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This is the 9-Day ParaYoga Nidra Certification Training:
the practicum part of the ParaYoga Nidra Certification Program.
Led by Yogarupa, Co-Facilitated by René Quenell and Fannie Hungerford

It will take place ONLINE on the following dates:
October 1-4, October 15-18 and November 7
Because this is a practicum, live attendance is required for all sessions.

In order to be eligible to register, you must have taken the 5-day experiential
ParaYoga Nidra Master Training, this is a FIRM prerequisite.

Enrollment is limited to 50 students.

The ParaYoga Nidra: Enlightened Sleep Certification training is a nine-day educational and experiential immersion, created to prepare you to guide others into the full scope of ParaYoga Nidra. The course has been methodically designed as a rich and multi-faceted curriculum to ensure you possess the knowledge, skill and depth of experience required to lead any and all of the five distinct approaches to ParaYoga Nidra:  

• Healing 
• Cognition 
• Transformation 
• Resolution 
• Spiritual unfoldment  

Once you’ve received your ParaYoga Nidra: Enlightened Sleep certification, you will be able to utilize the designation Certified ParaYoga Nidra Teacher. 

Over the course of the nine days, participants will be guided through a progression of various learning opportunities. These include lecture as well as guided practices by Yogarupa, question-and-answer sessions, self-led practices, practice teaching and feedback (from course leader and co-leaders), self-study, journaling, writing assignments as well as meditation and contemplative practices.  

Our intention is to ensure that you complete the training with the facility to guide the practices as well as those you will lead in the practices. The course will be transformative as well as informative, empowering you to complete the program with: 

• a greater understanding of yourself 
• comprehension of the principles behind the practice from both perspectives––ancient/metaphysical and the cutting edge of the latest scientific research
• a clear understanding of why and how the practice(s) so profoundly affects the lives of those who experience it  
• a sense of confidence that you are prepared to lead the practices with authority and skill 

As a participant, you will provided with a manual which will include as many as 10 copyrighted ParaYoga Nidra scripts for addressing each of the five outcomes. 

Each day we will draw upon, and weave together, four distinct areas of exploration: scholarship, experience, facilitation and self-study. The following is a partial list of subjects that will be covered in each of these areas: 

Scholarship 

• Origins and History of the Practice 
• Lineage of ParaYoga Nidra 
• Benefits of REM and NREM Sleep And Their Correlates To PYN 
• Klesha (The Causes Of Affliction) 
• Kosha (The Layers Of Consciousness)
• Turiya: States Waking, Dream, Deep Sleep And Beyond 
• Understanding Mind 
• Karma Chakra (Experience; Memory; Action)   
• Hypnosis vs. Yoga Nidra  
• The Science of Sankalpa (Resolution) 

Experience 

• 3-4 ParaYoga Nidra practices daily (as taught by Yogarupa or co-facilitators) 
• Daily ParaYoga Nidra practices (taught by fellow participants ) 
• Daily Meditations  
• Question and Answer Sessions
• Group Discussion and Assignments 

Facilitation 

• Preparation: Joints and Glands Exercise or Movement w/o exercise 
• Preparing the “Seat” for Parayoga Nidra: Props, Modifications, etc. 
• Addressing Students’ Safety, Anxiety, etc. 
• ParaYoga Nidra Copyrighted scripts 
• Pacing 
• Crafting Sankalpa   
• Setting up your students, adaptations for Savasana (use of props)  
• What To Do With Silence 
• Creating Original Scripts  
• Sleep Vs Yoga Nidra; Staying Awake During The Practice 
• Self-led practices 
• Leading Individuals And Small Groups 
• Feedback Opportunities 

Self-Study 

• Finding your Voice 
• Establishing Your Own Healing Images 
• Mind Mapping  
• Reflections and Journaling Exercises 
• Understanding Your Unique Life Journey 

Certification is not awarded solely on the basis of attendance. Upon successful completion of all the prerequisite courses, book reports and post-course assignments (see below for details), students will be eligible for ParaYoga Nidra teacher certification. 

Course Requirements: 

Prerequisite to attending this 9-day training:  

• The 5-day ParaYoga Nidra ParaYoga Master Training  must be taken before this training, no exceptions.

Prerequisite to Certification: 

These ParaYoga Master Trainings may be taken before or after this 9-day training: 

• The Four Desires: The Yoga of Fulfillment 
• Secrets of the Sutras: Light on Self Mastery (available online through YogaGlo)  
• Koshas: Unleashing the Science of Soul: Coming in 2021, Date TBD

Post ParaYoga Nidra Certification Training Requirements––to be completed within 1 year of the certification course: 

• A 40 day consecutive practice of ParaYoga Nidra with one of the 8 PYN Practices
• Reflection paper on the effect of the 40 day practice of ParaYoga Nidra—what transformed and transpired with your ParaYoga Nidra work  
• ParaYoga Nidra Journal (to be submitted to the ParaYoga office) 
• A recording of applicant leading a ParaYoga Nidra practice  
• Case study submission––after teaching ParaYoga Nidra three times to one individual (observation, ParaYoga Nidra prescribed and why); form will be available online 

Please note: in order to participate in the ParaYoga Nidra: Enlightened Sleep Certification training, you must first complete five-day ParaYoga Nidra PYMT. It is also recommended that you complete as many of the prerequisite courses as possible prior to attending the 9-day training, but it is not mandatory. In other words: The Four Desires, Secrets of the Sutras and Koshas PYMTs can all be completed after the 9-day training. 

René Quenell is a master teacher, mother, traveler and true believer in the power of yoga to transform lives. Based in LA, René has studied with Yogarupa Rod Stryker for over 18 years and has received her Level III Para Yoga certification, Four Desires certification and is now the first Certified ParaYoga Nidra Teacher. A teacher of teachers, René currently serves as the Director of all Para Yoga Certification programs. She is also one of only seven people in the world certified by Yogarupa to teach Para Yoga Master Trainings.

Fannie Hungerford, 500 RYT, 200 E-YRT, Level II ParaYoga Teacher, Certified ParaYoga Nidra Teacher and Certified Four Desires Trainer, is a yoga and meditation teacher based in Iowa City. She is Iowa’s only ParaYoga certified teacher. She is a firm believer in the time-tested power of the ancient practices of yoga. A lover of people and with a great interest in the human condition, her teaching is grounded in the energetics and psychology of yoga, and provides experiences for the Soul alongside tools for leading a less-burdened life.

Yogarupa’s thoughts on leading events online during COVID

“Thankfully, technology makes it possible to conduct the training digitally and still dive deep into the practices and teachings.

This past spring I led four such trainings. This has given me the opportunity to reaffirm the viability of presenting and interacting digitally as well as refine learning strategies. In many ways, teaching online has proven to be as effective as when I teach live.

At the end of each training, we have received a lot of feedback from participants, thanking us for conducting the events digitally. Zoom makes it possible, without traveling or gathering in large groups, to interface individually and collectively. Sangha (group engagement and fellowship of like-minded seekers) is possible, and nurtured.

Through the live Q&A sessions and breakout rooms––in which you will practice-teach as well as offer and receive feedback from myself and co-facilitators––participants will have the opportunity to work closely with others, sharing their experiences and insights. I have been heartened to watch this deepen participant’s overall experience, provide interactivity and create community.

Additionally, we are pleased with Zoom’s new security measures, which we will be using so that the sessions are accessible only to participants.

I do understand the concern that a virtual format cannot rise to the same level as a “live-and-in-person” event. However, my experiences with the spring online offerings make it clear that this does not have to be the case.

The most meaningful feedback I received were the expressions of gratitude, specifically the value of doing the program in lieu of the profound challenges of the global climate at present. People were relieved and reinvigorated by having the teachings take center stage in their life. 

These days, I find myself repeating: “Now, more than ever.” In times like these it is possible that steeping yourself in these teachings could be even more impactful, both in the short and long-term, than they might be otherwise. This training may or may not be offered in 2021, so I recommend joining us now, in 2020, for this unique event. The world needs more ParaYoga Nidra teachers…now more than ever.