Teaching Pranayama: The Basics
with Cyndi Lee
9 Hours of Learning1
For Yoga Teachers and Bodyworkers
Study From Home
Unlimited Course Access
Learn how to integrate the benefits of pranayama into your life and work
Pranayama is a practice of getting familiar with your life force energy through the vehicle of the breath. Through various techniques, which range from manipulating the breath to simply observing the natural breath, pranayama can help us feel more physically and mentally integrated.
Cyndi Lee's Teaching Pranayama: The Basics will give yoga practitioners and teachers, bodyworkers, and health professionals the tools to enrich their own pranayama practice and learn how to effectively share it with their students, clients, and patients. This three-day training will include practicing and teaching breath awareness and breath manipulation techniques, such as sama vritti, ujjayi, nadi shodanam, viloma, and kapalabhati. Sessions will include simple stretching, dharma talks, practicing pranayama techniques in reclined and seated positions, and designing pranayama classes.
In this course, you’ll:
Study the benefits of various pranayama techniques.
Learn how to integrate pranayama techniques into yoga classes and private sessions.
Gain the confidence to lead pranayama classes.
Understand how breathwork relates to yoga philosophy.
Explore breathing’s relationship to effort, holding, sustainability, resiliency, and the unknown.
Learn how to take refuge in your breath to create inner stability.
The full schedule is:
Session 1:
Introduction to pranayama: The unexpected value of this practice in our real life
Practice: Breath awareness and nadi shodanam
Contemplative writing exercise
Deconstructing the format of a pranayama class
Homework assignment
Session 2:
Practice
Discuss homework assignment
Benefits of pranayama
Breath movements and practice tools: breath awareness, breath manipulation and regulation, winds, and chakras
How to use props
Homework assignment
Session 3:
Pranayama vs Restorative Yoga vs Meditation
Postures
Practice: Exploring retention and exertion
Feedback
Teaching pranayama in a yoga class
Meet the Presenter
Cyndi Lee
Cyndi Lee has been teaching pranayama for over two decades to yoga students, hospital chaplains, meditators, and seniors. In fact, she’s shared pranayama practices with both 500 hungover MTV executives and with 900 students of Pema Chödrön. Her favorite experience has been the joy of teaching her own 85-year-old mother who has Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Cyndi has studied pranayama with Dharma Mitra, Patricia Walden, Judy Friedman, and Rodney Yee. Cyndi believes that remembering that breathing is a precious, universal experience is the key to offering pranayama in a way that is respectful, effective, and inspiring. She has a unique ability to integrate yoga philosophy into basic breathing instruction, to gently lead students toward their own insights, and to always encourage a sense of discovery and delight.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is this training designed for?
This training is for yoga practitioners, yoga teachers, bodywork professionals, breathwork professionals, and anyone who is interested in developing a more conscious relationship with their own breathing.
I’m not a yoga teacher but want to learn more about breathwork practices. Can I take this training?
Yes! You do not need to be familiar with yoga in order to benefit from this training.
Are there any prerequisites for this course?
There are no prerequisites for this training; however, it will be helpful if you are able to comfortably sit and move around on the floor.
Are there any props I will need for this course?
If you have yoga props available, please have the following nearby: three bolsters, four or five yoga blankets, four yoga blocks, and one yoga strap. You can also use items from around your house as props: three or four pillows from your bed or couch, four or five thick blankets or quilts, and a long cloth belt (or something similar such as a long pet leash or bathrobe tie).
Is there a required reading list?
There isn’t a required reading list, but recommended reading may be suggested during the training.
Will there be partner and/or group work?
For those who wish to teach pranayama, there will be homework where you will practice teaching the techniques you learned in class to a friend. You will do this outside of the online class time.
I have a medical condition that impacts my breathing. Will this training teach me how to manage that better?
We will not be addressing any medical or therapeutic conditions in this training, nor will we be studying the anatomy of breathing. This training is entirely experiential and is for people who do not have specific issues with breathing.
Do I need to have a Yoga International membership to take this training?
No. You must create an account to access the training materials but you do not need to pay for a membership. If you'd like a membership you can sign up for a free trial to test it out first! A membership includes unlimited access to classes, meditations, articles, member courses, and more.
Can I get contact continuing education hours if I’m a registered teacher with Yoga Alliance?
Yes, currently Yoga Alliance is accepting all continuing education completed online. This includes both contact and non-contact hours. In order to receive continuing education hours for the training, you will need to complete all live sessions and pre-recorded sessions.
Teachers: Get 9 Hours of Continuing Education
Yoga Alliance requires all yoga teachers to accumulate at least 30 hours of continuing education every three years. Currently, you can fulfill your 20 non-contact hours and your 10 contact hours online.
Fulfilling these 9 hours is as easy as logging into the Yoga Alliance website and entering your hours after you’ve completed Teaching Pranayama: The Basics. Continue your yoga education with this course and more from the Yoga International library!