Nervous System & Yoga Foundations

(Hyrbid online Training April 2026)

Explore how yoga supports nervous system resilience, regulation and recovery.

Join the April Training 2026

Live training: 21st - 25th April 2026
(with recordings and lifetime access)

About this training

This training is for yoga teachers who want to teach with a focus on safety, clarity and confidence, especially when working with real bodies and real lives.

It provides nervous system education through a clear yoga teacher lens, with a strong focus on adaptation, including Chair Yoga and working with older adults.

You will also explore how yoga supports resilience, regulation and recovery with this science-based approach to integrating somatic awareness, Polyvagal theory and pranayama (breath work) into practices which support your students exactly where they are.

The 50-hour professional training offers a deep foundation in nervous system awareness through the lens of yoga and within the scope of yoga teaching. You will learn to integrate gentle somatic practices and breathwork into your classes and your own self-care practices. The training blends live online teaching, recorded lectures and practices, and mentoring support.

Ideal for yoga teachers, therapist and practitioners who want to teach and practice from a place of safety and connection. This is not therapy training. It is deeply ethical, educational and practical.

This work was previously offered under the name Gem Maryan Yoga and is now gradually transitioning to Deeside Yoga Institute.

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Why this training?

Nervous system language is everywhere now, especially within yoga spaces, but so often there are no clear boundaries:

So the training focus in on understanding those boundaries and teaching within scope.

You will learn how to:

Understand nervous system concepts without overclaiming

Teach slower and adaptive practices in a responsible way that supports your students, and you as a teacher
Work with stress, fatigue, and variability in group classes
Use Chair Yoga as a skilled and respectful teaching approach

This training supports teaching maturity; it is not about performance.

Chair Yoga in This Training

Chair Yoga is woven in throughout this training as a core adaptive teaching skill.

You will learn:

How Chair Yoga influences nervous system load
How to teach seated and supported practices safely
How to work respectfully with older adults
How to adapt language for cognitive and physical variability
How to avoid over-simplification in language and keep language respectful

Chair yoga is an advanced teaching skill and is very relevant for those teachers who want to work beyond a studio setting.

Course Overview

This course gives a clear foundation in nervous system awareness for yoga teaching and personal practice. You will study how the body shifts between different states and examine core patterns of activation and rest, looking at how breath and tone influence these shifts and explore simple ways to support steadiness in practice. You will learn practical tools that support stability and safety in class and one-to-one settings. Along with clear teaching language and simple somatic approaches that fit into any yoga style.

Understanding the Nervous System
You begin with the core ideas that shape nervous system function and how these patterns show up in daily life and in yoga practice.
This module introduces:
- Basic nervous system literacy for yoga teachers
- How stress and safety responses influence experience
- Why nervous system responses vary between individuals
This module is delivered through pre-recorded lectures, supported by a structured study guide, allowing you to learn at your own pace before live sessions begin.
Breath, Prana, and Regulation
In this module, you explore how breath, prana, and attention interact with nervous system response, and why pacing, tone, and awareness matter more than technique.
You will explore:
- Breath as a nervous system influence, not a control tool
- How breath practices affect load and capacity
- Ethical language around regulation and calming
Live sessions include guided breath-based practices, discussion, reflective work, and short presentations to deepen understanding.
This module focuses on how the body expresses different internal states and how gentle, steady movement can support awareness and choice.
You will study:
- Somatic principles for yoga teachers
- How sensation and movement inform self-awareness
- The role of clear, non-coercive teaching language
Practice labs provide space to experience the work directly, observe nervous system variability, and reflect on teaching implications.
In the final module, you bring everything together and explore how to design steady, supportive classes informed by nervous system awareness.
This module includes:
- Integrating nervous system understanding into class design
- Practice teaching within a supported environment
- Structured feedback and reflection
- A mentoring session to support application in your own teaching context
The focus here is not performance, but clarity, judgement, and confidence.

Who This Training Is For

This training is suitable if you:

Are a 200-hour trained yoga teacher
Teach Yin, Restorative, or slower practices
Are interested in working with older adults or mixed-ability groups
Want ethical clarity around nervous system language
Are moving into community or accessible teaching spaces

Hybrid Online learning

This course is delivered live online via Zoom, with the option to join in real time or follow along later through recorded sessions. All course materials, including presentations, lectures and the course manual, are held in my online platform, where you will have unlimited access throughout and after the training.

You can study at your own pace, revisit any session, and stay connected through the WhatsApp group for discussion and support throughout the course.

5 days of live training: 21st - 25th April 2026 (via Zoom)
Online Access: All sessions and presentations are recorded and available through my online platform
Community Support: WhatsApp group for questions, reflection and connection
Ongoing Access: All material remains available indefinitely
Mentoring and post-course guidance

Assessment & Certification:

Attendance at live sessions or completion of all recording are mandatory to complete the course.
Assignments must be completed within 30 days of completing the training and include a written or recorded reflection and teaching demonstration.
50 Hour Yoga Teacher Training
Counts towards the 300 Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Pathway
Eligible for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education hours

Course Fee and Registration:

The full course fee is £450.
An early registration rate of £395 is available until 15th March 2026.
A payment plan of two instalments of £225 can be arranged.

Participants who have completed the 10 Hour Introduction to the Nervous System and Yoga receive an additional £95 reduction, which can be applied to both the standard and early registration rates. Use the code provided in your confirmation email from the 10-hour Intro when registering.

Join the April 2026 Training

Testimonial / graduate reflections

If all teachers were like Gem the world would be a much lovelier place. Her knowledge is vast and I could listen to her all day. I'm awaiting her TedTalk and podcast. Her style of teaching is the perfect balance of loving, patient, confidence building whilst also pushing you a little out of your comfort zone because it's clear her intention is for you to be the best you can be. Gem's passion for yoga, Eastern Philosophy, anatomy, and many many other topics is super inspiring. This experience felt like a loving container and I have emerged with a renewed enthusiasm for life and certainly my yoga practice with I have deeply reconnected with. Thank you Gem, I truly appreciate the energy you shared with us, this weekend was medicine...I might sneak into every training 🤍

Suzy Holiday (White Rabbit Glasgow)
Yin Yoga Immersion
I absolutely loved my Yin Training with Gem, Gem is a fantastic teacher with tons & tons of experience, which she gladly shares with so much love & respect. I was unsure about doing the whole course online, but I think it could be a more effective way to learn! I felt more focused & comfortable in my own home, and although it was online, we all got to know each other & it felt very relaxed. The course is packed with learnings, but you never felt overloaded or rushed. I feel that my own personal teaching style has evolved from doing this course as well as learning about Yin, I honestly loved it and feel so grateful for the experience.

Jules McKinnon
My experience of Yin Yoga Teacher Training with Gem was certainly not as expected. With the emergence of Covid-19 and its associated lockdown, our 50hrs moved online. I needn't have worried though. I was looking to understand the philosophy of Yin, develop my practice and improve the way I share my practice with others; I wasn't disappointed. Gem's teaching was fun, interactive and pitched correctly. She was also supportive and available for questions/counsel at any time. I learned so much and couldn't wait to share my new knowledge. I also learned a lot about myself and my own practice, through introspection and journaling. Loved it.

Fiona McGill
A beautiful teacher training experience. Gem is so knowledgeable and delivers the training with a love and passion for all things Yin. I finished the Yin Teacher Training with all the knowledge and confidence to start my own Yin teaching journey. Gem gives so much across ALL the modules, you would be mad not to do your Yin YTT with Gem, let her love of yin yoga become your new passion

Graham Munro
So many beautiful take-always. Gem’s course was well structured, a perfect balance of practice & theory. Questions & enquiry were encouraged and Gem’s ability to respond with a great depth of knowledge, experience & wisdom was evident. Her passion, accessibility & unpretentiousness made for a truly comfortable, inspiring & joyous learning environment, she gently guided us all into finding our own paths within the Yin practice which was really quite special.

Yin Yoga Immersion Trainee
Gem’s Yin Yoga Teacher Training exceeded my expectations. It covered everything I needed to know to begin sharing yin yoga with others. Gem has so much insight and wisdom and delivers this authentically with passion and precision. There was the perfect balance of Yin practice, theory and teaching, planning classes, she welcomed the group into her warm and comfortable home and cooked delicious lunches each day! This course has give me the tools and resources to confidently start teaching yin yoga. Thank Gem!!

Emma Saville (2023 Yin Teacher Training)
The training was not just about imparting knowledge but also great preparation for starting to teach yin confidently. Great ideas about how to structure classes - very pragmatic training. Encouraging you to apply your knowledge in a practical way.

Sonya McKinlay (2023 Yin Training)

FAQs

Here, you’ll find answers to commonly asked questions about the course to help you feel informed and confident about your decision to join me for this Nervous System and Yoga Foundations training.

No. You can join live or study from the recorded live trainings and pre-recorded lectures. Everything is uploaded within 24 hours of live training.
Yes. However, you will need basic yoga experience.
No. It teaches trauma informed best practices, informed awareness and regulation. It does not qualify you as a yoga therapist.
Yes. You will receive a 50 Hour CPD certificate which can be registered with Yoga Alliance and counts towards CPD hours.
Yes. You are required to complete a written reflection and a short teaching demonstration, either live or recorded.