15 Hour Teacher Training
Anatomy & Alignment
With Nanna Hofman
07-09 January, 2022
Overview
Phrases like "engage your core - shoulders away from ears - micro-bend your elbows" has been used countless times by many movement teachers over the years. However, more so often these phrases don't go hand in hand with the actual anatomy of the musculoskeletal system. If you ever find yourself, or your teacher, saying these phrases without really being sure of its purpose, then this course is for you.
This course is a deep dive into the complexities of the biomechanics behind āsana practice, along with new approaches to flexibility and effective cuing strategies to help your students (and yourself) progress in their practice safely. Practitioners will get a deeper understanding of their own body and become more aware of how to move through their self-practice without harm. Everything will be a mix between lecture based and practical application, so bring your notebook and your mat.
Highlights
Looking at typical injuries in Yoga:
- Why they especially happen during āsana practice.
- What can be done to minimise the risk of getting injured during practice.
Break down of "automatic cues"/yoga myths and their actual anatomical explanation:
- "Engage your core" and why science shows this phrase can cause more problems than it solves.
- "Shoulders away from ears" and how this exact cue is close-knit to the injuries seen in Yoga.
Alignment - why it does and doesn't matter during practice:
- Breakdown and workshop with specific postures.
- How to cue different bodies into the same posture safely.
- Why "back foot at a 45 degree angle" is rarely helpful and what to say instead.
Yin vs Yang practice and how to approach them beneficially :
- Functional stretching (PNF stretching).
- Cold vs warm stretching.
Throughout the weekend we will explore the realm of anatomy physically as well as theoretically. There will be group exercises, as well as individual exercises that intends to integrate and tie everything to a degree where you will get more comfortable and skilled in applying this knowledge to your practice and teachings. The focus will not necessarily be on learning the names of muscles, nerves etc but rather the actual functional anatomy and biomechanics. "How does this work" rather than "what is working".
The overall goal with this training is to make practice safer and more sustainable. Yoga was never meant to be a place where students would show up and get themselves injured. Maybe the ego would hurt a little bit but this focus on the physical postures we're seeing in how the practice is approached today, calls for better teachers with more knowledge about biomechanics and anatomy. This is the only way it's possible to continuously be teaching and practicing from a point that honours the roots of the practice as well as Ahimsa (non-violence). Since the practice has become more comparable than ever due to high use of marketing and social media, the responsibility to continuously making practice and postures available for as many bodies as possible, lies with the teachers in the community.
The Learning
Experience
General Times
FRIDAY 07 JAN
17.00 - 20.00
SATURDAY 08 JAN
12.30 - 19.00
SUNDAY 09 JAN
12.30 - 17.00
Facilitator
Nanna Hofman
Nanna is certified Physical Therapist graduated from VIA University College in Aarhus in 2019 and have been geeking out in combining this with her knowledge of Yoga-asana ever since. She's taught 200h-students in the anatomy portion of their course with great success and is in general very passionate about making the practice more safe for students as well as teachers. In her everyday-life Nanna is teaching and practicing Yoga herself next to also having clients with musculosceletal complications, so you can expect a full merge of these two worlds under her guidance.
Besides having a wisdom that sticks deep in terms of Western Medicine, Nanna is also a certified MBSR-coach (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction), NLP-practitioner (Neuro Linguitisk Programming) and has taken numerous courses in understanding the mind-body connection better. She approaches everything she does with a holistic point of view and stands out in that sense.
Nanna is a an experienced space-holder and have hosted events all over the world. Her teaching-method is nurturing no-nonsense combined with a big smile, so expect to be challenged as well as 100% supported as you're threading new waters.
Requirements
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Curiosity towards anatomy and willingness to learn.
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A regular Yoga or movement practice is preferred.
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For the teachers, it's helpful to have "Functional anatomy of Yoga" by David Keil, "Yoga Anatomy" by Leslie Kaminoff or any other Anatomy-book that can support the knowledge behind this course.