Cultivating Wisdom in Clinical Practice

A Series of Courses for Healthcare Providers
 
As a healthcare provider you came to your work out of passion, caring, and a desire to help others.  There was something inside of you that that aligned with a particular field of healthcare and you invested yourself in that field of study.

Does your current practice or field of study feel 100% aligned with your truth?  This series of trainings is offered to guide you more deeply to your authentic gifts so that they will be expressed in the work that you do with others.  This will amplify the joy you experience in your work and that will naturally optimize the experience and outcomes for those you work with.

The acquisition of knowledge and skills is an important step in practicing healthcare, but the information learned is not the whole picture and perhaps not the most important aspect of being an effective practitioner.  I believe that it is something other than acquired knowledge that produces the most profound and long lasting results that catapult the people you work with into the fullness of their own personal life expression.

How do we bring this something else that I am going to call wisdom, clarity and integrity into clinical practice?  That is the subject of this series of courses for healthcare providers.  This process will require your willingness to learn more about yourself and to be guided to your truth.

Series One Details – Yoga Training for Healthcare Providers

Healthcare practitioners and students of the healing professions learn the principles and practice of yoga applied in healthcare.  Learn new ways to support those you work with including; strengthening and balancing the nervous system, managing physical and emotional pain, and improving posture and body mechanics. Learn to teach yoga postures, sequences and guided meditations that empower your patients to take ownership of their health and well-being.

The training includes time focused on ethical considerations as specifically related to the materials covered in the course.  The course exposes practitioners to non-medical approaches to pain management and new perspectives and treatment options for common conditions.

This course is designed for all healthcare professionals, including, but not limited to: Naturopathic Physicians, Physical Therapists, Nurses, Massage Therapists, Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, and Mental Healthcare Providers.  Students currently enrolled in a healthcare professional program are also eligible.

Instructor Biography

This course is developed and taught by Laura Washington ND.  Dr. Washington is a naturopathic physician licensed and practicing in the state of Oregon.  She received her doctor of naturopathic medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in 1998.   She has served as adjunct faculty at NUNM and Lewis and Clark College. She is the author of the book Herbal Medicine for Health and Well-Being (Sterling publishing Co. 2004) which is designed to empower the individual to make safe, effective, and appropriate choices to support their health. 

Dr. Washington has taught yoga since 1990 and is a registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga alliance with the designations of E-RYT 500 and YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider).  In 2016 she opened Luminance – Yoga & Naturopathy in Portland OR, where she practices Naturopathic Medicine, teaches yoga classes and workshops to the community, and offers continuing education programs for healthcare providers.

When & Where

This course is not currently scheduled.  Sign up for our practitioner newsletter to receive updates.  

Course Outline

Section One – Back Pain and Spinal Health

  • Factors contributing to back pain, anatomy & physiology review, ways to address back pain through physical yoga postures, breath, and meditative techniques.
  • Sequencing of postures for addressing back pain and cultivation of observation skills.
  • Practice teaching techniques for addressing back pain.
  • Integration of tools and techniques for back pain into daily practice.
  • Codes of professional ethics are designed to protect everyone. We will look at the ethical considerations of material covered through the lens of doing what is best for everyone involved.

Section Two – Addressing Pelvis to Feet; pelvic floor issues, sacro-illiac dysfunction, foot pain and fallen arches.

  • Exploration of pathologies of the pelvic region, review anatomy and physiology, learn approaches to address these issues through physical yoga postures, breath, and meditative techniques.
  • Exploration of pathologies of the feet, review anatomy and physiology, learn approaches to address these issues through physical yoga postures.
  • Examine relationships between feet and pelvis.
  • Postural imbalances and patterns of the lower body. Observation and analysis of postural patterns. Integrative approach to addressing postural patterns of the lower body with yoga postures.
  • Sequencing of yoga postures and sequences to include therapeutic considerations for the pelvis and feet. Practice teaching these postures and sequences.
  • Ethical considerations. Honesty in clinical practice will be discussed.

Section Three – Common postural and overuse issues of the neck and upper extremity.

  • Examination of the effects of poor posture on the next, upper back and shoulder girdle. Review of appropriate anatomy and physiology.
  • Development of observational skills focused on the upper body. Explore yoga postures to address these common postural imbalances.
  • Practice teaching postures and sequences to address the neck and upper extremity.
  • Examination of over-use injuries of the upper extremity. Anatomical variations and their affects on upper extremity mobility.
  • Learn yoga postures and sequences to optimize ROM, prevent and treat injuries of the upper body.
  • Practice teaching postures, sequences, and other tools addressing the neck, upper extremity.
  • Continued focus on the ethical considerations of working with the material covered – what is the role of sustainability in clinical practice.

Section Four – Mental Health & Stress Management

  • What is a truly wholistic practice? We treat more than the body. We support the mind and spirit – the whole person. But do we really or only in theory? I will share my perspective as well as tools, techniques and skills to truly offer whole person health.
  • Perspectives on fatigue and depression. In addition to postural factors this section will include how yoga poses, sequences and breathing techniques affect energy levels and mood.
  • The importance of expanding one’s emotional range and intelligence will be discussed and perspectives and tools offered.
  • Stress management – Practical tools to directly offer your patients to cope more effectively and joyfully with the dynamism of life.
  • Holding a space for healing and creating an environment for healing to happen. What does this mean and how is it accomplished.
  • Identifying and trusting the healing process through crisis, stagnation, and the unknown.
  • Ethical codes are all about doing the right thing. Beyond following a list of do’s and don’ts how do you determine what is right? Illuminating your own personal code of ethics and it’s relationship to your profession’s code of ethics.

This course provides 40 hours including 2 hours of ethics.  This is a physician level course of in-person training with Laura Washington ND. 

Cost & CEUs & Registration

The cost is $270 for each 10 hour segment of training

Approved for 40 Hours of Continuing Education (including 2 Hours Ethics) for Naturopathic Physicians by the OBNM.

Qualifies for Yoga Alliance Continuing Education

FAQs
Q – From the description I read on your site it seems like it is a course designed for health professionals but afterwards are we leave able to teach yoga ourselves?

A – Your question is a good one!  The short answer is” Yes” your will be able to teach yoga poses and sequences, breathing techniques, and guided relaxations and meditations.  The idea is that at the end of this course health professionals can use the tool of yoga therapeutically either one-on-one with patients or in a class setting.

This is by no means a comprehensive yoga teacher training but it will get you started if you have never taught before and if you have it will give you some new material and perspectives.  After completing the 40 hour training you are invited to join our ongoing practitioner workshops in which you will continue to expand your teaching repertoire and skill.

Series Two Details – Wisdom, Clarity & Personal Integrity in Practice

 

This course is offered to bring greater clarity and specificity to your treatment protocols while guiding you more deeply to your own unique expression in clinical practice. This will optimize the outcomes for those you work with and amplify the joy you experience in your work. You will be introduced to new ways of relating to the people you work with and the expressions of their body (the term expression is used in place of pathology). You will learn ways of understanding the body’s process and how you can most effectively assist the body and the person at each step along the way. The tools learned are applicable to any style of practice whether you are practicing naturopathic medicine, manual therapy, nutrition, acupuncture or herbs.

Instructor Bio

This course is developed and taught by Laura Washington ND.  Dr. Washington is a naturopathic physician licensed and practicing in the state of Oregon.  She received her doctor of naturopathic medicine from the National University of Natural Medicine (NUNM) in 1998.   She has served as adjunct faculty at NUNM and Lewis and Clark College. She is the author of the book Herbal Medicine for Health and Well-Being (Sterling publishing Co. 2004) which is designed to empower the individual to make safe, effective, and appropriate choices to support their health. 

Dr. Washington has taught yoga since 1990 and is a registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga alliance with the designations of E-RYT 500 and YACEP (Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider).  In 2016 she opened Luminance – Yoga & Naturopathy in Portland OR, where she practices Naturopathic Medicine, teaches yoga classes and workshops to the community, and offers continuing education programs for healthcare providers.

When & Where

This course is not currently scheduled.  Sign up for our practitioner newsletter to receive updates.

Course Outline

Wisdom, Clarity & Personal Integrity in Practice – Part 1 (10 Hours)

Goals & Objectives

  • Learn a subtle muscle checking technique to investigate the body’s state and optimal direction of treatment
  • Learn to incorporate this technique into your existing practice
  • Find a deeply receptive state to enhance your ability to perceive    
  • Learn to balance the brain improving function of the autonomic nervous system and the body’s ability to respond to treatment

Course Outline

  • Introduction to the weekend and the theories and practices to be explored. followed by Guided experience of connecting to a receptive state that enhances ability to perceive greater details of patients expression. 
  • Description of the muscle checking technique that will be learned followed by a demonstration. Q & A and group discussion.
  • Practice muscle checking technique and demonstration  of working with the muscle checking technique in the context of assessment and treatment.  Q & A and discussion of incorporating the muscle checking technique in clinical practice and with the practitioners know skills and tools.
  • Guided experience of connecting to a receptive state that enhances ability to perceive greater details of patients expression.
  • Introduction to balancing the brain improving function of the autonomic nervous system and the body’s ability to respond to treatment. Demonstration of balancing the brain. Q & A and discussion of brain balancing theory and technique followed by practice.
  • Discussion and demonstration of the brain balancing technique in conjunction with assessment and treatment tools taught earlier in the course.
  • Practice sessions using the muscle checking tool for assessment and treatment and the brain balancing technique.  Discussion of incorporating the tools learned into daily practice.

 

Wisdom, Clarity & Personal Integrity in Practice – Part 2 (10 Hours)

This course builds on Part 1 in bringing greater clarity and specificity to your treatment protocols while optimizing the outcomes for those you work with.  In this section you will learn to recognize patterns within the body and most optimal approaches to facilitating a release.  You will also refine your skill in understanding the patterns held in the body and when it is appropriate to take action and when to let the body heal itself.  The patterns discussed will range from gross physical patterns in the body to subtle patterns in the person’s energetic field.

 

Goals & Objectives

  • Learn to recognize and follow patterns of strain or limitation in the body.
  • Learn to facilitate release of strain patterns using your hands and with your focused attention.
  • Learn to observe healing frequencies and hold space as they interact with the body.

Course Outline

  • Introduction and the theories and practices to be explored followed by a guided experience of connecting to a receptive state that enhances ability to perceive greater details of patients expression. 
  • Description and demonstration of the hands on approach to finding pattern in the body and facilitating a release.  Q & A and group discussion.
  • Practice the techniques learned.
  • Demonstration of another layer of finding and working with restrictive patterns within the body. Q & A and discussion.
  • Practice the techniques incorporating the second layer.
  • Discussion of healing frequencies and how they can be incorporated into daily practice to enhance the toes you are already using.  Guided experience of connecting to a receptive state that enhances ability to perceive greater details of patients expression.
  • Demonstration of incorporating the use of healing frequencies into a treatment session that also utilizes the muscle checking and brain balancing learned in Part 1.
  • Recognizing body states and and learn to understand the when to act and when to let the body heal on its own.
  • Guided experience of connecting to specific healing frequencies.
  • Bringing together all of the tools learned in both sections of the course. Discussion of incorporating the tools learned into daily practice.
Cost & CEUs & Registration

The cost is $270 for each 10 hour segment of training

Approved for 19.75 CEUs for Naturopathic Physicians by the OBNM.

Check out what others say about these trainings…

The Luminance Yoga training for Healthcare Providers was a high quality, well organized, engaging, immediately applicable, continuing education course.   Laura Washington takes inspiration from her breadth of knowledge and experience and fulfills the stated outline of the course above and beyond. She is able to fluidly and intuitively provide accessible learning tools and Yoga education to all of us practitioners, each coming from different kinds of backgrounds with various levels of knowledge and comfort with Yoga.   This Continuing education series she offers is a wonderful way to refresh and reinforce the value of – and ways to be – present.  The lessons provide insightful tools to pass on to help the patients/clients we see in our practices to do the same and offers ways to maintain self care and balance with take-aways such as breath-work, postures, and stretches.  At the end of this training I am left extremely satisfied with course methods and content and most importantly motivated and inspired!  The experience has been invaluable and I am happy to know more dates are being offered so many more practitioners can also benefit from these trainings.  – KD, MAcOM, LAc 2017

As of 2020 these courses are not currently being offered. Dr. Washington is available for one-on-one healthcare practitioner mentoring.

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