Course Modules

In this specialized module, you will explore the intersection of yoga and athletic performance, focusing on how yoga can support athletes in achieving peak performance, recovering from injuries, and preventing future injuries. With a deep dive into the anatomy and physiology behind common athletic injuries, this course will provide you with the knowledge to teach yoga in a way that addresses the unique needs of athletes, whether they’re recovering from an injury or looking to enhance their training.

Course Overview:
Throughout this course, you will learn how to design and modify yoga practices that are tailored to the athletic body. The focus will be on understanding how yoga can be applied to support athletic performance, as well as the role it plays in active recovery and injury prevention. You will gain an understanding of anatomy, physiology, and the benefits of specific postures in relation to the demands of different sports. Additionally, we will explore how the timing and sequencing of yoga practices can be adjusted to best serve athletes at different stages of training.

Course Highlights:

• Understanding Yoga for Athletes:
  You will learn how yoga can benefit athletes by improving flexibility, mobility, strength, and balance, while also helping to release tension and speed up recovery. The course will also explore the role yoga can play in preventing overuse injuries and addressing imbalances commonly seen in athletes from repetitive movements.

• Common Injuries in Athletes & How to Address Them:
  We’ll focus on the most common injuries faced by athletes—such as shoulder, knee, and lower back issues—and explore how specific postures and modifications can help to heal and prevent them. You will develop a deeper understanding of the risk factors of individual postures and how to tailor practices to avoid aggravating certain injuries while promoting healing.

• Postures for Specific Athletic Benefits:
  You’ll learn which postures are particularly effective for athletes to address specific areas of the body that are commonly overworked or underdeveloped. Whether it’s releasing tight hamstrings, opening up the hips, or strengthening the core, you’ll understand how to strategically incorporate poses to create balanced, functional bodies that perform better and recover more quickly.

• Sequencing for Athletes:
  Timing plays an important role in how athletes should practice yoga. We will explore how to sequence classes based on the athlete’s training cycle (e.g., pre-season, in-season, off-season) to optimize performance and recovery. You will also learn how to sequence classes for different athletic needs, whether the goal is active recovery, injury prevention, or performance enhancement.

• Applying What You’ve Learned in a Real-World Setting:
  As part of this course, you will apply your knowledge in an in-person, four-week group workshop with athletes at RedShed CrossFit in Mount Olive. This hands-on experience will give you the opportunity to observe, assist, and practice adjustments with real athletes. You’ll gain experience teaching athletes, making modifications based on their individual needs, and guiding them through yoga practices designed to support their training and recovery.

• Teaching & Modifying for Athletes:
  By the end of this course, you will have the tools to teach yoga classes designed specifically for athletes and those with injuries. You will be able to intelligently sequence classes that target athletes’ unique needs, provide modifications for different levels of experience and flexibility, and use your understanding of anatomy to make safe, effective adjustments.

Required Texts (Included):
Each participant will receive the following texts to support your learning and application of yoga for athletes:

• The Concise Book of Muscles
• Yoga for Athletes by Ryanne Cunningham

These resources will deepen your understanding of the muscles, joints, and connective tissues that are crucial to athletic performance and recovery, as well as offer practical insights on how to design yoga practices that align with an athlete’s physical demands.

In this module, we will dive into advanced variations of postures and transitions, exploring the deeper layers of arm balances, binds, backbends, forward bends, and standing poses. The goal of this course is to equip you with the knowledge and tools to not only understand these advanced poses but also integrate them into your teaching with clarity and confidence. Whether you're refining your personal practice or preparing to guide students through more complex postures, this module will help you understand how to approach these postures safely and intelligently, while also focusing on sequencing that supports students’ progress.

Course Objectives:

By the end of this module, you will have a deeper understanding of advanced postures, including how to:

• Understand Advanced Postures:
  Gain a more thorough understanding of the anatomical, physiological, and biomechanical aspects of advanced asanas, such as arm balances, binds, backbends, forward bends, and balancing poses. This will include experiential anatomy and an exploration of the component parts of each pose, helping you recognize how to engage and align the body for safety and effectiveness in these more challenging poses.

• Intelligent Sequencing for Advanced Poses:
  Learn how to sequence intelligently to prepare students for more advanced poses by gradually building strength, flexibility, and awareness. You’ll understand how to structure classes in a way that progressively warms up the body, develops the necessary skills, and encourages confidence to approach advanced postures.

• Modifications & Variations for Accessibility:
  Recognize that not all students will be able to access advanced poses immediately, so you'll learn how to provide modifications and variations that can make these poses more accessible, while still challenging the student in a safe, aligned manner. Whether through a different approach or a different intensity, you will learn how to offer tools for students at varying levels of ability.

• Prop Use for Alignment and Support:
  Props are essential tools for making advanced postures more accessible and helping students maintain proper alignment. You’ll explore how to use props, such as blocks, straps, bolsters, and blankets, to support students in achieving optimal alignment and to guide them toward more advanced variations. Additionally, props can help students practice aligned actions safely and effectively while building strength and mobility at their own pace.

• Incorporate Advanced Poses into Your Classes:
  With the understanding gained in this module, you’ll be able to incorporate advanced poses and transitions into your classes in a way that feels natural and accessible. You will also have the background to safely guide students through these postures, teaching them not only how to move into the poses, but how to approach them with mindfulness, alignment, and intentionality. Whether in your personal practice or while teaching, you’ll be prepared to approach advanced postures in a thoughtful, supportive way.

By the end of this course, you will have the tools and confidence to safely and effectively incorporate more advanced poses into your teaching and personal practice. You’ll be able to guide your students through arm balances, binds, backbends, forward bends, and standing poses, helping them explore their edge while fostering strength, flexibility, and alignment. Through intelligent sequencing and mindful instruction, you'll be prepared to take your teaching to the next level and offer more challenging, transformative practices for your students.

Required Text (Included):
Each participant will receive a manual, The Yoga Asana Index by Bruce Bowditch, which will serve as an essential resource for understanding the technical aspects of asanas, offering in-depth descriptions, variations, and modifications for many poses. This text will be an invaluable tool to reference as you deepen your knowledge of advanced yoga postures and transitions.