Recordings available for 6 months after you take the course.
Over the age of 50, at least half your female students have low bone density. Most of them are unaware of this, and with your help, they could remain unaffected by this disease for their whole lives! But without safe practices, they are more prone to fracture and the complications which can seriously and directly affect longevity and quality of life.
Yoga can help, and yoga can harm. Yoga may be the only way they are caring for their physical wellbeing, even though yoga cannot have all the answers.
But when you teach in a way that is protective, and adds the kinds of challenge that enhance bone health in many ways, you make yoga more relevant to your students as they age than it might ordinarily be.
Addressing some myths that have become widespread about yoga’s ability to improve bone density, this course is about more than the question of reversing osteoporosis or building bone. It addresses bone health in many ways regarding avoidance of compression fractures in class, avoidance of fractures from falls, helping your students regain confidence in movement after a diagnosis, increasing the likelihood of better repair after fracture, and creating more positive stress on bone than traditional asana can.
This course is a magnification of the yoga for osteoporosis module of my well known Certificate in Teaching Yoga for the Stages of Menopause YTT (accredited by Yoga Alliance Professionals), and so in essence, it has been running since 2020.
It is one of my Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider courses, giving you 12 CPD points.
Ensuring you know the risk factors for the development of osteoporosis so you can consider whether you have students likely to be affected.
Giving you confidence in your knowledge and understanding of how some yoga practices can and should be adjusted to avoid the risk of fragility, low impact, and compression fractures.
Helping you know how to adjust your teaching cues to effectively encourage maximum positive stress on muscles and bones.
Teaching you ways to creatively help your students gain confidence in movement after a diagnosis that can sometimes lead to fear of movement.
Helping you support everyone in your classes as they age, because in this Yoga for Bone Health course you will learn ways to protect everyone from many issues that decrease quality of life as the years go by, like posture, balance, confidence in walking, injury protection, core strength and more.
Teaching you effective ways to add to and adjust your current skills, and helping you to create safe, inclusive and supportive classes and workshops.
There are no texts to be purchased. You will receive an 20 page PDF manual with all the information you need, additional homework links, and access to pre-recorded content.
Plus six months access to study the entire course again.
“This course worked brilliantly in the online format! The course felt intimate even though we were not actually physically together I was so happy at that.
The content has been brilliant and thought provoking, from the information on the menopause to the practicalities and limitations of teaching a class. I thoroughly enjoyed learning from Niamh and being with the other ladies.”
“Dear Niamh.. in April (my oncologist) could see from my hip and shoulder x-rays that I had osteoporosis. It took until today to get a scan and the results show that in fact my bones are in good shape, only just into osteopenia, even improved from my last scan in 2019.
I am beyond delighted. Thank you for all your advice and guidance, both dietary and exercise; it certainly produced fantastic results!”
My work with the human body began with explorations in the Alexander Technique in the mid-1990s.
I have trained in Hatha Yoga, and studied and/or practiced most of the variations of Yoga from its most traditional roots in India, to new approaches and hybrids.
I continue to study: including with Donna Farhi, renowned Clinical Anatomist and fascia expert John Sharkey, Integral Anatomist Gil Hedley, Sarah Lo, Marlene ffrench-Mullen, Rebekah Rotstein and Lisa Petersen.
Primarily through Yoga in its most recognisable forms, and influenced by 5 rhythms dancing, somatic movement, mindfulness and anatomy, I have sought to tempt people away from dictatorial top-down regimes. So I have created methods to encourage self-agency and true embodiment, allowing the free expression of our nervous system through the physical and emotional body.
In addition to Yoga trainings, I also train Pilates and Fitness professionals, psychotherapists and counsellors via my CPD courses in Menopause Awareness & Strategies, and teach women and some men in classes, one-to-one and on retreats.
It was launching my Yoga for Menopause protocol that got me passionate about osteoporosis, and when I was diagnosed myself at the age of 52, it became very clear to me, a long term practitioner, that Yoga was not enough to prevent it. So I studied the research many teachers use to claim that Yoga increases bone density, and I am sad to say that we have some myths to bust about yoga’s ability to do that.
In the course I will help you see how some well-known protocols may not be all they seem.
The good news is there are some aspects of yoga custom made to support people with osteoporosis. There are also ways yoga is risky and less effective than I feel it could become. Certainly, yoga could be focused and added to to support bone health much more effectively.
“The content in the manual was excellent, I feel much better equipped now on how to help a woman going through menopausal stages in her life. Clear, informative and factual, the… information you gave us was excellent“.
“Niamh’s courage in challenging the often times sweeping claims of the current yoga for menopauses teachings makes her, in my personal opinion, an authentic practitioner.
I have been involved in holistic health and yoga therapy for over 30 years, and I am truly grateful to find someone who is so genuinely passionate about women’s self-care”
“Her knowledge of the human body, her ability to make anatomy fascinating, make me want to learn more.”
Click the arrows on the left to reveal each answer to the questions you may have.
For Live Training: Niamh looks forward to welcoming you to the next Live Training of Yoga for Bone Health. She’ll be in touch by email within 24 hours with next steps after your payment is received.
12 hours total, made up of 6.5 hours live, and 5.5 hours homework via instruction videos, sequence classes, nutrition talk and more.
This includes three components to successfully graduate:
This course counts for your continued education credits for Yoga Alliance and Yoga Alliance Professionals
You will receive 12 credits
Yes. You will learn specific ways to adjust many yoga asana for safety, and how to add muscular activation cues and resistance bands to optimise the positive stress on bones.
You will learn a short sequence each for
The live online training is delivered online via Zoom.
You have further hours to study in your own time.
No – graduates in overseas time zones which do not agree with Ireland have an option:
You will receive it to study within an hour of the end of the day’s teaching.
Yes you can. The content is suitable for anyone who is trained as a Yoga teacher, or in training.
However it does not qualify you to teach Yoga for Bone Health until you have graduated your RYT 200 hours minimum, and the certificate of completion will be granted only after you have graduated from your foundational Yoga Teacher Training with your main teacher.
Yes you are welcome if you have been practicing Yoga for at least 2 years.
However, please be aware that the certificate will only be granted to yoga teachers.
Teachers have said they love how approachable Niamh is, and Niamh freely welcomes emails with simple questions. Bigger concerns can be addressed in a mentoring session.
Niamh is also happy to share your events through her social media channels if you tag her @yinstinctyoga.
Niamh here for you! You can avail of my 1:1 support through my Personal Resource page here. These resources include group or private classes and retreats, and online membership.
Of course! Please reach out to Niamh personally via email here, and ask away!
“Delivered with such warmth and wisdom. Felt very safe to share or ask questions and the flow between cognitive learning and physical practice was perfectly balanced. I felt nothing was lost by the virtual format.”
“Niamh has a no frills attached teaching skill which is inclusive, respectful, honest and open. I loved every minute of this training, and feel it is something we should all be exposed to.”
“Four beautiful days filled with information, nourishment and inspiration. And superbly facilitated! I must admit I loved being in the comfort of my own space at home and still felt very connected to the whole group.”
