Sacred Breath : Pranayama Teacher Training

I see Pranayama as the “missing link” in todays yoga scene. It’s the part of the 8-fold path that takes us from the asana to the meditation. It regulates the body, the heart, the blood pressure and the functioning of pretty much all the systems of the body. Once the body is in balance the brain and mind can become balanced, THEN we can find the peace to meditate. My favourite quote is from the Hatha Yoga Pradipika “When the Prana (breath) moves the mind moves, when the Prana is still, the mind is still”. Come and experience the magic for yourself - then share it with your students… You will not be disappointed…

30 hour Training
LIVESTREAMED ONLINE
Dates
for 2024
Saturday 2 November 2024 9am–2pm
Sunday 3 November 2024 9am–2pm
Wednesday 6 November 6-9pm
Wednesday 13 November 6-9pm
Wednesday 20 November 6-9pm
Wednesday 27 November 6-9pm
Wednesday 4 December 6-9pm
Wednesday 11 December 6-9pm

This 8-session course is both theoretical and practical. Students will receive the knowledge and tools to start including Pranayama in your teaching. Students must attend the first and last sessions of this 8 series course and the rest of the sessions are recommended Livestreamed but for those who can't attend the recordings can be sent to you weekly.  The course includes recorded sessions by guest teachers who are experts in breath work for Yoga and Trauma and in Children’s Yoga.  The course can be attended as a stand-alone course or as an optional module on our 300-hour programme

Course Overview
Melanie Cooper and Guest teachers will dive deep into the subtle art of yogic breathing on this sessional course. You will receive a personalised self-practice together with the knowledge and tools to start including pranayama in your teaching

This course will give you an in-depth understanding of:

  • The philosophy behind the practices 

  • The anatomy of breathing 

  • The ancient practices - where they come from and how they fit into a modern practice? 

  •  Breath and the Nervous system 

  • Breath and the brain

  • Increasing the resilience and strength of the lungs and breathing system

  •  What modern science has found about Pranayama? 

  • How to introduce Pranayama to your teaching 

  • Guest Teachers will cover Breathing and Trauma and breathing practices for Children

 Learning how to incorporate Pranayama will greatly expand your horizons as a teacher and through the course you will receive ongoing personalised support in developing your own self practice. 

Course Content
Each session will take an in-depth look at different practices and how to make them safe and trauma sensitive for practitioners. In each session we will cover:

  • The practicalities of each practice  

  • The science behind each practice

  • The cautions and contra-indications 

  • Who will suit the Pranayama and what the benefits are  

  • The nuts and bolts of how to lead the practice 

 You will receive both a written and a Video Manual including all the basic knowledge and information plus guided practices to support your self-practice and teaching.

Practicalities
To gain a certificate of completion students need to complete at least 75% of the cours Students must attend the first and last session live-streamed to allow the students to check-in and out of the course 
Students can complete the course and will be able to catch- up on sessions through links to the session recordings 
A 200-hour yoga teacher training is usually a prerequisite for joining any of our Level 2 trainings but not essential 
This course can be taken as a stand-alone course or as part of our 300-YA accredited programme Students can either register the hours as YACEP if the teacher is registered OR as part of the 300 hr Level 2
 The course is VIRTUAL LIVESTREAM. Catch up recordings will be available for the duration of the course for you to recap and revisit as well as for an additional 2 weeks after completion of the course. In exceptional circumstance you can submit a request for an extension for access but note this will be at an admin cost of £25.

  • You will receive 30 accredited Level 2 hours as a stand-alone course or towards our 300-hour training

  • The course will include the video manual

  • Once you have completed your 300-hour training you can register as a RYT 500 teacher

Pranayama Course Reviews
Melanie is simply the most amazing teacher! She creates a wonderful sense of safety, honesty and community. If you can do a course with her - do it! You'll learn loads, be nurtured and have fun!
Emily, UK 

I have really enjoyed the course it’s been the most relaxing and inspiring way to learn about pranayama in a much more detailed way than I have before, it has improved my own practice enormously and I already feel so much better for it.
Clare, UK

It's been such a great course, so well-paced and structured, so much info but lots of time to experience and teach which really helped the learning. Rina and Melanie created such a warm and welcoming environment too. Mel's a fantastic teacher and Rina did a brilliant job of fielding all the questions and keeping us all organised and on track. Thank you
Caroline, UK

Thank you and thank you for such a brilliant course
Lesley, UK 

This was a fantastic and very comprehensive course. Melanie created a safe and fun environment in which to learn and teach the practices. It was a great mix of science, personal experience, and opportunities to teach. I loved the way everything was optional, this made having a go feel really safe and unintimidating. Brilliant!
Caroline, London 

I have been practicing yoga for twenty years, I have been teaching for six.  It was a long time that I wanted to deepen Pranayama both as a personal practice and to feel more confident in transmitting it to my students.  I had no doubts that Melanie would offer a high quality teacher training (I did others with her and this was already a guarantee for me). However, this teacher training far exceeded my expectations.  Melanie has enriched the cultural background I had on Pranayama with totally new contents for me, the scientific research, the sharing of her experiences and path, the practice sessions were surprising. I was afraid that not speaking fluent English I would feel in trouble and would “lose bits”, but with the support of the video manuals, slides and the ability to have continuous feedback with Melanie, it was unexpectedly easy.  The atmosphere of the online classes was one of non-judgement and the possibility of expression (doubts, requests need for support).  Melanie’s respect and harmony with Rina and Josephine was also perceived throughout the course.  For me, being able to follow it from Italy was a wonderful opportunity.  I will definitely recommend this teacher training to other people; I am enthusiastic about it.
Elisa, Italy

This course has been amazing. I am already using the teachings in my classes. I loved all the insights and yoga practices to prepare us for the breathwork.  It’s been an amazing course and even though I only manage to do 2 live due to class commitments I knew that Melanie was always available if I needed advice.  Thanks so much for an amazing course.
Sharon

Melanie is an excellent teacher, she relays the information in such a relatable way and I love all of the science, which she also explains really well.  The course was really broad and I loved that it also covered the trauma too. 10/10
Pennie

I really loved this course. It has given me a deeper understanding and respect for Pranayama. I love Melanie’s way of teaching she makes everything accessible for everyone
Jenny

The teaching was very clear, very comfortable to understand as a not native English speaker.  A good amount of information per week.  The organization was comfortable. There was a feeling of community also I did not know anybody but felt like a circle through zoom.  No pressure for teaching, the files made it easy to retreat it by myself again, which helped.  Overall, great teaching and definitely recommendable.

Melanie makes all the practices and theory so accessible and understandable. I came away with so many great take aways. It also helped me to understand why certain practices maybe hadn’t worked for me in the past and why. The course also gave me confidence to share pranayama with my students.

The Pranayama course was excellent.  Melanie’s teachings were thorough and presented with great clarity. The community of teachers and students was a joy to be part of and teaching practice with peers was incredibly valuable

Melanie has put together something really wonderful with this Pranayama TT. I loved every minute and would recommend it for any teacher who wishes to feel more confident including breath work in their classes or for those that just want to know more for their own personal practice.

The course was brilliant. I love Mel’s teaching style, she’s such a great teacher. Can’t wait to do more courses with her and The Shala

It was a fantastic learning experience, excellent content, clearly explained. Melanie always creates a lovely safe space in which to practice together as a group which really helps learning

This was a wonderful course, taught with skill, wisdom and generosity by Melanie, with wonderful input from other expert teachers too. I loved it

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