The Therapeutic Wisdom of Yoga
with Doug Keller
Aches and Pains are Part of Life:
So Is Yoga
March 25-27, 2021
Online Teacher Training and Workshops
Doug Keller has been teaching workshops and trainings in the therapeutic applications of yoga for more than 16 years, and is known not only for his effectiveness in communicating this ever-evolving approach in these trainings, but also for his extensive writing on the topic in magazines, journals and his two-volume work on ‘Yoga As Therapy.’ He has also served, in addition to his traveling and teaching, as a Distinguished Professor at the Maryland University of Integrative Health in their Master’s Degree program in Yoga Therapy. This program is state-approved and accredited for granting a Master’s degree in this field, and is fully accredited by the International Association of Yoga Therapists.
We are thrilled to present this training in some fundamentals that illuminate the therapeutic wisdom of yoga.
The online experience carries some special advantages because of its format — not only your ability to re-watch the lectures in high quality video with the course notes in hand; but also additional content videos of asana and yoga nidra practices which you can practice at a time that works for you.
This gives you even more content and learning than is normally possible in a live training, and in a way that is practical and not overwhelming — or exhausting!
Schedule for each day:
Asana Practice
Each day offers a pre-recorded asana practice that introduces or incorporates ideas at the heart of the day’s session, so that you will have an experience of what you’re learning. The asana practices will be made available to you through links to Vimeo before the live stream session each day — and you have the freedom to either do the practice in the morning before the session, or at another time that is more convenient to you. And you can view the practices repeatedly, or download them.
Live Session
We will meet for our live session via zoom to dive deeper into our training topic introduced in our asana practice. Questions can be asked through the chat function during the lecture, and there will also be time for live question and answer at the end of each session.
Yoga Nidra
You have the opportunity to end each of the first two days with a pre-recorded yoga nidra session; the third day will have a live session on Yoga Nidra, with an included pre-recorded video of a guided practice of Yoga Nidra to accompany it.
The advantage of the pre-recorded video is that the sound quality is guaranteed to be of excellent quality — especially if you download the video — and you have the freedom to do the practice whenever you want. The yoga nidra practices will be made available to you through a link to Vimeo before each day’s session.
These webinars will be in lecture format, with downloadable notes, and examples of practical applications. This is not a guided yoga practice, but rather an informative experience that will enlighten and enhance your practice and teaching, as well as deepening your understanding of yoga.
Workshop Topics - use links for detail descriptions
Course Themes and Content
Introduction
Aches and pains are a part of life. The causes of some — usually more temporary — are obvious to us, while the causes of those that linger and become more persistent over time are not so obvious.
Life throws us out of balance. Beyond what we hear of yoga being about ‘union,’ it is also about balance, particularly within the body, and offers us practical tools for reestablishing and better maintaining balance, stability, and freedom of movement.
| Teacher Training Sessions - Yoga Alliance credits available | |
| Thursday | The Opinionated Psoas |
| Friday | A 'body map' for 'zig-zag' pains that ricochet through the two lateral sides of the body, and the Common 'Short Leg Pattern' |
| Saturday Workshops | |
| Saturday morning | Keys to the Shoulder Girdle |
| Saturday afternoon | Yoga Nidra and Insights from Vijnanabhairava |
Registration Rates:
ALL registrations MUST be received at least 1 day prior to workshops to get links to join and receive pre-recorded video.
If you choose to register by check, MAIL check & required information to:
Two Dog Yoga, Attn: Doug Keller-2021
REQUIRED registrations must include:
Name, Phone, and email with payment along with dates of specific registrations.
Two Dog will confirm via email receipt of payments received by US Postal.
NOTE: Full refunds available up to one week prior to start of workshop, 3/19/2021
| Workshop | Cost |
|---|---|
| Two-day Teacher Training and both Saturday sessions | $220 |
| Teacher Training Package (3/25 | 2-5pm and 3/26 | 2-5pm) |
$140 |
| Thursday, March 25 | 2:00-5:00pm | $80 |
| Friday, March 26 | 2:00-5:00pm | $80 |
| Saturday, March 27 Package | 10am-1pm and 2:30-4pm | $95 |
| Saturday, March 27 morning | 10am-1pm | $70 |
| Saturday, March 27 afternoon | 2:30-4pm | $40 |
Registration
Registration for Full Weekend: Teacher Trainings and Saturday workshops | $220
To register fill in your email and phone number below, then click "Register Now PayPal".
Teacher Training Package (3/25 | 2-5pm and 3/26 | 2-5pm) | $140
To register fill in your email and phone number below, then click "Register Now PayPal".
Individual Teacher Training Sessions:
Thursday Teacher Training, March 25 | 2-5pm | $80
To register fill in your email and phone number below, then click "Register Now PayPal".
Friday Teacher Training, March 26 | 2-5pm | $80
To register fill in your email and phone number below, then click "Register Now PayPal".
Saturday Workshop Package, March 27 | 10am-1pm and 2:30-4pm | $95
To register fill in your email and phone number below, then click "Register Now PayPal".
Saturday Morning,March 27 | 10am-1pm | $70
To register fill in your email and phone number below, then click "Register Now PayPal".
Saturday Afternoon, March 27 | 2:30-4pm | $40
To register fill in your email and phone number below, then click "Register Now PayPal".
Workshop Descriptions
- Thursday: The Opinionated Psoas - 3 hours
We’ll start with an understanding of pain syndromes, and how pain works in the nervous system — and the ways in which yoga specifically helps with pain problems.
Then we’ll start at the core of many back issues: the Psoas.
The psoas muscle has long been recognized as central to our posture and movement, and a source of back and hip pain. Yet the muscle is so deep, and involved in so much of our movement, including the breath, that there are a number of ideas, theories, and opinions about exactly what it is that the psoas ‘does’ — beyond its two most obvious functions.
What are the effects of a tight psoas? How do we ‘release’ the psoas? Why is there more involved than just stretching?
In this session, Doug will explain and illustrate the psoas and the main ideas about it, and sort out the lessons we can take into our yoga practice. We’ll come to understand the variety of problems created by a ‘tight’ psoas, and how nearly all of the asanas of yoga address the psoas in different ways — with a few of the main postures being the key.Asana Practice
The focus of this asana session will be on principles for working effectively with the psoas in asana practice, and for addressing the various kinds of imbalances touched upon in the lecture. You’ll be able to do the practice at a time that works for you, as well as to repeat the practice whenever you like. It is provided to you through a link to Vimeo, where you can view or download it.Yoga Nidra Practice
Return to Workshop Topics
Also provided is a guided yoga nidra session that you can also practice at your leisure.
- Friday: A 'body map' for 'zig-zag' pains that ricochet through the two lateral sides of the body, and the Common 'Short Leg Pattern' - 3 hours
This session looks at the ways in which common and familiar aches and pains can ‘zig-zag’ crosswise through the body, from one foot and knee to the opposite hip, to the opposite shoulder and neck.
This arises from habitual postural shifts and rotations that we can become aware of in simple ways, and address through asana practice. The common form this takes is called the ‘Shorter Leg Pattern,’ which is a surprisingly common habitual pattern in which one leg functions ‘as if’ it were shorter than the other — giving rise to typical pain complaints throughout the body.
We’ll include a look at the impact of these patterns on our sacroiliac joint, and simple ways to adjust in our asana practice to reduce sacroiliac pain — as well as principles of practice, with specific examples in poses that will further be illustrated in the practice video.
Asana Practice
The focus of this asana session will be on principles for working effectively with the imbalances between the two sides of the body that we discovered in the lecture session. We’ll go through a variety of poses, and highlight how you can recognize and work with the differences between the two sides of the body, as well as bring balance to the low back and sacroiliac area.
You’ll be able to do the practice at a time that works for you, as well as to repeat the practice whenever you like. It is provided to you through a link to Vimeo, where you can view or download it.
Yoga Nidra Practice
Also provided is a guided yoga nidra session that you can also practice at your leisure.
Return to Workshop Topics
- Saturday morning: Keys to the Shoulder Girdle - 3 hours
The shoulder girdle includes three moving parts — collarbone, shoulder blade, and armbone (humerus). For healthy, pain-free movement of the shoulders, all three parts have to work together well.
We’ll look at the role of these three parts and their joints in shoulder aches and pains, and principles for warmup and action for all of them, with applications in asana. This will include a look at common form of shoulder aches and pains, and their causes — including and especially shoulder impingement and rotator cuff problems
There will be plenty of ‘light bulb’ moments for working better with your shoulders in yoga poses — and in life.
Asana Practice
The focus of this asana session will be on principles for warming up and working effectively with the shoulders that we discovered in the lecture session. We’ll go through a variety of poses, and highlight how you can recognize and work with limitations or aches that you experience in the shoulders in your practice.
You’ll be able to do the practice at a time that works for you, as well as to repeat the practice whenever you like. It is provided to you through a link to Vimeo, where you can view or download it.
Return to Workshop Topics
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Saturday Second, afternoon, session: Yoga Nidra and Insights from the Vijnanabhairava - 1-1/2 hours
Building upon the experiences of Yoga Nidra covered in the videos supplied during the first two days, this live 2 hour session will go deeper into the elements of Yoga Nidra practice from its sources in the tantric tradition, as well as further insights into the practice drawn from the Vijnanabhairava, a text of meditation techniques — with special emphasis on the ‘Hamsa Mantra,’ the natural, spontaneous mantra of the breath.
The Yoga Nidra practice that accompanies this live session will be prerecorded to ensure the best quality of the experience — and you will be able to download it.
You can participate in this session alone without taking the other sessions through the weekend; you’ll get the final Yoga Nidra video along with this session.
Return to Workshop Topics
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