CPD11 The Yoga of Relationships – Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for Yoga & Meditation Teachers

A Continuing Professional Development Specialty Intensive

“I started stumbling upon more and more studies that were pointing in a very different direction, that actually diet and exercise are not as important and there are other things, the so-called ‘soft drivers’ of longevity, so empathy, kindness, relationships, that may matter even more than nutrition and exercise to how healthy we are.
So I got really intrigued and I started investigating this more, and so after reading over 600 research papers and talking to dozens of scientists, I did completely change my outlook on what is the most important thing to stay healthy, and now I know it’s not necessarily the way we approach diet and exercise, but actually exactly social relationships and how we live our life emotionally and socially.”

Marta Zaraska 2020

(source)

Relationships are now known to be a great driver of human longevity and health, so it’s wonderful to know we can learn how to relate more effectively through mindful awareness, somatic experiencing and yoga training.

It has long been held dear in the Yogic and Buddhist traditions that a marker of progression in practice, was the ability to recognise the potent effect of Yoga on relationships….

“Yoga is the projection of friendliness, compassion, gladness and equanimity towards all things”

~ Yoga Sutra 1.33

In this course, you will be thrilled to learn there are evidenced based interventions for improving professional relationships, intimate relationships and even the relationship you have with yourself. These interventions are coupled with mindfulness and compassion practice, yoga breathing practices and somatic experiencing.

This course will specifically assist you in developing private couples yoga and meditation sessions, family yoga therapy sessions, parent and child yoga and meditation sessions. The course is supported by the science of love and attachment theory, Emotionally Focussed Therapy and will assist you in enhancing your relationships and those who seek your experience to develop more secure relationships through the practices of yoga therapy and meditation.

The course will explore the following research:

Emotionally Focused Therapy
Compassion Focussed Therapy
The Gottman Institute – A Research Based Approach to Relationships
Polyvagal Theory by Stephen Porges
Somatic Experiencing by Peter Levine
Healing Trauma in Relationships, Cultivating Safety in Relationships by Bonnie Badenoch
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)

Dr Sue Johnson talks about Attachment & EFT:

“Attachment science offers us the most potent model for therapeutic change, especially when dealing with anxiety and depression, and that, of all models of intervention, EFT most closely captures the essence of the attachment perspective. It targets the defining feature of survival-oriented human connection, namely strong emotion, and systematically shapes core bonding interactions with others.”

Throughout this course will gain insight into the “Hold Me Tight” evidenced based offerings and how to incorporate the basics of Emotional Focussed Therapy (EFT) into your private practice to help families and couples overcome conflict. The goal of the therapy is for the individuals within the relationship to explore their inner experience as it translates into conflicts within the relationship (Johnson & Greenberg, 1985). Research has found that the expression of feelings and changes in interaction are important in resolving conflict within a relationship (Greenberg et al., 1988). The therapy ends with the couple or partnership reflecting on new ways of interacting that foster a healthier relationship and ending the negative cycle (Greenman & Johnson, 2013). Despite the short duration of the therapy, its positive effects have shown to be long lasting (Johnson & Greenberg, 1985).

You will cover in this training, the relationship educational arm of EFT, which is thoroughly enjoyed world-wide.

Emotionally Focused Therapy

Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) is usually a short term (8-20 sessions), structured approach to couples’ therapy formulated in the early 1980s by Professors Susan Johnson and Leslie Greenberg. EFT is supported by John Bowlby’s attachment research, wherein it appears that as humans we have an innate need to feel attached and comforted by a few irreplaceable others. EFT is all about attachment to a special other. In the early stages of therapy, the focus is on repetitive, negative cycles of interaction that couples get caught in where they trigger each other’s attachment panic and thus react in rigid, self-protective ways. One partner’s best attempts to get emotional needs met unfortunately can trigger the other to react defensively, creating distance and pain, rather than closeness and emotional safety. We call this a dance because the steps are so well known and each partner affects the other intimately. Most couples know the steps of their “dance” very well and often feel helpless to change the steps.

EFT is a non-blaming, gentle approach to couple distress that validates each partner’s perspective and helps couples to send and receive clear emotional signals regarding needs and fears. Instead of simply working on communication skills that can sometimes feel like a “band aid” to the situation, EFT aims to help couples to see their dance and exit their dance by sending more clear messages about emotional needs in ways that do not trigger the defences and fears of their partner. EFT goes to the heart of the matter by uncovering the deeper needs and fears that often go unheard and by helping partners express these deeper feelings to each other. This is how each couple can create a new dance of connection, safety and security.

The goal of EFT is to help couples create a secure attachment. This means not only having a close, safe and loving bond together, but also an increase in coping and overall stress management for each individual. Securely attached people navigate the trials of life with greater ease than those who are insecurely attached. There is nothing like knowing that a precious loved one has your back to help you to face what life throws at you.

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

CFT uses a definition of compassion grounded in the Buddhist tradition, which defines compassion as a response to suffering in self and others, with a commitment to alleviate and prevent it (The Dalai Lama, 2001). CFT is part of a growing global movement that recognizes the potential of compassion to provide benefits in a range of sectors, from business, education and healthcare to science, research and the environment (Charter for Compassion; http://charterforcompassion.org/).

The application of compassion as a psychotherapeutic intervention has received increasing attention. There are three flows of compassion: that is the ability to offer compassion to others, to receive compassion from others and to offer compassion to oneself within one’s mind (self-compassion). Compassion-based therapies involve enabling individuals to develop self-compassion, as well as being able to be compassionate to others and to be open to receive compassion from others, in particular in response to adversity or threatening situations. The research indicates that compassion to self and others can be taught and learned, the fear of compassion can be alleviated and that self-compassion can help reduce stress, depression promoting coping strategies and improve relationships. (J. Leaviss and L. Uttley, Psychological Medicine, Page 1 of 19. © Cambridge University Press 2014. Psychotherapeutic benefits of compassion-focused therapy: an early systematic review).

Mindfulness and Yoga Therapy

In the context of mindful relating and yoga therapy, we will be looking at the way we can use somatic experiencing, posturing, facial expressions, eye gaze and communication skills to develop closer, more secure relationships.

Mindfulness practice is beneficial for creating secure attachments. We will navigate attachment theory and the ways in which we can apply yoga therapy to improve safety, neuroception and secure attachment.

The aim for this course is to assist you and your clientele to have a richer and more meaningful life, develop enhanced self-compassion and deeply fulfilling relationships.

Course Code:

CPD11

Next Date Offered:

Currently this course is not available Face to Face.


Course available to be taken online at any time. Contact us for more details.

What You Will Learn

  • Yoga Therapy and Mindfulness Techniques for building positive relationships.
  • Microexpressions, compassionate yoga posturing, eye contact, compassionate breathing, prosody (vocal tone).
  • What is EFT? Evidenced based Emotionally Focussed Therapy (EFT) by Dr Sue Johnson
    • Introduction to Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples:
    • Conceptual:
      • Theory that underpins EFT
      • Evidence base
      • The importance of emotions
      • How we conceptualise couples distress from an attachment frame
      • The structure of EFT (i.e., steps and stages)
    • Experiential:
      • How do we do EFT? What does it look like
      • The EFT Tango
      • EFT interventions
  • What is CFT? Compassion Focussed Therapy (CFT) for relationships.
  • Evidenced based research on what makes and breaks relationships by the Gottman Institute
  • The effect of poor relationships on our health (Gottman Institute and Dr Gabor Mate)
  • Mindful relating through the EFT module
  • Mindful communication skills
  • Mindfulness and attachment theory
  • Somatic Experiencing in context of relationships by Peter Levine
  • Polyvagal Theory in the context of Relationships by Stephen Porges
  • Bonnie Badenoch – healing trauma in relationships, creating safety in relationships
  • How to develop closer, more secure relationships, live a richer, more meaningful life, and develop enhanced self-compassion

BIYOME’s Specialty Intensive Teacher Training can be undertaken as Continuing Professional Development (CPD) with Yoga Australia and/or the Meditation Association of Australia, as well as obtaining Continuing Education (CE) recognition with Yoga Alliance. The course contact hours and non-contact hours (CPDs and CEs), allocated across Meditation Australia and the two registering yoga bodies do, however, differ. Please contact us for more information.

Should you wish to complete a full meditation certification (110 hours – 1000 hours) or yoga certification (150 hours – 1000 hours), please view this Specialty Intensive Training as an elective within our full course offerings. Details are available here.

Further Information & Requirements

CELIA ROBERTS BSc
Head Senior Yoga & Meditation Teacher
Yoga Therapist & Ayurvedic Practitioner
Director of BIYOME

DR CASSANDRA SHIELDS
PhD (Clinical Psychology), BPsych (Hons), MAPS, FCCLP Board Approved Supervisor (Psychology Board of Australia: AHPRA)
Certified Emotionally Focused Couples Therapist and Supervisor (ICEEFT)

DR STAN STEINDL
Adjunct Associate Professor
Clinical psychologist and co-director of the Compassionate Mind Research Group at School of Psychology

SAMANTHA LINDSAY-GERMAN
Kundalini Yoga

EDWINA KEMPE
Licenced TCTSY Specialist
Social Worker
  1. Love Sense: The Revolutionary New Science of Romantic Relationships 31 December 2013
  2. Hold Me Tight Your Guide to the Most Successful Approach to Building Loving Relationships 22nd March 2011

Props attain a 15% discount when purchased from Yoga King Products.

Required

  • 1 yoga mat
  • 1 yoga strap
  • 1 bolster
  • 2 blocks
  • 2 blankets

Optional

  • 1 Iyengar yoga chair (backless chair without the cushion, can be purchased from EMP Industrial)
  • zafu (meditation cushion)
  • zabuton (meditation cushion base)

Your CPD11 Investment

Face-to-Face

Full investment upfront $1,588
or choose a payment plan:
1x deposit payment $499
2x additional monthly payments $644
Certificate of completion / registration is not offered without complete payment

Online Learning

Full investment upfront $1,208
or choose a payment plan:
1x deposit payment $499
2x additional monthly payments $454
Certificate of completion / registration is not offered without complete payment

Continue Your Professional Development Today!

Click below to invest in this training, or request a callback where we can discuss options to determine the best training for you.

Scroll to Top

Be Inspired To Practice

Join us regularly as we share an array of inspirational articles related to Mind-Body Medicine, Complimentary Yoga and Meditation Classes, Yoga and Meditation Teacher Training special offers, and share our Registered Continued Professional Development opportunities.

Simply enter your name and email in the form below.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.