🤰Prenatal and Postpartum Yoga Teacher Training ✨

🤓 Yoga teachers or not, female or male, here's a course for someone keen to have a deeper awareness of themselves!

🌸🌻🌷🌼🪻🌺

After completing my 200 hour vinyasa yoga teacher training (YTT), the next training I was eyeing was a Prenatal and Postpartum YTT. (I'll use the term "pre/postpartum" from here on since it's a shorter and more mother-centric term) There was no doubt that I would like to learn from Dr Amber Sawyer because she was the guest lecturer for the pre/postpartum module during my YTT. Here's a breakdown of my experience in Aug 2023:

🧘🏻‍♀️ 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

90 hours equated to approx 10 days. Our course was a full time course so we started with a Sunday afternoon circle to settle in and thereafter, studied over 10 weekdays (we got weekends off!).

🧘🏻‍♀️ 𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲

7.45am - 9:15am Yoga Practice

9:15am - 9:35am Break

9:35am - 11:45am Theory/Practicum

11:45am - 1:15pm Lunch

1:15pm - 3pm Teaching Methodology/Practicum

3:15pm - 5pm Theory/Practicum

5:15pm - 6:15pm Yoga Practice

The timings seem kinda awkward because of the 90 min lunch break! The studio has a 12-1pm class so we had to vacate during that time. I appreciated the long lunch break anyway 😋

🧘🏻‍♀️ 𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘂𝗺

Beyond asanas, much of the content was focused on bodily changes that happen during pregnancy, during birth and after birth. There was a LOT of physiology and biology but Amber was really good at breaking the information down!

Part of the curriculum included guest speakers outside of yoga but relevant to the field eg pelvic floor physiotherapist, doula, midwife and a lactation consultant - which I really appreciated because I managed to clarify myths or misconceptions! 😊

and my goodness, her manual is amazing! It's packed with information and photos of asanas as well as citations and references to other resources!

🧘🏻‍♀️ 𝗩𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲 (& 𝗹𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀)

Amber did the training at Hom Yoga River Valley. I'm a little biased towards Hom because this is the primary studio that I usually practice at 😜 the studio typically provides 2 towels, and props are readily available - blocks, bolsters, cotton blankets. The RV studio is beautiful but its location is inconvenient - simply because it's not directly near any MRT stations (as compared to the Hom Yoga Orchard).

There are few affordable food options within the mall. However, you'll be able to find local kopitiam among the HDB estate across the road (~8 min walk away).

🧘🏻‍♀️ 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀

We had recommended reading materials (Amber worked hard to collate a list) but they were not compulsory. We had daily reflection questions which were not too difficult to think about. Occasionally we got surprise quizzes where we'd take turns to answer - kinda scary at first but Amber makes the environment so nurturing and supportive! Everyone in class helped each other out a lot too.

At the end of the training, we received a Certification of Participation. In order to receive a Certificate of Completion (ie to say that you have OFFICIALLY COMPLETED the YTT), we'd need to complete the homework which included attending pre/postpartum yoga classes and reflecting about them, and submitting sequences. Hom was very gracious and allowed us to access their classes for free during the period of training! After submission, Amber returned our assignments with detailed comments! 🥹🥹

🧘🏻‍♀️ 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁

Since Amber has relocated to Spain, she hosts bi-annual calls with graduates as a way to connect with us and to answer any queries or difficulties we had faced while teaching or practicing.

I cannot imagine any other teacher as hard-working and caring as Amber! 🥹💗

🧘🏻‍♀️ 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀

Amber's YTT is guided by her personal practice of embodied yoga. She is a great teacher as she provides a balance of support as well as empowerment to students. Being a researcher by training (she has a PhD in Biomedical Engineering 😱), she is detail-oriented yet she illuminates kindness and grace.

I have not had the chance to formally to teach pre/postpartum yoga but my personal practice has shifted so much. This increased awareness of my embodied female body has made me more understanding of my body - in a way, respectful to the cyclical nature of my body.

I've been much kinder to myself. 💖

🌟 I highly highly recommend her course. This is not only for yoga teachers for but anyone keen to increase their sense of awareness and embodiment! 🥹🥹💗

👀 For more info, visit http://ambersawyer.com

#Lemon8SG #MyLemon8Diary #yogasg #course #yogateachertraining