650 hour Professional Massage Therapy Training for Licensure
Our professional massage therapy training is the cornerstone of what we offer here at The NEST, and meets or exceeds all the standards set forth by Board of Massage of The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and the Division of Occupational Licensure to properly prepare our graduates to become licensed massage therapists in the State. It includes 550 classroom hours of instruction in the required subjects of Massage Theory and Technique, Anatomy and Physiology, Pathology, Kinesiology, and Ethics, Professionalism and Business Practices. In addition, 100 hours of supervised clinical internship mustl be completed prior to graduation and licensure.
We feel that the lifestyle practices of yoga and Ayurveda are an important piece to ensuring sustainability through the physical, mental, and emotional demands of the massage profession, and we also feel that the techniques contained in the “myofascial therapies” give a therapist an added edge in providing considerable pain relief and postural corrections that so many clients of today are seeking. Therefore, these practices are integrated into the day-to-day school experience and teaching. If you are considering a career in the massage and manual therapy profession, one in which you have the skills and tools to help relieve people of chronic pain and dysfunction, as well as establishing yourself in your own optimal health and wellbeing, our professional massage therapy program is the right choice for you!
For current and up-to-date programing email info@thenestboston.com for more information.
We feel that the lifestyle practices of yoga and Ayurveda are an important piece to ensuring sustainability through the physical, mental, and emotional demands of the massage profession, and we also feel that the techniques contained in the “myofascial therapies” give a therapist an added edge in providing considerable pain relief and postural corrections that so many clients of today are seeking. Therefore, these practices are integrated into the day-to-day school experience and teaching. If you are considering a career in the massage and manual therapy profession, one in which you have the skills and tools to help relieve people of chronic pain and dysfunction, as well as establishing yourself in your own optimal health and wellbeing, our professional massage therapy program is the right choice for you!
For current and up-to-date programing email info@thenestboston.com for more information.
Shadow Yoga In-Depth Studies: Prelude Forms
Creating a Personal Practice
Creating a personal practice is essential to maturing one’s development as a yoga practitioner and is an integral part of studying Shadow Yoga. While persistence and devotion are required, one also needs a flexible, creative set of tools and a solid theoretical understanding to meet one’s changing needs from day-to-day, and to realize the inner potentials of yoga.
The once-a-month weekend workshop format will afford the time and space to delve deeply into the practical, philosophical, and energetic basis of the sequencing of the Shadow Yoga Prelude Forms, the “seed” asanas, and primary asana-vinyasas. Students will gain a deeper understanding of how to utilize Shadow Yoga for personal growth, prepare the subtle body for the internal limbs of yoga, and address special therapeutic needs such as women’s and men’s health and recovering from injury or illness.
About In-Depth Studies
The Shadow Yoga In-Depth Studies course has been designed to offer students an opportunity to learn Shadow Yoga in a methodical way that will support a fruitful home practice. It will focus on foundational practices such as the three Prelude Forms, Kriyas, Bandhas, and Ayurvedic self-care. The Prelude Forms have been developed to overcome the energetic obstructions of the body, rendering the mind sensitive towards the action. This process is intended to prepare the student for further asana and energetic work and, therefore, should come before it. This necessary foundational piece is largely absent from modern-day yoga styles and systems and, without it, the Hatha Yoga methodology cannot yield its intended results completely if at all.
It is recommended that students commit two to three years (minimum) to this process of working with the prelude forms. While much can be learned in the first year, the learning is more intellectual and theoretical as there is a great deal of information presented that must be worked with over time in order for the student to understand its uses and meanings. Subsequent years of study and practice will focus the student on developing mastery of the three Shadow Yoga Preludes and build toward more subtle practices such as therapeutic asana-vinyasa and preparatory work for the practice of inversions. These asana-vinyasa combine with the Prelude Forms to deepen the purification of the subtle body, heal the organs of reproduction, digestion and elimination, and set the foundation for safely and effectively practicing beginning mudras such as Sarvagasana (Shoulderstand) and Sirsasana (Headstand).
While it is very common for practitioners to be introduced to inversions very early in their Hatha Yoga studies these practices carry the risk of serious injury due to over-reliance on muscular effort and technique. The standing work of the Prelude Forms along with rhythmic ujjayi breathing, skillful application of the three bandhas and consistent practice of therapeutic asana-vinyasa (arrangements of seated asanas) are critical for refining the circulation of Prana (vital force) and gaining the skill and awareness necessary to avoid creating excessive pressure and irritation to the delicate tissues of the heart, brain, and neck. Until students have mastered these preliminary practices, the inversions will yield only superficial benefits and their true power and rejuvenative potential will remain dormant.
* Note: This course is not governed, regulated, or approved by the Division of Professional Licensure of Massachusetts.
Creating a personal practice is essential to maturing one’s development as a yoga practitioner and is an integral part of studying Shadow Yoga. While persistence and devotion are required, one also needs a flexible, creative set of tools and a solid theoretical understanding to meet one’s changing needs from day-to-day, and to realize the inner potentials of yoga.
The once-a-month weekend workshop format will afford the time and space to delve deeply into the practical, philosophical, and energetic basis of the sequencing of the Shadow Yoga Prelude Forms, the “seed” asanas, and primary asana-vinyasas. Students will gain a deeper understanding of how to utilize Shadow Yoga for personal growth, prepare the subtle body for the internal limbs of yoga, and address special therapeutic needs such as women’s and men’s health and recovering from injury or illness.
About In-Depth Studies
The Shadow Yoga In-Depth Studies course has been designed to offer students an opportunity to learn Shadow Yoga in a methodical way that will support a fruitful home practice. It will focus on foundational practices such as the three Prelude Forms, Kriyas, Bandhas, and Ayurvedic self-care. The Prelude Forms have been developed to overcome the energetic obstructions of the body, rendering the mind sensitive towards the action. This process is intended to prepare the student for further asana and energetic work and, therefore, should come before it. This necessary foundational piece is largely absent from modern-day yoga styles and systems and, without it, the Hatha Yoga methodology cannot yield its intended results completely if at all.
It is recommended that students commit two to three years (minimum) to this process of working with the prelude forms. While much can be learned in the first year, the learning is more intellectual and theoretical as there is a great deal of information presented that must be worked with over time in order for the student to understand its uses and meanings. Subsequent years of study and practice will focus the student on developing mastery of the three Shadow Yoga Preludes and build toward more subtle practices such as therapeutic asana-vinyasa and preparatory work for the practice of inversions. These asana-vinyasa combine with the Prelude Forms to deepen the purification of the subtle body, heal the organs of reproduction, digestion and elimination, and set the foundation for safely and effectively practicing beginning mudras such as Sarvagasana (Shoulderstand) and Sirsasana (Headstand).
While it is very common for practitioners to be introduced to inversions very early in their Hatha Yoga studies these practices carry the risk of serious injury due to over-reliance on muscular effort and technique. The standing work of the Prelude Forms along with rhythmic ujjayi breathing, skillful application of the three bandhas and consistent practice of therapeutic asana-vinyasa (arrangements of seated asanas) are critical for refining the circulation of Prana (vital force) and gaining the skill and awareness necessary to avoid creating excessive pressure and irritation to the delicate tissues of the heart, brain, and neck. Until students have mastered these preliminary practices, the inversions will yield only superficial benefits and their true power and rejuvenative potential will remain dormant.
* Note: This course is not governed, regulated, or approved by the Division of Professional Licensure of Massachusetts.
Ayurvedic Lifestyle and Wellness Program
The Ayurvedic Lifestyle and Wellness Program focuses on fundamental practices of the Hatha Yoga and Ayurvedic Medicine systems. Led by Richmond Dickson, along with guest teachers, this training is intended to inspire each student to dedicate themselves more fully to their personal practice, and expound upon the defining principles of yoga which, if practiced regularly, will carry the practitioner more gracefully down the path of life.
The NEST Yoga & Ayurveda Program is for anyone who is interested in developing a firm understanding of Hatha Yoga, and its relationship to and integration with the diet and lifestyle science of Ayurvedic Medicine. Our intention is to offer a practitioners training that establishes each student in a “living” yoga practice that will contribute to their understanding of their own health and wellbeing, whether they are an existing or aspiring yoga teacher or a student looking to delve into deeper work that is often glossed over in modern-day yoga classes.
* Note: This course is not governed, regulated, or approved by the Division of Occupational Licensure of Massachusetts.
The NEST Yoga & Ayurveda Program is for anyone who is interested in developing a firm understanding of Hatha Yoga, and its relationship to and integration with the diet and lifestyle science of Ayurvedic Medicine. Our intention is to offer a practitioners training that establishes each student in a “living” yoga practice that will contribute to their understanding of their own health and wellbeing, whether they are an existing or aspiring yoga teacher or a student looking to delve into deeper work that is often glossed over in modern-day yoga classes.
* Note: This course is not governed, regulated, or approved by the Division of Occupational Licensure of Massachusetts.