Well Woman Yoga – Yoga for Women’s Health and Well-being

Why we need specialist Yoga for Women’s Health and Well being

Women transform through life in cycles. The reproductive cycle changes bodies and psyches -whether women have children or not. From the onset of menstruation, to childbirth and the menopause and after, Yoga can help women to make the most of their life transitions when their yoga practice is wisely adjusted to support the spirals of growth that each gateway opens.  Each new stage offers opportunities to heal new or old patterns and face current challenges, with an expanded connection to and love for themselves and others. Yoga supports personal evolution. WellWoman Yoga does so in a way focused on women. At any phase in cycles and spirals, at times of personal challenge, yoga can bring an unprecedented state of vitality at any age. 

WellWoman Yoga is open to interested yoga teachers, both men and women. 

Here are 5 reasons for teaching WellWoman Yoga in your community:

• Most yoga practitioners are women, whose needs to transform their practice at times of life transitions are not met, or not met enough…
• The increasing medicalisation of the reproductive cycle, from adolescence to motherhood (or not) and menopause  creates fragmentation and alienates women from their “selves”.
• “The body keeps the score’ (Bessel Van der Kolk). Gentle yoga can be powerful to unravel the impact of past experiences causing repeat patterns that do not support wellbeing
• Women love yoga taught in connecting “circles of friends” 
• WellWoman Yoga practices are accessible to ALL women, from all walks of life and all levels of fitness, from micro-movements in bed or on chairs to intelligent progressions tailored for experienced yoga practitioners and dancers. Increased opportunities for actual interaction across ages and stages are invariably positive.

WellWoman Yoga is not a new brand of yoga that excludes other styles of practice. It is an invitation to interweave gentle, subtle and interactive ways of teaching into your current style of teaching.

Here are 5 skills yoga teachers can expect to gain from WellWoman yoga training

1. Teach yoga as you know well with fresh insights into anatomy and physiology. Understand and communicate how neuro-endocrinology links ancient texts of Yoga/Ayurveda with new research on women’s health using selected visual aids and tips to “see” somatic patterns
2. Draw from an extensive ‘kit’ of adaptations, modifications and progressive sequences developed over many years of teaching yoga to women of all ages
3. Explore the power of safe and caring touch in interactive yoga practice (pairs, small groups and circles)
4. Orchestrate your classes (or one to one sessions) to cover the whole palette of emotions women bring, using yoga to create positive awareness without words
5. Develop your own yoga practice with new levels of self-understanding, compassion and enjoyment of life.
   

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Well Woman Yoga Diploma

Well woman Yoga Diploma

Well Woman Yoga Training

Well Woman Yoga offers all women unique ways to traverse the hormonal, physiological and emotional changes they inevitably go through during their life cycles, whether they have previous yoga experience or not.

• Well Woman Yoga enables all women to increase their health and well-being.
• This therapeutic yoga empowers women on and off the mat, at all stages of the reproductive cycle and beyond. 
• The practices promote hormonal balance and the regulation of the menstrual cycle before and after childbirth or during the childbearing years. 

Whether you are already passionate about improving women’s experiences of pelvic health, menstruation, reproductive health or just starting in this area, this course will give you the experience and skills you need to start running effective enjoyable sessions in general well woman yoga classes. Or you may choose to offer more specific themed classes or workshops and tailored 1:1 sessions, specialise in offering classes for a particular life stage such as fertility or menopause or integrate the practices into your existing classes. 

On This Course You Will Learn …

• an enjoyable fluid and dynamic style of yoga without compromising on a safe range of motion, stability and balance. 
• a range of practices and adaptations making it equally accessible and beneficial for beginners and those who have practised yoga before.
• how to help women create or regain strength and flexibility in healthy spinal alignment contributing to their wellness. 
• how the practices relate to the nervous system and endocrine system, women’s emotions and life stage.
• micro-movements of the pelvis and isometric toning with the breath that promote deep awareness and health of the whole pelvic area, which is central to women’s vitality.
• to create a welcoming and caring environment which enhances all aspects of well woman yoga.
• to be able to offer circle practices, small group and pair practices to promote a sense of connection while allowing each woman to develop her own transformative yoga practice.
• how to integrate appropriate mudras and sound practices.

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This Training is Facilitated by …

• several different tutors bringing a wealth of experience together to share
• breakout rooms to give time for discussion 
• looking at case study scenarios
• online resources including additional notes, articles and references 
• a modular format giving you time to digest and integrate between modules
• access to the recordings of the online sessions so you can enjoy practising and rewatch again when you want
• full feedback on coursework (for those wishing to complete the full qualification)

Structure of Birthlight Well Woman Yoga Diploma Training …

• 3 compulsory core training modules 40 contact hours: Foundation, Pelvic Health & Menstrual Health + 1 self study Ayurveda module
• 1 elective module – see dates for 2024 Electives
• Each weekend comprises: Friday 6.30-8pm, Saturday 9.30am-5pm, Sunday 9.30am-1pm (UK times)
• Self study and Coursework, for those wanting the full certification, which includes documenting case study classes (6 for foundation & 3 for the Elective)

Whilst the Well Woman Yoga course does not include Pre & Postnatal Yoga, the Well Woman Yoga course very much complements our Perinatal Yoga training. Students may start with the 3 compulsory core modules or they may begin with one of the elective modules as a standalone course and then decide to take the full training. Ideally the Diploma is completed over a period of 2 years.

WHY YOU SHOULD TRAIN IN BIRTHLIGHT WELL WOMAN YOGA

#1. Well Woman Yoga offers all women unique ways to traverse the hormonal, physiological and emotional changes they inevitably go through during their life cycles, whether they have previous yoga experience or not. With Well Woman Yoga all women can increase their health and well-being because

• they can enjoy a fluid and dynamic style of yoga without compromising on a safe range of motion, stability and balance. 
• strong and flexible muscles in healthy spinal alignment contribute to wellness, this is the foundation of our teaching in relation to the nervous system and the endocrine glands.
• this therapeutic yoga empowers women on and off the mat, at all stages of the reproductive cycle and beyond. 
• the practices promote hormonal balance and the regulation of the menstrual cycle before and after childbirth or the childbearing years. 
• Micro-movements of the pelvis and isometric toning with the breath promote deep awareness and health of the whole pelvic area, central to women’s vitality
• they can practise yoga in a welcoming and caring environment which enhances all aspects of their yoga
• in face-to-face classes, circle, small group and pair practices promote a sense of connection while allowing each woman to develop her own transformative yoga practice

#2. You will learn a new skill set to specifically support women’s health and well-being, this may be a totally new area of teaching depending on your background or add substantially to what you are already offering, whether you come from a yoga teaching, yoga therapy or another professional background.

#3.  Whether you are already passionate about improving women’s experiences of pelvic health, menstruation, fertility, menopause, or just starting in this area this course will give you the experience and skills you need to start running effective enjoyable sessions in generalised well woman yoga classes, more specific themed classes or workshops and tailored 1:1 sessions or integrating the practices into your existing classes.

Structure of Birthlight Welll Woman Yoga Diploma Training

• 3 compulsory foundation training modules + 1 self study Ayurveda module
• 1 elective module 
• Self study and Coursework

What You will Learn

• Principles and hands-on techniques to help you support wellness patterns in women, irrespective of age, health status, degree of fitness or life trajectory. 
• A strong focus on core strength, understood both anatomically and energetically
• Yoga practices promoting hormonal balance and the regulation of the menstrual cycle before and after childbirth are presented and explained in the light of current advances in yoga anatomy and principles of yoga therapy, combining Ayurveda and bio-medical approaches. 
• The fundamentals of structure and movement together with breathing patterns as specific to women’s bodies
• The main principles of Ayurveda with relevance for women’s health, in parallel with neuroanatomy and neuroendocrinology (with particular attention to the Vagal system and hormonal balance). 
• Appropriate mudras, use of breath and sound.
• Experiential anatomy, supported by the use of visual materials and research articles, to assimilate anatomy and physiology in direct ways.
• Tried and tested sequences with therapeutic benefits that can be integrated in programmes for groups or individuals
• Elements of practice that yoga teachers can integrate in therapeutic programmes to individualise the practices according to women’s ages, energy levels and health status.
• Resources for creating a welcoming and caring environment for teaching Well Woman Yoga in studios or in clinical settings.

Assessment, Self-study & Coursework

You will be assessed throughout the course with quizzes and informal teaching practicals. To gain your Diploma you will need to submit:

1 case-study for the Foundation 

1 case study for the Elective Module

 Each case study documents 4 successive sessions, in a group class or a 1:1.

Answer a worksheet of 20 questions. 

A recording (10 minutes) of your teaching as specified by the course tutor

As an extension of the training the self-study hours and coursework consolidate your understanding and skills. All coursework is thoroughly read and commented on to make sure you continue refining and developing your teaching beyond the training days.

Testimonials about Birthlight Well Woman Yoga Diploma Training

“Well woman yoga has led me to Ayurveda, it has helped me to heal, balance my hormones and my cycle and to grow. I have inspired other women in Bristol and one of the ladies attending my workshops a year ago is now in the process of completing her Diploma with Francoise Freedman. I feel blessed…”

“I have also done the wellwoman course with Francoise. It’s a wonderful course that I can’t recommend highly enough. I’ve worked successfully with women trying to conceive, prevented women from having surgery with prolapses, helped women manage the side effects of menopause so that they can have a better quality of life as well as manage my own endometriosis (from used to having to take strong pain relief, which was giving me gastro problems, to now not taking any pain relief at all). It has been a life-changing course.

Yoga for Women’s Health Short courses and Well Woman Yoga Electives

Yoga for Holistic Menopause

Holistic Menopause

Menopause is one of the big transformative phases of women’s lives that may leave them struggling with their yoga practice as well as their everyday lives. Join us on this short course to learn how the Birthlight yoga approach and practices can help women to adapt more easily to the changes whether they are experienced yogini or new to yoga. The Birthlight Menopause course has continually evolved since it was first taught in a Well Woman Yoga module created for the Yoga Biomedical Trust by Françoise Freedman in 2002. As in all Birthlight courses, participants experience and learn to teach enjoyable yet effective practices that are accessible to all women.

This course includes:

• An integrated knowledge of physiology of the menopause as a process that ends women’s reproductive cycle but that can help them renew themselves in their lifecycle, whether they are mothers or not.

• Yoga Asanas for alignment, grounding and centring through physical changes: strengthening, bone-building and stamina-creating practices.
• Yoga breathing practices that help regularise hormonal fluctuations and promote balance
• Practical Yoga Sequences that women can use at home to cope with fatigue, adrenal depletion, hot flushes and insomnia
• Pelvic floor yoga the Birthlight way with special applications for the menopause (with bandhas)
• Pelvic and self-integrity (pelvic floor, lower chakras and the Hara life-centre) with yoga 
• Less known yoga practices to engage with emotions and access calm inner strength: transforming anger and grief with heart connection 
• Playful and creative flow practices to enliven Shakti – the hub of primordial feminine creative energy in women’s lives – during menopause years.
• Pathways to relaxation to soothe the nervous system, from quick easy practices to an exploration of deeper relaxation in restorative poses. 
• An opportunity to share with other women about the experience of the menopause in an honest and non-judgemental environment

This short course is open to Yoga teachers and other professionals working with women’s health and well-being.If you have already done Well Woman Yoga courses, you may want to update your skills and learning and use this as a CPD. 

As a teacher or a professional, you may want to use this course to support your own menopausal journey.

Participants will receive a digital certificate of attendance. If you would like more than a Certificate of Attendance you can complete the coursework to gain a Birthlight Certificate in Yoga for the Menopause. Coursework consists of a worksheet (10 questions) and two documented case-studies (either one group and one individual, or two individual case studies, face to face or online).  Coursework can be completed within six months and will be carefully assessed with personalised feedback. This Short Course also counts as an elective module of the Birthlight Well Woman Yoga Diploma.

What our Participants Say …

I will recommend this course to other yoga teachers. In my opinion, yoga teachers should be aware of various aspects of women’s lives. We all have women of all ages in our classes and thanks to the knowledge gained in this course, we could adjust the practice to their needs!

— Sally, 2023

I really enjoyed this training and connecting with other yoga teachers over the weekend. Lots of ideas for including practices to support peri-post menopausal women, through classes or workshops. Belinda is an excellent tutor and ensures everyone has the chance to contribute and share their ideas.

— Sarah, 2023

Yoga for Breast Health

Course Overview for Yoga for Breast Health

Regulated by the endocrine system, breasts respond to hormonal changes through women’s lives from teens to post-menopause years. Breasts matter about how women feel about themselves .

Breast health is ignored in most yoga teacher training courses. Yoga teachers and therapists interested in promoting women’s health with yoga will gain new insights about how to adapt practices to suit women’s breasts, rather than women having to endure discomfort. 

This Well Woman Yoga module/CPD offers relevant knowledge from Ayurveda and Yoga, and a wealth of practical resources that women can use at different stages of their lifecycle whether they wish to take care of their breasts in a preventive perspective or to maintain their health and wellbeing after undergoing breast cancer treatment.

Participants will gain awareness of ….

• Breast anatomy and the key ‘muscles of yoga’ that can be activated in supporting breasts. What happens when breasts change
• Anatomy and Physiology of breasts in Ayurveda
• Why and how spinal alignment and correct breathing matter
• The relation between breasts, heart, and the lymphatic system. Breasts and shakti are related
• How to accommodate yoga asanas to breasts rather than breasts to asanas

Practices taught will include …

• Two Self massage of breasts sequences (one short, one longer), with instructions about using oils suitable for the breast tissue
• Self-care for lymphatic drainage (with and without axillary nodes)
• Yoga-based practices and Asana variations to promote breast health
• Yoga sequences to ease sore breasts during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and lactation period
• Breast-based self-nurture with yoga for all women, using mudras and visualisation
• Gentle but effective stimulation of marma points to promote breast health

Participants acquire knowledge of …

• How to practically help women celebrate their breasts as they are and find harmony with their breasts through their life trajectories and choices (augmentation, reduction, implants)
• How to use yoga for breast health to develop a more integrated awareness of self care
• Yoga practices to help women reclaim their breasts after breastfeeding
• Yoga practices to help women reclaim breasts or breast space-after surgery, with or without breast reconstruction

Yoga for Women’s Health & Well Woman Yoga CPDs

Yoga for Bone Health

Yoga for Bone Health

Get informed – understand which types of movements and asanas are safe for people with osteoporosis and osteopenia.

This CPD aims to raise awareness of the do’s and don’ts in teaching yoga to women over 45 who may need to review and renew their yoga practice but who remain attached to sequences that can become harmful as they age. As you gain a better understanding of osteopenia and osteoporosis, you will be able to design safe and enjoyable routines to promote women’s health and,significantly, their embodied self-confidence to move freely as they age. Given the impact of the perimenopause on bones, this awareness needs to start in women’s forties. With well adapted yoga, we CAN turn the challenge of thinning bones into a powerful catalyst for healthy and even enjoyable ageing.

You will be able to design safe and enjoyable routines to promote women’s health and,significantly, their embodied self-confidence to move freely as they age

Osteopenia, the loss of bone density with age, is inevitable but can and must be slowed down before it leads to osteoporosis, a condition in which bones become less dense and predisposed to fractures. There are no obvious symptoms of either osteopenia or osteoporosis. Often, people are unaware they have it unless they’re tested for it, or unfortunately, they find out after they break a bone. Bone loss is a fact of ageing, but osteoporosis is not, and yet 1 in 3 women over 50 suffer from an osteoporotic fracture.
There is currently a debate about the therapeutic value of yoga for reducing osteopenia and alleviating osteoporosis, if not reversing these conditions. Controlled studies in 2009 and 2015 byLoren Fishman, MD, found that practising yoga asanas can increase bone density if done consistently and properly. This led to the claim that “yoga builds bones” ** Recent cautions however (Mayo Clinic study 2019*) suggest that yoga practice must be adapted to be safe, and that certain asanas such as spinal flexion and twisting are best avoided for yogini diagnosed with or at risk of osteoporosis.

This CPD course addresses the pressing need for yoga therapists and yoga teachers to understand which types of movements are safe for people with osteoporosis and osteopenia and to communicate this knowledge to their students. The micromovements advocated in Birthlight Well Woman Yoga are effective and safe for women over 50 to mitigate the loss of bone density. Fluid yoga moves can also improve balance and flexibility, which can prevent falls and therefore reduce the risk of fractures. ‘Doing no harm’ is a leading principle for yoga teachers/therapists.

What You will Gain

Anatomy and physiology foundations for understanding osteopenia and osteoporosis, with special attention to the spine and the pelvis.
Well Woman Yoga puts priority on elongating the spine. We follow the view put forward in the Mayo Clinic study that spinal extension exercises are safer than flexion exercises in reducing the risk of fractures in osteoporosis and that strong abdominal curls are to be avoided. Even though recommending twisting poses for osteoporosis is now considered controversial, Well Woman Yoga follows Dr. Fishman’s view that in all her research, she has never seen twisting poses cause fractures.
“Twisting poses would be helpful to put some pressure on the spine. The bones respond to the pressure by building more bones. You want to put pressure on the bones, but you don’t want to put too much pressure on the vertebrae,” says Fishman. Mild twists like the seated twisting poses apply gentle pressure to the bones without harming the vertebrae.

Anatomy and physiology foundations for understanding osteopenia and osteoporosis, with special attention to the spine and the pelvis.
Well Woman Yoga puts priority on elongating the spine. We follow the view put forward in the Mayo Clinic study that spinal extension exercises are safer than flexion exercises in reducing the risk of fractures in osteoporosis and that strong abdominal curls are to be avoided. Even though recommending twisting poses for osteoporosis is now considered controversial, Well Woman Yoga follows Dr. Fishman’s view that in all her research, she has never seen twisting poses cause fractures.
“Twisting poses would be helpful to put some pressure on the spine. The bones respond to the pressure by building more bones. You want to put pressure on the bones, but you don’t want to put too much pressure on the vertebrae,” says Fishman. Mild twists like the seated twisting poses apply gentle pressure to the bones without harming the vertebrae.

Further Professional Development

• other elective modules
• CPDs
• Well Woman Aqua Yoga-  a parallel course for those interested in working with women’s health in water 
• Attend a Well Woman Yoga retreat

What Makes Birthlight Different as a Training Provider

We have a lot of collective experience. Plus you’ll be taught by tutors with a wealth of experience to share. The Foundation Modules include the participation of an experienced Ayurvedic practitioner and teacher.

While teaching her first yoga for pregnancy and childbirth classes, Françoise Freedman felt motivated to open a special postnatal class for women who needed therapeutic yoga to recover from their births. Soon the group included mothers and older friends seeking to improve their pelvic health with yoga. Françoise coined the label ‘Well Woman Yoga’ for the Yoga for Women’s Health course designed for the Biomedical Trust in London in the late 1990s. Since then, practices have been constantly expanded and refined as Birthlight training tutors have contributed their expertise and incorporated new research.

What Our Participants Have to Say …

‘I think this is a great add on to anyone who is interested in working with women and yoga. It’s a great follow on from pregnancy/postnatal yoga and is also really useful for my own personal practice’.

Cathy Welch, London, July 2019

‘The Birthlight Well Woman Yoga Training is an excellent holistic approach to understanding Women’s Health and all stages of a woman’s life. The course theory is a great foundation in understanding the more common experiences of a woman from fertility through to post menopause and the practices shared are easy to follow and very therapeutic and nourishing. The instruction is excellent and very inspiring. On a personal level, the training helps me to better understand my own experiences and gives me the confidence to share the practices with women of all ages in a general class, workshop or more therapeutic setting’

Ami Patel, London, January 2020

‘The Birthlight courses come from a source of deep knowledge and authenticity. To graduate as a Well Woman teacher under the tutelage of Francoise Freedman gives me the confidence to know that I can really help my students. Such a supportive and welcoming environment makes it a joy to study under Francoise.’

Belinda Edwards, London, January 2020

A unique, useful and caring option for training in yoga for women’s health.  Other options seemed to have either no soul or were too ‘woo-woo’ for me! Birthlight always gets it just right.  That’s why I come back even when I’ve been away for a while.  It’s like coming home.

Liz Brown, 2021

I have attended several courses with dr Francoise Freedman and the Birthlight team in the past and believe them to be the best in terms of relevancy and content. The online format is interactive, and though there is plenty of topics that was covered in out meetings, they did not feel like lectures. From Francoise and fellow teachers to the takeaway materials, I have always found that I come away feeling nourished, inspired and with valuable new tools and techniques that I can implement into my teaching practice. 

Jane Kuismin 2021

I was very impressed with Birthlight’s online/blended learning provision. Not only personally, as it was such a lifeline and opportunity during COVID, but also professionally as I’m a Learning & Development Consultant by background with a Master’s level business qualification in Training. I feel end to end the provision is excellent; from the point of booking, to professional and friendly admin support, flexible and affordable payment options, thorough and useful pre course info, outstanding technical/academic elements and rich practical sessions, to self-study and case studies which really embed the learning, to robust evaluation, respectful benchmarking with other organisations etc. What I was most impressed with is that even online there is the ‘feel’ of Birthlight, of community, that all women matter’. That really is impressive. And all from a small organisation – you’re better than some of the bigger names and I can imagine the work that must have happened in the background to make all this happen. I am really very impressed!”

Liz Brown, 2022