Daoist Flow Teacher Training
May 2024 – January 2025
£3,500

 

An eight-month teacher training held in-person and online with Jean Hall, James Rafael and guest teachers.

 

Daoist Flow is a unique movement practice that fuses the ancient Eastern traditions of yoga and qigong, with the contemporary embodied practice of somatics. We draw from the philosophies of yoga, Daoism and Buddhism to create a unique approach to movement and spirituality.

Course Content

This unique teacher training with Jean and James is offered with dedication, humour and depth. Over the many years they have worked together, Jean and James teach a learning that is enquiry-based where embodiment is experiential. Trainees come away with practical skills that enable them to take their love of yoga and movement into the world with compassion, clarity and confidence.

In this Daoist Flow teacher training, they will share their love for yoga, qigong, and somatic movement principles, resulting in a far-reaching and vibrant landscape of practice that unites the disparate practices into one. In the ever-evolving world of contemporary yoga, it’s more important now than ever to honour these traditions with respect and humility. They are as relevant today as they always have been; practices to be treasured for ourselves and those we choose to pass them on to.

This training is open to those who wish to teach yoga and movement but equally open to those who wish to deepen their knowledge and approach to mind-body movement.

 

Key Themes covered:

  • Principles of energy and alignment

  • Primary movement patterns

  • Intention

  • Holding space

  • Breath awareness and pranayama

  • Yogic, Buddhist and Daoist philosophy

  • Yoga vinyasa flow practice and theory

  • Qigong practice and theory

  • Somatic anatomy

  • Meditation and mindfulness

  • Methodologies of teaching

  • The art of seeing

  • Demonstration

  • Injury prevention

  • Restorative and healing practices

  • The art of assists and adjusting

  • Sequencing – classes, 1:1, courses

  • Role of the teacher – student teacher interaction

  • Voice and chanting

Learning Outcomes

  • Ability to teach safe, clear, creative and effective yoga classes informed by natural, universal movement patterns from somatics and the softness, energy and intention of qigong.
  • A deeper understanding and appreciation for yoga, somatics, qigong, movement, embodiment, creativity and passion for practice and teaching.
  • Knowledge of somatic anatomy and its relevance and application to yoga and movement.
  • Skills to communicate and share yoga as a healing and transformative practice in skillful, safe and authentic ways.
  • Confidence in your self-practice.
  • Confidence to be in the role of the teacher and support your students’ health, balance and wellbeing to the best of your ability.

Your Teaching Team

Jean Hall and James Rafael understand that some students take a training because they want to teach for the first time, while others wish to deepen their existing teaching. But they also understand that many students join a training simply because they want to further their own understanding of the practice they know and love, a practice that so often has transformed their lives and given so much to them.

 

Whatever draws your heart to this training, Jean and James will guide and support you through your journey. They have a combined experience of more than 30 years practising and teaching yoga, qigong, somatics and other movement practices such as internal martial arts and dance. This training represents the intersection of their passions, perspectives, vision and expertise, refined over many years.

 

Jean and James will be the main course leaders and teachers of asana, qigong, movement, pranayama, meditation, teaching practices, embodied philosophy and anatomy with the additional faculty members of:

  • Somatic anatomy – Aki Omori
  • Voice and chanting – Dan Breakwell
  • Yoga philosophy – Daniel Simpson
  • Daoist philosophy – Mimi Kuo Deemer

Eligibility & Accreditation

Successful applicants will be required to have:

  • Two years of regular yoga practice.
  • A general understanding of yogic philosophy.
  • An openness and willingness to explore yoga experientially.
  • A commitment to fulfilling the course requirements in respects to attending modules, completing homework and deepening their yoga, movement and meditation practice

 

Certification will be determined based on completion of the required hours, full engagement and interaction with the course contents and a satisfactory level of completed assignments.

To successfully complete the training and gain accreditation students are required to:

  • Attend a minimum of 90 per cent of the course. If a student misses more than this, a catch-up session will be agreed with the assistants or tutors at an additional charge.
  • Complete practice hours with senior teachers
  • Complete all course assignments to a satisfactory standard
  • Attend all peer group study exchange meetings (online attendance allowed)
  • Complete all mentorship requirements: observation and assisting hours with senior/approved teachers

 

This course is accredited by Yoga Alliance USA at 200 hours.

Course Structure & Schedule

  • Four five-day modules (Friday – Tuesday)
  • One closing four-day module (Friday – Monday)
  • Inter-module online meetings (between each module you’ll have 1 meeting with the course leaders, 1 with your mentor and 1 with your study group)

 

Pre-Course Online Introduction: May 10, 6:30-7:30pm (UK time)
Module 1: May 17-21 – Nature Is Our Teacher: Vinyasa Yoga, Somatics, and Qigong
Module 2: July 19-23 – Movement Patterns and Vinyasa Yoga: Rediscovering Our Natural Movement Wisdom
Module 3: Sept 27-Oct 1 – Vinyasa Yoga and Qigong: Harmonising with the Movement of Energy and Intention
Module 4: Nov 22-26 – Fundamentals of Teaching, Creativity and Sequencing
Module 5: Jan 17-20 (2025) – Practicalities of Teaching and What a Deeper Practice Means

 

Structured over 8 months, including a 2 month mentorship period at the end, this immersive teacher training will include four modules (five consecutive days each) and one closing module (four consecutive days). Between modules trainees will meet in small groups, attend and observe classes, practice teaching, and complete a total of four short written assignments, two case studies and course reading.

 

The nature of this teacher training is based upon the understanding that we learn best from our personal experience. Therefore each module will be experiential and exploratory so that trainees can develop a felt understanding (somatic) and embodied knowledge of yoga, energy and meditation practices as well as the principles underlying them.

 

There will be no final exam, but throughout the course modules, teaching practices and assignments there will be on-going assessment by the senior teachers and faculty member’s through observation and feedback. This will also extend into the mentorship period.

 

Trainees who fall behind in meeting the course requirements will be supported in catching up and improving in the areas which they may not feel confident in. Deferral is considered a useful and viable option to enable trainees to graduate at a later date if necessary.

 

This approach will be integrated with practical teaching methodologies so that trainees can effective share this knowledge and emerge as skilled, articulate and embodied yoga teachers. Because we believe good teaching is based on openness, commitment, compassion and integrity, this training will NOT include assessments or marks.