Specialized Trainings

20-hour yin yoga teacher training
•••••••••••••

Kelly Bay… E-RYT 500, C-IAYT

Friday, October 11, 2024: 5:30 - 8:30 pm (break included)
Saturday, October 12, 2024: 1:00 - 8:00 pm (break included)
Sunday, October 13, 2024: 12:30 - 7:00 pm (break included)

Yin Yoga Teacher Training is an introductory teacher training program designed for yoga instructors who want to deepen their understanding and practice of Yin yoga. The training provides a comprehensive and immersive learning experience that equips instructors with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to share the transformative practice of Yin Yoga with others.

Through this 20 hour training, participants will learn:  
- The principles of Yin Yoga and how they target the connective tissues in the body
- How to safely & effectively guide a practice, including functional alignment and modifications
- The philosophy & history of Yin Yoga, as well as its energetic and emotional benefits
- To broaden their ability to lead a yin yoga class that is inclusive and safe for all bodies
- How a yin yoga class expands nervous system capacity and supports well-being

Trainees are strongly encouraged to read: 
- Bernie Clark, The Complete Guide to Yin Yoga
- Sarah Powers, Insight Yoga

•••••••••••••

Training components

Theory and Philosophy
Students will learn the history, principles, and philosophy of Yin yoga, including the concept of Yin and Yang energy, the meridian system, and the benefits of a Yin practice.

Anatomy and Physiology
Students will study the anatomy and physiology of the connective tissues, joints, autonomic nervous system and meridian theory in each Yin yoga pose. This knowledge will help instructors understand how to safely and effectively guide students in poses.

Techniques and Practice
Participants will learn how to sequence and structure a Yin yoga class, including how to lead students through poses, provide adjustments and modifications, and create a supportive and meditative atmosphere.

Meditation and Mindfulness
The training will include instruction on incorporating mindfulness and meditation practices into Yin yoga classes, as well as techniques for cultivating a meditative state during poses.

Teaching Methodology
Instructors will learn effective teaching techniques, communication skills, and how to create a safe and inclusive space for students of all levels.

Basic Traditional Chinese Medicine
Meridian theory related to the yin poses, including energetics of seasonal influence and well-being.

Certification
Upon completing the training, participants will receive a certification as a Yin Yoga instructor, which may allow them to teach Yin Yoga classes at studios, gyms, retreats, workshops, and other settings.

$375, registration required

•••••••••••••

about the instructor

Kelly M Bay is an E-RYT 500 hour yoga teacher and a C- IAYT yoga therapist. She is also a Licensed Massage Therapist.

She discovered the practice of yoga at the age of seventeen. She completed 200-hr Tantra Hatha training in 2012, a second 200-hr Doaist teacher training in 2014, and her 500-hr yoga therapist certification through the Center for Integrative Yoga Studies. She began teaching weekly trauma informed yoga classes to court involved adolescent girls at an inpatient facility in 2013 and co-developed Trauma Informed Yoga For Girls.

Kelly is a LoveYourBrain certified lead teacher. Her personal experience with TBI as a child has taught her the human body and brain are capable of healing beyond our ability to comprehend.

Kelly has been leading and developing Anatomy and Yoga Teacher Trainings for many years, and skillfully weaves her understanding of physiology, healing, and body systems into all her work.

20-hour training for mental health + health care professionals
•••••••••••••

Barbara Ruzansky… E-RYT 500, owner/director of West Hartford Yoga (WHY)
Jen Leavitt… MSW/JD, RYT 200

Bad Hair Day on Planet Earth: The intersection of mental illness, holistic healing, and community
Friday, November 15, 2024: 5:15 - 9:00 pm (break included)
Saturday, November 16, 2024: 1:00 - 9:00 pm (break included)
Sunday, November 17, 2024: 12:30 - 5:30 pm (break included)

Join Barbara Ruzansky, author and owner of West Hartford Yoga (WHY) and Jen Leavitt, MSW, JD and trauma informed yoga teacher, for this weekend workshop designed specifically for mental health clinicians seeking to incorporate holistic and somatic practices into their work with clients.

The workshop is inspired by Barbara’s decades long struggle with mental health, addiction, and eating disorders, as chronicled in her book Bad Hair Day on Planet Earth and her recovery through holistic health practices.

Learn how yoga, meditation, nutrition, and community building can provide a complementary approach to mental health treatment. This training will provide powerful tools to support your clients’ healing along with a deepened sense of hope, possibility, and engagement in your work as a clinician.

•••••••••••••

The weekend will include experiential exercises and psychoeducation.  You can expect the following:
- Yoga postures and flows that promote healing through somatic connection
- Meditation practices to expand capacity for self-reflection & self-compassion
- How specific foods impact mood and the impact of nutrition on brain health
- The latest research on the benefits of incorporating whole-body practices into traditional therapy
- An experiential journey into the healing power of community

$375, registration required / no yoga experience necessary

•••••••••••••

This program has been approved for ten (10) Continuing Education Credit Hours by the National Association of Social Workers, CT and meets the continuing education criteria for CT Social Work Licensure renewal.

Approval also meets the continuing education criteria for CT LMSWs, LMFTs, LPCs, and licensed psychologists.

about the instructors

Barbara Ruzansky, E-RYT 500, founder and director of West Hartford Yoga (WHY), is widely known throughout Connecticut for her challenging yoga classes as well her compassion, support, and humor. As a teacher and community leader, Barbara encourages self-acceptance while helping her students strive to reach their personal best. Her conviction that yoga can spark health and fulfillment is at the heart of her teaching.

Barbara is author of the recently-released memoir, Bad Hair Day On Planet Earth, a story spanning three decades living with serious mental health issues, including depression, addiction, and eating disorders. After years of therapy, she began a companion journey into the world of yoga, whole foods eating, and holistic living, through which she eventually found healing. This book — told entirely through a compilation of “found objects,” such as journals, letters, artwork, and audio tapes — chronicles her struggles and her messy, nonlinear journey through recovery.

Additionally, Bad Hair Day On Planet Earth lays down the roots of Barbara’s holistic practices, from the moment she began to practice yoga through her integration into the macrobiotic cooking community to the opening of WHY, a culmination of her lifelong dream to help people, break the stigma surrounding mental illness, and hopefully forge a new path of awareness, understanding, and compassion.

Jen Leavitt, MSW/JD, RYT 200, is WHY’s former studio manager and she also teaches WHY Power classes at the studio. A 2011 graduate of the WHY Teacher Training program, she is a certified Therapeutic Yoga Instructor and Yin Yoga Teacher.

 Jen creates an energetic, vigorous, sweaty practice for those looking to move and breathe. She has explored many different paths along the yoga road, including Bikram, Ashtanga and Kripalu. Her classes combine many of these traditions with the challenging WHY Power flow, encouraging students to move safely beyond their edge. 

Her personal practice has served as an anchor through various life experiences, including divorce, recovery, and spiritual growth. Trained as both a social worker and a lawyer, Jen has worked for many years in the juvenile court system. Jen also offers training in trauma-informed yoga for yoga teachers and mental health practitioners.