Happy Back Yoga Teacher Training with Rachel Krentzman

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Happy Back Yoga Certification with Rachel Krentzman, PT, E-RYT:

This is a 100 hour special certification program designed for Yoga teachers who wish to continue their education in anatomy, therapeutics and Yoga for spinal health. The training includes therapeutic use of the Great Yoga Wall TM system.

NEXT TRAINING DATES:  August 13-22, 2015   10 Day Immersion Program 10-5 daily.  To register contact: www.prana-yoga.com or email rachel@embodyphysicaltherapy.com for inquiries.

Description: Yoga for a Happy Back Certification Program:

With Rachel Krentzman PT, E-RYT

This unique program, Yoga for Safe Spinal Health, is designed for Yoga instructors and includes:

• Lower Back, Pelvis and Hips
• Upper Back, Neck and Shoulders

The full “Yoga for a Happy Back” Certification will be awarded when students complete both sections and a case study project, a total of 100 hours of training for 70 contact hours of credit.

Prerequisite: 200-hour Yoga teacher training

About Rachel Krentzman, PT, E-RYT

Rachel is a skilled physical therapist who combines 16 years of PT experience with more than 10 years of Yoga studies. Her treatment methods involve a unique and highly effective approach to healing the whole person. She uses Yoga postures and sequences, breath, and meditation to cultivate awareness and promote healing. Rachel trained with Master teacher Aadil Palkivala, and received his 2000-hour certification as a Purna Yoga instructor as well as continuing education credits in Yoga therapeutics.

During her ten years as a Yoga instructor, Rachel has also assisted Aadil at Yoga Journal conferences and at workshops in the U.S. and abroad. She continues her training with him in Yoga therapeutics and with master teacher Judith Hansen Lasater.

Rachel is the founder and director of Embody Physical Therapy and Yoga. You can learn more about her and her work at www.embodyphysicaltherapy.com

Location: Prana Yoga Center

1041 Silverado St.  La Jolla, CA  92037

When:

August 13-22, 2015  - 10 am-5 pm daily

What it’s all about:

This is a special certification program designed for Yoga teachers who wish to continue their education in anatomy, therapeutics and Yoga for spinal health.  The training includes therapeutic use of the Great Yoga Wall TM system.

The Upper Back Workshop covers functional anatomy and biomechanics of the thoracic and cervical spine and shoulders and how it relates to posture and movement.  Through Yoga practice and hands-on lab time, participants will develop a deeper understanding of the biomechanics associated with Yoga postures and how injuries can develop as a result of incorrect alignment. Experientials will also cover therapeutic sequences for upper back, neck and shoulder pain including degenerative disc disease, nerve root impingement, reversed cervical curve, rotator cuff tear/tendonitis, bursitis, thoracic outlet syndrome, tennis elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome.

The Lower Back, Pelvis and Hips Section will cover the functional anatomy and biomechanics of the lumbar spine, sacrum, pelvis and hips and how it relates to posture and movement. Participants will learn specific therapeutic sequences for conditions including sciatica, disc herniations, spinal stenosis, scoliosis, spondylolisthesis, degenerative disc disease and sacroiliac joint dysfunction as well as be able to identify improper movement and alignment and how those relate to pain and injury.

Both trainings will offer experience building Yoga programs tailored to the needs of individuals with specific conditions. Participants will emerge with skills to prevent and heal injuries by creating safe Yoga programs that include modifications, adjustments, use of props and the Yoga Wall.

Why a “Happy Back” Certification?

Work confidently with students who have special needs

Today, more people seek Yoga as a way to rid the body of pain and injury.  The “Yoga for a Happy Back” Certification Program is designed to help Yoga teachers have a clear understanding of the functional anatomy and biomechanics of the spine and surrounding areas and how those relate to both posture and movement.  By including varied learning modalities—such as Yoga practice, lecture, hands-on lab, practice teaching and adjustments—this certification gives Yoga teachers what they need to work comfortably and correctly with people experiencing specific conditions, injury or pain.

Attract a larger student base to your classes

This knowledge will help attract more students to group classes and private sessions. Yoga teachers with a broad understanding of anatomy, injury assessment and management skills are an asset to any Yoga studio or sports facility and are sought after by students seeking private Yoga classes for healing.  The “Yoga for Happy Back” Certification offers instructors advanced knowledge and specialized skills equipping them to teach a wider range of students.

Prevent and heal injuries

Often Yoga instructors feel unprepared to properly address student injury and pain in group classes or private lessons. Many begin teaching soon after completing a 200-hour yoga teacher certification, which often lacks the anatomy training needed to prevent and heal injury.  The “Yoga for a Happy Back” Certification Program is a perfect addition to basic or advanced yoga teacher training and provides the tools to work with individuals with injuries and limitations.

Keep yourself and others safe while enjoying Yoga practice!

Yoga is meant to be a sustainable, life-long and enjoyable practice that ultimately unites the mind, body and soul and allows people to connect more deeply with others.  In that process, a Yoga practice can help us stretch what is tight, strengthen what is weak, and allow our bodies to perform everyday activities with more ease and joy.  In order to make a yoga posture practice sustainable, we must learn how to create safe practices built on a solid understanding of anatomy and biomechanics and how they relate to movement and posture.  The Yoga for a Happy Back Certification Program provides the skills necessary to adapt any practice to enhance life and avoid injury.

Gain continuing education credit through the Yoga Alliance.

All hours count toward Yoga Alliance continuing education for Yoga teachers ( 100 hours for the full course).

Cost: Earlybird By June 1 $1,525 ~ Full Tuition $1,675

• $100 non-refundable deposit required to reserve a space
• Space is limited

Cancellations/Refund Policy:

Refunds available less $100 non-refundable deposit 2 weeks before the course. After that, credit can be applied towards any future course.

To Register or for more information:

Register online at www.prana-yoga.com

Prana Yoga Teacher Training Alumni Spotight

Greg A is a graduate from Prana's Summer Intensive Teacher Training in 2014. 

Our next 200hr Summer Intensive will be from June 12-28, 2015! That is only 2 months away!! If you are interested in learning more or signing up check out our website!

Greg currently lives in Newport, RI and his current position is as the Company Sergeant Major for A Co. 2nd Battalion 19th Special Forces Group.

We asked Greg some questions to find out more about his journey into Yoga and where it has taken him since he began!

What brought you to Yoga and deciding to take a Teacher Training?

Although I have been practicing yoga for 15 years the first 8 or 9 were all about the asana practice. It wasn't until the last 5 or 6 years that I began to go deeper into my practice. This is one thing I truly love about yoga, like the saying goes: "When the student is ready the teacher will appear" when I was at a point in my life when I needed more from my practice it was there waiting patiently for me.  I decided to take Prana's teacher training in order to increase my own personal knowledge of yoga and also to immerse myself in a community of fellow yogis as I have discovered that spending time with likeminded, caring, non-judgmental people provides me with a great deal of happiness.

Do you teach Yoga now?

I currently teach at Thames Street Yoga here in Newport, RI. Additionally, I started a non-profit "Newport Yogis" who's mission is to bring the yoga community together in support of the local community. We host events taught in a round robin fashion by local yoga teachers from various studios. These are all donation based classes, proceeds go to whatever local charity the board chooses. 
Finding a balance between my military career and yoga remains a challenge for me but I know that yoga has helped deal with a lot of emotional trauma, in fact it has saved me from a very dark path. My ultimate goal is to continue my practice and continue to heal before eventually sharing what I have learned with other veterans.


Our next info sessions are on Sunday May 17th and June 2nd from 12pm-1pm. If you are interested in attending please email alex@prana-yoga.com. 

Core Strength for a Healthy Lower Back

By: Ann West

Core Strength Workshops
On April 25th I’ll be teaching Core Strength for a Healthy Back workshop at Prana Yoga in La Jolla. Follow this link to reserve your space. The post below explains why core strength is important for a healthy back and how yoga is especially well suited to help.

Core Facts & Functions
Our physical core is the collection of muscles, bones, fascia and organs located between the pelvic floor at the base of the trunk, and the diaphragm at the base of the ribcage. The term “core” usually refers to our core muscles, which wrap around the middle of our trunk like a corset, supporting our back and internal organs.

The core muscles have far a reaching influence in the body. They generate the strength, stability, and mobility we need to perform all of our everyday activities, including walking, running, carrying, climbing, and any kind of sport. They support the weight of the entire body, initiate all of our major movements, keep us balanced, and protect our internal organs. In short, they play a crucial role in our body’s bio-mechanics, and we wouldn’t get far without them.

Core Strength for a Healthy Back
Most people suffering from chronic back pain would benefit from building a stronger core. The spine is the central structural column of the body. It assists in nearly all of our movements, and supports and protects the spinal cord. It should be strong enough to carry our body weight, yet flexible enough to allow our limbs to move freely.

Strong core muscles aid back health by improving our posture to support healthy spinal curves. A strong core is especially helpful when it comes to protecting the lower back as it guards the lumbar spine against bending or rotating too much in any one direction, and also shields the sacroiliac joints from overuse and strain. A strong core can also make the spine taller, which helps lift pressure off of the spinal discs and supports the back as it heals from pain.

Key Core Muscles
Anatomists differ as to which muscles make up the core, but below is a list of some of the major muscles usually included:

• Abdominals
• Iliopsoas
• Erector spinae
• Quadratus lumborum
• Pelvic floor
• Gluteus muscles
• Adductors

When practicing yoga, we don’t usually isolate or work the core muscles individually. It’s more effective to simultaneously engage the whole body so it works in unison, from the legs and lower core on up. However, it can be helpful to focus on working a particular group of core muscles. To read more about the major core muscles and which yoga asanas (poses) target each group click here.

How Yoga Helps
Because of the integrative, total body involvement of most yoga asanas, yoga is an ideal medium to engage and strengthen our physical core. The wide variety of poses also challenges the core in many different ways, through standing poses, arm balances, backbends, twists and inversions. Alignment also plays an important role in safe, effective core strengthening, making the refined alignment techniques of Iyengar Yoga a great match for careful core strengthening of the back.

The Bandhas
The Sanskrit word “bandha” means bond or join. In yoga it refers to an action that grips and controls a part of the body to form a seal or a lock. Bandhas are practiced to contain and control prana (life-force energy) within the body. There are four main bandhas:

1. Mula bandha – a contraction of the perineum at the pelvic floor
2. Uddiyana bandha – a contraction of the abdomen into the ribcage
3. Jalandhara bandha – tucking the chin into the chest
4. Maha bandha – a combination of the above three bandhas performed simultaneously

The first two bandhas require a visceral lift from deep within the core region, automatically activating many of the core muscles. This protects the back during yoga practice, and enables us to hold the poses for longer to build strength and stamina. Engaging the bandhas also causes vital pranic energy to flow upwards, shifting the asanas onto a more subtle level of practice. For further reading and detailed instructions on how to practice the bandhas, please refer to “Light on Pranayama” by BKS Iyengar.

Planking
If you only had time to practice one core pose regularly, your best choice would be plank pose and its variations. Many movement experts agree that it’s one of the most effective core strengthening exercises out there, in large part because it engages so many core muscles at once. Yogis have been practicing their version of plank pose, Chaturanga Dandasana, for a long time. Head on over to this page for more on Chaturanga Dandasana and how to practice it.

Workshops
If you want to put some of the above theory into practice, why not join me for my core strength yoga workshop at Prana Yoga at the end of April.

ANN WEST

Ann has taught yoga in the San Diego and La Jolla areas since 1994. She teaches beginning through intermediate level classes, along with yoga for students suffering from chronic back conditions, and yoga therapy for students with special physical and physiological needs

Her regular teaching schedule at Prana is:

Mondays ~ 10:30am-11:45am for Happy Back Yoga Wall
Wednesdays ~ 11:30am-1pm for Iyengar Yoga
Fridays ~ 10:30am-11:45am for Happy Back Yoga Wall

Visit her blog here!