Relaxation & Guided Practice
Learn to take another person into deep rest — and bring them back properly.
Who this is for
Anyone who will guide others: aspiring therapists, yoga teachers, counsellors, and people running wellness sessions who currently read a script they did not write.
What you will actually be able to do
- Deliver yoga nidra and progressive relaxation from your own voice, not a recording
- Handle what actually happens in a session — emotional release, someone falling asleep, someone becoming distressed
- Learn the contraindications, which most short courses omit entirely
- A demonstrably employable skill in any wellness setting
Modules
The physiology of rest
What down-regulation actually is.
Voice and pacing
The instrument you are actually using.
Yoga nidra
Structure, script and improvisation.
Progressive relaxation
Two methods, taught to delivery.
What goes wrong
Emotional release, sleep, distress, and how to respond.
Day-by-day curriculum
Published in full, because you should know what you are buying before you pay for it.
Day 1
What relaxation is physiologically
Vagal tone, heart rate variability, the difference between rest and distraction. Baseline measurement on each participant.
Day 2
Your voice
Pace, pitch, volume and pause. Recorded and played back, which most people find uncomfortable and all find useful.
Days 3–5
Yoga nidra
The traditional structure stage by stage: sankalpa, rotation of consciousness, breath awareness, visualisation. Delivered by faculty, then by you, in halves, then whole.
Days 6–7
Progressive muscular relaxation
Jacobson method and the abbreviated form. Taught, practised, delivered to a partner and critiqued.
Days 8–9
Guided visualisation
Building imagery that works across cultures and ages. What to avoid — imagery that carries assumptions or triggers.
Days 10–11
When it goes wrong
Emotional release, panic, someone who falls asleep and someone who cannot settle. Rehearsed responses to each. Contraindications: acute psychosis, recent trauma, certain dissociative presentations — and referral.
Days 12–13
Group delivery
Delivering to a group of six rather than one. Managing a room you cannot see well in low light.
Day 14
Assessment
Deliver a full 25-minute session to a live group, assessed on structure, voice, pacing and handling.
Practical exercises
- Voice work with recorded playback
- Yoga nidra delivered in parts, then whole
- Progressive relaxation delivered one-to-one
- A full session delivered to a group of six
Assignments
- Two written scripts, one nidra and one progressive, in your own words
- A recorded 15-minute session submitted for critique
How the certificate is earned
Live delivery of a 25-minute session to a group, marked against a published rubric, plus written scripts
Pass requirement
60% overall, with at least 80% attendance
Weighting
- Live group delivery (50%)
- Written scripts (25%)
- Recorded session (25%)
Certificate of Completion
What this certificate lets you do
Published because a course that does not teach its own limits is teaching you to be dangerous.
You may
- Deliver relaxation and guided practice sessions to general adult groups or individuals
- Work within a wellness establishment under a supervising practitioner
You may not
- Work with people under psychiatric care without their clinician's knowledge
- Present relaxation as treatment for any diagnosed condition
- Deliver to anyone with an acute mental health presentation
Learning outcomes
- Deliver yoga nidra and progressive relaxation from your own script
- Adapt pacing and imagery to the person in front of you
- Recognise and respond appropriately to emotional release or distress
- Know the contraindications and when to refer
Career opportunities
- Relaxation sessions within a wellness centre or spa
- An addition to existing yoga teaching
- Corporate wellness session delivery
Apply for Relaxation & Guided Practice
A fifteen-minute counselling call first, with no fee and no obligation. If this is the wrong programme for you, that is what we will say.