online!

While you’re here, we must encourage you to check out Prema Yoga Institute for your online advanced yoga training program. We’re an accredited program based in New York city, teaching students around the globe through online classes. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you advance your yoga practice and teaching.

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Advanced Yoga Teacher Training: Modifications for Aging Yoga Students

Advanced YTT: Modifications for Aging Yoga Students

Participating in advanced yoga teaching training is an opportunity to expand your teaching skills and help a wide range of students, including aging yogis.  

Aging yoga students will have unique spiritual/emotional needs and bodies that may require condition-specific modifications.   

Addressing the spiritual needs of aging students.

The human body changes over time, potentially losing flexibility and strength. The same applies to the mind of an aging yoga student. Research suggests that yoga may support a healthy nervous system throughout the aging process.

When working with aging yoga students, it is important to use encouraging and appropriate language to guide all poses presented in your classes. Goal-driven language can isolate, while language that builds asana from the ground up empowers, building confidence. 

Guiding the aging yoga student into the present moment brings immediate peace and works towards accepting the body as it is now. Calming music, soft lighting, the use of mantra when appropriate, and thoughtful guidance of prāṇāyāma also support clearing the mind of negativity.

Encourage the use of various props.

Props allow the human form to be supported and included in all asanas. The use of props also allows your students to take their practice into their homes! Props should be as diverse as the aging students in your care. 

·        Chairs and benches should be of varying sizes and heights to support both seated poses, standing poses, and student’s shapes.   

·        Bolsters can be quite heavy and cumbersome for aging yoga students. Offer round, rectangular, and even square bolsters in various sizes to suit everyone's body in any pose. 

·        Blankets are multi-functional, covering up for meditation and propping up for neck and limb support. Different fabrics allow for personal preferences and varied thicknesses. 

·        Blocks, when thick and sturdy, are safe modifiers for aging students. Placing blankets or towels under blocks will reduce any slippage, as well.   

·        Straps extend the limbs, helping flexibility and allowing for the push-pull that accompanies many poses. Overcome any compromised grip strength by looping straps before class.   

·        The wall is an accessible prop for all yogis, and railings may help aging pupils feel safe while standing.

Studying props and their applications in advanced yoga teacher training will also come in handy for your students of any age!

If you need more guidance in this, be sure to pursue an advanced yoga training course that specializes in teaching how to use props for aging yoga students. 

Learn about modifications for specific circumstances of aging yoga students. 

Address balance challenges of aging yoga students by strengthening the core muscles, highlighting the connection to the Earth, and sharpening the mind's eye to spatial awareness. 

·        Serve your aging students with osteoporosis and arthritis by emphasizing muscle development, balance and mobility. Both conditions rely on supporting muscles, and the movement of slow flow asana practice alleviates arthritis stiffness.  

·        High blood pressure is an indicator that pose modifications for inversions, heart openers, and even some standing poses are required. Focusing on supported relaxation and prāṇāyāma will significantly support the hypertensive student.   

·        Kyphosis is a condition best served by addressing the shoulders and spine. Gentle lengthening of the spine and heart-opening exercises ease the rounding and uplift the spirit.   

The transitions between poses carry just as much importance as your sequence as a whole. Use the transitions to reinforce the safe use of props, breathing, and mental focus.  

Consider enrolling in an Advanced Yoga Teacher Training to better serve aging yoga students.

Learning how to better serve your aging yoga students opens up freedoms for your students in their daily life. For example, balance challenges that make running errands difficult can be improved, strength-building increases feelings of independence, and improved posture fosters confidence.  

As you advance your yoga teacher training, your practice will grow, and you will be better able to serve diverse bodies and ages in your community.   

Be sure to check out the Prema Yoga Institute’s online advanced yoga teacher training in 2021, which offers many courses that emphasis teaching aging yoga students.  

If you found this information useful, visit our Blog often or subscribe to our Mailing List for similar content. 

Currently, Prema Yoga Institute is offering online study options for ALL of our yoga trainings in 2021 and online options throughout 2022.  

We hope you’ll consider Prema Yoga Institute for your online advanced yoga training program. We’re an accredited program based in New York city, teaching students around the globe through online classes. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you advance your yoga practice and teaching!

Advanced YTT: Teaching Students with Diverse Needs

As a yoga teacher, you will come across students with a wide range of body types, backgrounds, abilities, and health backgrounds. Each student has a story and unique needs that yoga can help to address. By understanding how to work with students with diverse needs, you can serve your students’ needs more directly and help them to live happier and healthier lives.

Some of the most common diverse needs in the yoga field are clients with past injuries, aging clients, and clients with perceived limitations. While the foundational 200-hour yoga teacher training is a great place to start, more advanced yoga teacher training will likely be required to help you serve students with diverse needs like aging students or students with past injuries.

Teaching Students with Past Injuries

All varieties of past injuries transform a body. The muscles, soft tissues, and bone around an injury may lose tone and power during the healing process, and scar tissue can permanently change movement in that area if not addressed. 

When pursuing an advanced yoga teacher training course, choose a course that can help you understand your client's injuries on a deeper level and help them find comfort in their yoga practice through tailored adjustments, alignment, and modifications.

For example, advanced courses like the Applied Anatomy course offered by Prema Yoga Institute are designed to help you approach yoga through the lens of anatomy to create personalized yoga sessions for your clients.

Learning how to best modify practice for your clients with past injuries is key.

Working with Aging Clients

Decreased mobility and balance may challenge aging yogis. This can lead to isolation and fear, as well as an increased risk of accidents and falls. Advanced yoga teacher training can teach you to how to focus on flexibility and strength to improve functional mobility in aging students.  

For example, an aging yogi may benefit from specific poses focused on core muscle development from the pelvis to the crown. Learning these advanced teaching techniques will help clients safely increase their mobility.   

Serving Students with Perceived Limitations

Often, a student's perceived limitations stem from the spirit, emotions, and memory. A person's restrictions may be long past, yet lingering, if not freshly developed.  

Tailoring a yoga plan for your clients often involves stepping back for a holistic approach instead of working only on specific postures and sequences.

Learning to shift your focus to mindfulness and meditation may benefit your student’s relationship to perceived pain or lack.  You can also explore pranayama, yoga nidra, and other mindfulness exercises to find clarity. In time, perceived limitations may melt away!

Continue to Deepen Your Knowledge Base to Work with Clients with Diverse Needs

Education for yoga instructors does not have an end date. Advanced yoga teacher training will allow you to serve more clients and provide tailored lessons for students with diverse needs. You can even take advantage of today's remote learning technology and pursue an advanced yoga teacher training program online.

In fact, we’d love to recommend the Applied Anatomy Program at the Prema Yoga Institute. At PYI, yoga mentors are now available for online courses to support you with interactive lessons and reviews. The curriculum includes education about the kosha system and yoga therapy related to the whole of an individual. Completion of the course can be applied to your RYT 300 education and 25 Yoga Alliance continuing education credits.

Whichever advanced yoga teacher training you choose, deepening your knowledge in the human body's complexities via anatomy will help you create inclusivity and foster community for students with diverse needs.

If you found this information useful, visit our Blog often or subscribe to our Mailing List for similar content.

Currently, Prema Yoga Institute is offering online study options for ALL of our yoga trainings in 2021.

We hope you’ll consider Prema Yoga Institute for your online advanced yoga training program. We’re an accredited program based in New York city, teaching students around the globe through online classes. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you advance your yoga practice and teaching!