FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q: I am a Hatha / Ashtanga / Restorative / Svastha / Yin / Vinyasa / Flow Yoga Teacher.  Is this course suitable for me?

A. Yes! Mental Health Aware Yoga is designed course to apply to ANY style of yoga teaching.

Q. Will you teach how to hold space for students who are experiencing mental illness?

A. Yes, creating a safe container is one of the six pillars of Mental Health Aware Yoga, and a very important part of the course.  We will be exploring this in detail.

Q. Is Mental Health Aware Yoga registered for Continuing Professional Development with Yoga Australia or Yoga Alliance.

A. Yes! The Mental Health Aware Yoga training is registered for CPD with both Yoga Alliance and Yoga Australia.

Q. What does the online component of the course include?

A. 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.

Q. I’m not currently teaching yoga, can I still join the course?

The Mental Health Aware Yoga training is for Yoga Teachers, and Yoga-Teachers-in-Training.

You’re welcome to join the training, whether you’re currently teaching yoga classes (or private sessions) or not.  For the self-directed practicum you will be invited to teach several classes.  If you have a regular yoga class you can use this for your practicum, if not, you can gather a group of friends to teach.

Q. What does the face-to-face component of the course include?

A. 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.

We cover a lot of the theory in the online component, and while there is more information to share with you in the face-to-face component, for the most part it’s really practical, experiential and embodied.

The face-to-face component of the training is a beautiful opportunity to try out some of the principles in a safe environment, with an emphasis on trying something new and seeing how it lands, rather than getting it perfect.

Q. How is this course different to Trauma Sensitive Yoga training?

A. We will be covering how to make your classes trauma sensitive in the training, however we will also be covering making classes nourishing for individuals experiencing depression, anxiety and stress.  Additionally, this course is not a course to teach you to run specialised yoga classes (this would require much more than 50 hours), but rather to support your students experiencing mental health challenges in your regular classes.

Q. I am a Psychologist / Social Worker / Mental Health Professional. Can I receive Recognition of Prior Learning for components of the course.

A. No. Mental Health Aware Yoga is a unique mix of yoga, western psychology and mental health, and there aren’t any other courses that deliver material quite like it.  Therefore we do not offer the option of RPL.

Q. Will you come to my city to teach this training?

A. We want to bring Mental Health Aware Yoga to Yoga Teachers all over the world.  If there’s enough interest in your city, we’d love to come your way. Get in touch and ask.

Questioned not answered? Get in touch. We’d love to help.