Description
This Yin Yoga & 5 Elements Training is for experienced and aspiring yoga teachers and students who wish to enhance their knowledge of Yin Yoga and understand the fundamentals of the Five Elements of Traditional Chinese Medicine.
What Will You Gain From This Training?
You will discover the inspiring wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and how to apply it to your yoga practice and daily life. Learn the fundamentals of TCM and the anatomical and energetic theories of yin yoga for your practice and, if you wish, intend to teach. You will gain a myriad of insights and enhanced self-awareness, assessing the needs and limitations of any individual student. Together, we will be turning our attention inwards to connect to the true essence of ourselves.
What is Yin Yoga?
Yin Yoga is a slow-paced and passive style of Yoga where postures or asanas are held for extended periods of time ranging from three to six minutes. Yin yoga focuses on the connective tissue of the body (tendons, fascia, and ligaments) to increase circulation in the joints and improve flexibility.
Yin yoga originated from the Taoist concepts of Yin and Yang, opposite and complementary natural principles. Yang is masculine, active, hot, sun, changing, and upward moving. Yin is feminine, passive, cold, moon, stable, and downward. In this training, you will learn the concepts of Yin and Yang applied to yoga practice, their differences, and how they complement each other.
Yin practice is a more meditative approach to Yoga, bringing our focus inwards and allowing us to go deeper into the body. When we relax and let go of our physical bodies, we can start releasing stuck and unprocessed emotions. These feelings can manifest as tension and stress, which Yin helps to release. The practice will help promote optimum health and balance for your external and internal systems. Some of the other benefits of Yin include deepening self-awareness, facilitating deep relaxation, calming the central nervous system, increasing energy flow and mental clarity, inspiring self-exploration, and enlightening inner silence and peace.
During this Yin Training, you will learn the inspiring wisdom of Traditional Chinese Medicine and how to apply it to your yoga practice and daily life. Students can gain invaluable knowledge of themselves and the universe by understanding the 5 Elements (TCM) and their functions. We will explore the Theory of Yin & Yang and apply it to our yoga practice and daily life. Learning the fundamentals of Chinese Medicine, such as Meridian Theory, and their implication for our bodies, mind, and emotions. This Yin Yoga Teacher Training course dives deep into ourselves, understanding our emotions and their relationship with our organs and meridian lines in our bodies. The practice of Yin Yoga enables us to dive deep into stillness, openness, receptivity, and awareness of ourselves to find balance and equilibrium from within.
About this Training
Alicia believes overall health and wellbeing are not solely achieved by working with only the physical body but also by maintaining emotional stability and mental clarity. One of the main goals of this training is to promote mindfulness and healing through Yin Yoga and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Yin Yoga allows the students to understand who they are as a whole and invites them to discover themselves on a much deeper level. The word Yoga means to unify all aspects of self, the emotional, energetic, mental, spiritual, and physical, by using Yoga and mediation for healing and self-discovery.
Alicia’s backgrounds are from extensive healing modalities, including Thai Massage, Reiki, and Cranial Sacral Therapy. These have given her extensive knowledge and understanding of the human body and psyche. Her extensive training and personal practice allow her to share the connection of the mind, body, and soul to students during Yoga. Alicia is sharing this training from a place of healing, compassion, understanding, and love for her students to grow and expand on all levels and hoping to encourage them to embrace their unique journey through the study of Yoga.
The world we live in right now moves and changes at such a fast pace that we find ourselves chasing and looking for answers, peace, and happiness externally. During this training, Alicia will provide the time and space we all need to look within, listen, and get to know our bodies and ourselves. This will be a way we can begin understanding what we all need for healing—inviting students to use these mindfulness and self-awareness tools to benefit themselves and others.
This Training is for you if…
- you want to establish, develop and understand your yin yoga practice
- you want to explore a different style of Yoga to balance your personal practice
- you want to establish and/or develop your meditation practice
- you would like to learn how to slow down the pace of your life
- you want to encourage mindfulness in your practice and life
- you would like to learn how to calm the central nervous system
- you would like to deepen your self-awareness and concentration
- you are already a yoga teacher and would like to include yin yoga and meditation in your teachings
- you would like to learn the foundations of Traditional Chinese Medicine and apply them to your yoga practice and life
- you would like to understand the holistic principles of how to nourish your mind, body & soul
In this course, you will learn how to…
- teach Yin Yoga and develop your teaching voice
- create and hold a safe, trusting space for your classes
- develop a somatic meditation practice
- stabilize and deepen a yin yoga practice understand our emotions our organs work and what their corresponding emotions are
- differentiate between yin and yang yoga practice, the benefits of each, and how they complement each other
- recognize when there is an imbalance in the body that could lead to illness or disease
- know what type of food is suitable for each season
- develop awareness into the subtle bodies
- nourish our bodies according to TCM
- embody the Yin quality in your life, opening to acceptance, receptivity, compassion, stillness, and self-love. our fascia can affect our mood
- listen to our bodies, getting to know one’s patterns, belief systems and what creates our reality in our life, and how one shifts them in a conscious way
What you will study in this training | The Curriculum
- Yin Theory and application during yoga practice
- Taoist Yin-Yang Theory and Principles
- The Three Treasures
- Chinese Medicine Five-Element Theories & Application
- Taoist Wellness Concepts: Organ clock, diet & lifestyle
- Emotion & Organs Health
- Modern Meridian Theories
- Self-Chi Nei Tsang (Taoist Abdominal Massage)
- Six Healing Sound Meditation & Microcosmic Orbit Meditation
- Meridian Qigong
- Mindfulness Meditation
- Somatic Meditation
- Yogic Meditations
- Yoga & Fascia
- Acupressure Theory & Practice
- Yin & Yang practices and how to balance them
- Breathwork practices
- How to sequence and teach a Yin Yoga class
- Exploring meditation theory and practice
- Yin Teaching Practicum
The Art of Yin Yoga
- Learn how to understand and balance the Yin & Yang energies within yourself and in your life
- Learn the foundations of Chinese Medicine and apply them to their yoga practice and life
- Yin Yoga Theory and Application
- Stabilizing and deepening a Yin Yoga practice
- Yin Asana benefits and contraindications
- Appropriate use of props
- How to create and hold a safe space
- Developing your teaching voice
- Sequencing Yin Yoga classes applied to TCM
- Understand the holistic principles of how to nourish their mind, body & soul
- Learn how to calm the central nervous system
Pranayama & Meditation
- Qi, Prana, or life–force energy
- Ten Points Meditation practice
- Earth Descent Meditation
- Anapanasati Meditation
- Whole Body breathing
- Rooting practices
- Long exhale breathing
- Mindfulness awareness meditation
- Positive visualisation techniques
- Microcosmic Orbit Meditation
- Six Healing Sound Meditation
- Shikantaza Meditation
Our Bodies
- Anatomy applied to Yin Yoga
- Compression and tension theory
- The fascia and connective tissue
- The physical and subtle bodies
- The Five Element Theory (TCM)
- Emotion & Organs Health
- The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
- Understanding the relaxation response
- Learn how fascia could affect our mood
- Taoist Yin-Yang Theory and Principles
- Meridian Qigong practice
- Myofascial Theory & practice
- Acupressure Theory & practice
- Modern Meridian Theories and application
Certification & YA Continuing Education
This training qualifies students for 65 hours of Yoga Alliance Continuing Education contact hours. Students will receive a homologated certificate from Yoga Alliance at the end of the training. (YACEP).
ABOUT THE TEACHERS
Yin Yoga Lead Teacher: Alicia Casillas
Alicia was born in Spain and became a professional athlete at fourteen. She began her yoga journey when she moved to the United States to earn her Bachelor’s Degree at the University of Miami. Alicia first turned to Yoga to recover from a severe physical injury she acquired as a professional swimmer. Through Yoga, she discovered how to connect and balance her mind, body, and soul.
She has practiced and taught around North America, Europe, and Asia for more than ten years. She is an experienced yoga teacher E-RYT 500 and a Continuing Education Provider by Yoga Alliance who has taught Yoga Teacher Training since 2015 in Thailand. She trained in various lineages and schools in Thailand, India, Indonesia, Spain, and the USA; Ashtanga Vinyasa, Hatha Yoga, Akhanda Yoga, Vikasa Yoga, and Yin Yoga. Alicia has completed over 500 hours of Yin Yoga training with Yin Yoga Master Sarah Powers, Tina Nance, and Jamie Clarke (teaching assistant of Paul Grilley). She has also attended several anatomy and physiology training and workshops in different healing modalities.
Alicia is also trained as Reiki Master and Craniosacral Therapist under Upledger Institute, allowing her a better understanding of the wholeness of our being. Her holistic approach allows her to work with the student as a whole, listening to every part of the being. Yoga enables Alicia to share methods, tools, and techniques to help one achieve a healthy, mindful and happy way of life.
Traditional Chinese Medicine & 5 Elements Lead Teacher: Ariel Tang
A curious soul at heart, Ariel never stops learning and growing. She is a certified White Tiger Qigong Instructor, E-RYT500 with Yoga Alliance US, Certified Jivamukti Yoga Teacher, Yoga Teacher Trainer, Kundalini Yoga Teacher, Chi Nei Tsang (Taoist Abdominal Massage) Specialist, Reiki Master, Soul & Quantum Coach, kirtan singer, online business mentor, and entrepreneur.
Growing up in the modern Chinese culture of Hong Kong, she has always been fascinated by the application of Chinese Medicine wellness concepts in everyday life and her teachings. In recent years, she has focused on blending the beautiful practices of qigong & Yoga as a movement & energetic medicine to support holistic health.
She is deeply grateful for the teachings and inspirations from her teachers – White Tiger Qigong founder Tevia Feng, Taoist master Mantak Chia, yoga teachers Paul and Suzee Grilley, Sharon Gannon, David Life, Tiffany Cruikshank, Sarah Powers, her Reiki masters, and all the students she has the honor to share her teachings with.
Her mission is to inspire us to take health into our own hands and remember the sovereign divinity.
Anatomy Teacher & Myofascial Release: Andrea Abian
Andrea is a physiotherapist, yoga therapist, and dedicated Ashtanga yoga practitioner. With over 15 years of experience as a physiotherapist, she is an expert in pain treatment, structural realignment, and case resolution.
She also specializes in therapeutic massage, fascia release, and dry needling while doing customized pain treatments, combining techniques such as Foot Reflexology and neuromuscular bandage (Kinesiotaping).
Andrea studies Yoga Therapy with the Master Sharat Arora, A.G Mohan (Krishnamacharya disciple), and Viniyoga with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya. Andrea combines her passion for Physiotherapy, Yoga Therapy, and Yin with her vocation for teaching and sharing the sacred tradition of Yoga.
Bernd Windhofer – Phylosopy Teacher
Bernd has been throwing himself wholeheartedly into meditative and yogic practices for the past 25 years and has an abiding passion for uprooting the causes of suffering in his and others’ lives the best way he can. Using the dual means of teaching a sophisticated practice, working with all layers of oneself, and a rigorous understanding of the path through the study of ancient and modern philosophies, he aims to help all of us find purpose, direction, perfect clarity, and ultimately total freedom.
Myofascial Release & Assitant Teacher: Tao
Tao (Taopik Setiawan S.TP) is a yoga instructor and blogger based in Bali, Indonesia, certified RYS 550 hours and 150 hours of Thai Yoga Therapy from the Thai Traditional Medicine Association of Thailand.
Tao studied Yin Yoga with Alicia Casillas, and he is passionately sharing the teaching of Yin Yoga combined with Myofascial Release in Bali and the entire world. Tao also teaches hatha yoga, dancing with gravity, and movement with a holistic approach that integrates a range of practical techniques to help facilitate each individual’s health, happiness, and freedom.
