Yin Yoga Training 2023

When: September 15 – 17, October 13 – 15, November 3 – 5, 2003

Registration Now Open – Please see our workshop page, here.

(*Students can buy all three part’s together or each part separately)

(*please see refund policy at the bottom of the page)

Foundations of a Functional Approach
to Yoga Anatomy and Yin Yoga*

When: September 15 – 17, 2023

Friday – 7pm – 9pm

Saturday – 10:30am – 6:30pm

Sunday – 12pm – 6:15pm

*15 CEUs available with Yoga Alliance

Cost: $375 (Mint Members, please contact info@mintyogastudio.com for discount information)

ABOUT YIN YOGA: This form of yoga is a slow, relaxed practice holding simple floor postures for a few minutes at a time with muscles relaxed. This style of practice is not only therapeutic for the body, it also allows for a calming of the mind and spirit and a balancing of the energetic system. By drawing awareness away from the muscles and deeper into the bones, a profound level of relaxed focus is achieved. Expect a practice that is accessible for all levels and abilities and a sincere yet casual and even humorous teaching style.

Friday, September 15, 2023  7-9 pm Tuck You Yin- The Yin aspect of Taoist yoga is a slow, relaxed practice holding simple floor postures for three to five minutes at a time with muscles relaxed. It is the ideal complement for more dynamic or “Yang” forms of yoga that emphasize muscles and movement. This style of practice is not only therapeutic for the body, it also allows for a calming of the mind and spirit and a balancing of the energetic system. It is a perfect end to a day, putting the practitioner in just the right place to crawl slowly home and sleep very soundly.

Saturday, September 16, 2023  10:30 am — Noon – Intro to Taoist Yoga, led practice – What is Taoist Yoga? Yin Yoga is one half of a Taoist Yoga practice. Based on Eastern systems of medicine and energy work, this class is the ideal blend of yin and yang, sure to inspire and balance any practice. Yang refers to dynamic and fluid movement sequences to challenge the muscular tissues of the body, mobilizing the energy and lifting the spirit. Taoist yoga practice will also include passive, relaxed Yin floor poses for deep tissue stretching, and time for relaxation and meditation. Expect a radically different perspective and practice.

Saturday, September 16, 2023  1-6:30 pm – Foundations of a Functional Approach – aka “Bare Bones”- What are we exercising and why? Empower your practice from the inside out. Rather than a focus on a universal, aesthetic alignment, a functional approach focuses on what we feel in the posture. Through hands-on testing we will learn to assess yoga postures, exploring the impact of natural differences in our bodies. This workshop will enhance body awareness in your asana practice, and broaden the scope of teaching postures and variations. A great study for all student levels and serious practitioners to take a deeper look, and necessary for yoga teachers of any style.

Sunday, September 17, 2023 12 pm- 6 pm Yin Yoga, Theory and Practice – This two-part workshop is designed for yoga teachers and practitioners who would like to further explore the underpinnings of the Yin practice and is intended to give instructors greater confidence in leading Yin Yoga classes. There are two sections to this workshop. *We encourage you to register for both, however, they can be taken independently.

Section I: Yin Yoga Led Practice- Yin Yoga practice usually targets the fascia of the pelvis and spine. A yielding practice, Yin Yoga involves variations of seated and supine poses typically held for 3 to 5 minutes. In an overly yang culture, it is too often discouraged to underdo, slow down, or settle into stillness. Ambition and even aggression are often rewarded in our material society. Cultivating a Yin attitude is the necessary antidote. The physical practice is necessary exercise for the health of the joints of the body, and the Yin mental attitude asks us to relax ambition, to soften, to listen in stillness. Time will be given throughout the workshop for questions and deeper explanation and exploration of poses.

Section II: Yin Yoga, Philosophy and Anatomy – Why does Yin Yoga feel so good and so different from other styles of yoga? It’s all about fascia! The Yin yoga postures are simple and are held in a relaxed way for relatively long periods of time. This makes them the ideal means to begin to understand a functional approach. Without exertion or hurry, a practitioner has time for introspection, and can with practice clearly feel the effects of the postures and their variations with increasing subtlety. When this skill is well-developed through the study of Yin Yoga, it is then much easier to apply a functional approach to more dynamic postures or movements. This workshop will build on the foundation of the bones and skeletal segments from the “Bare Bones” Workshop, which would be very helpful to attend, but is not required as a prerequisite.

Yin Yoga Part ll Weekend Immersion

When: October 13 – 15, 2023
Friday – 7pm – 9pm
Saturday – 10:30am – 7pm
Sunday – 9:30am – 6:30pm
*17.5 CEUs available with Yoga Alliance
Cost: $375 (Mint Members, please contact info@mintyogastudio.com for discount information)

Topics covered:
Origins of Yin Yoga
Function and Aesthetics
Functional Levels of Analysis
Segments and Movements
Assessing Limitations in Movement
Skeletal Variation
Hands-on Range-of-Motion Testing
Functional Analysis of Postures
Taoist Philosophy – Yin & Yang
The Catalogue of Yin Yoga Poses
Archetypal Poses and Variations
How to Making Yin Poses Accessible
WTF – What’s the Fascia?
Layers of a Joint
Theory of Exercise
Functional Target Areas, an Anatomical Perspective
Meridians of Chinese Medicine
The Energetic and Physiological Benefits of a Yin Yoga Practice
How to Teach from a Functional Approach
The Art of Teaching Yin Yoga as an inclusive practice
Creating a Dialogue, Skillful Instruction and Effective Communication with students with Students
Yin Yoga Immersion & Teacher Training Parts 2 and 3 – Anatomy and Application

“Everyone’s bones are shaped differently — individual bones of the body conflict with the universal laws of alignment… we have to bring to yoga practice open mindedness.” Paul Grilley

This curriculum is designed for yoga teachers and experienced practitioners who would like to further explore the underpinnings of the Yin practice, and is intended to give instructors greater confidence in leading Yin Yoga classes. Many yoga instructors have adopted a Yin Yoga practice and are teaching Yin Yoga classes based on their personal experience. While personal experience is an essential aspect of teaching, it can be greatly enhanced by the study of important anatomical concepts, and learning how to create a dialogue that guides a student’s introspection rather than directing their appearance.

The focus of this curriculum is to develop our practice and teaching from a functional perspective, meaning that our focus is on the intended effect rather than the aesthetic appearance. We begin our training at the level of the skeleton, because the bones are the ultimate determinant of our possibilities of movement, and each person’s bones are unique. As we progress, we simplify 640 Muscles into 10 Muscular Groups by common function. Then we deconstruct the major families of yoga poses to understand which poses target which area of the body, and how the poses can be adapted to suit the needs of each unique individual. This study module culminates in postural analysis exercises, developing our ability to accurately observe and communicate with our students in order to teach with greater confidence and clarity.

Friday, October 13, 2023: 7-9pm Yin Practice, A yielding practice, Yin Yoga involves variations of seated and supine poses typically held for 3 to 5 minutes. It is the ideal complement for more dynamic or “Yang” forms of yoga that emphasize muscles and movement. A Yin yoga practice emphasizes static stretching and stimulating deep connective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and lower spine. This style of practice is not only therapeutic for the body, it also allows for a calming of the mind and spirit. By drawing the student’s awareness away from the muscles and deeper into the bones a profound level of relaxed focus is achieved.

Saturday, October 14, 2023: 10:30am-noon Taoist Yoga Practice
Based on Eastern systems of medicine and energy work, this class is the ideal blend of yin and yang, sure to inspire and balance one’s practice. Yang refers to dynamic and fluid movement sequences to challenge the muscular tissues of the body, mobilizing the energy and lifting the spirit. Taoist yoga practice will also include passive, relaxed Yin floor poses for deep tissue stretching, and time for relaxation and meditation. Expect a radically different perspective and practice.

Saturday, October 14, 2023: 1-6:30pm Yin Yoga Teacher Training Curriculum
We will begin each day with a review of core concepts from previous sessions, the foundations upon which we build. Then we explore the anatomy and physiology of Myofascia, and learn how to safely and effectively target specific tissues of the body. Next we will introduce the concept of Functional Target Areas – the basis by which we direct a student’s exploration, then the concept of Archetypal Poses which we use to achieve our intentions.

Sunday, October 15, 2023: 9:30am-12pm Yin Practice
During this extended Yin Yoga practice, we will enjoy the longer rebounds that such a luxury of time affords, and explore more deeply the effects of breath-work both within and between postures. Time will be dedicated to both opening and closing periods of meditation to allow space for deepening our sensitivity and introspection.

Sunday, October 15, 2023: 1-6:30pm Yin Yoga Teacher Training Curriculum
Teaching from a Functional perspective requires that we define our intention. In the teaching of Yin Yoga, we use Pose Archetypes to target specific functional myofascial groups. We will spend the majority of this session directly exploring the effects of pose variations on the unique individual’s experience, developing an in-depth understanding of the impacts of skeletal variation, and learning how to effectively dialogue with students to safely lead them towards the intended effect of Yin Poses.

Yin Yoga Part lll Weekend Immersion

When: November 3 – 5, 2023

Friday – 7pm – 9pm
Saturday – 10:30am – 7pm
Sunday – 9:30am – 6:30pm
*17.5 CEUs available with Yoga Alliance
Cost: $375 (Mint Members, please contact info@mintyogastudio.com for discount information)

Topics covered:
Origins of Yin Yoga
Function and Aesthetics
Functional Levels of Analysis
Segments and Movements
Assessing Limitations in Movement
Skeletal Variation
Hands-on Range-of-Motion Testing
Functional Analysis of Postures
Taoist Philosophy – Yin & Yang
The Catalogue of Yin Yoga Poses
Archetypal Poses and Variations
How to Making Yin Poses Accessible
WTF – What’s the Fascia?
Layers of a Joint
Theory of Exercise
Functional Target Areas, an Anatomical Perspective
Meridians of Chinese Medicine
The Energetic and Physiological Benefits of a Yin Yoga Practice
How to Teach from a Functional Approach
The Art of Teaching Yin Yoga as an inclusive practice
Creating a Dialogue, Skillful Instruction and Effective Communication with students with Students

Yin Yoga Immersion & Teacher Training Parts 2 and 3 – Anatomy and Application

“Everyone’s bones are shaped differently — individual bones of the body conflict with the universal laws of alignment… we have to bring to yoga practice open mindedness.” Paul Grilley

This curriculum is designed for yoga teachers and experienced practitioners who would like to further explore the underpinnings of the Yin practice, and is intended to give instructors greater confidence in leading Yin Yoga classes. Many yoga instructors have adopted a Yin Yoga practice and are teaching Yin Yoga classes based on their personal experience. While personal experience is an essential aspect of teaching, it can be greatly enhanced by the study of important anatomical concepts, and learning how to create a dialogue that guides a student’s introspection rather than directing their appearance.

The focus of this curriculum is to develop our practice and teaching from a functional perspective, meaning that our focus is on the intended effect rather than the aesthetic appearance. We begin our training at the level of the skeleton, because the bones are the ultimate determinant of our possibilities of movement, and each person’s bones are unique. As we progress, we simplify 640 Muscles into 10 Muscular Groups by common function. Then we deconstruct the major families of yoga poses to understand which poses target which area of the body, and how the poses can be adapted to suit the needs of each unique individual. This study module culminates in postural analysis exercises, developing our ability to accurately observe and communicate with our students in order to teach with greater confidence and clarity.

Friday, November 3, 2023: 7-9pm Yin Practice, A yielding practice, Yin Yoga involves variations of seated and supine poses typically held for 3 to 5 minutes. It is the ideal complement for more dynamic or “Yang” forms of yoga that emphasize muscles and movement. A Yin yoga practice emphasizes static stretching and stimulating deep connective tissues of the hips, pelvis, and lower spine. This style of practice is not only therapeutic for the body, it also allows for a calming of the mind and spirit. By drawing the student’s awareness away from the muscles and deeper into the bones a profound level of relaxed focus is achieved.

Saturday, November 4, 2023:  10:30am-noon Taoist Yoga Practice
Based on Eastern systems of medicine and energy work, this class is the ideal blend of yin and yang, sure to inspire and balance one’s practice. Yang refers to dynamic and fluid movement sequences to challenge the muscular tissues of the body, mobilizing the energy and lifting the spirit. Taoist yoga practice will also include passive, relaxed Yin floor poses for deep tissue stretching, and time for relaxation and meditation. Expect a radically different perspective and practice.

Saturday, November 4, 2023: 1-7pm Yin Yoga Teacher Training Curriculum
We will begin each day with a review of core concepts from previous sessions, the foundations upon which we build. Then we explore the anatomy and physiology of Myofascia, and learn how to safely and effectively target specific tissues of the body. Next we will introduce the concept of Functional Target Areas – the basis by which we direct a student’s exploration, then the concept of Archetypal Poses which we use to achieve our intentions.

Sunday, November 5, 2023:  9:30am-12pm Yin Practice
During this extended Yin Yoga practice, we will enjoy the longer rebounds that such a luxury of time affords, and explore more deeply the effects of breath-work both within and between postures. Time will be dedicated to both opening and closing periods of meditation to allow space for deepening our sensitivity and introspection.

Sunday, November 5, 2023: 1-6:30pm Yin Yoga Teacher Training Curriculum
Teaching from a Functional perspective requires that we define our intention. In the teaching of Yin Yoga, we use Pose Archetypes to target specific functional myofascial groups. We will spend the majority of this session directly exploring the effects of pose variations on the unique individual’s experience, developing an in-depth understanding of the impacts of skeletal variation, and learning how to effectively dialogue with students to safely lead them towards the intended effect of Yin Poses.

About Matt Bio:

Matt Eshleman (BA, ERYT500, YACEP)
Matt has a strong foundation in science and medicine from graduate studies in Neuropsychology. Parallel study of Eastern wisdom traditions led Matt to pursue teaching yoga as a full-time profession, first studying Ashtanga Vinyasa, and then Yin Yoga and Functional Anatomy with Paul and Suzee Grilley. Drawing further from Grilley’s teachers Paulie Zink and Dr. Motoyama, Matt integrates these studies into what can best be called Taoist Yoga. Matt is also a practitioner of martial arts, holding the rank of Shodan at Tatsu Dojo in Cincinnati. Balancing martial training with the study of the therapeutic healing arts of Thai Yoga massage, QiGong, and Reiki, Matt brings to his teachings a very practical knowledge of the physical and energetic systems of the body.

In 2016, Matt joined the elite ranks of YogaSlackers Teachers, and also enjoys teaching Slackline and AcroYoga. Continuing studies have also given Matt opportunities to participate in anatomy, kinesiology, and cadaver dissection courses at Marquette University. Always a student, Matt is also currently learning Portuguese and flying airplanes. After operating yoga studios in Cincinnati and Louisville, designing and running 200 and 300-hour teacher training programs for a decade, Matt sought to reach more students by taking to the road full-time. Matt is now a Continuing Education Provider for Yoga Alliance, and currently travels the US leading unique educational experiences.

Workshop Refund Policy:
Full refunds if event is canceled.
100% refunds one month prior, less a $50 processing fee.
50% refund three weeks prior. $75 processing fee.
No refunds two weeks prior.