PRANAYAMA
ONLINE COURSE
WITH MARK STEPHENS
March 23 - April 9, 2023
Marina Deetjen, RYT 500, Germany
"Amazing course! One of the best I've ever attended- very well prepared, carefully structured, and full of valuable information and powerful techniques! Mark is unbelievably knowledgeable and has a talent of explaining most difficult concepts with clarity and ease. I didn't know pranayama could be so interesting and impactful! I highly recommend this course . Having completed the course, I now feel more confident when preparing my own yoga classes and guiding my students. Thank you so much!" - Marina
PRANAYAMA
This 3-week Pranayama Course offers a comprehensive, informed, and accessible approach to practicing and teaching the transformational breathing techniques at the heart of yoga.
OFTEN DESCRIBED AS "SECRET" PRACTICES DATING BACK TO THE ORIGINS OF YOGA, THIS COURSE DEMYSTIFIES THE HISTORIES OF PRANAYAMA AND OFFERS A SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE WAY TO DEVELOP A PRANAYAMA PRACTICE IN ALIGNMENT WITH ONE'S CONDITIONS AND INTENTIONS IN DOING YOGA.
This course begins with the idea of prana as expressed in the earliest periods of yoga’s development, tracing the contours of pranayama theory and practice from ancient to modern times.
We look closely at traditional theories of subtle anatomy and energy as well as scientific understandings of the anatomy and physiology of respiration. This foundation in history, philosophy and science then informs a set of specific preparatory practices for enhancing personal pranayama practices.
The heart of the course comes in the guided practices, including simple refined breathing(puraka-rechaka-kumbhaka) and conscious techniques for deliberately cultivating energetic balance, including ujjayi, sama vrtti and visama vrtti, viloma, antara kumbhaka and bahya kumbhaka, kapalabhati, sitali, and six different types of nadi shodhana.
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN
IN THIS COURSE
Provide Your Students With Clear & Well-informed Guidance In Their Practice
Through A Deeper Understanding Of Anatomy & Physiology
APPLICATION
Knowing how a variety of simple-to-complex breathing techniques can be practiced and taught in different classes and settings, and having the tools for exploring pranayama for the rest of your life.
INTEGRATION
Just as yoga is a holistic practice, pranayama must always be considered as part of the whole fabric of yoga practice. We explore pranayama in ways that make it a natural part of practicing and teaching.
CONFIDENCE
Bringing it all together, your expanded and refined knowledge will increase your confidence and ability to teach safe, sustainable and deeply transformational classes to a diverse array of students.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
IN THIS COURSE
In looking closely at how we breathe (and sometimes don't breathe so well), we begin with both the ancient philosophies of prana and its cultivation and the modern anatomy and physiology of breathing. We explore how to refine one's balance of diaphragmatic and costal breathing in (re)discovering our naturally greatest breathing patterns. From there we explore highly nuanced ways of preparing for more conscious and refined breathing, including with simple postural practices that best allow us to most effectively do pranayama practices.
We then explore each of the original pranayama techniques that were developed in the late first century CE, before the rise of physical postural yoga, offering guided practice in each one. In all of this, we directly connect the study of human respiratory science and ancient to modern philosophies of consciousness, staying in the dance of spirit and matter in expanding our capacity to breathe, feel, and refine our lives.
CURRICULUM TOPICS
- The Discovery of Prana & Development of Pranayama
- The Scientific Understanding of Breath and Breathing
- Preparatory Practices including Asanas, Neti, Talavya Kriya, and Simhasana
- Practicing Pranayama Techniques including Breath Awareness, Sitali Pranayama, Kapalabhati Pranayama, and Viloma Pranayama
- Developing a Personal Practice and Teaching Pranayama
MATERIALS & REQUIREMENTS
As an online course, this course requires a strong and consistent internet connection, as all the video content is streaming (not downloadable).
COURSE MATERIALS
- Provided: Video Lectures, Quizzes, 3 Live Sessions, Course Syllabus (PDF)
Highly Suggested:
Yoga Therapy: Foundations, Methods & Practices for Common Ailments, by Mark Stephens
COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFICATION
- Watch all of the course video content
- Attend the live sessions OR watch the recorded replays
- Pass the Certification Exam
Please note: if you do not wish to receive a Certificate of Completion and/or Yoga Alliance CEUs, you do not need to complete the above requirements for certification. Simply consume the course content however you wish.
FORMAT & SCHEDULE
SCHEDULE
- March 23, 2023
Course opens - March 26-April 9, 2023
3-week Interactive portion of the course - September 23, 2023
Course closes
LIVE SESSIONS
- March 26, 2023
(9:00-11:30am PDT) - April 2, 2023
(9:00-11:30am PDT) - April 9, 2023
(9:00-11:30am PDT)
Time Zone Converter:
9am PDT = 12pm EDT | 6pm CEST
The Live Format of this course features 17 hours of online learning that blends self-paced video lecture with live interaction. The self-paced portion of this course includes seven hours of video learning that you can move through at your own pace and according to your personal schedule. The 3-week interactive portion of this course incorporates three live sessions via Zoom in which you can engage with me and other course participants.
To make the most of attending the live sessions, it would be wise to complete the video learning during the 3-week interactive portion, so you can ask me any questions that arise for you during the video learning.
That said, I know your schedule can change at any given moment and that you may need more time to complete the course. Which is why all the live sessions are recorded and available for you to watch at your convenience, and why I give you 6 months to complete the course. Thus, you can either attend the live sessions in real-time or you can watch the recorded replays if you cannot attend live.
This flexibility allows you to complete the course in as little as three weeks or as long as 6 months. I suggest you take a close look at your schedule and create a timeline for completing the course.
EXPERIENCE YOU CAN TRUST
I’m deeply passionate about yoga and teaching it in the best possible ways. Practicing yoga for over 31 years and training teachers since 1998, I’m here to help you develop your knowledge of anatomy in entirely practical ways.
I started teaching pranayama workshops in the early 2000s as part of Yoga Inside Foundation, helping yoga teachers in serving students in prisons, mental health facilities, drug rehabs, inner city and rural schools, and other settings where we encounter the fullest range of human conditions.
From my first textbooks on Teaching Yoga (2010, second edition forthcoming in 2023), Yoga Adjustments (2012), and Yoga Sequencing (2014) to my comprehensive 720-page text on Yoga Therapy (2017, including 10 chapters on human anatomy and physiology), the theme is the same: give all yoga teachers a rich set of thoroughly researched resources that meet the practical tests of teaching and guiding a diverse array students in their yoga practices over a long period of time.
I bring a non-dogmatic, accessible, and integrated perspective to my teaching, always striving to make yoga a more refined practice for healthy living, including through guidance that is deeply informed by a plain and accurate understanding of breathing in yoga and life. I also take the risk to point out the common distortions and misunderstandings found in much of breathing instruction, whether in popular books and online offering, this in abiding pursuit of jnana (knowledge), satya (truth) and ahimsa (non-hurting).
WHO THIS COURSE IS FOR
NEW & EXPERIENCED TEACHERS WELCOME!
Designed for new and experienced yoga teachers (& yoga teacher trainers), this course builds upon your current knowledge and experience to help you develop the refined skills for guiding students far more safely and effectively in their breathing practices.
As the vital stream that informs postural practice and is the ultimate foundation for mindfulness practices, this course is for teachers who want to guide the practice from their own knowledge and understanding of how we breathe and can breathe better.
- If you've focused mostly on postural yoga or struggled with pranayama...
- If the pranayama content in your Yoga Teacher Training was inadequate or you've forgotten what you learned...
- If you want to improve your knowledge of breathing theory and practices...
- If you want to learn more about helping students with ailments and special conditions...
- If you want to teach from a well of your own knowledge...
THIS COURSE IS FOR YOU!
BENEFITS OF ONLINE LEARNING
Both in-person and online workshops and trainings come with their own strengths and weaknesses, and neither one is superior. My online workshops and trainings offer the same quality as my in-person offerings do, and even include some added benefits. When deciding what's a good fit for your development as a yoga teacher, consider your options and what will best suit your unique needs.
FLEXIBLE SCHEDULE
+ BALANCE
Not everyone can take time off work (or from other responsibilities) to advance their learning and deepen their studies. If you are juggling multiple commitments and responsibilities, the flexibility of online learning offers you an opportunity to study when it works best for your unique schedule. In lieu of taking time off work or missing family dinners, you can log-in and learn when it’s convenient for you, making it easier to balance all that you do and love in life.
PLAYBACK CONTROL
+ SELF-PACED LEARNING
Unlike in-person workshops or trainings, online learning allows you to pause, rewind, re-watch and even slow the speed of video lectures and classes. This playback control helps to ensure you don’t miss any critical information being presented when you need to pause to take notes, do additional research or contemplate an idea. Those who don’t speak English as their native language especially find value in slowing down the video speed to help with translation. Plus, you can re-watch the videos repeatedly to make sure you fully understand the material before moving onto the next topic. This added control allows you to work through the material at your own pace and get the most out of your learning experience.
STUDY FROM ANYWHERE
+ GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE
Traveling for in-person workshops and trainings can present many challenges, including an added cost and time commitment, that prevent teachers from being able to study with Mark. Online learning means you can train with Mark from anywhere in the world, without the need to travel and from the convenience of your own home. Plus, online learning attracts a wide range from participants from all over the world which lends itself to a deeper, global perspective that enhances the learning experience during live group sessions on Zoom.
MORE ACCESS
+ TIME FOR INTEGRATION
For most people, learning requires repetition, but in-person workshops and trainings are live which means you can’t “rewatch” the material or access it again. With online learning, you can watch the video lectures and classes as many times as you like during your time of access (generally 6 months or more). Not only does this improve your ability to understand the material, it also provides ample time for integration of the information; you have time to go out and apply the teachings, methods and theories in your classes and then revisit the material or ideas that didn’t make sense during application or that you didn’t fully grasp.
Heidi Nelson, RYT 200, USA
Mark's vast knowledge about Yoga (combined with his many years of experience teaching yoga and training teachers) is a huge asset for anyone who is serious about the path of teaching yoga." - Heidi
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FAQs
What if I can't attend a live group session?
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Jimmy Corneyre, RYT 200, France
