Fewer than half the cells in our bodies are human. We are home to an astounding 39 trillion non-human microbes. What’s more, our microbiome hosts more genes than there are observable stars in the universe. Understanding how our microbiome works, the principles that power it, and the way it shapes us can boost our health […]
Archives: Courses
Menopause Lab
Each year, 47 million people enter menopause globally, a number expected to reach 1.2 billion by the year 2030. And yet, surveys show that more than half are unaware of the symptoms of menopause, and both surprised by and unprepared for the transition.. This course empowers people in perimenopause and beyond by translating emerging research […]
The Therapeutic Alliance + the Inflammatory Effects of Projective Identification
Projective Identification is a psychological defense mechanism in which sensations and emotions so intense as to unravel someone- think rage, shame, despair, envy, or self-hatred- are forced into someone else (a therapist, teacher, healer, or loved one) without warning or awareness. Unprocessed, it can leave us metabolizing other people’s most difficult feelings and sensations- often […]
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Emerging Research and Treatment
Novel and integrative approaches to depression, inflammation, and light-dark cycles reveal an interactive effect with startling implications for health, well-being, and longevity. We have biological clocks in our brains and bodies. Knowing how these clocks function and how they impact our health points us to powerful methods for healing. This class examines: This Masterclass focuses […]
Empathic Regulation for Health Professionals: Boundaries, Balance, & Embodiment
Do you often wonder which emotions are yours, and which belong to someone else? When people you care about are hurting, do you feel their pain so deeply that it’s hard to separate—even after they’re out of crisis mode? In relationships, do you donate so much of your own natural resources that you suffer from […]
Neurodiversity + Neurodivergence: Science, Psychology, Social Context, & Practical Tools
This course provides yoga therapists with key information from emerging areas of biomedical research to help determine additional techniques for working with people who have neurodivergent body-mind orientations, and for understanding the social context of neurodivergence. The course also offers practical tools for yoga therapists who also have this orientation, to support their own health, […]
ADHD: Science, Psychology, Social Context, and Practical Tools
ADHD is a developmental disorder seen children and adults. It spans challenges in multiple domains of self-regulation, including inhibition and impulsivity, executive functioning, emotional regulation, and sustained attention and distraction control. At the same time, ADHD also includes anomalies of embodied experience. This workshop draws from emerging research in the science, psychology, and embodied experience of […]
Getting Under Our Own Skin: Fascia, Interoception, and Emotional Health
Interoception refers to the ability to pay attention to bodily sensation. Also known as our eighth sensory system, interoception is a valuable training ground for self-regulation. This inner sense can be developed through mindfulness of body sensation, breathing, and other nodes of focus. In addition,novel studies point to fascia as a substrate for interoception and […]
Body Clocks: Improving Seasonal Affective Disorder, Depression, Sleep, Jetlag, and Well-Being
Almost all species have internal rhythms and a sense of time, which are the focus of a fieldnow known as chronobiology. Our internal circadian (24-hour) clocks generate and shape daily cycles in our physiology, emotion, and behavior. This class explores our circadian body clocks, why they matter to our health, and what we can do […]
Neuroplasticity, Dynamic Rest, and Well-Being
Neuroplasticity refers to the way the brain and nervous system change in response to experience, plastic meaning mutable. One of the most powerful and liberating ideas in the field of neuroplasticity is that it’s about more than what we practice. Neuroplasticity has two distinct elements. This course addresses each one and outlines the nervous system […]
Yoga Therapeutics + the Productivity Paradox
This Masterclass focuses on the pressure to produce, to do more, faster, better. It examines the social context of this pressure and several ways in which the drive to produce impacts knowledge and healing practices like yoga, psychotherapy, and the wellness space. The class explores implications for our work as teachers, healers, parents, and people. […]
Inflammation, Emotional Balance, and Embodiment
Neuroscience has increasingly demonstrated the inextricable link between inflammation, physical health, and emotional well-being. This Masterclass explores what inflammation is and where it occurs in the mind, brain, and body. It examines: Learning Objective: Participants will understand what inflammation is, how it impacts emotional health, and be able to discuss several ways to alleviate it.
The Science and Social Context of Trauma, Embodiment, & Resilience
Recent revelations have brought sexual trauma and PTSD to the surface in the yoga, mindfulness, and larger world. This Masterclass will address trauma as a systems issue. It will explore the social context of sexual trauma in relation to race, gender, ability, and vulnerable bodies. We’ll address: Learning Objective: Participants will understand trauma’s social context, […]
Interoception, Body Resonance, and Relationship Health
What is body intelligence- and how does it support and build social intelligence? Your body has a mind- a power, presence, and awareness- of its own. This power, presence, and awareness play a key role in diffusing conflict and building connection with others. This Masterclass investigates: The class finishes with three live consults that allow […]
Gut Wisdom: Accessing the Power of the Enteric Nervous System
The core body isn’t just a physical structure. In fact, our gut has a mind of its own. It’s highly intelligent, and can act independently of the brain and nervous systems. It regulates immunity, inflammation, and emotional health. It also contains a microbiome of incredible sophistication. In this Masterclass, you’ll learn: And we’ll examine this […]
The Science, Psychology, and Social Context of Body Image
Body image isn’t a mental construct, a picture that’s stuck in our heads and in need of an upgrade. It is a social construct. Multiple outside forces affect body image, and some of them benefit when it suffers. This Masterclass examines the social context of body image and the cultural forces that shape our self-to-body […]
Balancing Anxiety: Building Resilience in the Mind, Brain, & Body
Most of us experience anxiety, from practical concerns over work, childcare, housing, finances, and health to existential worries about meaning, purpose, and our future as a species. Anxiety is part of this moment, and part of the modern human condition. Emerging research points to the importance not of calm but resilience, the ability to feel […]
Engaging with Grief, Loss, & Depression in a Rapidly-Changing World
Over the last decade, science has shed new light on the factors that lead to well-being, but some of the most important insights haven’t yet reached mainstream understanding. Until recently, depression has been viewed as a genetic and biochemical problem to be managed solely through talk therapy and medication. And yet, revolutionary new research supports […]
How to Sleep Well: The Science of Sleep, Dreaming, and Longevity
Until recently, the function of sleep was relatively unknown. This class examines emerging findings from the science of sleep. We review the stages of sleep, when they occur, and why they’re important to physical and emotional health. We discuss the glymphatic system- the brain’s waste removal system- and its relation to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. […]
Mindful Movement: Immunity, Mood, and Well-Being
Why do yoga and exercise have such beneficial effects on health and well-being? And what can we do to boost these effects? This Masterclass explores mindful movement, a special category in emerging research. We’ll examine: You’ll learn powerful ways to enhance your current meditation, movement, and exercise practices. Learning Objective: Participants will be able to […]
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