Yoga I.S. Testimonials

"WOW! I have been considering how to be able to train with Yoga IS. Your system fits my style of yoga and learning. It is very grounded and real. The way you taught at DCAC is so important to hear as trainers and practitioners. All students are very different and their range of motion is not all the same. Sometimes, it is difficult to keep the 'envy' out of the room when some can 'go to the floor' and others cannot. 
Your presentations were wonderful. Thank you for saying what should be said-- in all areas of fitness, but especially in Yoga!"

-Phyllis Cook, DCAC 2012 DC Fitness Conference fitness professional attendee

"No need to leave town or quit your day job. This user friendly course can be completed in 6 months. It is hosted in Louisville... The course is conducted mostly on weekends. This is THE BEST and most comprehensive teacher training we have EVER recommended!"

-Shawna Spellman, Director of HEAT Yoga and Wellness®, Louisville's most prestigious hot yoga studio in the state of

 Kentucky.

"Totally in awe of what you have put together...see it and humbled by what it is going to mean to the yoga world." 
 

-Donna O'Bryan, MEd, Integrative Yoga Therapist, HeartMath® Practitioner

 Yoga I.S.® Instructor

"After teaching my 2nd offical class tonight I let my class know I recently graduated from Yoga School & bragged on my 2 AWESOME teachers, and encouraged anyone interested in teaching to talk to Lauren! ;) Then I let my class know I would love feedback. One person said she loved the variety & that my "routine" was completely different from the prev wk. Another student asked how I made up my routine...s and I laughed in my head & thought, "routine??? What routine?" I told them we weren't taught routines, rather we were taught about the body and how to use the poses in a variety of ways. Even though I was was a lil nervous not learning "routines" I am SOOO glad I was taught how to think on my feet, about the body and how to explore poses and the body! Thanks for being AWESOME teachers and gives us all wings to fly!!! We even did 'boat crunches' using hand towels as a prop ;)"

-Rebecca Fischer, MS Art Therapist and March 2012 Yoga I.S. 200-hour Graduate 
  
"I have taken Lauren’s Yoga IS workshops on several occasions and always find the experience, lessons learned and her in depth knowledge of the human body very beneficial to my own fitness practice. The solid foundation and experience I receive through Yoga IS enables me to take my teaching and confidence to a higher level.
Lauren’s credentials, knowledge, and experience in fitness, physiology, yoga, and the human spirit are the real deal. I know of no one better equipped to take other practitioners to the next level."

-Steve Luckett   CPT, CSI
 Certified Spinning® Instructor, athlete

"If are you like me, you invested a lot of time and money learning Yoga; attending various Yoga training courses, conferences, instructional dvd’s, books, Yoga Journal, etc. . I thought that was how I progressed to become a good yoga teacher. That was, until I met Lauren Eirk, the creator of Yoga Integrated Science (Yoga I.S.). I became interested in Yoga I.S. because I knew Lauren was a in Muscle Activation Techniques™ Master and Resistance Training Specialist Master. She understands the science. I took the I. S. courses because Lauren made me realize that it was what’s happening inside the body, not the outward appearance of poses that we have to pay attention. One of the valuable lessons that I learned from her I.S. courses was the true meaning of ‘ahimsa’ – do no harm, to you or to your students.
Yoga I.S. helps you appreciate the individual differences in musculoskeletal structure and teaches you how to deal with those differences to improve the movement. The skill and knowledge you learn from Yoga I.S. courses are not available elsewhere. I can emphatically say that through her Yoga I.S. courses, Lauren will teach you a lifelong skill to become a great Yoga instructor or practitioner who can think, analyze and solve problems to deepen his/her practice."

-Hoczumi Kessler, RYT-200, CPT
 Certified Z-Health® Practitioner
  

"For years I have guided people through group exercise classes while attempting to make on the spot decisions regarding position, motion, resistance, time and intention for multiple participants each with their own unique structure. I was asked by my supervisor to teach yoga. I had dabbled in some weekend workshops and decided that I didn't feel as though a few weekends was nearly enough to feel as though I could authentically and responsibly do this. I entered a 1 year teacher training program. Prior to this I had found Lauren at IDEA in Chicago in 2005 and in Palm Springs at Inner IDEA in 2008. After participating in the physical practice part of her session, I was pain free during and following the practice. It was the first time I practiced pain free! 
I believe that she applies every bit of what she has learned through MAT and RTS to her yoga instruction which I attribute to my experience as a pain free practice. I have since completed 3 weekends of her Yoga IS training and will continue to follow her indefinitely. Lauren's education and commitment to education is superior. I am grateful for her willingness to share what she's learned. Her drive to continue her own education is admirable. She truly is driven to raise the integrity of the yoga and health, exercise and fitness modalities.
Lauren recognizes that our bodies are different than the yogis from from thousands of years ago. She is committed to teaching instructors and participants as to how to take an ancient practice and adapt it to our individual structural needs as we are today. It is our responsibility as instructors first to do no harm. The first Yama is Ahimsa meaning we are encouraged to practice with nonviolence to ourselves or with a gentleness to ourselves. Lauren teaches us to work in a way that does not violate structure. She teaches ways to assess for structural issues by checking range of motion prior to putting people in potentially unsafe ranges. She the principle of microprogression® of exercises which then demands that you earn the right to progress from one exercise to another which prevents injury.  Lauren has raised the bar for increasing knowledge and integrity in yoga and many other modalities that are affected by force and the nervous system! 
Lauren is not only knowledgeable but is also very nurturing and compassionate with an extra helping of intuition. She has a special gift of caring about people. I found her at a very difficult time in my life and she sensed it and reached out by giving me a book. Lauren is truly a special person. Many people can call out cues and teach, but you can't teach people how to care about others. Thank you Lauren for being excellent on so many levels.  She is the REAL DEAL."

-Steph Narveson, 50 yrs old
 BA Physical Education Major, Health Ed. Minor
 RN, Group Ex Instructor 29 yrs
 MAT Certified Specialist, RYT 200
 Continuing study in MAT and Yoga I.S.
 

"I was a competitive gymnast for years and have injured my joints through this sport.  When I started taking Yoga in college, I thought Yoga was just like gymnastics, trying to push yourself into poses that are not healthy for your body.  I talked to Lauren and she convinced me to take a Yoga workshop she was offering.  This was in 2006 and I ‘ve been hooked ever since.  I have taken Lauren’s Yoga I.S. since 2007 and with each workshop I have attended, I leave with a wealth of knowledge to add to my tool bag.  I have learned valuable information to utilize not only in my yoga classes but in all my fitness classes and personal training.
Lauren’s instructional technique really allows you great insight how the human body works.  Not just what you have been told, but to open your eyes and look at who is in front of you.  Yoga I.S. breaks down asanas to the very basics and then builds them to more advance levels.  I learned how to modify an exercise or pose by simply alterning the forces within the body, as opposed to just pushing harder. 
Yoga I.S. gave me the confidence to train and teach a variety of clients and classes.  I am more aware of my clients’ ability to move certain joints and the range of motion they have in that joint at that moment.  This type of training allows me to modify my clients’ exercises and progress them safely.  I understand my clients’ ability to move much better and feel very confident that I am challenging them, but not hurting them.  This type of knowledge is vital to your clients wellbeing, and with Lauren and all her trainings in RTS and MAT, it is also an experience you should not miss.
Now that I have confidence, I can train a wider range of clients and am a better trainer and instructor.  I  had a member send in a comment card saying that every time she comes to one of my classes she learns something new and another member tell me how impressed she was  how  I progressed her into balancing pose that she had never been able to hold.
I have gained so much knowledge and confidence in training through Yoga I.S., that I feel I have something to offer anyone.  Since taking these classes, I have increased my personal training clients and Yoga classes.  If you are interested in learning more on how to keep your client strong and without injury, I recommend taking Yoga I.S.  It will make a difference in your life as well as others!"