YOGA FOR SENIORS 

A Weekend Teacher Training Program with Monica Cordes 

Learning to teach yoga to seniors safely and mindfully is becoming an increasingly important skill in the yoga teaching world.

As our population ages steadfastly, understanding the common physical and mental issues and having the qualifications to teach yoga to this large segment of our population will provide teachers with a unique and very rewarding niche.

Part 1 – Fundamental of Teaching Yoga to Seniors
Oct 5-6, 2013

• teaching all levels and chair only Seniors Yoga classes
• health challenges, precautions and contraindications
• learn to modify postures to accommodate students needs
• self massage and Laughter Yoga
• pranayama for seniors
• visualizations and meditation
• spirituality and aging
• specialty classes: Yoga for Arthritis, Heart Disease and depression 

PART 2 - Therapeutic Approach to Teaching Yoga to Seniors  
Nov 23-24, 2013

Emphasis on teaching older adults with less mobile and greater health challenges than in Part I. Get a sense of practicing Yoga in a Seniors’ body. Put your skills to the test by teaching the group.

Note: it is recommended that you take time between trainings to integrate the material and practice teaching Seniors.

Prerequisite: Teacher Training Part I

Part II Curriculum includes:

• Yoga for Cardiac Rehab & COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
• coping with disease-related pain
• dementia/Alzheimers
• palliative care
• examination of scientific evidence supporting the use of Yoga with older adults to help us interface with the medical community
• teaching in non-studio settings such as in bed (hospital or home) and wheelchairs

Monica Cordes  began teaching yoga to seniors about 15 years ago. She adapted traditional yoga poses using a chair, either to sit on or as an aid to balancing. At first it was intimidating to deal with a group where there were so many health challenges, but the feedback was so positive that she persevered, encouraged by how much her students were getting out of the practice.

 Five years ago, wanting to learn more to expand her program,  she enrolled in all the courses offered, mostly in the United States, and then together with my own teaching experience, designed a training of my own.  This path has proved to be most rewarding for her : she continues to be inspired both by the senior students she teaches and the yoga teachers she certifies to teach them.  
Monica has completed: Yoga for Seniors Teacher Training (with Kripalu teacher Jean Short in Halifax), Silver Age Yoga (online course based in San Diego), Therapeutic Yoga for Seniors (Duke Center for Integrative Health, North Carolina), Lakshmi Voelker’s Chair Yoga (Kripalu Center, Massachusetts).