Prices: All 3 days: $125; Friday only: $35; Saturday only: $65; Sunday only: $95

We will cover:

- Introduction to Taoist Anatomical Analysis - Yin/Yoga Sutras of Paul Grilley - Interactive hands-on study of anatomy - 14 Functional Segments of the Skeleton - Understanding and discriminating sensation: Tension vs Compression, Muscle vs Fascia, Physical vs Subtle Energy - Finding skeletal landmarks and testing range of motion - Communication: When to listen/observe, when to speak/lead - Introduction to sequencing - Prayer for Teacher and Student (aka Shanti Prayer)

BIO: Joe Barnett, ERYT-500, has been teaching for over a decade and has certifications in Yin Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga and Acro Yoga. His primary focus of study is Functional Anatomy for Yoga and all forms of movement. Joe is a senior student of Paul Grilley, a true Yogi Scientist who is largely responsible for the current rise in the popularity of Yin Yoga and Functional Anatomy. Joe now travels nationally and internationally year round, assisting his teacher as well as offering his own presentations at studios and conferences all over the world.

YIN YOGA is a very simple practice. We settle into an asana for 3-7 minutes and slowly relax our muscles to allow the deeper drier tissues - the connective tissues that wrap our muscles and make up our joint capsules - to be safely and therapeutically stretched, stimulated and strengthened.

The alignment rules of the postures are also simple, but more importantly they are functional and organic. We listen to our bodies and lead ourselves into the shape that follows the natural contours of our spine, pelvis and hips. However, bringing ourselves into this simplicity can be quite challenging. The practice of being still and quiet for minutes at a time can be trying enough, let alone while dropping into a powerful stretch that moves across wide sheets of fascia and drops deep into the ligaments of the joints. And listening to our bodies to find the natural alignment of the pose requires a power of discrimination, and an understanding and familiarity with the ever-changing sensations in the body.

In this training, we will analyze, observe and practice all of these elements of Yin Yoga in depth. We will examine ourselves on a personal level with ancient meditation techniques that guide us into a steady awareness of the changing sensations in the postures. We will study with slides of real bones and by articulating the joints on a plastic skeleton. But mostly we will have an interactive, hands-on study and examine each other with anatomical range of motion (ROM) tests. The study culminates in a truer understanding of the infinite variety of human bodies (from the bones up), an understanding of why every posture should be modified to the individual, and the basic techniques to help guide each Yin Yoga student with their unique skeletal structures into the appropriate asana for them.