February 24-26, 2012             

Yin Yoga Teaching Workshop
With Joe Barnett
$345 or / $295 prior to January 1st, 2012    REGISTER HERE

CEU’s Available with Yoga Alliance
Part 1: Foundations: Teaching a Practice of Surrender
•Introduction to Taoist Anatomical Analysis and Yin/ Yang Yoga Sutras of Paul Grilley
•Interactive hands-on study of anatomy
•14 Functional Segments of the Skeleton
•Understanding and discriminating sensation: Tension vs Compression, Muscle vs Fascia, Physical vs Subtle Energy
•Finding skeletal landmarks and testing range of motion
•Communication: When to listen/observe, when to speak/lead
•Introduction to sequencing
•Prayer for Teacher and Student (aka Shanti Prayer)

Yin Yoga is a very simple practice. We settle into an asana for 3-7 minutes and slowly relax our muscles to allow the deeper drier tissues–the connective tissues that wrap our muscles and make up our joint capsules–to be safely and
therapeutically stretched, stimulated and strengthened. The alignment rules of the postures are also simple, but more importantly they are functional and organic: We listen to our bodies and lead ourselves into the shape that follows the natural contours of our spine, pelvis and hips. However, bringing ourselves into this simplicity can be quite challenging. The practice of being still and quiet for minutes at a time can be trying enough, let alone while dropping into a powerful stretch that moves across wide sheets of fascia and drops deep into the ligaments of the joints. And listening to our bodies to find the natural alignment of the pose requires a power of discrimination, and an understanding and familiarity with the ever-changing sensations in the body. In this training, we will analyze, observe and practice all of these elements
of Yin Yoga in depth. We will examine ourselves on a personal level with ancient meditation techniques that guide us into a steady awareness of the changing sensations in the postures. We will study with slides of real bones and by articulating the joints on a plastic skeleton. But mostly we will have an interactive, hands-on study and examine each other with anatomical range of motion (ROM) tests. The study culminates in a truer understanding of the infinite variety of human bodies (from the bones up), an understanding of why every posture should be modified to the individual, and the basic techniques to help guide each Yin Yoga student with their unique skeletal structures into the appropriate asana for them. Bio: Joe Barnett, ERYT-500, has been teaching for over a decade. He travels nationally and internationally year round, teaching many styles of movement and has certifications in Yang (Vinyasa) Yoga, Yin Yoga and Acro Yoga. His main focus of study is Functional Anatomy for Yoga and all forms of
movement. Joe is a senior student of Paul Grilley, a true Yoga Scientist who is largely responsible for the current rise in the popularity of Yin Yoga and Functional Alignment. Using Paul’s Taoist Analysis of Yoga and the Body, Joe recently began traveling the country training yoga teachers and students how to understand and feel the full range of motion of their joints and their students’ joints; and how to use this wisdom to effectively and therapeutically build the postures in yoga. However, his play time is usually spent practicing, teaching and drawing others into Acro Yoga which he has been playing since 2006 when he met Jason Magness (yogaslackers.com) with whom he continues to train/play whenever he can. In 2010, Joe traveled to Montreal to receive both levels of certification through the
original Acro Yogis Eugene Poku and Jessie Goldberg.