Atlas Trauma Informed Yoga Teacher Training Team
Acknowledging all those who have come before us so that we may be where we are on our path today is no small task. The teachers, the students, the books and the authors, the researchers, the damaged souls that cried out to be healed and those that struggled to come out long enough to heal. We acknowledge the angels both living and in the realms beyond knowing, the gods and goddesses, Mother Earth, Father Spirit, White Buffalo Woman. So many have made our work possible. May we be worthy of them all and provide the shoulders for you to stand on as we have stood on theirs. Aho’
Denise Davis-Gains
Denise
B.A Hons (Philosophy, Religion and Culture), B.A.A. (Communications), MA (INP-Religion and Culture), CYA-E-RYTGold - certified and register with the Canadian Yoga Alliance, C-IAYT - certified yoga therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists, is a yoga teacher, yoga teacher and therapist trainer, Thai yoga massage therapist and trainer, shamanic healer who specializes in reproductive health.
Denise, mother of 3, step-mother to 2 and grand-mother to 6, is the founding director of Atlas Yoga Studio and School and the creator of the Samasa Yoga Method a process of restoring equilibrium to our layers of beingness (the koshas). Training yoga teachers since 1997, Denise evolved the Atlas 200hr/500hr/1000hr Yoga Teacher and Therapist Training programs. Denise was part-time faculty at Wildrid Laurier University in Physical Education and Kinesiology from 1999-2016 and Conestoga College in Vocational Fitness (Police, Fire, Paramedics, Corrections) from 2008-2019.
Denise, award winning business owner, has lectured on “Yoga in the West”( WLU- in a course ‘Hinduism’), “Complimentary and Alternative Medicine in the Canadian Health Care System” in a course ‘Canadian Medical System’), and “Yoga and Social Justice and Equity” (WLU- Social Work Equity Conference).
Denise is a natural story teller and enjoys sharing her life experiences and research.
With a family history of abuse and abandonment Denise was actively looking for ways to heal from a very young age. With indigenous heritage on both sides of her family it has taken a life-time to get to know who they were and how they are part of her today. This course was born out of a long career of trial and error, of making mistakes and learning to be a better human. It is our hope that we can help others to navigate teaching and supporting those who have experienced trauma.
Jason
Wendroff-Rawnicki
Grief and the Shariras:
Layers of Being.
In June of 1998, he lost his sister Lauren in a car accident. Knowing that he needed more than talk therapy to deal with his grief, Jason turned toward a body centered approach. Yoga, meditation, mindfulness,healthy lifestyle and essential oils became that path towards recovery.
Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki is a certified yoga educator, MA in psychology and dōTERRA Essential Oil Gold Leaders, who is passionate about facilitating transformation and committed to empowering individuals and families with simple & effective tools to naturally manage their mental, emotional and physical health.
Entrepreneur & business owner since 2000, and co-founded Shine Yoga Center in New Jersey, Jason draws on over 20 years of experience living a holistic lifestyle - incorporating yoga, meditation, essential oils, healthy eating, conscious communication & authentic relationship to help guide you to a place of greater joy & self awareness so that you can make healthier more fulfilling choices in your life. He travels nationally & internationally leading classes, workshops, retreats and educating about the benefits and powers of essential oils.
All contact and Social Media - https://bio.site/jasonwr
Skylar Larkyn
is a Marriage & Family Therapist , LMFT, and is based out of New York City, New York, United States. Skylar specializes in the counseling of Trauma and PTSD, Grief, Anxiety, etc. She has experience in handling cases of healing generational oppression, Addiction, Codependency, Depression, Divorce, Eating Disorders, Family Conflict, Life Coaching, Life Transitions, Peer Relationships, Racial Identity, Relationship Issues, Self Esteem, Sexual Abuse, Sleep or Insomnia, Stress, Substance Use, Transgender, Women's Issues, cover-19 medical and service professionals, and more. The types of therapies Skylar offers include, Her Attachment Based Family Therapy, Coaching, Compassion Focused, Culturally Sensitive, EMDR Therapy, EMDR Therapy I, II., Family / Marital, Family Systems, Feminist Therapy, Gestalt, Humanistic Therapy, Integrative Therapy, Interpersonal Psychotherapy, Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Multicultural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Neuro-Linguistic, Positive Psychology, Psychodynamic Therapy, Somatic Psychology, Strength Based Therapy, Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Therapy Therapy therapy.
Skylar Larkyn is also listed in Best Marriage Therapists in New York City
Rizwan Desai
Rizwan
B.A. Hons (Politics and Governance), B.Ed. (with a focus on Social Justice Education) and is currently working on his Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy with a specialization in policy - University of Toronto (2023). Rizwan has worked with learners of all ages for more than 10 years and teaching for the past 7 years. With a variety of teaching experiences abroad and home, in-person and online, Rizwan’s interactions with international learners and members of different communities underscores the importance of understanding the contexts of all those that he serves. The reasons for this are two-fold. Firstly, learners can explore the content in a space that honors their backgrounds and experiences, which makes it easier for them to engage in the learning environment. Second, the engagement from the learners lends itself to a more fulfilling and free flowing lesson as an educator.
When I saw an opportunity to design a curriculum for yoga teachers to be trauma-informed, I knew that my experience and education would lend itself well to this curriculum content. I am grateful for the opportunity research and write with the Atlas Yoga School team and share what I have learned with yoga teachers and therapists.
Ida Cullen
“THERE’S A GODDESS FOR THAT!” The Creative Process for Healing Trauma
Timing is everything and today the cosmos is showering us with a New Moon - Solar Eclipse. The stars speak volumes, and then…
Life happens. Recognizing where and how trauma has occurred is not always easy. Most of the wounds are invisible and disguised in a myriad of ways. Scabs form, habits change, memories fade. Along with the numbing comes a lessening of wellbeing, a lack of connection, mental/emotional unrest. The disguises become obstacles in and of themselves. Generational trauma perpetuates the pain unconsciously.
The use of music, dancing, writing, drawing, psychodrama, and nature studies is therapeutic, healing, and ultimately transformational. Creativity is a whole-brain affair. Engaging with one’s creative energy moves prana.
Reading, writing, and sharing stories has been a cultural phenomenon throughout human history. It’s the best way to learn. Early in the pandemic, which could qualify as traumatic, I was invited to tell a story for a statewide event. That is when I discovered Akilanandeshvari, the Goddess Never-Not-Broken. Her story, which demonstrates resilience, transformation, and embodiment is a powerful lesson for this time and this topic.
Yoga Therapy, thru its many different tools and techniques, provides a safe container to explore broken pieces, shadows, and the obstacles that limit our being fully alive. The creative process adds just that, another way to self-knowledge. Telling our story can have life changing benefits.
©Ida Cullen
Yoga Therapist, Teacher, Writer, Artist, Astrologer, Feng Shui Expert and Harpist.
https://www.iayt.org/members/?id=23642316 https://www.ifcullen.com/about-ida/
Nicole Bosworth
Nicole
Associates Degree in Business Administration and is currently working on her Bachelor’s of Business Administration and will graduate in May 2023. Nicole found yoga and meditation 6 years into her sobriety, after falling into postpartum depression with the birth of her second child. When she found yoga, she felt that she found a cure for many of the struggles she endured throughout her life. The mind-body connection that yoga provides was something she had been looking for for some time, and I was able to begin healing from the many traumas of her life.
Nicole connected with Denise and Atlas Yoga Studio and School through a University school project. When she learned about the trauma-informed yoga course, she felt a sense of passion and connection to help others and to help develop and promote this evolution of yoga. It is her hope to share her story with others, while teaching them the benefits that yoga has to offer. Yoga, to Nicole, is a new way of life, and she is beyond grateful to have the opportunity to work with Atlas Yoga School to help others find the same healing practice. Nicole will be speaking about living in and raising children in a multi-racial family and her issues with addiction and recovery.
Nicole, mother of 2, will be starting her yoga teacher training journey this fall in the Atlas 200hr Yoga Teacher Training program and will be supporting the TIYTT as part of that journey.