"As a yoga practitioner and teacher, and as an experimental psychologist, this course helped me understand the intersection of science and practice. Dr. Schwartz makes the information accessible and easy to follow and apply immediately. I highly recommend it for anyone looking to deepen their yoga practice and/or teaching, and to better understand the autonomic nervous system, the role of the vagal nerve in putting the brakes on the stress response, and the ease at which one can access and harness its magnificent power." --Gina Mireault
Course Timing
As a self-paced course, you can begin at any time and view on your own schedule.
Course Description
This 5-hour training includes 2 hours of recorded lectures with Dr. Arielle Schwartz sharing her unique application of the polyvagal theory to the practice of yoga. These lectures are accompanied by a 1-hour guided physical yoga practice in which you are invited to move and breathe allowing you to experientially embody and integrate the course material.
The course then concludes with a 1-hour recorded discussion between Dr. Schwartz and Dr. Porges which explores topics including:
• compassion based practices to facilitate greater resilience within the nervous system
• conscious breathing to work with imbalances in the autonomic nervous system
• how yoga asana and movement can assist in reducing physical and emotional pain
• the key role of co-regulation in facilitating an optimal healing relationship
Through the lens of Polyvagal Theory, you will learn all about how the vagus nerve is a bi-directional information highway between mind and body—more importantly, you will learn to fine-tune your health with breath, movement, and awareness practices that become the building blocks of a life-changing daily practice.
Payment Information
Access to this course is $149
Your access will last for 180 days (approximately 6 months) from the date of registration.
If you find you'd like more time, please email us at info@polyvagal.org to request an extension.
Course Requirements
There are no pre-requisites for this course.
Course Format
Course Framework
This self-paced course includes access to 4 prerecorded videos and one printable handout.
You will also receive an invitation to attend an optional live discussion with Stephen Porges, PhD or Deb Dana, LCSW along with our broader student community.
Recommended Audience
Course Outcomes
You will receive a Certificate of Completion upon finishing this course.
INSTRUCTOR(S)
Arielle Schwartz, PhD
Arielle Schwartz, PhD, is a psychologist, internationally renowned teacher, yoga instructor, and leading voice in the healing of PTSD and complex trauma. She is the author of five books, including The Complex PTSD Workbook, EMDR Therapy and Somatic Psychology, and The Post Traumatic Growth Guidebook. Dr. Schwartz is an accomplished teacher who guides therapists in the application of EMDR, somatic psychology, parts work therapy, and mindfulness-based interventions for the treatment of trauma and complex PTSD. Her teaching conveys understanding, passion, kindness, compassion, joy, and is empowered by a succinct way of speaking about very complex topics. She is the founder of the Center for Resilience Informed Therapy in Boulder, Colorado where she maintains a private practice providing psychotherapy, supervision, and consultation. With over twenty years as a therapeutic yoga teacher, Dr. Schwartz believes that the journey of trauma recovery is an awakening of the spiritual heart.
Arielle Schwartz, PhD
Stephen W. Porges, PhD
Stephen W. Porges, PhD
Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D. is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium in the Kinsey Institute. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina, and Professor Emeritus at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland. He served as president of the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences and is a former recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award. He is the originator of the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral, mental, and health problems related to traumatic experiences. He is the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol ™ , which currently is used by approximately 4,000 therapists to improve spontaneous social engagement, to reduce hearing sensitivities, and to improve language processing, state regulation, and spontaneous social engagement. Dr. Porges is a founder of the Polyvagal Institute.
