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The course will take place over 10 one day workshops , all Tuesdays.
The first workshop will cover the fascial network—if there are no participants who have not encountered this part of the human frame we can move quickly through this .
We will move to the lumbar spine as our first identifiable area of the body because it malfunctions so frequently.
We will examine the muscles of the lumbar area, the corset and what muscles do in this area and why they go wrong.
Ligaments, tendons and attachments of muscles in this area. Sacrum and S/I joint malfunctions. We will look at the psoas and see its role in spinal troubles—along with the piriformis. We will examine the relationships with hip malfunction and hip muscles and how the pelvis is disturbed by hamstring tensions. Needless to say we will closely examine the reason why the fifth lumbar joint seizes up on so many people. And why it is the most frequent place for spinal surgery.
During this first workshop we will discuss the dissertation which you are invited to undertake. We use this word because if you are disinterested in accreditation then there is no requirement upon you to undertake this –but you might like to stretch yourself anyway!!
 If you seek certification/accreditation then the dissertation is essential. You will be asked to write a piece of original work, using original research data gleaned from own experience and observation and desk research amongst published sources. If you have an abiding interest in, say, why the foot malfunctions then you may pick your own appropriate subject for the dissertation. If you wish, we will ask you to pick one topic from a list of possibles.  The dissertation will be similar to the University requirement but obviously not at the same level. Perhaps 3000 words will suffice but 10,000 words of poor quality will not be anything like as acceptable as 1000 straight to the point!!!

The dissertation will carry significant weight in any accreditation process so it must be original thinking and  not lifted from the internet and manipulated to make it look different. It is a significant part of your learning to delve deeply into something strange and really take a new look at it.

You should consider beginning this work before the next workshop.

Workshop  2
Will cover the thoracic spine –the ribs, the thorax contents and especially the heart and diaphragm. This will all be with the perspective of the yoga teacher and therapist and with this in mind - what can I do to make this person better in this area??
 We will look closely at the trapezius muscle because it goes wrong on so many people—why is this and what does it do to the rest of the body—especially the head and neck. Postural considerations will be examined within this frame. How can chest pains be caused by a spinal problem??  How can digestive upsets be the result of a myofascial contracture in this area?

Workshop 3
The neck - for many women especially - s the crux of many issues. We will examine the reason for the frequent seizures of C7 - how spondylosis/spondylitis affects the average middle aged person and what to do about it. How can neck problems affect the eye sight—where is the most frequent cause of migraines? How can the jaw function be hugely influenced by the problems with the neck.. Frankly, we could spend all year on this topic alone!!

At this point you will have been introduced to the greater part of what goes wrong in the human being. Now we are going to deal with issues of slightly lesser import

Workshop 4
In 4 we will delve into the complex area of the shoulder. What happens when it is “frozen”? What is a bursitis and how would you know one? Why do tendons tear - and what happens after a collar bone fracture.? You have had a whiplash - all is declared in order by the hospital doctors - but you are suffering with head aches, dizziness  lethargy eye strain - any number of labels may subsequently be applied to the conditions you experience - and no one will link these to the car accident.
How do falls make the shoulder malfunction? Why does the trapezius go into contracture so easily. How does a 10 year old boy suffer with neck and shoulder problems?
We could use 6 weeks just to study this subject!!

Workshop 5
Now we are into the older persons problems—the hip joint and associated muscles. Which comes first—what the consultant orthopaedic specialist sees on the x-ray and calls arthritis, or the loss of function of the joint?
 What effect do short hamstrings have? How does the spine create hip problems? We will be having a good dive down into the hip muscles and their attachments to find the answers to many questions.

Workshop 6
The phenomenon of referred pain. Why does a finger tingle—where is the real problem? Forearm muscles are aching and have a funny sensation—how can this be in a healthy 20 year old?
Why does the fascial network permit pressure on one part of the gluteal muscle to cause pain into the ankle—how can this occur without a specific nerve connection?
Don’t worry—this will not be dry dusty neurology!! But it will be deep enquiry.
What is sciatica and how is it created—how can pain at the top of the head be created?
When is the problem plainly not mechanical but pathological—in other words –disease.

Workshop 7
Here we will examine the knee and how it is constructed and why it fails.What are the cruciates and how do they affect the joint function. Why does the cartilage tear on so many people?  We will cover common pathology and examine the mechanics of function—how does it work and what is its relationship functionally to the hip and foot.
How does a ski-ing injury 20 years earlier raise its ugly head ? What happens when the knee is put in plaster—does everything return to normal?
Why should a 14 year old boy be told to stop playing sport because of pain at the front of his knee?

We will cover the other joints of the body in much less detail and will then decide for the other 3 workshops which aspects need more attention. For example we can predict that we will have to return to the lumbar spine for much more detailed assessments.
 Certainly we will cover foot and ankle as well as elbow and hand but in the scheme of things, these are a long way down the list of regular failing parts of the body. The order of the workshops approximately reflects 25 years of observational experience in therapy practice problems!