How To Celebrate Summer Solstice and International Day of Yoga on June 21, 2023
The Summer Solstice occurs once a year and marks the first day of summer as the longest day of the year. Since 2015, International Day of Yoga has been celebrated around the world on the same day, June 21. On this day, yogis around the world celebrate the Summer Solstice by practicing the Sun Salutations sequence. Traditionally, many yogis practice 108 Sun Salutations which is usually done at sunrise to greet the sun as it rises. Don’t worry though- you don’t have to practice 108 times to participate! 1-10 repetitions on each side (left and right) is more than enough— especially if you are new to yoga or the Sun Salutations Sequence! You could practice this sequence at sunrise or anytime throughout the day.
Below is a breakdown of what the sequence looks like. It consists of 12 poses (some repeated). Practice these poses in sequence slowly on both left and right sides (4-5 breaths per pose) to begin and then pick up speed (less breaths per pose) as you repeat the sequence and start to move faster and faster.
Now let’s put it all together! Below is a Guided Sun Salutations/Surya Namaskara Sequence to practice with. The key is to use your breath to transition into each pose. No poses are held for more than half a breath (either inhale or exhale).
Enjoy performing this sequence to celebrate the Summer Solstice and International Day of Yoga! Performing this sequence is also a traditional way celebrate the Winter Solstice and Springs and Fall Equinoxes! It’s a great sequence to practice daily as it only takes a few minutes to do several rounds— great to practice first thing in the morning or if you’re short on time! You can also use this sequence as a warm up to your personal yoga practice (you will likely come across it in yoga classes taught in studios) so it is beneficial to learn how to perform.
Each pose of this sequence may not be accessible to every body and the transitions of this sequence can seem difficult. It’s important to learn how to practice this sequence for your body- this may include modifications or alternative poses.
Want to learn more about the sequence and how to perform it on your own? Enroll in our Yoga Student Training Courses: The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Yoga Online Course or The Ultimate Sun Salutations Online Course (use coupon code IDY108 for 45% off!)
How Do I Know When is the Best Time for Me to Practice Yoga?
Find out when is the best time to practice yoga and the Sun Salutations sequence!
Do you have trouble finding time to practice yoga?
Even as an instructor, sometimes I find myself unmotivated to practice everyday. In this video, we discuss what to do if you can’t find the time to incorporate yoga into your life as well as the best time for you to practice!
Now, I know what you’re thinking… “When actually is the best time to practice yoga or the Sun Salutations sequence?”
The best time really does depends. I can tell you that the worst time would be on a full stomach (after a large meal). Traditionally, the best time would be first thing in the morning as the sun is rising, on an empty stomach. However, for many of us, this is can be an unrealistic goal.
For example, some of my students love to practice first thing in the morning because it helps set them up for their day and it’s the only time they know they can make it because of work and other obligations. Others like to practice around mid-day as a break from meetings and work. Some would rather practice in the evening because they are sedentary and/or busy all day and want to stretch out and move their bodies, and others like to practice right before bed so it helps them get a really good night’s sleep!
And sometimes preferences will change- you may try practicing at a different time and find that it is more beneficial for you! Try practicing a few different times of day and see which you like best, is most realistic for a consistent practice and makes you feel good!
Now, let’s find a way to help you incorporate yoga into your life. Remember, it’s not about finding time, it’s about making time! Here are a few ideas:
This may seem obvious, but just START. What I mean by this is that our minds can find a million reasons and excuses NOT to do something. What I’m suggesting, is when the thought of practicing comes up- DON’T think, just DO. Don’t allow your mind time to come up with excuses and stop you from practicing!
Don’t focus solely on the postures, try yoga in the form of pranayama (breathing) or meditation! Pranayama is best practiced on an empty stomach, but Meditation can be practiced at ANY time. Tip 1 is perfect for incorporating meditation- don’t think, just do!
Schedule an appointment. Just as you would the dentist or a meeting, schedule a time (and put it into your calendar) that you will practice yoga. Bonus if you set a reminder notification so that you can make sure you’re prepared! How often you choose to set this appointment is up to you, but again, just make sure you set realistic expectations upon yourself.
Set an alarm or a reminder notification. When the alarm goes off, or reminder comes up, put down what you are doing and practice 5 minutes of yoga- whether it be asana (postures), pranayama or meditation!
Prep your clothes and/or your mat. If you are looking to practice first thing in the morning or after work, being prepared will help to ensure you follow through! Set your clothes aside the night before and you can also roll out your mat if you’re practicing at home.
Attend guided classes either in a group or private one-on-one setting where there is a set time and place you will be practicing and the instructor waiting for you. Having a time booked will help you stick to a schedule. Being part of a group will keep you accountable. Bonus if you practice with a friend (or two)!
Now that you have discovered some ways to make time to practice yoga AND you have a short sequence to practice, all you have to do is choose a time of day that works best for you!
Happy Practicing!
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THIS INFORMATION?
LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!
Only Have 5-10 Minutes a Day to Practice Yoga? Try This Sequence!
Short on time but still want to practice yoga everyday? Check out this 12 pose sequence - with visuals!
Christina Rosso from Yoga Alignment offering you a powerful yoga sequence that you can practice everyday if you’re busy or short on time!
In the previous email, we discussed how yoga is much more beneficial than just flexibility, relaxation and balance. In the studies and meta-analyses we reviewed, we found that practicing yoga can scientifically help with: working memory, inflammation and back pain, habitual posture and spinal curvature, respiratory function, sleep and preventing heart disease.
Since I started practicing yoga 12 years ago, I’ve personally noticed a difference in my body once I customized my practice to my own direct needs. To name a few benefits I have personally felt: my breathing is much stronger and the length of my inhales and exhales is much longer, I suffer from minimal body aches and pains (no back pain!) and my posture has improved significantly.
But before I became an instructor almost 6 years ago, I had a really hard time implementing yoga into my daily life because I didn’t really know how to, other than taking classes. And now, even with over 1000 hours teaching and 12 years of practicing, I sometimes have a hard time staying motivated to practice everyday. Thankfully, I have a go-to sequence I can practice at any time of day that I still haven’t gotten sick of and that I will share with you!
Let me tell you about Stephanie* who first contacted me about private yoga classes 3 years ago (at 40 years old). She told me she had never done yoga before and considered herself a beginner. She told me that she had an incredibly busy life but wanted to learn how to practice yoga. She specifically wanted me to teach her a sequence she could do a few times per week for 5-15 minutes when she had a bit of downtime either between meetings, in the morning or anytime throughout the day.
While I could have provided her with any combination of 100s of poses to form a sequence, I told her that the best sequence for her to learn would be Sun Salutations. This is a sequence that has been practiced for many years within the tradition of yoga. It is a great way to learn and practice many foundational poses and is a staple in most yoga classes. Also, if she ever forgets the sequence, she could easily find it with a simple google search!
Once I taught Stephanie this sequence (more on that another time), she was able to practice it on her own time and utilize our private yoga classes for whatever her direct needs were on that day- whether focusing on a specific area of the body, learning new poses, etc.
I have since taught the same sequence to almost all of my current students because I find it so powerful and that it acts as a really strong base for any yoga practice. The poses in this sequence help to mobilize many of our joints including spine, shoulders, ankles and hips. It helps us connect to the present moment and focus on the synchronicity of the movements and the breath. And so much more!
*name changed due to privacy
How to do Sun Salutations: The 12 Pose Sequence
Because there are different variations of Sun Salutations depending on the style of yoga and lineage, we have chosen the Classical (Hatha) Sun Salutations, sometimes known as Sun Salutations C (which can have many slight variations depending on the instructor). Here is a visual of this sequence:
1. Mountain Pose
2. Standing Backbend Pose
3. Standing Forward Fold Pose
4. Low Lunge Pose
5. Plank Pose
6. Knees-Chest-Chin Pose
7. Cobra Pose
8. Downward Facing Dog Pose
9. Low Lunge Pose
10. Standing Forward Fold Pose
11. Standing Backbend Pose
12. Mountain Pose
Now that you’ve learned the poses of Classical Sun Salutations, you can start implementing this sequence into your daily life!
but When is the best TIME to practice this sequence?
Find out here!
WHAT DID YOU THINK OF THE SUN SALUTATIONS SEQUENCE? LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS!
Does Yoga Help With Weight Loss?
Discussing how yoga can contribute to weight loss
If you practice yoga, will you lose weight? I’ve answered this question in a video debunking myths about yoga, here is a short clip:
Additionally, “mechanisms by which yoga may assist with weight loss or maintenance include the following: (a) energy expenditure during yoga sessions [calories lost]; (b) allowing for additional exercise outside yoga sessions by reducing back and joint pain; (c) heightening mindfulness, improving mood, and reducing stress, which may help reduce food intake; and (d) allowing individuals to feel more connected to their bodies, leading to enhanced awareness of satiety and the discomfort of overeating.” [1]
In this study, 60 overweight or obese women were first put into a 3 month weight loss program, which included weekly group sessions (1x/week) and diet and exercise goals. Following the weight loss program. participants received either 3 months of Iyengar yoga (YOGA; 2x/week) as part of a continued weight loss program (yoga group) or 3 months of culinary and nutrition education classes (2x/week) without any mention of continued weight loss (control group). After 6 months, “the YOGA group lost more weight (-9.0kg vs. -6.7kg) [a 5 lb difference] and resulted in greater distress tolerance, mindfulness, and self-compassion and lower negative affect, compared to the control group.” [2]
Interesting aspects to consider are:
a) Would the control group have lost more weight had they focused on weight loss in combination with culinary and nutrition classes?
b) If both groups received both nutrition classes and yoga, would they have lost even more weight?
c) Would the yoga group have lost more weight if they practiced a more vigorous form of yoga, or practiced more times per week?
To me, this would suggest that nutrition, yoga (including postures, pranayama and meditation) and mindfulness all contribute to weight loss and maintenance, and as discussed, a combination would likely have a more significant effect.
What did you think of this information? Let me know in the comments!
References:
[1] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1559827613492097
[2] https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0263405
Is Yoga Scientifically Proven to be Beneficial?
Examining scientific studies and showing their findings of the benefits of yoga
Christina Rosso from Yoga Alignment here discussing our findings:
Flexibility, relaxation and balance. These are some of the most common reasons why many start practicing yoga, but did you know that there are even more proven benefits of yoga that go deeper than these well-known benefits?
I have been practicing yoga for over 12 years and have taught over 1000 hours of classes in the last 5 years. I started practicing yoga to help with my mental health during a tough time in my life, as well as wanting to increase my overall fitness levels. My private students, comprised of business professionals, professional athletes, medical doctors, physical therapists and chiropractors, have all started practicing yoga for different reasons. Some wanted to become more flexible and use yoga as a tool for stretching, others wanted to practice as an aerobic workout and build strength. Some wanted help with back pain, others wanted help with relaxation and stress reduction.
What myself and my students didn’t really realize when first starting to practice yoga is that, in doing so, we would receive even more benefits than we thought!
There have been many studies on the therapeutic effects of yoga with much more research to be done. We looked at various studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses to find out what benefits have been studied proven. Many of them involved 6-12 week yoga programs. We found that there were many proven mental, physical and physiological benefits, so we thought we would share them with you! Here is what we found:
MENTAL HEALTH BENEFITS:
1. Yoga Helps Decrease Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression
“Meta-analyses of RCTs have reported that yoga is associated with large reductions in depression and anxiety in cancer patients and has a significant impact on depression (and pain) associated with fibromyalgia” [1]
From our research, further studies need to be done on the long-term effects of yoga for depression and anxiety.
2. Yoga Improves Brain Function and Working Memory
A systematic review of 11 studies examining the effects of yoga practice on the brain structures, function and cerebral blood flow showed that “yoga practice can affect the anatomy of the brain. Yoga practice appears to be linked to anatomical changes in the frontal cortex, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex and insula.” [2]
“Studies investigating changes in the functional connectivity of the brain following yoga practice have primarily identified increases in the default mode network, one of which found that those changes were related to memory performance.” [2]
“Exercise alone and mindfulness alone, as well as a combination of the two in the form of yoga practice, have a positive effect on this critical brain structure implicated in age-related neurodegenerative diseases and chronic stress… yoga may hold promise to mitigate age-related and neurodegenerative declines” [2]
3. Yoga Reduces Stress
In a study of 60 mental health professionals working in a teaching hospital, it showed that those that enrolled in a weekly 60-minute yoga program for 12 weeks “experienced a reduction in work-related stress and an increase in autonomic nerve activity” [3] and an increase in adaption to stress.
PHYSICAL HEALTH BENEFITS:
4. Yoga Relieves Back Pain, Improves Spinal Function and Reduces Use of Pain-Relieving Medication
In a study of 80 females, a “7 day residential intensive yoga-based lifestyle program reduced pain-related disability and improved spinal flexibility in patients with CLBP [chronic low back pain] better than a physical exercise regimen” [4]
In another study, it was “demonstrated that a 16-week yoga therapy intervention caused a significant reduction in self-reported disability and pain, and reduced use of pain medication.” [5]
5. Yoga Improves Flexibility
In a study involving 56 women between the ages of 50-79, “results indicated that practicing yoga postures (asanas) even once a week led to an increase in the mobility of spinal joints and flexibility of the hamstring muscles. All practitioners showed some improvement in flexibility regardless of age.” [6]
6. Yoga Increases Levels of Strength, Balance and Mobility
In a study with 118 males attending 8-week (three times a week for 1 hour) yoga program, “we observed significant time effects for each of the balance, flexibility, strength, and mobility measures, indicating that both groups improved and Hatha yoga was just as effective as the conventional CDC strengthening guidelines in improving these functional fitness outcomes in community-dwelling older adults.” [7]
A meta-analysis indicated that “Yoga interventions resulted in small improvements in balance and medium improvements in physical mobility in people aged 60+ years.” [8]
7. Yoga Improves Proper Habitual Body Posture and Spinal Curvature
A study of people over 55 showed that practicing yoga once a week for 8 months along with additional exercises including basic positions of hatha yoga in home conditions 1-2 times a week for about 30 minutes showed “that yoga training leads to an improvement in the habitual body posture in case of aggravating (excessive) anteroposterior curvatures of the spine” [9]
Another study of participants doing 90 minutes of Hatha yoga classes once a week over a period of 15 weeks finds that “hatha yoga exercises have a positive impact on one's body posture in the sagittal plane.” [10]
OTHER PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS:
8. Yoga Helps to Prevent Heart Disease
A meta-analysis showed “serum level of triglyceride and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), blood pressure and body mass index were significantly improved…. it is associated with improved quality of life, less number of composite cardiovascular events, and improved cardiovascular risk factors.” [11]
Something to note is that this specific study showed that yoga had no effect on low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) or total cholesterol. [11]
Another meta-analysis discussed that “yoga therapy has shown to be significant in the reduction of systolic and diastolic pressure in prehypertensive population… and can be beneficial in reducing the chances of developing hypertension or cardiovascular diseases” [12]
9. Yoga Improves Respiratory Function
A study where participants had been practicing yoga for 90 minutes, 6 times per week for six weeks indicates that yoga “improves respiratory muscle strength and endurance… This can be attributed to a combination of deep breathing and yoga postures. In earlier studies also, we have found that yoga training of longer duration improves respiratory pressures” [13]
10. Yoga Improves Indicators for Good Health
42 studies were included in the meta-analysis. “Interventions that included yoga asanas were associated with reduced evening cortisol, waking cortisol, ambulatory systolic blood pressure, resting heart rate, high frequency heart rate variability, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol and low density lipoprotein, compared to active control.” [14]
Another study showed that “yoga had a significant and direct influence on a cortisol response that correlated with yoga's antidepressant effects,”[15] lowering cortisol levels in participants.
11. Yoga Reduces Inflammation
In a study, 48 male study participants, aged 30-58 years practiced yoga for 45 min, six days a week, for 12 weeks, excluding weekly holidays. “The results confirmed that the yoga group had significantly lower level of IL-1 β and increase in IL-10.” [16] These results indicate a reduction in inflammation by reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing anti-inflammatory cytokines.
12. Yoga Improves Sleep
In a study including 12 weeks of yoga classes, held twice per week, incorporating yoga postures, meditative yoga, and daily home practice of meditative yoga “showed significant improvements in a range of subjective factors, including overall sleep quality; sleep efficiency; sleep latency and duration; self-assessed sleep quality; fatigue; general well-being; depression; anxiety; stress; tension; anger; vitality; and function in physical, emotional, and social roles.” [17]
I bet you're thinking that any exercise program can help do the same.
Let’s take a look:
A comprehensive review found many studies that compared the benefits of yoga to exercise programs like stationary cycling, walking, jogging, stretching, aerobics, running and more. “Overall, the studies comparing the effects of yoga and exercise seem to indicate that, in both healthy and diseased populations, yoga may be as effective or better than exercise at improving a variety of health-related outcome measures including HRV [Heart Rate Variability], blood glucose [blood sugar], blood lipids, salivary cortisol, and oxidative stress. Furthermore, yoga appears to improve subjective measures of fatigue, pain, and sleep in healthy and ill populations.” [20]
My suggestion is to compliment any exercise program with yoga and vice versa for optimal benefits!
WHAT ABOUT WEIGHT-LOSS? click here to learn more
What did you think of this information?
Let me know in the comments!
References:
[1] http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal/2016/03/2016-03-20-intmed-uebelacker.pdf
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6971819/
[3] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26220020/
[4] https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/epdf/10.1089/acm.2007.0815
[5] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0304395905000722
[6] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4339138/
[7] https://academic.oup.com/biomedgerontology/article/71/3/406/2605263
[8] https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/45/1/21/2195366
[9] https://sciendo.com/downloadpdf/journals/bhk/5/1/article-p59.xml
[10] https://www.infona.pl/resource/bwmeta1.element.-psjd-doi-10_2478_v10038-011-0028-4
[11] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965229920319105?via%3Dihub
[12] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34552393/
[14] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28963884/
[15] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3768222/
[16] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4378732/
[17] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24755569/
[18] https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1559827613492097
[19] https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0263405
Completing Aligned Yoga’s 300 Hour Teacher Training with Briohny Smyth- A Review
My experience completing Briohny Smyth (Yoga With Briohny) Aligned Yoga 300 hr Teacher Training. I offer a short review of each, how I completed it and what I learned!
I first want to start out by saying that this teacher training has transformed me into the yoga instructor I always knew I could be. “Transformation” was the last theme in the training and I really did feel myself transform as a person, as a yogi and as a teacher. I knew it was going to be an amazing experience, but Briohny truly exceeded my expectations.
Thank you Briohny and her team for putting so much extensive hard work into this training and delivering an incredible virtual experience. Mathieu, Dr. Santo, Jess, Neil, Julio and Doris were integral parts of adding extensive value, insight and education to this training.
I initially decided on this training because of Briohny’s attention to detail and alignment in asana (as well as her persona, which really resonated with me). What I got was much more than I could have asked for: a full rounded yoga training experience- from asana, pranayama, kriya, mobility, business and everything in between. I did not realize I would be getting such impeccable quality of teaching that was provided through this training and I am blown away by how much I learned in so many different facets of yoga. Bri shows up throughout the training to offer encouragement and inspiring words which helped keep me feeling motivated and accomplished throughout the process. It was really nice to see and hear her cheering me on!
I am happy to say that I graduated and am now a certified Aligned Yoga Instructor and received my 300 hour designation!! The amount of growth that I received from this training is hard to put a price on. I would recommend this training to anyone wanting to become a teacher and current instructors who want to further their yoga education.
I am very thankful this training was online and that I had the amount of time provided to complete it (1 year). I was able to slowly implement what I was learning into my yoga classes, which solidified my understanding and allowed me to get any questions answered as they came up.
Taking this virtual training actually made me want to attend an in-person training with Bri in the future! I can't wait for that day to come!
Sign up here: Aligned Yoga Teacher Training Briohny Smyth
I previously posted about my initial impressions and experiences with the training, so here is a more in-depth review:
This training took me almost 2 months to complete- mainly because I was actively listening to everything provided and taking notes on them. I’m sure if you weren’t as diligent as me with notes, it could take half the time. You do have a whole year after purchasing to complete the training and go back to revisit anything you wanted to brush up on.
I purchased a 5 subject notebook (360 pages) for my note taking so that I could feel more organized. I divided it into Cueing + Anatomy, Non-Asana yoga (pranayama, kriya, meditation, kirtan, etc), Live Practices, Teaching + Sequencing, and Business. I ended up filling up this notebook almost completely. I have this note book as a singular reference to a majority of the training as I wrote down the module, day and title of each one lesson in it’s category. I also printed out all of the teacher training manual and other pdfs provided, and put those into a file folder. I typically printed 2 pages per sheet to save paper and because it grouped everything together (pose images and descriptions on the same sheet). I then used these sheets to take notes on as well.
Here is a bit about what I learned and what my personal experience was like. I broke it down so that if you wanted to purchase these modules individually, you would know what to expect. Although I do recommend completing the entire training.
The Practice +
This module was an excellent introduction to various poses (50+). Briohny explains how to enter each of them, and separately discusses anatomy and muscular engagement. The way it’s designed is great as each day builds upon the other. She also went over intro to handstand and forearm balances in a lot of detail. If you are on a mission to get a handstand or headstand, this module will give you all the tools you need to start!
Mathieu goes over many different types of kriya, pranayama, intro to yoga philosophy and more. It is easy to see how deep and extensive his knowledge is. He explains that he has taken many teacher trainings in the past, which makes sense as to why he is so confident and knowledgeable. Briohny also provides some excellent meditations throughout the module. I love her voice, it is incredibly soothing and allows me to get right into the meditations.
There are specific pre-recorded yoga classes on Alo Moves from Bri (sometimes 2) to complete with each day of the module. I found that some of the earlier yoga classes provided are a bit more difficult than I would have expected, but they did really challenge me to understand my body further. As I learned more about muscular engagement, the classes got easier to practice (although I did struggle with a few!). It was really fun, inspiring and motivating to take these classes from Bri.
I really enjoyed the daily quizzes and journal entries to test me knowledge and help me think critically. I also really liked the ability to see others’ questions and ask my own to learn to clarify certain things and get a deeper understanding of whatever the topic was.
Overall I really enjoyed this module. I was able to practice what I was learning on my students and feel it myself through the Alo Moves classes. As the time went on I found myself becoming a more confident instructor, feeling more knowledgeable and better able to communicate with my students.
I would highly recommend this for anyone who is looking to become a yoga instructor. My tip- go back to a topic after a few months and review it because the information will sink in further and really solidify your understanding. She also has a bonus section of much more in-depth content of each pose which in itself is incredibly invaluable for any asana instructor.
Sign up here: Aligned Yoga Teacher Training Briohny Smyth
The Teaching +
This module was all about how to teach. The Practice + Module was imperative for providing a foundation to really prepared for this more in-depth learning through this module.
Bri’s ability to communicate and teach so clearly, concisely and effortlessly is highlighted throughout the whole course, but this module she really stands out. Mathieu’s knowledge of yoga philosophy and the way he explains everything so well is a testament to how deep his knowledge is in the aspects of yoga that do not involve asana. We also get a chance to learn advanced anatomy from Dr. Santo, who offers great insight into movement and injury prevention/rehab.
We get an in-depth look at how to cue the poses, giving adjustments and identifying and correcting common misalignments. I was able to improve upon and perfect poses that I didn’t know needed it, and actually perform poses that I struggled with. I was able to learn something new and important about almost every pose. It really improved my arm balances and inversion practice too! There were short assignments of practice teaching as well to reaffirm the knowledge provided.
Similar to the first module, we are also given classes on Alo Moves to complete for each day of the training. They were definitely challenging, fun and insightful! With the more in-depth understanding of the poses and sequencing, I was able to experience these classes with an “instructor mindset.”
I think the sequence of this module flowed really well, was taught perfectly and tied the whole course together. The Teaching + mirrored the first module, but also got into much more detail and depth in every aspect. It taught me not just how to teach, but how to communicate. Not just what cues to use, but how to feel them in my body. Not just how to perform kriyas, pranamaya, etc but also how to teach them. This module helped me dramatically in my own practice as well as in my teaching. I really feel completely prepared and confident in myself as an instructor after this module. I now feel confident cueing almost any pose provided— even if I can’t perform it myself. I would highly recommend this module if you are looking improve as a teacher!
Sign up here: Aligned Yoga Teacher Training Briohny Smyth
The Business
This module is definitely unique to this training as Briohny has had extensive experience in many aspects of business of yoga AND has the educational background to back it up. My previous experience with the business of yoga was extremely basic and introductory, offering no real guidance or understanding of what path to take as a new instructor.
This module gave me insight on how I want my yoga business to run, where to start and how I can continue to grow. It gave me ideas of how to make my dreams come true and what steps I need to take in order to get there. It also made me question previous goals or aspirations and really understand what is best for me. Bri focuses on helping you build yourself as a brand, discusses social media, content creation, workshops and lots more! I was able to do a lot of professional self-growth through this module and it has helped me figure out the best ways to really serve my students and community.
If you are just starting it out as a teacher, Bri really helps provide a clear path to making this into a feasible career. If you have been teaching for a while, but not sure where to go next, this module can help you gain a better understanding of how to grow professionally as a yoga teacher.
Sign up here: Aligned Yoga Teacher Training Briohny Smyth
Lives
There were lots of Live practices and Question & Answer periods. These really helped me to feel like I was apart of something bigger and that I wasn’t alone in this experience. It was great to see other yogis, learn about their experiences and hear answers to questions that I may have never thought to ask. Or even to understand different bodies based on what was asked. I was able to get my own questions answered as well, which I think is super important.
Even though this course is virtual, there is a feeling of connectedness in the lives, which is so powerful. It really made me feel like I am part of a community- I even got this feeling during the replays. All the lives are recorded and available to watch if you miss it, or want to watch it again!
In the live practices, I got to experience classes from each instructor, including Bri. Her live classes are much more interactive than her classes on Alo Moves. This was most apparent while holding certain poses for long period of time while Bri “blabbed” haha. I learned fun transitions, new variations of pose and gained an even better understanding of certain poses and how to practice them/teach them.
This portion of the training really added that “extra special” something that made it feel more “real” as I could see other students in the training, as well as Bri and her faculty live!
If you’re wondering what the “final exam” is like- this is how to get certified:
3 things:
1. Complete a written question and answer section of various questions (showing that you understood the content)
2. Create and submit a 5 minute video of you teaching (just you, or you teaching someone)
3. Complete and submit an assignment from the business module- having various choices of which assignment to complete. I chose something I had not done before.
Allow 2-3 weeks to receive feedback and (hopefully) your certification as an Aligned Yoga Instructor and Yoga Alliance certified instructor!
For any questions you have about this journey, feel free to comment below, or speak to Briohny directly!
Here is the link: Aligned Yoga Teacher Training Briohny Smyth