You will learn a refined methodology that has been honed over many decades through Rudy’s experience as a teacher and a teacher trainer specializing in gentle yoga.
In addition, this training includes many guided practices in which Rudy will exquisitely lead you into slowing down and tuning into subtleties, allowing you to embody the methodology. His commitment to your development in an environment of safety and support will enhance your self-awareness and self-compassion and deepen your understanding of what your students really need to feel safe, included and empowered in a gentle chair-supported practice. Your own personal practice will be enriched which naturally translates into better teaching.
Yes. This training will give you more confidence to teach online. Rudy teaches you how to set a context and cue a practice that is crystal clear in addition to being accessible and inclusive. In this way, although you are not in person with your students, you ensure their safety, which helps you relax as a teacher.
Rudy has taught yoga and directed teacher trainings at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health for over 40 years and was honored with Legacy Faculty status in 2019. Rudy was instrumental in making Gentle Yoga a key offering at Kripalu; he was a proponent of slow and gentle yoga for all (not just for beginners) well before it caught on as a popular offering in the yoga world. Rudy is the creator of Dynamic Gentle Yoga™ and has been offering an advanced teacher training in this method since 2013. He is a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider.
Yes. All 20 sessions are taught live online with interactive components and all sessions are recorded for you. We make these video recordings available as soon as possible following each session and they will remain available in a designated video library for you to access online at your convenience for one year following your training.
Yes. You can spread out your total investment over four monthly payments. Send an email to joyce@gentle-yogis.com to request this option.
Click here to go to the certification info page and click on an orange button to RSVP or to register.
You need to complete a 200-hour yoga teacher certification program from a Yoga Alliance approved yoga school before taking this training. We recommend the 200-hour program at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health.
As long as you are registered with Yoga Alliance and you complete our program by December 31, 2025, you will be eligible for a total of 75 hrs of continuing education credits with Yoga Alliance. An additional administrative fee of $25 is payable at the end of the training.
The standard 200-hour certification is required before participating in the Dynamic Gentle Yoga Teacher Training–Chair-Supported Practice; this is a stand-alone advanced training and is not part of a 300-hour program.
The word dynamic means “to move energy”. In this method, the word Dynamic also refers to the transformational aspect of the practice. Dynamic Gentle Chair Yoga (DGCY) becomes transformational because of several critical elements. First, all movement is breath-initiated which stimulates the energy level. Second, although this method clarifies which postures and warm-ups are most accessible (and distinguishes those not to lead) it also includes specific methodology to deepen the practice so that all the benefits of yoga are available. DGCY is not just easier poses. Third, Dynamic Gentle is a meditative yoga, continually directing the attention inward and creating a one-pointed focus. Click here to read more about Dynamic Gentle Yoga.
Plan to spend approximately 21 hours outside our online sessions together on Practice Teach projects to include: planning and recording three Practice Teach classes, meetings on Zoom with a practice partner and meetings on Zoom with a mentor.
In addition, prior to the first module you will want to read the first three chapters of the manual. To support your initial orientation, there is a required open book review/survey to ensure you are familiar with the most important points. Ultimately you will want to read the entire manual, which is best done by engaging in assigned reading as we progress through the modules.
At the end of each day of training there is a brief Learning Review for you to complete online. These are open-book ungraded “quizzes” that will help you integrate the learnings from the day. We also ask you to complete a Program Reflections questionnaire at the end of each module. This can be anonymous if you choose; we want to receive honest feedback to continue to make any adjustments to improve the training.
We hope you will not have any emergencies, however, if something urgent comes up or you have an unavoidable conflict, please contact Rudy as soon as you are aware of it. As long as you have communicated with Rudy in a timely manner, you can complete a missed session by video along with any assignments Rudy deems appropriate.
If you have an emergency that requires you to miss an entire module, it may not be possible for you to complete the training or there may be significant added costs to do so. There are no refunds for missed sessions or leaving the training.
All sessions are live and interactive on Zoom. None of the sessions are pre-recorded, though you can review sessions afterwards since the live sessions are recorded.
You will need the following props: a chair without armrests, a yoga mat, two yoga blocks, yoga strap, sitting cushion or pillows, and a blanket. We will send you a link to a Google Doc of the training manual prior to the start of the training. Alternatively, you can request a pdf copy sent to your email. Purchase of reference books is not required for this training, though you may become interested in some of the resources Rudy shares along the way, such as poetry books by Danna Faulds.
We recommend you participate using a laptop with a built-in camera or an added webcam so you can easily reposition your device for easy viewing during lecture or to capture yourself in full view during practice teaching dyads. You can use an iPad /Tablet, but a smartphone is not advisable due to the fatigue people typically experience watching on such a small screen, plus you are less likely to feel part of the group if you can’t see everyone on your screen. If you have not used Zoom, please download their app (free) from the Zoom website (click here) and watch their tutorial (click here) about how to join and participate in meetings.
All four modules have the same schedule. Times are listed in Eastern Time: Friday sessions are 6:00-8:30pm, Saturdays and Sundays are 9:00am-12:00pm and 1:30-4:00pm.
Project sessions will be scheduled between you and your training partner and mentor taking your personal schedule into account.
We can appreciate your concern and we want our program to be a good fit for you. If you would like to connect with someone who graduated from the online program we would be happy to set this up so you can find out first hand from a former trainee how it was to take this particular training online. We can assure you that the feedback about how well this training worked online was overwhelmingly positive. The participants felt they had bonded as a group and made lasting connections with each other.
There are no hands-on assists in Dynamic Gentle Yoga. Rather, the cueing / language will teach your students what it means to “listen” to the body, how to move safely no matter their condition, and guide them to access the deeper benefits of yoga so they want to return to your class over and over again.
There will be some reading in the training manual that you will be asked to complete prior to the first module.
Starting Dec 7, you will have a free Gentle Yogis Membership that includes access to live classes and recordings of the daily Breath Practice/Chair Yoga class and the Gentle Strength classes.
In addition, we encourage you to participate in Rudy’s live chair yoga classes offered Thursdays 4:30-5:45pm ET, Sept 12 & 26, Oct 10 & 24, Nov 7 & 21 on The Thread Yoga Collective’s online platform. These classes are at no charge for you as a Dynamic Gentle Yoga trainee. You will receive information about how to sign up for these classes gratis once you register for the training.
We also invite you to explore Rudy’s chair classes in our Video Library. Scroll to the last section. These recordings will be available to you at no cost once you are enrolled!
You will be finished at the end of the fourth module once you complete the online Learning Reviews (which you will do along the way) and Program Reflections forms (one at the end of each module). The exception would be if you had an emergency and had to miss a session. In this case, you would be required to watch the session video, and, if you missed a Practice Teach session, you would arrange to do this with one of the mentors from the training and Rudy might give you a reasonable written assignment.
Once you have graduated, you have the option to join the Dynamic Gentle Yoga Teachers Circle that meets quarterly with Rudy on a Sunday evening on Zoom. The Circle is a place and time for peer connection, continued professional development, and direct access to Rudy to ask any questions you may have. Currently, each Circle begins with a peer-guided yoga practice or a practice led by Rudy. These sessions are offered on a sliding scale beginning at zero to make them financially accessible.
You can continue your membership in The Thread Yoga Collective beyond your four-month free trial for $34/month or $374/year and take advantage of a wide range of opportunities in this unique supportive community just for yoga teachers.
You also have continued access to your training resources including the video recordings of all the sessions from your training that you can review in your own time for one year.