Mindful Yoga Education 2021
Integrating mindfulness and compassion as healing and transformational elements in yoga practice.

50 hr training 3 weekends, non-residential training
In the first module of training we will explore the fundamentals of mindfulness practice, and how it is integrated into yoga asana and movement. This will cover the major elements involved in Mindful yoga. There will be some practice every day with an emphasis on theory and learning.
Dates:
Weekend #1: January 15-17, 2021
Weekend #2: Feb 12-14, 2021
Weekend #3: March 12-14, 2021
Place: Oslo Yoga studio
Weekend Schedule: Friday 16:00-19:00 Saturday 10:00-17:00 Sunday 10:00-17:00. + 3.5 hrs homework
Overview:
- Weekend #1: Fundamentals of Mindfulness and Compassion
Mindfulness; definition, history, and science
3 principles of mindfulness
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
The Attitudes of mindfulness
Right Effort and the Middle Way
Loving-kindness and Compassion - Weekend #2: Therapeutic Elements of Mindful Yoga
Therapeutic applications of mindfulness and yoga, overview
The origins and nature of suffering
Befriending the body and emotions; self-kindness
Calming the nervous system, stress relief
RAIN method; Recognize and Acceptance
Meeting with difficulty and pain
Cultivation of positive states; taking in the good - Weekend #3: Transforming Suffering into Wisdom
The ultimate medicine of awareness
Being Present; learning to Stay
Mindful inquiry, observation and the Witness
Skillful action; responding vs. reacting
Making wiser and more compassionate choices
Insight into the nature of things; dissolving illusion
50 hr training
In the second module of training we will place more emphasis on exploring how to put the theory into practice by experiencing it ourselves, and teaching it to others. There will be a review of the elements learned in module 1, with more time in the practice and how to teach different forms of Mindful yoga. We will go deeper into asana, meditation, and philosophy. If you are already a teacher from before, it will provide you with the tools for teaching Mindful yoga, or integrating mindfulness into your own yoga style.
Dates:
Weekend #1: April 16-18, 2021
Weekend #2: May 7-9, 2021
Weekend #3: June 4-6, 2021
Place: Oslo Yoga studio
Weekend Schedule: Friday 16:00-19:00 Saturday 10:00-17:00 Sunday 10:00-17:00. + 3.5 hrs homework
- Weekend #1: Mindfulness of Body
Asana Practice; how to practice mindfully
Befriending the body, learning to listen
Performance/ambition vs self-discovery/Presence
Heating and Cooling, Tension and Release
How to sequence and structure Mindful yoga classes
Integrating movement as meditation - Weekend #2: Mindfulness of Feelings
Integrating the breath into practice
Bringing healing elements into practice
How to work with emotional states, disturbing emotions
Transforming difficult mental states
Self-kindness and Compassion with our feelings
Developing open-hearted presence
- Weekend #3: Mindfulness of Mind
Sitting meditation practice
Focused attention and Open attention
How to teach mindfulness meditation
Cultivating positive mental states
Effortless mindfulness and awakening
Insight into our true condition
For diploma: Develop a 90 min. Mindful yoga routine
This is a continuing education program on how to integrate mindfulness and compassion as therapeutic and transformational elements into yoga practice. In this training, we emphasize the wisdom aspect of the yoga and mindfulness traditions, exploring how to transform suffering into greater freedom and self-awareness. The entire 100hr training runs over 6 weekends and is divided into two modules at 50 hours each, which can be taken separately.
This program is beneficial for:
- anyone who wishes to deepen their own experience of meditation and yoga as tools for transformation, healing, or self-realization
- yoga teachers who aim to use mindfulness and compassion elements in their classes
- Mindfulness/ MBSR instructors or students who want to learn more about how to bring yoga into their teaching or practice.
Mindful yoga is founded in the contemplative practices of the Buddhist and yoga traditions and informed by modern research in neuroscience, psychology, and physical therapy. In the most time-proven and scientifically verified methods, Mindful yoga is an effective way to access deep relaxation and meditation states using the breath and body, understand the sources of unhealthy stress in the system, transform psychological suffering through working with the emotions, and re-program negative patterns of thinking or behavior into the freedom of making positive, conscious choices.
You will learn:
- To embody a present-moment, heart-centered yoga practice
- How to practice and teach mindfulness and compassion meditation
- Mindfulness; its history, benefits, science, and methodology
- To manage chronic stress, pain, depression, and anxiety
- The basics of Buddhist psychology in relation to yoga asana
- To understand the roots of psychological distress and suffering
- How to design and sequence Mindful yoga classes or home practice
- How to work with difficult emotions or negative habits
- To develop loving-kindness for increased happiness and connection
- How to achieve greater clarity, wisdom and insight