UPCOMING TRAINING
20-HOUR ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING
Yoga in Bold: The Art of Asana for Every Size
streamed live on Zoom (no pre-recorded content)
2022 DATES COMING SOON
Cost: $395 for full 20-hour training; or $129 per daily session
Instructor: Susan Somers-Willett
2022 REGISTRATION IS COMING SOON! JOIN OUR MAILING LIST TO BE NOTIFIED OF FUTURE DATES.
In this 20-hour training live-streamed over Zoom, we will dive deep into the physical, social, and emotional aspects of what every experienced yoga teacher should know: how to teach students of every size with sensitivity and grace. Designed for yoga teachers, yoga therapists, health and wellness professionals, and yoga students with at least one year of regular practice, this training will teach you how to dismantle the cultural politics of fat, sensitively meet the needs of people with bigger bodies in wellness spaces, understand the anatomical and physical considerations of practicing yoga in a bigger body, and offer empowering movement to people of every size and ability.
Those who complete the training and craft a final sequence will receive a certificate of completion, and continuing education credits for yoga teachers are available through Yoga Alliance. Students who sign up for the complete 20-hour training will have access to all recorded sessions, a 45-page manual, and a 60-page asana catalogue that is included in the cost of the training.
This training is open to yoga teachers who have received their 200-hour certification, as well yoga students and health and wellness professionals with at least one year of yoga experience. Students can register for the full 20-hour training, or for each five-hour session independently.
SCHEDULE
Session One
UNPACKING THE CULTURAL POLITICS OF FAT
In our first session, we will do a deep dive into the cultural politics of fat, perceptions of and stereotypes surrounding people with bigger bodies in wellness spaces, and question medical associations between size and health. We will discuss the basics of the Health at Every Size® movement, and engage in a chair yoga practice for people with bigger bodies.
Session Two
LANGUAGE AND PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR BIGGER BODIES
Session two will begin with an optional padded all-levels Hatha practice to help us understand the practicalities of practicing yoga with a bigger body. We will discuss the language of fat and how to sensitively and inclusively cue movement for people of all sizes and abilities, building a catalogue of options for common yoga postures.
Session Three
THE ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF BIGGER BODIES
Using a trauma-informed approach, session three begins with a discussion of anatomical and physical considerations for people with abundant bodies. We will apply this knowledge in building accessible expressions of sun salutations for people of different abilities. Finally, we will deconstruct myths about size and health circulating in medical and insurance industries.
Session Four
FROM BODY POSITIVITY TO EMBODYING LIBERATION
Our final session focuses on coming home to our bodies by way of embodied liberation, a journey that is always evolving. We will discuss the differences between fat positivity, body positivity, body acceptance, and body neutrality, while keeping in mind intersectional aspects of size that ultimately serve to make yoga a more inclusive practice. We will also explore the thematics of taking up space with a yin and restorative practice for people with bigger bodies, and conclude our discussion of yoga postures.
Each day will entail yoga practice, lecture, and discussion, so please make sure you have a pen, notebook, water, and nourishing snacks available. Several movement and refreshment breaks will be offered each day.
Participants are asked to have the following props available (or creative equivalents): Two yoga blankets or large towels, a yoga bolster, two yoga blocks, a yoga strap or belt (a pair of yoga pants will do), a tennis or lacrosse ball, a yoga mat, and a stable chair with no arms (such as a dining room chair or folding yoga chair).
SCHOLARSHIPS
A small number of scholarships are available for people historically underrepresented in mainstream yoga and wellness communities--including but not limited to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ folx, people with disabilities, and people with abundant bodies--who will use this knowledge to make wellness spaces more diverse in terms of size and ability.
Donations to the scholarship fund are also deeply appreciated, and 100% of donations go to funding people underrepresented in wellness communities.
YOUR INSTRUCTOR
Susan Somers-Willett (she & they) is a writer, scholar, parent, and body-positive yoga instructor dedicated to inclusive wellness practices that serve and center underrepresented people. Using trauma-informed methods, Susan guides people of all sizes, abilities, ages, and backgrounds to discover and integrate the wisdom of their embodied experiences.
An educator at the university level for over two decades, Susan holds a Ph.D. from The University of Texas at Austin, where she teaches gender studies, literature, and creative writing. She is also an E-RYT 500 yoga instructor and cancer survivor who marries yoga and social justice through Yoga in Bold, a project that centers people with bigger bodies and people of all abilities. She teaches yoga using an intersectional and trauma-informed approach, and she received her Trauma-Informed Yoga Therapy certificate in 2017.
Susan seeks to empower people and organizations through accessible movement practices, using inclusive language, and teaching and practicing cultural humility. She advocates for radical self-love, grounded action, leaning into the uncomfortable, and celebrating knowledge—especially when that knowledge transforms limiting scripts we have already learned.