Yin Yoga Teacher Training

Foundations

Learn to teach Yin Yoga with therapeutic depth and understanding.

About this training

This Yin Yoga Teacher Training has evolved steadily over time.

When I first began offering Yin training in 2018, the emphasis was largely on the postures, sequencing and how to teach a balanced class. These elements remain an important part of the curriculum. However, as my own education and experience have continued to deepen, including my ongoing study in yoga therapy and research, my understanding of Yin Yoga has matured.

As a result, this training has developed year by year alongside my own learning. The focus has shifted from teaching shapes alone to cultivating discernment, restraint, and professional responsibility in how Yin Yoga is taught and held.

This training offers a considered and professionally grounded approach to Yin Yoga teaching. It is designed for qualified yoga teachers who wish to deepen their understanding of stillness, functional teaching, and responsible practice.

Rather than focusing solely on technique, the training explores how Yin yoga is taught, why certain choices matter, and when restraint is as important as instruction. The emphasis throughout is on clarity, safety, and discernment, supporting teachers to work confidently within scope while offering practices that many students experience as settling, grounding, and supportive of overall well-being.

Yin Yoga is presented here as a yoga practice for general well-being, informed by anatomy, nervous system education, and classical philosophical frameworks. It is positioned not as clinical or diagnostic, but as a practice that invites awareness, reflection, and integration when taught skilfully.

I run this training in February each year, and it fills up very quickly. The next live training begins in February 2027. The self-paced training is offered below from the February 2026 live group training. If you would like to join the live training in February 2027, simply fill out the form below, and I will be in touch. If you would like to have a wee chat with me live, to see which training will suit you, then please contact me at deesideyogainstiute@gmail.com

Testimonial

“Having completed my Yin Yoga training with Gem at the Deeside Yoga Institute, I can honestly say it was both thought-provoking and transformed my yoga experience.

This experience wasn’t just about learning how to teach Yin Yoga. It was about unlearning old patterns, creating space within, and reconnecting with a deeper, more authentic version of myself.”

— Nicola, Health and Wellness Coach
February 2026 Yin Yoga Trainee

TWO WAYS TO JOIN

Option 1: Join Live (May 2026)

Train with me live over five days. This format allows for real-time teaching, questions, discussion, and integration.

  • Dates: 8-12th February 2027

  • Time: 09:30–11:30 & 13:00–15:00 (UK)

  • Format: Live on Zoom + full replay access

You will receive:

  • 20 hours of live teaching

  • 22 hours of pre-recorded lectures and practices

  • Direct access for questions and discussion

  • WhatsApp group support during training

  • Assessment and certification pathway

Live Training Price: £395

Register Now

Option 2: Self-Paced Training (Immediate Access)

Begin now and move through the full training in your own time using the February 2026 training recordings.

This is the same course, delivered as a self-paced format.

You will receive:

  • Full access to all recorded lectures and practices

  • Structured curriculum with clear progression

  • Lifetime access

  • Assessment and certification pathway

This option suits those who prefer to study independently or cannot attend live sessions.

Self-Paced Access Price: £295

Join Now

What You will Study

This course is for teachers who are ready to move beyond formulaic Yin sequencing and into a more refined, responsive way of teaching.

You will learnt how stillness, time, breath awareness, and pacing shape the experience of practice, and how these elements place particular responsibility on the teacher.

Throughout the training, you are encouraged to observe carefully, use language with intention, and prioritise choice and consent over outcome.

The work here is subtle. It is less about adding more, and more about knowing what to offer, what to leave out, and how to hold a class with steadiness and care.

** Throughout this training, terms such as therapeutic, balance, and integration are used to describe potential experiences of practice rather than guaranteed outcomes. Yin Yoga is taught as a professional yoga practice that may support wellbeing, awareness, and self-regulation when taught responsibly.

  • This module introduces the foundation of Yin Yoga, including its guiding principles, and its potential to support wellbeing when taught skilfully and responsibly.

    You will explore how stillness, breath awareness and mindful pacing shape the experience of Yin practice. Rather than aiming for specific outcomes, the focus is on understanding how reduced movement and time influence attention, sensation and self-regulation.

    We examine how Yin Yoga differs from more dynamic styles and how to design grounded, intelligent classes that priorities safety, choice and clarity. This module lays the groundwork for teaching Yin as a practice that can be experienced as calming and balancing for some students, while remaining firmly within the professional scope of yoga teaching.

  • This module explores the physical structures that shape both movement and stillness, using a functional anatomy lens that respects individual variation.

    You will learn how joint structure, skeletal patterning, muscular tone, and connective tissue influence how Yin postures are experienced. Rather than applying idealised alignment, the emphasis is on reading bodies in context and adapting shapes to support steadiness and comfort over time.

    This knowledge supports the creation of safe, accessible classes that meet students where they are, without assumption or force. Anatomy is used here as a tool for observation and decision making, not diagnosis.

  • This module explores the energetic side of Yin Yoga through both Daoist and classical yoga traditions, offering multiple frameworks for understanding experience beyond the physical body.

    You will study the Five Elements and Meridian theory alongside the Chakra system, Samkhya philosophy and the Panchamaya model. These systems are presented as philosophical and experiential maps, not medical models.

    Together, they offer ways of understanding how Yin practice can be experienced as integrating physical sensation, emotional tone, and attentional awareness. The emphasis remains on how these frameworks can inform class intention, sequencing, and language without making claims about treatment or outcome.

Who This Training Is For

This course is for yoga teachers, trainees, and long-term practitioners who want to deepen their understanding or Yin Yoga as both a physical and therapeutic practice. It is suitable for:

  • Qualified yoga teachers

  • Teachers wishing to deepen their Yin Yoga teaching

  • Practitioners seeking a more mature, scope aware approach

  • Teachers interested in integrating anatomy, subtle body frameworks and professional ethics

No prior Yin training is required, but a consistent personal practice is recommended. It can be taken as a standalone 50-hour training or as part of a broader 300 hour advanced teacher pathway.

WHICH OPTION IS RIGHT FOR YOU

This course is delivered live online via Zoom or as a fully self-paced course. All course materials, including presentations, lectures and demonstrations, are held in my online platform, where you will have unlimited access throughout the lifetime of the course.

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

Choose the Live Training if you:

  • Want direct interaction and support

  • Learn best through discussion and real-time teaching

  • Value community and shared experience

Choose Self-Paced if you:

  • Prefer to study in your own time

  • Need flexibility around schedule

  • Are comfortable working independently

Certification: Graduates receive a 50-hour Yin Yoga Teacher Certificate and are eligible for Yoga Alliance continuing education hours (YACEP)

Testimonial / graduate reflections

  • “I came away with a much deeper, more practical understanding of Yin Yoga. I feel more confident holding space and allowing things to unfold without needing to control the experience.”

    — Pasha Das (Yin Yoga Trainee 2026)

  • “The hybrid format works exceptionally well. The live sessions were engaging, and having access to the material afterwards allows the learning to continue steadily.”

    Keely, Yin Yoga Trainee 2026

  • “It showed me how to offer possibilities rather than instruction, and how valuable it is to create space for observation. Less really is more.”

    Bela, Yin Yoga Trainee 2026

  • This Yin Yoga Teacher Training truly surpassed all of my expectations. The depth of knowledge, honesty, and good humour Gem brought to the teaching made the learning both grounded and accessible. The hybrid format worked beautifully, allowing me to absorb the live sessions and revisit the material at my own pace. It was a privilege to learn in this space.

    Keely, Yin Yoga Trainee (2026)

  • 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) 

Why Choose This Training?

  • Learn Yin in its therapeutic depth

    This training goes beyond standard Yin Yoga sequencing. You’ll study the anatomy of stillness, connective tissue physiology, and the therapeutic reasoning behind each pose. You’ll learn how to adapt Yin practice for different bodies and nervous system states so you can teach safely and effectively.

  • Hybrid learning or Self-Paced with lasting access

    You can join live in May 2026 or access each recorded session through the online platform. All materials, lectures, demonstrations, and presentations remain available indefinitely. This means you can study at your own pace while staying connected through the online community and WhatsApp group.

  • Teach with clarity and purpose

    Through reflection, practice and supportive feedback this training helps you move from simply leading postural practice to teaching with real understanding. The focus is on understanding how stillness, breath and awareness can help regulate the nervous system and support your students.

 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 us for this online yin yoga teacher training.

  • This training is available in two formats:

    Live Training (Feb 2027):
    Delivered through live Zoom sessions across five days, supported by pre-recorded lectures and course materials.

    Self-Paced Training:
    Delivered through recorded lectures from the February 2026 training and structured course material, which you can complete in your own time.

  • All live sessions are recorded and made available to you.

    You can catch up at any time and still complete the training and assessment. Full access to all materials is included.

  • This training is suited to yoga teachers and committed practitioners who want to develop a more confident and considered approach to Yin Yoga.

    It is particularly useful if you want to better understand variation, refine your teaching, and work more clearly with different bodies.

  • Both formats offer the same certification.

    On completion of the training and assessment, you will receive a 50-hour Yin Yoga Foundations certificate from Deeside Yoga Institute which counts towards Yoga Alliance Continuing Education (YACEP) hours.

    If you are a registered teacher, you can add these hours to your continuing education record with Yoga Alliance.

  • This course has evolved over years of teaching Yin Yoga (since 2011), running Yin Trainings, and my ongoing study of Yoga Therapy.

    The focus is on clarity, application, and professional responsibility.

    Rather than teaching fixed methods, this training supports you to understand what you are seeing in practice and make informed decisions as a teacher.

    It is grounded in functional anatomy, careful language, and a clear scope of practice.

  • Both formats include:

    • A complete 50-hour training curriculum

    • Pre-recorded lectures and guided practices

    • Structured course material

    • Lifetime access to all content

    • Assessment and certification pathway

    Live training also includes:

    • Real-time teaching and interaction

    • Space for questions and discussion

    • A shared learning environment

  • Live Training (February 27):

    • One-time payment: £395

    • Payment plans are available upon request for the live training.

    Self-Paced Training:

    • One-time payment: £295 or

    • Payment Plan: 2 payments of £150 over two months

  • Live Training

    You have a 14-day cooling-off period from the date of booking.

    After this period, bookings are non-refundable. If you are unable to attend the live training, you may be able to transfer to the self-paced course or a future training. Please contact us to discuss.

    Self-Paced Training:

    As this option includes immediate access to all course materials and the full manual, the 14-day cooling-off period does not apply.

    Once access has been granted, bookings are non-refundable. If you have any questions before enrolling, you are welcome to get in touch.

  • Both formats include lifetime access to all course materials, including recordings and resources, for as long as the course remains available.

Ready to deepen your understanding of yin yoga through a therapeutic lens?

Join Live February 27 Training
Self-Paced Training (Immediate Access)