February 21 - March 6, 2010 | Program Cost: $2,000
(Tuition does not include room & board, please see Registration FAQ for more details)
Pranassage® is a creative synthesis of yoga and bodywork that produces deep relaxation in the receiver. Pranassage is an engaging and efficient option for those who want to deepen the effects of yoga. Certified Pranassage Practitioners are qualified to offer individualized sessions that are tailored to each client’s fitness needs. Pranassage appeals to people with no previous yoga experience, as well as the seasoned practitioner of yoga or other active forms of body-mind integration, because it provides tailored personal support for going to your next level.
Pranassage works like this. The practitioner physically moves the client’s body into a flow of positions that allow them to feel each position from the inside out. As you shift your client into interesting movements and positions, they have the opportunity to witness some forgotten possibilities for motion and action that provide balance and relief throughout every part of their being. Entering the state of deep relaxation is an optimal condition for learning new patterns of movement. Being moved in this way allows your client to watch with awareness and without having to exert any effort. The brain-mind mechanism that determines our ability to move is beneath our conscious control. When we slow down to watch and feel how our body can move into positions in novel ways that do not require effort, the movement patterning mechanism gets reeducated and neurologically reorganizes to replace inefficient patterns with fluid, harmonious and efficient movements.
Another principle behind Pranassage is letting gravity do the work. Gravity is one of nature’s most powerful forces impacting the development and alignment of your body. When you are carrying unnecessary tension, gravity exaggerates the load. When you work with gravity to discover the natural way the body is designed to move, you remain balanced and free, with all of the systems in the body working efficiently and in harmony. The assistance you provide your client turns up the volume on sensations in their body and allows them to notice where the pleasure and the discomforts are hidden. Using your body weight to accentuate the parts of your client’s body being affected, you will often be asking them the question, “would you like more pressure or less pressure?” Even the best Nautilus machine in the gym cannot adjust so perfectly to the shape and contour of their muscles. The pleasure of directed pressure increases their concentration. The discomforts which arise are temporary and can open up the flow of blocked energy, realign muscles and bones and increase the stream of blood and nutrients to parts of the body that feel like they are coming out of amnesia.
What you will learn in this 100-hour-training prepares you to begin working professionally with clients. Pranassage is grounded in the science of yoga as well as anatomy, physiology and efficient body mechanics. But more importantly, it is based in common sense. Once you get started and move beyond the practical techniques for the postures and movements, you will be amazed at how quickly confidence, creativity and inventiveness appear.
Pranassage does not require any special equipment or a massage table, and is not like a massage in which you have to remove your clothing. The receiver remains fully clothed and you don’t need oil or cream. You simply need a couple of folded blankets for a pad on the floor and a pillow.
Pranassage is not like yoga therapy in that you are not attempting to produce deep contact with the emotions that arise in various postures that are deliberately held longer for that purpose. There is no dialogue with the contents of your client’s internal experience, unless they want to report something that interrupts their relaxation. When feelings arise, you will learn how to listen to your client as a kind and caring listener. You do not need to be a therapist to be present with another human being as they come into awareness of their body. Rather, you are guided to use this experience as an opportunity to respond naturally and spontaneously from your own authentic humanity. Relaxation is a powerful practice that is useful in and of itself. We are not attempting to do therapy. We simply want to provide an opportunity to experience the delicious freedom to let go and relax deeply.
Pranassage Practitioner Training® is designed to be applied to the 500-hour track of Professional Yoga Teaching Certification.