Yin Yoga Teacher Training
50 hours · Live online · Tuesday evenings · 12 January to 9 March 2027
About this training
I have taught Yin Yoga since 2012, and this training has changed 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. Those elements remain an important part of the curriculum. As my own study has continued, including my training in yoga therapy, my understanding of Yin Yoga has matured, and the training has developed alongside it.
The focus has shifted from teaching shapes to cultivating discernment, restraint and professional responsibility in how Yin Yoga is taught and held. The training explores how Yin is taught, why certain choices matter, and when restraint is as important as instruction.
It is designed for qualified yoga teachers who want to understand stillness, functional teaching and responsible practice more deeply. Yin Yoga is presented here as a practice for general wellbeing, informed by functional anatomy, the philosophy of Samkhya and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, and nervous system education. It is not clinical or diagnostic.
Testimonial
“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, 2026How the training runs
Live on Zoom, Tuesday evenings
We meet live on Zoom on Tuesday evenings, 18:30 to 21:00 (UK): eight sessions over nine weeks, with an integration week in the middle and a longer closing session. Each session is recorded, so if you miss one you can catch up before the next.
The 50 hours are made up of 20.5 hours taught live with me, 10 hours of recorded lectures, 9.5 hours of asana breakdowns and practice videos, and 10 hours of home study and integration between sessions.
The rhythm is study, practise, notice, return. The weeks in between sessions are where the learning settles.
Tuesday 12 January: Foundations and philosophy, Samkhya and Patanjali
Tuesday 19 January: Functional anatomy
Tuesday 26 January: Skeletal variation and individual bodies
Tuesday 2 February: Integration week, no live session
Tuesday 9 February: Poses, variation and adaptation
Tuesday 16 February: Anatomy of moving energy, meridian theory and the Five Elements
Tuesday 23 February: Physiology, breath and stillness
Tuesday 2 March: Sequencing, language and teaching
Tuesday 9 March: Teaching Lab and closing (18:30 to 21:30)
Price
£495
Early bird: £395 if you book by Friday 12 December 2026.
Payment plan: £495 in three monthly payments of £165. Your certificate is issued once the final payment is received. The payment plan is available at the full price only.
Your place includes all live sessions, recordings, course materials and workbooks, and one year of access to the recordings and materials after the course ends (until 9 March 2028).
12 places. Enrolment opens on 15 November 2026.
What You will Study
This course is for teachers who are ready to move beyond formulaic Yin sequencing and into a more responsive way of teaching. You will learn how stillness, time, breath awareness and pacing shape the experience of practice, and how these place particular responsibility on the teacher. You are encouraged to observe carefully, use language with intention, and put choice and consent ahead of outcome. It is less about adding more, and more about knowing what to offer, what to leave out, and how to hold a class steadily.
Foundations and philosophy. The principles of Yin and how stillness, breath awareness and pacing shape the experience of practice. The philosophy that runs through the training comes from Samkhya and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras: how they frame attention, stillness and practice, and what they offer a teacher of Yin. We also look at yin and yang as the Daoist frame the practice grew from.
Anatomy of stillness. Anatomy sits at the centre of this training, across three live sessions and the recorded lectures. We use a functional anatomy lens that respects individual variation: how joint structure, skeletal patterning, muscle tone and connective tissue affect how a Yin posture is experienced. Rather than ideal alignment, you learn to read the body in front of you, explore variation in your own body, and adapt the shape to the student. Anatomy is a tool for observation and decision making, not diagnosis.
Poses, variation and adaptation. The core Yin shapes, what each one targets, how props change them, and how to offer variations that suit the person in the room.
Anatomy of moving energy. Meridian theory and the Five Elements are the main energetic map of Yin: the meridian lines, which poses work along which lines, and how the elements can shape a sequence and its intention. We also look more briefly at the koshas and the chakra system alongside Samkhya. These are taught as philosophical and experiential maps, not medical models. The live session gives you the overview, and the detail is in the recorded lectures and a Five Elements practice.
Physiology, breath and stillness. What research can and can't tell us about long holds and rest, and how breath awareness supports the practice. Polyvagal theory is taught as a working map, not settled fact.
Sequencing, language and teaching. Building a class, using invitational language, offering choice, and staying within the scope of yoga teaching.
Teaching Lab. In the final session you teach, observe and give feedback, so you leave having practised the choices, not only read about them.
Terms such as therapeutic, balance and integration are used to describe possible experiences of practice rather than guaranteed outcomes.
Who This Training Is For
This training is for qualified yoga teachers who want to deepen their Yin teaching, and for teachers who want a more mature, scope-aware approach. It suits teachers interested in anatomy, subtle body frameworks and professional ethics, and long-term practitioners with a consistent personal practice.
No previous Yin training is needed.
Certification
On completing the training and assessment you receive a 50-hour Yin Yoga Teacher Training certificate from Gem Maryan, E-RYT 500, YACEP.
The hours count towards Yoga Alliance Continuing Education (YACEP). If you are registered with Yoga Alliance, you can add them to your continuing education record.
Testimonial / graduate reflections
Questions
Do I need to attend every session live? Live attendance is best, because the sessions are where the discussion and teaching practice happen. Every session is recorded, and you can catch up on anything you miss before the next week.
How long do I have access to the materials? For the length of the course and one year after it ends, until 9 March 2028.
Can I pay in instalments? Yes. The full price of £495 can be paid in three monthly payments of £165. The early bird price is paid in full.
What if I need to cancel? You have a 14-day cooling-off period from the date of booking. After that, bookings are non-refundable. If you can no longer attend, you may be able to transfer to the September 2027 training. Please get in touch to discuss.
Is there another date? A second cohort runs from 7 September to 2 November 2027.
What if I'm not sure it's right for me? Email me at info@gemmaryan.co.uk and we can have a wee chat about whether it fits where you are in your teaching.