6 July - 3 August 2021
Tuesday Evenings 18:30-21:30

All too often, yoga philosophy can feel just as inaccessible as some of the morre complex and gymnastic asana.

If you’ve tried tackling yoga philosophy, and it’s ended up feeling like you’re attempting a mental handstand, then this is the course for you.

At Nourish, everything we do is underpinned by our values: it has to be joyful, inclusive & person-centered. And now we’re bringing those values and our signature approach to help make yoga philosophy more accessible, inclusive and joyful for you!

Join Harriet and Venetia for a journey over 5 weeks, which will firmly orient you in the story and perspectives of yoga philosophies ranging from Classical Yoga to Tantra, Haṭhayoga to Buddhism. This course aims to act as an introduction to these systems of thought and practice, helping you to navigate what can often seem like competing and conflicting ideas. We’ll also build a foundation in Sanskrit, before diving into the Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali.

This is a course firmly grounded in practice and experience -- along with talking about ideas, we’ll also find ways to explore these concepts in an embodied and practical way. So yes, there’ll be lectures and discussion, but there’ll also be meditation, prāṇāyāma and even some movement thrown in.

We’re thrilled to be bringing this course to you, and hope that you’ll find solace, inspiration and joy in what will be uncovered.


Course Outline

Welcome, Introduction: In our first session, we’ll identify some landmarks in the history of yoga and its surrounding philosophies. We’ll investigate the āstika & nāstika schools of South Asian philosophy, and how they relate to the study of yoga philosophy (and for us today!).

Sanskrit for Yogis: Sanskrit can be both a beautiful language, and a confounding factor for those new to exploring yoga philosophy. Learn the basic sounds of the Sanskrit alphabet, and begin to pronounce familiar Sanskrit words. We’ll also explore the historical and political context of Sanskrit, particularly how it is used in today’s yoga world.

Overview of Yoga Philosophies: In this session, we will begin to unravel common threads of yoga philosophy and begin to build our understanding of how they intersect and relate to each other. We’ll define & explore: pre-modern haṭhayoga, tantra and relationships to Buddhism, mindfulness & new age philosophies.

Introducing the Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali: We begin to turn our attention to the Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali: in this session we will explore the history of the text and Patañjali. We’ll find ways to make the Yoga Sūtra accessible and interesting for us as contemporary practitioners, as we dive into unpacking our first few sūtras.

Exploring Book One of the Yoga Sūtra: In our final session, we’ll continue our journey with Book One of the Yoga Sūtra: Samādhipādaḥ (Book on Samādhi). We’ll draw out the key themes and ideas from what is sometimes an obscure and abstract text, but contains some truly beautiful insights and approaches to practice. This isn’t a line-by-line reading: instead we’ll work thematically and highlight key sūtras as we go.


Who is this course for?
This course is suitable for anyone interested in deepening their knowledge and understanding of systems of yoga philosophy and thinking. We welcome interested students, teacher trainees, and yoga teachers.

This module is offered as part of Nourish’s 300 hour teacher training, but can be taken by any teacher wishing to improve their skills in this area as Continuing Professional Development (CPD). The module will run as five weekly sessions of three hours, and combine theory, practice and skills development.

Nourish Yoga Training's 300 hour Advanced Teacher Training is registered with Yoga Alliance (International), and is completed as a series of standalone modules which can be taken over 3 years. There are limited spaces available. If you are taking this course as CPD or part of our 300 hours, you are able to miss one session and a recorded session can be provided for the missed module only at no further cost.


Course Materials
You will be provided with a manual via PDF, with a copy of Book One of the Yoga Sūtra. You will receive a further reading list, which is recommended, rather than required reading.


Pricing
We believe in the importance and value of this training, and would like to offer a scaled pricing system, which enables attendees to pay which tier feels most appropriate for them. Please note there are NO further discounts available (i.e. no student discounts, etc).

Community price £139
Standard price £169
Supporter price £199


About the Facilitators

Harriet McAtee is the founder and lead trainer of Nourish Yoga Training. Movement, yoga, and our minds have always fascinated her. From a young age, Harriet has nearly always been involved in some form of dance, martial art, gymnastics or sport. She found yoga as a thirteen year-old and it firmly secured its place in her heart. Harriet’s teaching emphasises empowering students to embrace and nourish their bodies and minds, with a focus on embodied movement, cultivating intuition and fun. She relishes the opportunity to make practice matter in everyday life through social justice & making yoga accessible and inclusive. Harriet is currently registered with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT® 500, YACEP®).

Venetia is a teacher and trainer who is currently completing her MA in traditions of Yoga and Meditation. Learning, inquiry and subtlety have all informed Venetia’s teaching. She believes a practice doesn't have to be forceful to be effective, and after years of Ashtanga and athletics she found the quiet practice of yin and it has guided her work and studies ever since. Venetia is currently registered with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT® 500).

Let’s take refuge in Rest. There is very little we can reclaim with certainty right now, but I have found centering rest gives me a point of inner anchorage from which to navigate both our unprecedented times and the seasonal changes.

Restorative yoga is a profoundly nourishing, restful and gentle form of practice. The intention of this weekend is to introduce the key principles, postures & practices of restorative yoga, so you can begin to explore its qualities, effects and possibilities in your own practice, and if you are a yoga teacher, begin to share this practice with your students.

Given how common experiences of stress, burnout and fatigue are for many people, restorative yoga can offer an extremely supportive space for us to actively relax and rest in a way that feels held and guided.

Communal rest is oftentimes inherent to yoga as rest practice; every time we take savasana at the end of a class we have attended (physically or virtually) we are embracing collective rest. Resting in held spaces, supported by the facilitator as well the people we share the setting with, can not only take us deeper into our own rest but can also be a way to embrace how community action and activism benefits from these moments of collective inaction.


Course Outline
Sunday 4 July, 10am-1pm : Welcome, practice, what is restorative yoga?
Sunday 4 July, 3-6pm : Conditions for rest
Saturday 10 July, 3-6pm⁠⁠ : Key principles of restorative yoga, practice
Sunday 11 July, 10am-1pm : Sharing restorative yoga
Sunday 11 July, 3-6pm : Breath & restorative yoga, practice


Who is this weekend for?
For anyone looking to explore and build their understanding of restorative yoga. Perfect if you are feeling like you need a retreat from the world, to rest and lie down. It is of benefit to yoga practitioners and yoga teachers alike.

This weekend is offered as part of the 300 hour teacher training, but can be taken by any teacher wishing to improve their skills in this area as Continuing Professional Development (CPD).

Nourish Yoga Training's 300 hour Advanced Teacher Training is registered with Yoga Alliance (International), and is completed as a series of standalone modules which can be taken over 3 years. More modules are forthcoming in 2021.

There are limited spaces available. As this course focusses on a personal, experiential approach to the material, live attendance is required. You are able to miss one session and a recorded session can be provided for the missed module only at no further cost.



Pricing
We believe in the importance and value of this weekend, and would like to offer a scaled pricing system, which enables attendees to pay which tier feels most appropriate for them. Please note there are NO further discounts available (i.e. no student discounts, etc).

Community price £139
Standard price £169
Supporter price £199

About the facilitators

Harriet McAtee is the founder and lead trainer of Nourish Yoga Training. Movement, yoga, and our minds have always fascinated her. From a young age, Harriet has nearly always been involved in some form of dance, martial art, gymnastics or sport. She found yoga as a thirteen year-old and it firmly secured its place in her heart. Harriet’s teaching emphasises empowering students to embrace and nourish their bodies and minds, with a focus on embodied movement, cultivating intuition and fun. She relishes the opportunity to make practice matter in everyday life through social justice & making yoga accessible and inclusive. Harriet is currently registered with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT® 500, YACEP®).