Embodied Rest™️ Foundation

Yoga teacher training YTT

A carefully curated 40 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Embodied Rest, a practice that fuses Restorative Yoga, Somatics and Nervous System tools, creating a modern,  intelligent, Inclusive,  Nervous System & Trauma Informed approach to guiding rest practices. 

Co-created and taught by Calli Popham & Flo Derounian

Rest will never feel urgent to those who don’t understand the violence of exhaustion. In a world that uses the body as currency, rest is a sacred defiance A reminder that we shall not be owned.
— Cole Arthur Riley

course structure

DATES & TIMES:

1 weekend at Flow State in Hove, Brighton.

  • DATE: Friday 3 | TIME: 2pm - 8pm

    DATE: Saturday 4 | TIME: 11am - 8pm

    DATE: Sunday 5 | TIME: 10:30am - 5:30 pm

Online modules

3 Live & Recorded ZoOM CALLS

  • DATE: Tuesday 7th | TIME: 10 :30am - 1:00pm

    DATE: Tuesday 14th | TIME: 10 :30am - 1:00pm

    DATE: Tuesday 21st | TIME: 10 :30am - 1:00pm

WHAT THE TRAINING COVERS

    • Exploring the history of Restorative & Yin practices and their evolution

  • What is ‘Rest’?

    Looking at the Etymology of Rest & What our own personal relationship to Rest is

    • Understanding the Science of Rest & Fatigue

    • The Physiological Rest Response & what happens Neurologically when we are at rest.

    • Exploring the difference between Rest and Sleep

  •  Exploring what it means to ‘be embodied’.

    What an Embodied Practice and approach is, and why it matters in this modern day.

    • Understanding how Trauma, Systemic and Social Injustice & Neurodivergence can impact a persons ability to ‘rest’

    • Exploring how to make practices Trauma - Informed and Inclusive for all Nervous Systems

  • What is the Nervous System, what role does it play?
    Understanding the Polyvagal Theory 

    Breath and its link to the Nervous System and breath practices to down regulate 

    Understanding the role of Movement in Nervous System Regulation and why movement before stillness can be crucial

  • IHow to Hold & Create a safe space for people to fully rest through an Polyvagal Lens

    Understanding Neuroception & how to create a welcoming safe space for all nervous systems

    • Environmentally & working with Exteroceptive Senses

    • How to Hold a Safe Space 

    • How to create a Rest Suitable playlist and why on a Neurological level  Music is important 

    • Body Language

    • Using Trauma Informed Inclusive Language & Understanding Prosody

    • How to hold both Story & Silence throughout a Rest Class 

    • What is Fascia

    • Working with the Fascial system

  • How to intelligently sequence a Rest Class

    Exploring the Dance of Movement & Stillness

    Foundational and Creative ways to  to Prop Restorative Poses 

    Embodied Visualisations

    Trauma informed & Inspiring Language & Cueing

    Exploring how to hold both Story & Silence

  • What is Embodied Touch?

    How is it different to ‘Assisting’ or ‘Adjusting’ in other styles of yoga

    Self-Massage Techniques

    Touch & Trauma

    Seeking Consent 

    Hands on Practice 

LEAD TEACHERS

  • Calli Popham

    FOUNDER + LEAD TEACHER

  • FLO DEROUNIAN

    EMBODIED REST

INVESTMENT & APPLICATION

cOURSE FEES: £600

If you are called to join this training please apply below.

  • Fran

    What a dreamy, rich weekend filled with so much knowledge! Flo and Calli are clearly so very passionate about this topic. I would definitely recommend this training if you want to feel more confident in holding space for people in a restful way.

  • Annabel

    I found the course so incredibly refreshing- it helped to start unravelling years of habits which held me (both in body and in mind). The approach offered felt accessible and inclusive which is wonderful to see in the movement world. It felt authentic and inspiring. The vast experience and wealth of knowledge provided by Calli and Flo was also amazing- it felt a privilege to learn from two such thoughtful, caring people. The time felt fun and safe- it has inspired me to learn and experience more embodied practices and living.

  • Anonymous

    For me, this training beautifully built upon the foundations of Calli’s Embodied Flow training. It felt like a natural continuation — a deepening and reconditioning of how I understand, approach, and teach an embodied practice. There’s something incredibly powerful about giving students true autonomy within their practice, and watching how that empowerment gently filters into their everyday lives. I left feeling even more passionate about facilitating this work.

    Their teaching styles and energies complement each other seamlessly, creating a safe and supportive space where we could openly share, reflect, and build on each other’s ideas. As someone who learns best through hands-on experience, I especially appreciated the practical elements — the work with the orange skins to demonstrate fascia and the embodied, tactile exercises really enhanced my understanding.

    I’ve come away feeling more confident in how to support my students with simple, accessible techniques, while also deepening my own relationship with rest.

  • Christina

    I absolutely loved this training. It beautifully blended my love of embodied movement with practices of rest in a way that felt really fresh and inspiring. I’d been wanting to move a bit beyond only using still, supported postures and explore how gentle somatics and nervous system regulation could be included in practices of rest - and this training delivered exactly that.

    We learned so many practical tools for nervous system regulation, along with self-massage, breath practices, myofascial release and other really lovely, supportive approaches. It’s had such a positive impact on my teaching, and I feel so much more resourced and inspired in the ways I now hold space for rest.

  • Lauren

    Calli and Flo’s Embodied Rest training revolutionized how I teach rest-based practices. Their compassionate, science-driven approach opened my eyes to not only the challenges of traditional yin and restorative classes, but the possibilities that exist in crafting classes that are truly nourishing, kind, and supportive for our students. I am endlessly inspired by both Flo and Calli. Their classes envelop you in a warm nest of storytelling, imagery, and invitations to both gentle movement and profound stillness. And their teacher training instills in you everything you need to hold the nervous systems of every student you teach with loving care. I cannot recommend this experience highly enough.