Very often students look to their yoga teachers to educate them about their own bodies, especially when they are injured or experiencing discomfort. As a teacher, if you have basic anatomical and pathological information on hand, you’ll be better equipped to help your students practice mindfully and safely, and guide them through accessible sequences during their road to recovery. 

In this course for teachers (or anyone interested in supportive practices for those working with injury or pain), Erica dives into some of the most common conditions yoga teachers see among students: back injuries, knee injuries, wrist injuries, and headaches. You’ll learn what questions to ask your students in order to best serve them, definitions of these conditions and the typical pain symptoms associated with them, and which poses are typically contraindicated.

You’ll also learn practices and modifications you can offer to students who are recovering from injury or experiencing discomfort—including a forward-bend-free sun salute for back injuries, a knee-strengthening lunge sequence, helpful wrist stretches, ways to use props to support students who have headaches, and more. 

We hope the material in this course is useful to you and to your students! You can leave your questions for Erica in the comments section—she’ll be checking them regularly.