PROFESSIONAL MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING FOR YOGA TEACHERS
Download the Mental Health Yoga eBook + stay in touch
EDUCATION. WISDOM. COMMUNITY.
Support your students experiencing mental health challenges with compassion, confidence and skill.
Mental Health Aware Yoga is a cutting edge, professional development training program for Yoga Teachers developed by Clinical Psychologist and Senior Yoga Teacher Dr Lauren Tober.
In this training program you’ll develop your skills to deeply support your yoga students experiencing mental health challenges.
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Nearly half of the population will experience mental illness in their life
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More than half of yoga students start yoga for mental health reasons
%
More than 3/4 of yoga students continue yoga for the mental health benefits
THIS TRAINING WILL CHANGE THE WAY YOU TEACH
Download the Patañjali’s 8 Limbs and Mental Health Aware Yoga eBook + stay in touch
SIX PILLARS OF MENTAL HEALTH AWARE YOGA
This professional development training program for Yoga Teachers explores the six pillars of Mental Health Aware Yoga. You'll develop skills to support your yoga students experiencing mental health challenges, so they (and you) can thrive and flourish.
- Western Psychology
- Yoga Psychology
- Safe Container
- Therapeutic Skills
- Yogic Practices
- Mental Health Crisis
In this first pillar of Mental Health Aware Yoga, we'll look at mental health through the lens of Western Psychology including:
- Depressive Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders
- Trauma Disorders
- Stress
- Co-morbidity
In the second pillar we’ll explore the foundations of Yoga Psychology, including:
- Patañjali's model of yoga psychology
- Depression, anxiety and the gunas
- Yoga as cultivating sattva
- Koshas
- Kleśhas
- Saṃskāra
- Non-dualism
In the third pillar you’ll learn how to Create a Safe Container, including:
- The sacred role of the teacher
- Professional boundaries and ethics
- Creating a safe and nourishing environment for your students
- Touch and hands-on assists
- Helping (not rescuing)
- Scope of practice and when to refer
- Confidentiality
- Presence
- The vinyasa of welcoming and farewelling your students
- Partner work
- Mentoring and Supervision
- Social media and promotion
- Self practice, self care and self enquiry
- What to do when ethical dilemmas arise
In the fourth pillar you'll learn Therapeutic Skills for Yoga Teachers, including:
- Meeting your students where they are
- Creating an individualised practice
- Moving together
- Skillful language
- Effective listening
- Unconditional positive regard
In the fifth pillar we’ll explore traditional and evidence-based Yogic Practices for mental health, including:
- Yoga and mental health research
- Assessing (not diagnosing) your students
- Āsana
- Prāṇāyāma
- Meditation
- Contraindications (what not to do)
- Compassionate non-judgemental witnessing presence
- Sankalpa Bhâvâna
- Teaching themes
In the sixth pillar of Mental Health Aware Yoga, we’ll discuss what to do in a Mental Health Crisis, including:
- How to respond when students cry
- What to do if a student has a panic attack or trauma reaction
- What to do if a student discloses suicide ideation or self harm
By the end of the training, you'll have up-skilled in this blossoming field of yoga for mental health, and have both a theoretical and embodied understanding of supporting your yoga students experiencing depression, anxiety, stress and trauma.
Download the Patañjali’s 8 Limbs and Mental Health Aware Yoga eBook and stay in touch
THE TRAINING
Mental Health Aware Yoga is a 50 hour professional development training program for Yoga Teachers and Teachers-In-Training.
The training is a hybrid model that includes:
- 30 hours online lectures, reading and self directed practicum
- 20 hours face-to-face training over 3 days
You'll also receive:
- Detailed printed training manual
- Teacher's pack of Consent Tokens custom made by Dr Lauren Tober
- Certificate of Completion *
- Listing on the Mental Health Aware Yoga website *
- Use of the Mental Health Aware Yoga logo on your website *
- Priority for post-training mentoring with Dr Lauren Tober
- Be part of an ongoing community of like-minded teachers
* Upon completing the full requirements for the training.
DETAILS OF THE ONLINE COMPONENT
In the online component of the training, there are over seven hours of video (or audio) lectures on five of the six pillars of Mental Health Aware Yoga, including Western Psychology, Yoga Psychology, Creating a Safe Container, Therapeutic Skills and Mental Health Crisis.
After each section there is a multiple choice questionnaire to support you to integrate and retain the material in the lectures. All the answers come directly from the lectures, so there’s no hidden surprises.
There are also a number of tasks for you to complete, including reflective journalling, bringing what you've been learning into your personal practice, attending a yoga class of your choice and reflecting on the experience in light of the principles of Mental Health Aware Yoga, and teaching a number of yoga classes, bringing some of the material from the training into the yoga classes that you're already teaching.
If you're not currently teaching, that's ok, you can gather a group of friends and teach them instead.
DETAILS OF THE FACE-TO-FACE COMPONENT
In the face-to-face component of the training, we’ll be reviewing, discussing and deepening our understanding of the material in the online component.
Then we’ll be diving deep into the Yogic Practices pillar, including learning and practicing yoga practices for mental health, participating in yoga classes using Mental Health Aware Yoga principles, teaching fellow students using Mental Health Aware Yoga principles, and connecting with a community of like-minded teachers.
IS THIS TRAINING RIGHT FOR ME?
This training is designed specifically for Yoga Teachers (and Yoga Teachers-In-Training)
THIS TRAINING MIGHT BE FOR YOU IF:
- You want to learn how to best support your yoga students experiencing mental health challenges in your general yoga classes
- You have an interest in mental health and yoga psychology
- You are a Yoga Teacher and a Mental Health Professional and would like to learn how to integrate these two fields
- You are interested in traditional AND evidence based practice
- You are committed to ongoing professional and personal development
- You want to meet like-minded colleagues
- You are big-hearted, compassionate and have an open mind
THIS TRAINING IS NOT:
- For therapists wanting to learn yoga skills for the therapy room (please start by completing a Yoga Teacher Training course)
- To learn to become a therapist (it takes many years to do this)
- For Yoga Teachers who want prescriptive postures, practices and sequences for mental health (it's not that simple)
- For Yoga Teachers who are currently experiencing their own mental health crisis (please seek support from a therapist and connect back in with us when you're ready)
YOUR TEACHER
Dr Lauren Tober is a Clinical Psychologist, Life Coach and Senior Yoga Teacher based in Mullumbimby, Australia.
With a passion for health, healing, happiness and awakening Lauren integrates the best of western psychology with ancient yogic wisdom, both on and off the mat.
Lauren is the founder of the Centre for Mind Body Wellness and Capturing Gratitude (a global photographic happiness project) and is the creator of several acclaimed online courses, including Meditation Pure + Simple, Living Your Heartfelt Desires and A Daily Dose of Bliss.
Her work is soulful without being new-agey. It's evidence based, without being clinical. It's authentic, heartfelt and life changing.
Lauren has been featured in The Huffington Post, Australian Yoga Journal, ABC Radio, Well Being Magazine, Australian Yoga Life Magazine, Sydney Morning Herald, Peppermint Magazine, Collective Hub and more.
A long time yoga practitioner, Lauren has worked as a Psychologist and Yoga Teacher since 2003 and a Yoga Teacher Trainer since 2009.
UPCOMING EVENTS
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND TRAINING
Face-to-face component in Auckland 17th - 19th April 2020
Online component begins 13th March 2020
Taught by Dr Lauren Tober. Hosted by Contemporary Yoga New Zealand.
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA TRAINING
Face-to-face component in Brisbane 15th - 17th May 2020
Start the online component immediately after sign up
Taught by Dr Lauren Tober. Hosted by Shri Yoga.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA TRAINING
Face-to-face component in Melbourne 2 - 4th October 2020
Start the online component immediately after sign up
Taught by Dr Lauren Tober. Assisted by Jo Buick.
Leave your details here to be the first to know when registration opens.
ONLINE TRAINING
I'm currently putting together a 100% online training.
Interested?
Leave your details here and you'll be the first to hear when registration opens.
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK TRAINING
Summer 2021
Taught by Dr Lauren Tober. Hosted by YOGAMUDRA.
Leave your details here and you'll be the first to hear when registration opens.
MULLUMBIMBY, AUSTRALIA TRAINING
Are you interested in attending a training in Mullumbimby / Byron Bay?
We'll run a course in Mullumbimby / Byron Bay area if there is enough interest.
Leave your details here to let us know if you're interested.
HOBART, AUSTRALIA TRAINING
Are you interested in attending a training in Hobart?
We'll run a course in Hobart if there is enough interest.
Leave your details here to let us know if you're interested.
LET'S STAY CONNECTED
Download the Patañjali's Eight Limbs of Mental Health Aware Yoga ebook by Dr Lauren Tober
Be the first to hear about online and world wide face-to-face trainings BEFORE registration opens
Receive your invitation to join our closed Mental Health Aware Yoga Facebook group for teachers
