We are happy to announce our next Trauma and Service Yoga Training of 2021 will take place on July 17th and 18th! We are now accepting applications from 200 hour certified (or more) yoga instructors in the Washington D.C. and surrounding areas. The training will take place virtually over Zoom.What will you learn in this training?
We will engage in the following topics:
- The best practices for working in service yoga settings
- How to build and teach a trauma-sensitive yoga class
- How to incorporate mindfulness into classes
- The effects of trauma and post-traumatic stress and why yoga is helpful
- Race and Culture in Yoga w/ Donna Noble
- Basic ashtanga yoga sequences and principles
- How to transform any yoga practice to a chair
- Opportunities for practicum, volunteering, and mentorship
Please be aware our training is accessible financially at no cost when you commit to volunteer hours. We don’t want to leave any yogis behind, so please contact us with any questions or concerns relating to your application.
Sincerely,
THAY Team
Donna is a graduate of the February 2021 Trauma and Service Yoga Teacher Training. Listen to what she has to say!
Meet the Training Teachers
Nikki Walker-
Nikki(spiritual name Charan Kavita Kaur) is a certified kundalini yoga teacher. She started teaching with THAY in 2018 and currently teaches trauma yoga classes at The Bridge and TOP Goddard. Nikki is a senior teacher with the organization and this will be her first time leading a workshop with our Trauma Yoga Training.
She will lead a Healing with Naad & Laughter class where students will explore the healing modalities of the vibrational sound current. Using safe and fun mantras that anyone can say and connect with, Nikki shows the healing power of breath, sound, and laughter. Learn what sounds and words to avoid in trauma informed yoga classes and how to incorporate the right vibrations into your asana flow.
Donna Noble-
Donna returns for her second time to lead her workshop on Yoga & Race. She is passionate about making yoga inclusive and diverse so that everybody can experience yoga regardless of their shape, size, gender, ethnicity or ability. She turned to yoga years ago after suffering from stress in the corporate world, and now spends her time focusing on creating impact through coaching and her own style of Noble Yoga that focuses on maintaining your own well being.
Donna will focus on the important topic of race and culture in yoga, and its effect on teachers and the community. This is a great opportunity to learn and grow your practice through self reflection, and understand how we can all do better in our role as yoga teachers.
Lara Land-
Lara is the teacher training instructor and the founder/director of THAY over the past 7 years. She has been working with trauma victims and vulnerable communities since 2008 when she first traveled to Rwanda to bring the healing benefits of yoga to HIV genocide survivors. She holds a decade of experience in trauma and service yoga and draws upon this wealth of knowledge in her efforts to empower other yogis to make a difference in their communities.
“When I did my teacher training years and years ago there was no mention of best practices for trauma survivors. I was only made aware years later of the things we were doing in the room as teachers that could be potentially harmful to someone who had suffered an abuse. It makes me cringe to think the harm I could have caused. Standing over someone, touch without explicit consent, and other triggers are a part of regular yoga classroom. Even the words we use as teachers can reenforce improper power dynamic. We must change this for the next generation of yoga teachers and practitioners. We never know who is in our classroom and what they have been through in life. We should treat each individual with care, sensitivity and autonomy. That’s why I believe it is so important to make sure every single yoga teacher gets trauma informed yoga training.”
– Lara Land, Founder and Training Leader –
Dr. Debra Ruisard-
Dr. Debra Ruisard is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, a Licensed Drug and Alcohol Counselor and a RYT500. She is the Consultant for Trauma Informed Care at The Center for Great Expectations in Somerset, NJ and has a private practice with Ivy Counseling Group in Skillman, NJ. As a trauma therapist she understands the impact of trauma on our brains and bodies, and incorporates yoga, breathing, and other body-based interventions into her psychotherapy sessions.
