Why Blend Learning Design with Yoga and Wellness?

Yoga is many things, and one of those things is an incredibly pragmatic and intelligently design system. Having been a yoga student, practitioner, and teacher for over a decade, I know that the wisdom of yoga is deeply applicable to every person, no matter what phase or circumstance of life they are in. However, at times, that pragmatism might be shrouded in mistaken assumptions, incorrect understandings, or misapplied techniques.

I’ve been fortunate enough to attend many trainings in my time as a yoga student. It wasn’t until 2017, when I met my yoga therapy teacher, Dr. Jaime Stover Schmitt, who has a PhD in Education, that I experienced how someone who understands the science and art of learning creates educational materials and programs. Up to that point, most of my teachers were subject matter experts. Her expertise and presentation changed the way I think about teaching, learning, and the transference of information and knowledge. She inspired me to become not just a teacher or a therapist, but an excellent educator.

I’m interested in applying what I learned from my Master’s in Learning Design to the world of mindfulness, meditation, yoga and wellness in general. So often these topics are taught by subject matter experts who deeply understand the knowledge, but lack the know-how to communicate and deliver this knowledge in a way that will relate to the learner, or create a nurturing learning environment. I’m especially interested in the science behind motivation, purposeful habit forming, self-reflection, and self-transformation.