Yoga and the Pelvic Floor and 5 Diaphragms

Welcome to Training the Pelvic Floor & 5 Diaphragms!

DATES: February 8-29, 2024.

The first week of videos will be released on February 1, 2024.

Live Zoom Meetings: Thursdays 9:30am-11:30am Pacific

In this 25 hour training, we will explore the health of the pelvic floor and the anatomy and function of the 5 diaphragms of the body. Trainees will learn how to teach students with common pelvic floor issues, such as pain, pelvic organ prolapse, and incontinence. We will also discuss working with those born with a prostate. The course is intended for experienced yoga teachers, health care professionals, midwives, doulas, fitness trainers, massage therapists, and just plain curious practitioners of yoga who want to deepen their practice.

The course includes:

15 hours of videos plus and addition time on reading and short homework. (Reading to be assigned closer to start time)

4 Live Zoom calls for questions and reflections.

Course Learning Objectives

Upon completion of training, you will be able to:

Describe basic pelvic floor anatomy to students and clients.
Develop an awareness of the three muscular layers of your pelvic floor and explain techniques to students for developing awareness of their own pelvic floors.
Practice a variety of breath techniques for pelvic floor health and guide students in exercises that incorporate these practices.
Analyze pelvic floor complaints and symptoms and determine how they relate to common pelvic floor conditions.
Design asana sequences that address pelvic floor muscles that have too little tone (hypotonic) and too much tone (hypertonic).
Instruct students using appropriate language, easy to understand cues, and adjustments using verbal techniques and props.
Describe basic anatomy of the 5 diaphragms, beginning with the feet, to students.
Understand the connection and alignment of all the diaphragms of the body and why this is of value to students and clients for their feelings of health and wellness.

Topics include:

In-depth anatomy of the diaphragms, pelvis, hip flexors, rotators, and connective musculature and how they translate into pelvic health.
How posture affects the pelvic floor.
Identifying hypertonic vs. hypotonic muscles and the difference between a strong muscle, a tense muscle, and a loose muscle
The role of the breath and how this impacts the pelvic floor.
How to teach breath and asana to people with both too much and too little tone in their pelvic floors.
Guidance on gender-neutral language and working with transgender students.
Working with pregnant people.
Working with people with prostates.
Restorative yoga for the pelvic floor.

All videos and assignments will be self-paced. Please keep in mind that the recommended time to be 60-70% complete will be one month, so that you will be prepared with questions and reflections, for the live calls.

Program Dates: February 8-29, 2024.

Cost: $397 early bird by January 25 / $497 USD regular

25 hours Yoga Alliance CE credits. 23 Hour APD with International Association of Yoga Therapists.

Rachel Haskovec

Sam is amazing!

This was my first opportunity to study pelvic floor specifics in a yoga training. I loved how open the conversations were! Since this area of the body is rarely talked about , it was a safe environment to ask questions & hear other people’s experiences. Learning about the musculature of the diaphragms & surrounding muscles in addition to how we can effect changes in those muscles by having better posture & breathing properly was key to understanding overall pelvic health. It was helpful to learn about anatomical neutral & the contributing factors to the shortening or lengthening in the muscles in the pelvis.

The material covered is information that everyone needs to know about pelvic floor health. By teaching specific poses that address hypertonicity & hypotonicity it gives me as a yoga teacher the tools to help people address potentially painful symptoms.

I now incorporate this knowledge into my regular alignment classes & it’s terrific to have conversation strike up so we don’t feel alone or isolated within our own experiences.

Marlo Drago

Sam’s soul oozes with love and gratitude and that spills over to her students. Her zest and love for what she does makes you feel safe, loved, and excited to delve into self-study. She taught me how to calm my mind, open my heart, and know that it will be OK.

Melanie Gingerich

I came to Therayoga with some spinal injuries and associated back and hip pain, and took a restorative yoga class with Samantha. After 12 years of being a yoga student, it was such a wonderful surprise to be introduced to this wonderful type of healing yoga. Samantha truly has a gift she empowers her students to take the best care of themselves!

About Samantha Akers

Samantha is a C-IAYT Certified Yoga Therapist, E-RYT 500 Yoga Instructor and Massages Therapist with an extensive background in structural anatomy and is a certified Massage Therapist, as well as a certified Hatha, Kundalini, and Kids yoga teacher. Sam earned certification as a mindfulness teacher through the Mindfulness Institute of Berkley. She has been practicing and teaching yoga since 1999.

Sam's love of therapeutic yoga inspired her to open TheraYoga Studio, in Los Angeles Ca. From there she went on to develop the TheraYoga Method, which is not only a 200 and 300 hour teacher training, but also encompasses smaller trainings and workshops in Restorative Yoga, Mindfulness and Yoga for Special Conditions, Fascial Fitness in Asana and Yin Yoga.

Find out more about Sam here: https://www.therayogamethod.com/about

Yes, I'm In.

$397 early bird by January 25 / $497 USD regular

DATES: February 8-29, 2024. 1st week of videos are released on 2/1.