Functional Synergy’s Therapeutic Yoga Certification Program:

Are you a yoga teacher who is interested in developing a solid understanding of therapeutic yoga?

Hi there, I am Susi Hately Aldous, and I've been helping people get out of pain and improve their functional movement since 1993. I’ve been using yoga in this way since 1996.

Since 1993, I have grown from teaching one or two musicians how to stay pain free while playing their instruments, to becoming a highly credible and reliable source for understanding and successfully using therapeutic yoga to enable people to get out of pain and back to the life they want to live – at home, work and play. 

My way of teaching combines principles of anatomy and physiology with the ancient art of yoga asanas, breathing, pranayama, stillness and meditation. All of my sessions are customized to suit individual needs (even my group classes); and as such, I call them Customized Yoga Therapy.

I started teaching this way back in 2001 because not every person with back pain or shoulder pain needed the same yoga program. Instead I focused on the person, their anatomy, their movement abilities and their day-to-day lifestyle. . . with a goal to cultivate better body balance.

Today I teach people who have back pain, shoulder pain, repetitive strain injury, and osteoarthritis; people going through chemotherapy, and people who have survived cancer; people with neck pain, knee pain, and people recovering from surgery; people with MS; Lou Gehrig’s, as well as people with anxiety, and depression. Students come from all walks of life – executives, parents, retirees, elite athletes, Olympians, school teachers, dentists, doctors, massage therapists, chiropractors, yoga teachers and more – but the common thing that brings them to me is always the same, initially – their pain, fatigue or tension is getting in the way of the life they want to live.

In 2001, I started to teach teachers the anatomy principles I use in my classes each day. They had ah-ha moments in their own bodies as well as ah-ha moments with their students – there was less pain, more ease, and a greater feeling of lightness and strength.

In 2004, I began to train teachers more specifically in therapeutic yoga, and in 2007 I launched the 4 Days of Therapeutic Yoga Program (now called The Therapeutic Yoga Intensive) in Toronto. Over these 4 days I teach the techniques and asanas that I use with clients who have orthopedic issues - back pain, shoulder pain, neck, elbow, wrist, knee and ankle pain; chronic pain, fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue.

Late in 2007, I decided to enhance the training further and certify yoga teachers in my therapeutic methodologies.

I'd like to invite you to join me in the Certification Program starting in January 2010.

To date, I have trained many different teachers in therapeutic yoga - teachers with lots of experience in personal training and kinesiology and others with none. Throughout the spectrum, the stories remain the same, what I have taught them has transformed the way they view a person with pain. They now can see that pain can be reduced and/or resolved no matter what the age. They see that Yes!, age does not matter, nor do the limitations that trouble or impact and individual.

The key is the type of stimulus, the kind of exercise, or whether they focus on breathing and rest or whether they focus on movement. They have learned how to apply this to developing and enhancing a program toward developing better body balance. They have seen first hand for themselves, that this way of teaching works.

This certification program will enable you to work your way through a process of determining what is best for your client - the individual in front of you. It will heighten your skill set, develop your ability to see, and enrich your yoga practice.

It is purposefully a small program. It is small in order that I give you the best I've got. You will learn from me and some of my mentors. You will get the goods from the smartest and most experienced people I know. My aim is to bring my world to you. Yes, there is an application and interview process. Yes, you will need to travel to Calgary for parts of the training. Yes, you will be able to complete a portion of the program in your home town. Yes, you will need to complete The Therapeutic Yoga Intensive, and be able to demonstrate your knowledge of this style of teaching before you are formerly considered for the program.

The next Intake for the Therapeutic Yoga Certification: January 2010. Pre-reqs - Therapeutic Yoga Intensive. Locations for 2009 - Vancouver, Toronto and Edmonton.

Happy exploring!!

Susi