Teacher Training
Upcoming Trainings
- September 17 - 21, 2008: Combined Prenatal/Postnatal Training
Austin, Texas
www.yogayoga.com/seLytleTraining
Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training Program
Pregnancy offers women many physical, spiritual, and social challenges as they prepare for motherhood. Yoga practice during pregnancy can help them prepare for these challenges with awareness, strength, and grace, and it is rapidly becoming one of the most popular ways of preparing for childbirth in the United States.
OmMama, LLC, offers a comprehensive thirty-hour prenatal yoga teacher training program in Richmond, Virginia, and at various yoga studios throughout the country. This program will provide you with a rich framework and effective tools to:
- Offer professional, responsible, and appropriate support to pregnant women.
- Understand the physiological, emotional, and social considerations of the childbearing year so you can create your own prenatal classes from a solid foundation.
- Learn which yoga postures are especially helpful during pregnancy and how to adapt them as necessary.
- Address the common discomforts of pregnancy with specific yoga postures and sequences.
- Effectively market your prenatal program in your own community.
- Encourage women to access and trust their own deep wisdom and strength.
This training is open to yoga teachers and pregnancy health professionals with a committed yoga practice. Completion of a 200-hour yoga teacher training program or its equivalent prior to taking this training is strongly recommended. Approval of the instructor is required for applicants who have not yet reached this level of experience. The training includes significant prerequisite reading, supervised teaching opportunities, and take-home assignments to be completed after the workshop. Students who successfully complete all requirements of the course will receive a certificate of completion. Applicants are strongly encouraged to register at least one month in advance of the scheduled training session in order to complete the prerequisite reading.
Postnatal Yoga Teacher Training Progam
This one-day training will guide you through the physiological and emotional considerations of the postpartum period as you learn to lead effective, appropriate, and supportive postpartum yoga classes for women and their babies. The curriculum will cover:
- how to address common discomforts of the postpartum period with asana,
- pelvic floor and abdominal strengthening,
- ways to include babies in yoga practice,
- supporting mother/infant bonding,
- and fostering community in your circle of new mothers.
A recommended reading list will be sent upon registration.
Teacher Bio
Leslie Lytle combines a background in Iyengar-style yoga and vipassana meditation with imagery, poetry, and a deep understanding of the experience of pregnancy and birth. She has worked with pregnant women since 1992, first as massage therapist, then as doula, and most recently as yoga instructor. A Certified Laban Movement Analyst and Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance, Leslie holds a bachelor's degree in Movement Studies and a master's degree in Sociology, where her area of interest was women's experience of the body and health. She has completed advanced training in Prenatal Yoga with Janice Clarfield and Colette Crawford, instructor training in Prenatal/Postpartum Exercise with Elizabeth Noble, and is certified as a Pre/Postnatal Health and Fitness Instructor with Dancing Thru Pregnancy® Inc. Leslie brings to her yoga classes a love of movement, an eye for alignment, and a deep respect for the body's inherent wisdom. Her goal is to empower women in their childbearing years to move into parenthood with grace and awareness.
Training Structure
The prenatal training is structured into a four-day intensive or four days spread over two weekends, usually offered approximately a month apart. The postnatal training is a one-day, stand-alone workshop or may be added on to the end of the prenatal intensive. Where possible and by prior agreement, the hosting studio will arrange a practicum prenatal class for the trainees to practice teaching pregnant students under supervision. Written assignments are to be completed within eight weeks after the end of the training. Leslie is now developing her 2009 schedule. If your studio is interested in sponsoring a prenatal or postnatal teacher training, send inquiries to info@ommama.com.
Comments from past participants:
"A truly heartfelt sharing and instruction to teaching prenatal yoga. I feel as if I have been given the tools to be able to start teaching prenatal and for continuing to learn about birth, prenatal and postpartum yoga. Thank you!
—Vickie Christian, Yoga Instructor
“This exceeded my expectations. I was unsure how this would be considering I'm not yet a yoga instructor, yet I felt welcomed encouraged, stretched, and embraced throughout. Leslie is an exceptional teacher with a treasure trove of knowledge that is quite amazing. I appreciate her love for yoga and her deep caring for all of us."
—Patricia Kinser, Nurse Practitioner
"I attended wanting to gain knowledge for my prenatal students, and ended up gaining knowledge about myself! Thank you for a very inspiring and empowering experience."
—Meichelle Norwood, Yoga Instructor
“The prenatal teacher training was a lot more than I expected and I got so much out of it. The choice of textbooks was excellent and the manual was also very helpful. I am very grateful for Leslie’s knowledge and expertise in the area of perinatal yoga and loved the nurturing, honest approach in addressing various aspects of pregnancy and also dealing with loss. Leslie brought out the best in all of us by creating a safe place to learn from each other and share. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to be a part of the prenatal teacher training. Thank you."
—Selena Pang, Yoga Instructor
“It exceeded my expectations by delving into the physiology and politics of pregnancy and childbirth and providing a larger context for teaching and addressing the interests and concerns of pregnant women.”
—Yvonne Herbst, Yoga Instructor
Teacher Resource List
The following people have successfully completed the OmMama Prenatal Teacher Training. All of the individuals and organizations listed below operate independently and are not employees of OmMama, LLC. Please contact these teachers directly.
Arizona
Kewal K. Khalsa
Phoenix, Arizona
602-271-4480
kewalkaur@gmail.com
www.YogaAndBirth.com
Texas
Laura Cunningham
Austin, TX
512-921-9939
laura@yogayoga.com
Melissa Stephens
Austin, TX
minevarez@yahoo.com
Lisa Taggart
Austin, TX
512-326-3900
lisat@yogayoga.com
www.yogayoga.com
Tracy Liberman
Austin, Texas
512-431-3360
tdliberman@yahoo.com
Deborah Herriage
Austin, Texas
512-576-5118
dherriage@gmail.com
www.heydeborah.com
Amanda Daly
Dripping Springs, TX. 78620.
512-858-7312
adaly1000@aol.com
Lindsay Plante
Marble Falls, TX
830-693-2962
lindsayplante@yahoo.com
Virginia
Melissa Calkins
Midlothian/Richmond, VA
804-432-0134
melissa.calkins@gmail.com
Becky Crigger
Williamsburg, Virginia
(757) 221-0774
becky@bodybalancewilliamsburg.com
www.bodybalancewilliamsburg.com
Sue George
Harrisonburg, Virginia
Phone: 540-746-8468
info@shenandoahyoga.com
www.shenandoahyoga.com
Shannon Gray
Richmond, VA
804-814-8563
charlesshannongray@yahoo.com
Yvonne Herbst
Fauquier Hospital - LIFE Center Warrenton, VA
540-937-7234
ymherbst@comcast.net
Patricia Kinser
Richmond, VA
804-515-9642
prenatalyogarichmond@yahoo.com
www.two-day.com/richmondprenatalyoga
Ann Marie Lewis
Chester, VA
804-536-5869
annmarie@yogaonlocation.com
www.yogaonlocation.com
Laura Zuckoff CYT, ERYT
Midlothian, VA
Laura@journeyhomeyoga.com
www.journeyhomeyoga.com
804-516-2641