In-Person & Livestream Courses
100-Hour In-Person Gentle Somatic Yoga & Wellness® Program
with Add-on Certification Optional
In-Person Gentle Somatic Yoga & Wellness® Program with James Knight, E-RYT, CHSE and/or GSY Faculty
These courses are offered at various locations worldwide.
Please see our Events Page for the current schedule.
Our Next In-Person training is hosted at Yogaville, Virigina November 3rd-8th, 2023
Would you like to immerse yourself within a spiritual community experience, all the while practicing/learning GSY? Enjoy taking part of the Ashram’s daily activities: complimentary yoga and meditation classes, spiritual talks, eat organic vegan food, and walking forest trails on their 750 acre property including along the James River.
The GSY Level 1 training is part of the Spiritual Retreat Weekend. The difference is that participants from the Retreat weekend will stay a few days longer to complete the GSY training. Please email us if you have any questions.
To register and learn more about this program, visit the Yogaville Ashram website here.
Explore this Life-Enhancing Curriculum that you won’t find anywhere else!
Who Would Benefit From Attending The Gentle Somatic Yoga & Wellness® Program?
This Program is designed for EVERY BODY – from the everyday person looking to empower their self-care, to the highly-experienced Movement Educator looking to enhance the leading edge of their skill set.
Gentle Somatic Yoga & Wellness attracts a wide variety of movement experts including yoga teachers, yoga therapists, body-workers, dance teachers, occupational therapists, as well as other health care professionals who would like to expand their scope of practice to include a more therapeutic approach to mindful movement. Upon successful completion of the Program, you will be qualified to integrate 85+ Somatic Movement Flows® (SMFs) into your classes and/or private practice to ensure remarkable results while expanding your specialty niche.
With that in mind, however, it is not necessary to be a movement educator in order to benefit from what these courses offer. They are open and available to ANY and EVERYONE interested in empowering themselves with skills to enhance their health and well-being.
Next LIvestream level 1 training
Theme: Your Healing Journey Begins with a Supportive Foundation…
August 5 & 6, August 12 & 13, August 19 & 20 (*Aug. 20 is for students wanting certification) All sessions will be recorded if you need to miss one or more sessions
In Gentle Somatic Yoga® (GSY) Level 1, we guide you into learning 25+ Somatic Movement Flows®. GSY is a science-based AND heart-informed method to empower you with reliable foundational skills for self-care and self-healing.
To register and learn more about this program, visit the registration page here.
Next Livestream level 2 training
Theme: Your Healing Journey Continues with the Whole Self…
September 16 & 16, September 23 & 24, October 13 & 14 (*Oct. 14 is for students wanting certification) All sessions will be recorded if you need to miss one or more sessions
Continuing from the foundation in Level 1, Level 2 expands your self-care tool kit to gift yourself and others. This includes learning techniques to expand the Energy Body (aura and chakras), and also create balance with the Emotional Body.
Prerequisite: You must have completed the Level 1 training to be able to take this course.
To register and learn more about this program, visit the registration page here.
Add-on Certification Option
After you have successfully completed a Course (GSY Practitioner Levels 1, 2, & 3) you receive a GSY Certificate Of Completion demonstrating your commitment to the art and science of Gentle Somatic Yoga & Wellness®. Additionally, you have the opportunity to go the extra mile and become a Certified Practitioner by purchasing the Certification Option and passing the certification’s Final Teachback requirement.* This is done by submitting a Final Teachback video (full instructions HERE). Your teachback video will then be evaluated by our Certification Staff, after which you will receive a detailed report card with personal feedback. Once certified, you will be acknowledged with a Practitioner Certificate as having demonstrated your competence and skill for providing Gentle Somatic Yoga & Wellness in an official capacity, either one-on-one or in a group setting, as part of your professional instruction service(s).
*Prerequisite: Successful completion and certification of each Level is required before taking the next Course. For example, you must have successfully completed the Level 1 Course in order to be eligible for Level 2 Course. The certification option must be purchased separately for each Level completed.
Frequently Asked Questions
A typical Gentle Somatic Yoga & Wellness Practitioner Levels 1 and 2 training day includes:
- GSY Class – A direct firsthand experience of this scinece and heart-based practice, beginning with a GSY class consisting of 5 – 7 Somatic Movement Flows®, pandiculation* (our signature technique that offers immediate and long lasting results), pranayama, and meditation; by gathering together as a Collective Soma right from the start, we set the tone for the day and prepare our Somas to receive and learn new information.
- Learning Lab – A signature of the GSY Training, where we deconstruct the Somatic Movement Flows into their constitutent parts and pieces, with a goal to highlight and explore tips and modifications; this occurs within a non-hierarchical, participatory discussion.
- Lecture – PowerPoint presentation of the neuroscience, history, philosophy and methodology of GSY.
- Practice Teachback – Participants pair-up and teach the day’s Somatic Movement Flows to one another; this further supports the embodiment of the practice.
- Review – Case studies pertaining to common physical conditions and challenges; integration; closing circle.
What Type of Learning Experience do these Courses Offer?
- A typical Gentle Somatic Yoga Teacher Level 3 training day includes:
- Assisted-Pandiculation Demonstration – Customized hands-on pandiculation* sequences that are tailor-made to address specific needs (e.g. chronic pain, injury recovery, performance enhancment). These are James Knight’s tried-and-true gems derived from his decades-long clincial and bodywork client experiences. Even the layperson can utilize these tools to provide healing assistance to others such as family members and friends.
- Practice – Participants pair-up and rehearse the techniques with one another; this supports the embodiment of those techniques.
- Review – Case studies pertaining to common physical conditions and challenges; integration; closing circle.
* Pandiculation is a highly-effective therapeutic technique utilizing one’s own body weight and the forces of gravity to assist with neuromuscular re-education. Assisted Pandiculation is where another person provides touch in order to expedite this re-education process. For an expanded explanation of the techniques, click HERE.
Adjunct Module Options
These are optional GSY specialties offered in a week-end workshop setting, distinct and apart from the in-person and online coursework:
- Chair Module – SMFs modified using the chair as a prop; applicable for specialty populations such as Seniors, desk workers, and corporate wellness programs
- SomaDynamics™ Module – Learn and embody unique Stance and Gait SMFs that incorporate the latest scientific discoveries in generative movement; facilitated by certified Restorative Exercise Specialist Teya Alden.
- Presence Module – The quality of Presence is a defining factor in the art of movement that is uniquely Gentle Somatic Yoga. This quality has been embedded into the practice through James Knight’s own personal teaching style. In order to cultivate and incorporate one’s own intuition as an enhancement to the skill of teaching, this module introduces the dimension of “sacred container” as a space in which information becomes available and exchanged.
How Can I Apply My Education And Certification?
- Expand your scope of practice by teaching customizable Gentle Somatic Yoga classes to your population. Have the option for designing targeted classes based on your student and client needs.
- Experienced yoga teachers, yoga therapists, and movement educators can develop advanced classes and workshops to support the next step in movement as a healing art for their students. Apply the principles of Gentle Somatic Yoga and provide workshops and programs to help with common physical conditions such as neck and shoulder tension, chronic back pain, tight hips and hamstrings. If you are already working with specialty populations, Gentle Somatic Yoga will distinguish your expertise in the field.
- If you are a teacher/educator looking to address a niche demographic such as the desk worker, Senior, beginning yoga students, plus sizes, pregnancy, cancer survivors, PTSD/trauma, etc., this practice is a terrific way to establish yourself as a specialist in the field.
- Physicians, Chiropractors, Physiotherapists, Massage Therapists, Bodyworkers, and other practitioners can teach stand-alone Somatic Movement Flows to their clients and patients. The new skill set you will learn through this Gentle Somatic Yoga training will dramatically advance all therapeutic and healing processes.
For more information or if you have questions, please email us.
EARN 100 HOURS OF YOGA ALLIANCE APPROVED CEUs
