Event info

Well Woman Yoga Therapy Teacher Training

Sitaram Studio, Tanglewood, Gunhouse Lane, Stroud, Gloucestershire, GL5 2DB, United Kingdom

Starts: Thursday, September 5, 2019 - 11:30

Ends: Tuesday, September 10, 2019 - 16:00

With:

Uma Dinsmore-Tuli and Sivani Mata Francis

Course Description

Welcome to the circle of belonging that nurtures women’s health!

We open this powerful course, and our hearts, to welcome women of all ethnicities, sexual orientations, ages, abilities, cultures and religions. Well Woman Yoga Therapy for Women’s Health shares many forms of yoga to support women’s health and vitality. If you have every wondered how yoga could be of more help to support female well-being, at every age and stage of life, then this is the course for you. Yoga teachers, yoga therapists, and other health care professionals who support women’s well-being are all welcome to learn, share and dive deep into the cyclical wisdom of yoga specially designed to optimise well-being and healing in female bodies. Based on the practices described in Yoni Shakti, and developed over the past ten years, this unique experiential course integrates the healing power of women’s circles, yoga satsang, Total Yoga Nidra, mudra, mantra, bhakti and swara yoga with menstruality consciousness to create a potent feminist healing mode of complete yoga therapy for women and girls of all ages.

About the Well Woman Yoga Therapy Teacher Training

This course is all about yoga for women’s health and vital energy throughout our lives. It shares techniques to feel, nurture and build the feminine energy of Shakti for the practical healing and benefit of women in all stages of life. This approach to yoga therapy for women’s well-being is founded upon the understanding that conscious respectful awareness of the menstrual cycle, and of cycles in women’s lives are crucial to female vitality, self-respect and spiritual empowerment.

The Well Woman yoga therapy training (also known as Womb Yoga) is for yoga teachers and experienced yoga practitioners who sense that yoga could be of more practical use to all women in managing health, vital energy and well-being. It is also suitable for holistic health-care practitioners with a sound yoga background who are working in the field of women’s health and would like to integrate the healing benefits of yoga with their own therapeutic practice.

The course presents therapeutic and enlivening yoga practices to support all experiences of femininity throughout a woman’s life. Topics covered included menstruation, pre-menstrual tension, fertility, subfertility, optimal fertility, assisted conception, feminine sexuality, perimenopausal mood swings, headaches, hot flushes and post-menopausal health concerns including osteoporosis. It addresses health issues related to the female pelvic organs, including postnatal recovery and prolapse, and other issues of concern to women in particular, such as menstrual pain, low self-esteem, depression, anaemia and eating disorders.

All these issues are addressed within the context of a yoga therapeutic understanding of feminine emotional life, lunar cycles and the play of the elements in the female body. The course encourages you to think and feel for yourself, and aims to provide you with practical tools from yoga therapy and tantric philosophy to help you to build programmes specially suited to the needs of women seeking full vitality and well-being. Conscious respectful awareness of menstrual and other life cycles form the foundation of this approach to yoga therapy for women’s health.

The course combines theory and practice from yoga and tantra to offer you fresh perspectives, new understandings and a deep appreciation of the healing power of yoga as therapy to optimise health and delight in feminine energy. Practices taught include: asana, pranayama, mudra, bandha, deep relaxation and profound meditations including yoga nidra, sound meditations, moving meditations, visualisations and chants to the deep feminine.

The course content and philosophical background is set out in Uma Dinsmore-Tuli’s book Yoni Shakti: A woman’s guide to power and freedom through yoga and tantra. See www.yonishakti.co. As preparation for this training you are asked to read the introduction to Yoni Shakti – freely downloadable from here.

Three Key Ingredients of Yoga Therapy for Women's Health

Hear Uma talk about the essential aspects of Yoga Therapy for Women's Health: Bhakti, Sangha and Yoga Nidra.

Testimonial

Collaborative Learning Consolidation

During the training in order to consolidate the learning experience: Students will participate in triad experiences in which one student is the interviewer, one is the interviewee and one is the observer. Feedback will be given to the interviewer in person from the observer; Students will also participate in a collaborative learning consolidation exercise. In person group feedback will be given.

Students are also required to read Uma's book Yoni Shakti prior to the course and complete a post course case-study. There is also some optional reading that students may wish to engage with before, during or after the course. Details for all of this to be found on the Coursework tab above.

Schedule

Arrivals Thursday 5 September 11am for an 11:30am start, finishing off Tuesday 10 September at 4pm

Thursday 5 September 11:30 – 20:00
Friday 6 September 09:00 – 20:00
Saturday 7 September 09:00 – 20:00
Sunday 8 September 09:00 – 20:00
Monday 9 September 09:00 – 20:00
Tuesday 10 September 09:00 – 16:00

Further information

Women Only

Course hours: 40

Accreditation: Independent Yoga Network, International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT)

Certification: On successfully completing all course requirements, you will receive a Womb Yoga certificate of completion.

Maximum number of participants: 15

Venue and Travel info

Well Woman Yoga Therapy Teacher Training

Address

Sitaram Studio

Tanglewood

Gunhouse Lane

Stroud

Gloucestershire

United Kingdom

GL5 2DB

This venue in Stroud is Uma and Nirlipta's home.

Please note that you are welcome to arrive up to 30min before the course start time, but not before then.

Please also note that their home is also home to two friendly and sociable border collies. If you enjoy canine company you will be very happy indeed, but if you don’t like dogs, then you might be better off attending a course at another location.

What to Bring

The studio is warm and very well equipped with mats, bolsters, blankets, cushions, sheepskins and eye pillows and blocks, so you do not need to bring any yoga kit at all with you, unless you are especially attached to your own blanket/sheepskin, in which case, please do bring them along too to be extra super comfy. Please also bring walking boots or wellies (if you do not have any we have lots of spares you can borrow in most sizes), also waterproof coats and maybe hats and trousers too – even in the summer the weather can be unpredictable.

Local Accommodation

There are a number of options here:

Local B&B’s recommended by previous students
• Anna Thornhill offers a peaceful single room with great views in Bowbridge Lane, 10 minutes on foot from Gunhouse Lane. £30 per night bed and breakfast. Evening meals can also be provided on request at £10 each. Contact: Anna 01453 298917 or email: anna.thornhill@yahoo.com
• Gillian Winstone has a BnB room with a double bed and en suite bathroom, a 5 minute walk from the studio. It has it’s own entrance via lovely courtyard garden. Very clean and cosy. £50 per night – contact gillianwinstone@gmail.comor 07970 945660
• Anne Mackintosh at 6 Castle Villas, can be contacted on ahmack@btinternet.com or call 01453 766273
• The Imperial Hotel by Stroud Station, on Station Road is a five minute drive away (or 22min walk), they charge from £59 per night – contact 01453 764077 or info@imperialhotelstroud.co.uk – www.imperialhotelstroud.co.uk
• The Yew Tree in Brimscombe is a six minute drive away (or 35min walk) and they charge from £50 a night – contact 01453 887980 or info@theyewtreestroud.co.uk – www.theyewtreestroud.co.uk
• Mandy of Vale House in Chalford Vale is a ten minute drive away (07766 525664) she charges £69 a night for a single www.valehousebedandbreakfast.net
• Pammy Michell and her partner have a small double bedroom and an attic room available in their vegetarian home in Horns Road (approx. 15min walk away) – quiet house, no pets. Contact her directly on 01453 299248 or 0795 861 3093 or pammichell@googlemail.com
• There are also many other AirBnB options if you look on the site: www.airbnb.co.uk

Brownshill Monastery
Simple rooms are sometimes available in the guest house at Brownshill Monastery, about a fourteen minute drive away www.bernardine.org/brownshill-hospitality. The Cistercian nuns here have been very welcoming to our students in the past, and have hosted a number of Womb Yoga and Total Yoga Nidra courses, so if you tell them you are doing a retreat with Uma then they will know what you are doing – you can contact them through their website, phone 01453 883084 or email brownshillbookings@bernardine.org

Local Campsite
Uma highly recommends the beautiful and local Thistledown campsite in Nymphsfield as an option for those who wish to camp or bring a campervan. From £12 a night – prebooking essential. www.thistledown.org.uk

Camping in the Garden
It is possible that Uma and Nirlipta can accommodate up to 4 tents in their garden during the summer months, if you would like to camp during your course please contact Sivani on sivani@thesource.co
Please note, if you are camping:
• You need to bring your own tent, bedding and any other camping equipment you might need
• Camping is only an option on the nights within your course hours (for instance, if your course
starts on 10am on Friday and finishes on Sunday afternoon, you can stay Friday and Saturday
night but not the nights before or after the course finishes)
• You are welcome to use the lovely shower/bathroom on the ground floor during your stay
• You are welcome to offer a contribution if you are camping, suggested £15 per night in cash

If you are not driving to Stroud and will need transport back and forth from your accommodation to the studio, it often happens that another student with a car may be able to drop you, this of course can not be guaranteed. Uma recommends the local cab company Wonky Wheels 01453 767678 (landline) or 07986 562691 (mobile) – www.wonkyswheels.co.uk

Directions to Sitaram Studio

Airplane
You can either fly to Bristol Airport, from there you would need to get a bus into Bristol to Bristol Temple Meads station, then a train from there to Swindon and from Swindon to Stroud. The journey takes approximately 2hours to 2hours40min depending on connections.
The other possibility is to fly to London Heathrow. From there you get the train in to London Paddington and then you can get a direct train to Stroud (or with one change at Swindon). The journey takes approximately 2hours 30min.
See below for information of what to do once you get to Stroud.
It is cheaper to book trains in advance, you can get train times and ticket information on:
http://ojp.nationalrail.co.uk/service/planjourney/search

Train / Bus
The studio is one mile east from Stroud station.

Car
From London M4 and then off at Junction 15 to take the A419 to Swindon, Cirencester and Stroud.
From Bristol, and Wales, M4 East and then A46 to Stroud, then A419 to Cirencester.
From the Midlands and the North, M5 South then A419 to Stroud (follow signs through Stroud to Cirencester).
From the Southwest, M5 North then A419 to Stroud,

Gunhouse lane is a turn off the A419 London Road that runs from Stroud to Cirencester.(on your right coming in from Cirencester and on your left heading out from Stroud). At the bottom of the lane is Topps Tiles. Drive right up to the very top of the lane, over three sneaky speed bumps. Tanglewood is at the top.
Tanglewood is right at the very top of GUNHOUSE LANE, where it carries straight on and turns into a track and behind a five bar gate.Please do not follow the top of Gunhouse lane around to the left - this leads to Thrupp House - this is NOT Uma and Nirlipta's house.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT PARK IN FRONT OF THE BIG HOUSE AT THE TOP ON THE LEFT OF THE LANE, this annoys the neighbours.
PLEASE DRIVE RIGHT ON UP THE BUMPY TRACK INTO OUR DRIVE and park up
You can see the house from the top of the lane when you drive along the bumpy track has a circular window in the eaves.
THOSE OF YOU DRIVING – please note, there is only space for a few cars at Uma and Nirlipta's home. Some of you will be able to park at the house, but if all you drive, most of you will need then park in BOWBRIDGE LANE - you can drop off your stuff, go and park and then walk back up hill.

Booking info

Well Woman Yoga Therapy Teacher Training

Cost and Booking

The cost for this training is £1092.00 GBP inc. VAT
This includes all tuition and manual (£1008 of the cost) as well as lunch and dinner (vegetarian meals) each day (£84 of the cost). This does not include accommodation, but there are number of local options (please see Travel Info tab for details)

Inclusivity and Accessibility

We believe that these courses offer an extraordinarily rich and nourishing experience, with an abundance of information, training and opportunities for personal transformation and growth. We observe these courses to offer life-changing and profound experiences for participants. They are powerful and intense learning experiences held in circles that provide great nurture and support. We know these courses to offer a huge amount in return for the price of the course, and invite you to recognise the high value of the course in which you are investing

Our intention is to make this course accessible to every woman who has an interest in this work. So we offer support in the form of assistantship places and energy exchanges for women who may have a desire to attend the course, but feel that the full cost of the tuition could be a barrier to their attendance. We also offer a bursary place on each course to support the costs of partial payment for tuition for women who have an existing practice in sharing yoga and allied practices for women’s health, and who would like to widen their scope of service to their community by attending this course and sharing what they learn with the women in their networks. If you would like to apply for a bursary place, please write to tell us little more about yourself and the intention you have for sharing this work. We look forward to hearing from you!

Registration is closed for this event

Please read and accept Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Statement of Inclusion

Are you pregnant? Breastfeeding? Do you have young children? Or perhaps you want to know more about your eligibility – Please see our Statement of Inclusion which is a genuine welcome from Uma and details the appropriate support for women considering attending any of her courses.

Coursework

Well Woman Yoga Therapy Teacher Training

Post–coursework

Students on this course are required to deepen their learning experience by completing a short post-course assignment in the form of answering some short questions about yoga therapy for women, and completing a brief case study, that empowers the student to put into practice the learning from the course, by working individually with one women after the course to develop a yoga therapy programme to meet her health needs. This case study will be submitted within six months of completing the course and will be evaluated by course tutors: it's an opportunity to really bring this work of supporting women’s wellness back home into your community.

Pre-course Preparation

For this teacher training, there is recommended pre-course reading available to purchase by clicking on the the links below.

Reading and Websites

Don’t panic as we do not expect you to buy all these books – this is a list of resources you may care to look at.

You are invited to have a look at the website for Uma's book Yoni Shakti where you will find lots of audio and video material that gives you a flavour of the practices shared on the course.

Uma's menstrual guru for the past five years has been her very divine loveliness Alexandra Pope, author of the Wild Power, Women’s Quest Workbook, The Wild Genie and The Pill – are you sure it’s for you? All of these books are recommended reading for the course. Uma also really recommends browsing Alexandra's site to find out more about her work www.redschool.net

If you are looking for even further reading, then I can warmly recommend any one or all of the following books for uplifting and challenging perspectives on being a woman (don't agree with everything in them, but am interested to discuss this work with you!)

Caitlin Moran's How to be a Woman
Inga Muscio's Cunt - a declaration of independence
Naomia Wolf's Vagina - A New Biography

Another valuable resources to connect with is Women’s Waterworks by Pauline Chiarelli. This is fabulous, world best-selling guide to the female pelvic Ploor, written by a physiotherapist continence advisor. Chapter One is available as a free download or the whole book to purchase on the above link.

A good general overview of the background material that supports the course can be obtained from Nawa Yogini Tantra and Luna Yoga:

Ohlig, Adelheid. 1994. Luna Yoga: Vital fertility and Sexuality.Ash Tree Publishing: Woodstock, New York. Comprehensive and inspiring – full of helpful modifications and good ideas. Sadly this book has been out of print for some time, and can be a very expensive title if you do find it. The French edition is often more easily available
Muktananda, Sw. 1992 [1977]. Nawa Yogini Tantra.
Bihar School of Yoga. Munger. Full of insight and helpful yoga guidance on many aspects of womens’ health. Essential reference for this course, but be wary about the guidelines during pregnancy and birth. Apart from that, Everything else is trustworthy.

For an inspiring vision of the anatomy of the female pelvis, see The Female Pelvis. Other useful background reading is the Muladhara and Swadisthana chapters from Kundalini Tantra. I will also be referring to some of the restorative postures and remedies outlined in Judith Lasater’s book Relax and Renew (in particular the cycle of poses for “Moon Club”):

Calais-Germain, Blandine. 2003. The Female Pelvis: Anatomy and Exercises. Eastland Press: Seattle. Useful reference for this module – try out some of the exercise if you get a moment.
Saraswati, Sw. Satyananda. 1984 . Kundalini Tantra.
Bihar School of Yoga. Munger. Classic reference on chakra energetics. This is the approach on which the chakra and other energetical body information in the course is based.
Lasater, Judith Hanson. 1995. Relax and Renew: Restful yoga for stressful times.
Rodmell Press: Berkeley, California. Crucial information and guidance on appropriate restorative poses for women’s health.

For an informative, sexy, fun and empowering guidebook to our female anatomy please see Women’s Anatomy of Arousal: Secret Maps to Buried Pleasure by Sheri Winston. There is also a fantastic interview of her with Aaron Alexander called Sex Tips, Womens' Anatomy of Arousal which can be found as a free podcast on iTunes.

I would also highly recommend that you explore two US websites in preparation for the course. In terms of approaches to prolapse and the general health and support of the pelvic organs in women, please take the time to visit Christine Kent's websites www.savingthewholewoman.com and www.wholewoman.com and take a root around the articles and testimonials she has collected. I have found her approach deeply inspiring and very helpful indeed, and will be sharing some yoga practices informed by her thinking.

I also very warmly recommend that you encounter the work of Dr Christiane Northrup, either in terms of her phenomenally useful books, especially Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom: A Complete Guide to Women's Health and Wellbeing or by visiting her website: www.drnorthrup.com

With both of these websites, to access the information and articles that are most useful you have to sign up as a member. I would advise that this is well worth doing, especially if you are planning to work in this area of women's healing. Enjoy your surfing!

In addition, many of the practices taught in the course are described and/or illustrated in detail in the following texts written by the course tutor, so for that reason, if you do not already have these texts, it may be helpful for you to have copies of:

Dinsmore-Tuli, Uma. 2014. Yoni Shakti: A Woman’s Guide to Power and Freedom Through Yoga and Tantra. YogaWords Ltd, London.
Dinsmore-Tuli, Uma. 2006. Mother’s Breath: a definitive guide to yoga breathing, sound and awareness practices during pregnancy, birth, postnatal recovery and mothering. Sitaram and Sons. London.
Dinsmore-Tuli, Uma. 2002. Yoga for Living: Feel Confident. Dorling Kindersley. London.
Dinsmore-Tuli, Uma. 2008. Teach Yourself Yoga For Pregnancy and Birth. Hodder Education, London.