Healthy Aging Yoga Teacher Training

Venue: Prana Yoga Studio

    Lead by Jeanette Ward & Colleen Dibden

     

    November 21-23, 2025

    Friday 5:30 to 9pm | Saturday & Sunday 8am-4:30pm

     

    Canada’s population of the 50+ age group out numbers children by close to 5%. More and more people in this demographic are turning to yoga for maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit. Teaching yoga to our aging population requires a different skill set. One that takes into account decades of life experiences on all levels, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Understanding common physical, mental and emotional issues and how to navigate them in classes is just one of many essential skills required to share yoga with this unique age group. Teaching the 50+ demographic is a niche that is fulfilling and rewarding with participants incredibly grateful for classes specific to their needs.

     

    The course will cover the importance of understanding:

    • how bone health, strength and balance can impact quality of life
    • common age-related health conditions
    • how do adapt and sequence your classes to accommodate for these issues
    • the role of pelvic floor health in optimal breathing, core strength and stability
    • how yoga can reduce the risk of falls and related injuries
    • the benefits of working with the chair and how to sequence a Chair Yoga practice: 30 mins and 60 mins
    • pranayama techniques that support various issues to this age group
    • dementia and how to offer the benefits of yoga to this population
    • how to create a safe, supportive and fun learning environment
    • ageism, what it is and the important of language
    • how hand mudras bring another powerful benefit to this age group

     

    With this topic being of interest to many people other than yoga teachers, we welcome yoga students and other healthcare wellness professionals to join us.

     

    This training fulfills 25 CEU’s and is an elective for Prana Yoga Studios 300 hr Yoga Teacher Training.

     

    Please note: There are two hours of required work prior to the start of the course and there is a final assignment required prior to certification.

     

    Investment: $459 + GST

     

     

    Testimonials

    “Colleen and Jeanette are a dynamic duo and a wealth of information, experience, and passion. They are incredibly knowledgeable and articulate this knowledge well. I am grateful for this course. The opportunity to learn from and be inspired by these two teachers was a gift.”

     

     

    Jeanette Ward

    Jeanette’s passion and enthusiasm for teaching yoga is a delight to be a part of. She first experienced the numerous positive benefits of practicing yoga in the mid 90’s. and started teaching in 2002. With a background in Group Fitness (since 1988), Jeanette has discovered that bringing unity and balance to the mind, body and spirit, is just as important as keeping the physical body in shape.

     

    Over the years, Jeanette’s yoga journey has shifted to one of deep inner healing. Her mat has been, and continues to be a safe haven for tapping into suppressed emotion. Insights, healing, and a profound inner peace have surfaced through her explorations on the mat.

     

    During an extended yoga teacher training in India (2009), Jeanette’s knowledge and understanding of yoga was deepened and enriched by her teacher, Yogi Vishvketu. She considers it one of the most transformational experiences of her life, and is deeply grateful for the profound healing received.

     

    The Sanskrit word for contentment is ‘Santosha.’ Given this name by Yogi Vishvketu, through the practice of yoga, Jeanette continues to search, and at times, find contentment in her own life. It is an ongoing journey. Always a student herself, other teachers Jeanette has studied with are: Donna Farhi, TKV Desikachar, Mark Whitwell, Rodney Yee, Shiva Rea, Rameen Peyrow, and David McAmmond.

     

    Jeanette’s awareness of the energetic aspect of the human body has been enhanced through the practice of yoga. She has taken numerous courses in energetic anatomy, is a Reiki Practitioner and has experienced first hand, the power of hands on healing. In 2014, Jeanette discovered Rosen Method Bodywork. She had been looking for something to offer in conjunction with teaching yoga. After several months of receiving her own personal sessions, she decided to become a practitioner. Jeanette continues to shift, transform and grow through her yoga practice and Rosen Method Bodywork. Jeanette is certified through the Yoga Association of Alberta (YAA) and Yoga Alliance, 500HR.

     

    Colleen Dibden

    Colleen is a 500 HR Yoga Alliance Certified Yoga Teacher. She is also certified with the Yoga Association of Alberta at the 300 HR level. Yoga teaches us that “nothing in life is permanent” and that within every new moment there is potential for growth and change. With over thirty years experience working in Mental Health as a Registered Social Worker, Colleen is passionate about change. She brings this enthusiasm, along with compassion and sensitivity, to her work as a Yoga Teacher.

     

    With gentle guidance and encouragement, she leads students to a deeper understanding of themselves and their capacity for healing and change from within. She loves the inclusivity of yoga and believes that yoga is for everyone and every “body”. Colleen has a special interest in therapeutic yoga, Chair Yoga and working with people with physical and mental limitations. She also offers private sessions. She has received many gifts from her yoga teachers over the years and is humbled and honoured to share these benefits with others. Come and heal your mind and body by learning how to breathe and move with awareness.