Neurodivergence-Informed Yoga CPD

From Inclusion to Belonging.

Did you know that one in five people are neurodivergent, and many neurodivergent students experience classes differently? Lighting, sound, movement cues and language all impact their ability to focus and feel safe. Whether you’ve noticed neurodivergent students in your classes, are neurodivergent yourself, or simply want your teaching to be more accessible, the course offers the framework to do this with confidence and compassion.

Over two days, Charli weaves practical teaching exercises with expert input from a guest psychotherapist specialising in neurodivergence. The course will cover sensory processing, emotional regulation, adaptive cueing, and nervous–system literacy. You’ll learn how to recognise sensory and emotional needs, adapt cues and sequencing, and create yoga experiences that support regulation, autonomy and belonging for every student. The course speaks to teaching both children and adults.

"We need to cultivate a space for students to truly be as they are without apology, allowing them the opportunity to feel a sense of belonging, that they are safe and deserve to be here and they are welcome....always"

Who is this course for?

• Certified yoga teachers adapting their classes for neurodivergent students.
• Trainee yoga teachers building inclusive skills early.
• Yoga Therapists and Mindfulness Teachers.
• Somatic Practioners & Bodyworkers.
• Pilates, dance and movement teachers.
• Breathwork facilitators and life coaches.
• Occupational therapists, counsellors & psychotherapists who use yoga or mindfulness.
• Educators & support workers using yoga-inspired movement in schools or community settings.
• Neurodivergent practitioners - your lived experience is warmly welcomed.

⠀What's Included?

• 2 days in studio course.
• 2 hour livestream guest lecture with a specilist Psychotherapis, Natalie Wilkie (neurodivergence, regulation & embodiment).
• Interactive workshops and practical teaching exercises.
• Sensory-safe environment checklist and adaptive class plan templates.
• Practicum including teaching a neuro-inclusive segment with peer & facilitator feedback.
• PDF Manual.
• Recinnebded reading and podcast lists.
• YACEP CPD accreditation.⠀ 

After this training, you will be...

A teacher equipped to recognise sensory and emotional needs in your classes, and to know how to respond with language, pacing and presence that meets each student where they are.

Fluent in adaptive cueing, sensory–safe sequencing, and the use of breath, asana and meditation as tools for regulation rather than performance.

Grounded in nervous–system literacy and polyvagal–informed teaching, with practical tools for grounding, co–regulation and sensory reset you can bring into any class.

A Yoga Alliance–accredited teacher (YACEP), with a teaching practice that honours difference at its centre – inclusive, neurodiversity–affirming and held with care.

“Charli’s lived experience changes the room. As a neurodivergent teacher and mother of neurodivergent children, Charli teaches from inside the experience – not about it. This is combined with her incredible depth of knowledge and skill as a teacher trainer to make this a rich and important addition" 

“Charli encourages every student to bring out their own unique teaching style, in a nurturing environment. Her teaching style and support both on the course and after completion is exemplary. It is the best decision I could have made, and the YTT has been transformational – truly life changing. I have the utmost respect and gratitude for Charli.”

“Charli’s approach is rooted in compassion, community and curiosity – the invitation is always to meet yourself exactly as you are. That ethos shapes every minute of her teaching.”

“Charli created a beautiful space, which was inspiring and fun. The content was thoughtfully designed and encouraging of everyone’s individual teaching style and personality. She was very approachable and encouraging – really got me out of my head and into my body.” 

“Incredibly unique, empowering and transformational in learning the art of teaching yoga. Charli is an incredible person, teacher trainer and mentor. She radiates love and joy and is so very inspirational, warm and nurturing – always leading from the heart.” 

Saturday 3rd July

Day 1 – Foundation + Lived Experience 10am – 6pm

Understanding neurodiversity · the sensory and emotional landscape of the neurodivergent body in yoga · 2–hour guest lecture with Psychotherapist Natalie Wilkie · from insight to embodiment – designing sensory–safe class frameworks.

Sunday 4th July 

Day 2 – Integration, Adaptation & Practice 10am – 6pm

Adapting asana, breath, meditation and cueing · nervous–system literacy & co–regulation · case studies and group work · practicum – each participant teaches a short neuro–inclusive segment with peer feedback.

Course Details 

Understanding Neurodiversity

• The neurodiversity paradigm vs. deficit models
• Overview of key neurotypes – ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Auditory Processing Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder
• How social and sensory environments shape experience
• Reflection on assumptions and unconscious bias

The Neurodivergent Body in Yoga

• Sensory processing, interoception and proprioception
• Movement variability and embodied empathy
• Somatic exploration – ‘listening through sensation’

Psychological Wellbeing & Regulation (Guest Lecture) ONLINE

• Executive functioning, anxiety and emotional regulation
• How masking, burnout and rejection sensitivity show up in body and mind
• Therapeutic principles teachers can apply ethically – without ‘therapy–ing’
• Building safety, trust and agency in class settings
• Q&A and a short grounding integration

Adapting Yoga Practices

• Asana – choice, pacing, proprioceptive feedback
• Breath – regulation versus overstimulation
• Meditation – offering options for focus and stillness
• Language and cueing for diverse cognition

Nervous System Literacy & Co–Regulation

• Polyvagal–informed teaching in accessible language
• Tools for grounding, sensory reset and stimulation
• Mini–practice – co–regulation through presence

Teaching Methodology

• Designing sensory–safe class frameworks
• Building adaptive class plans for mixed–experience rooms
• Communication strategies and adaptive cueing in practice
• Sensory–safe environment checklist

Case Studies & Group Work

• Small–group analysis of neurodivergent student profiles
• Creating adaptive class plans and communication strategies
• Sharing insights and feedback in the main group

Yoga Philosophy & Ethics

• Neurodiversity–affirming teaching as ethical practice
• Holding space for autonomy, agency and belonging
• The teacher’s scope of practice – supporting without ‘therapy–ing’
• Welcoming neurodivergent teachers and practitioners as part of collective learning

⠀Practicum & Peer Practice

• Each participant teaches a 5–7–minute neuro–inclusive segment
• Peer feedback and facilitator support
• Live, real–time integration of the weekend’s teaching

⠀ 

About:

Charli Van Ness - E-RYT 500, YACEP, RYS200 is a neurodivergent yoga teacher, mother of four who brings compassion, lived experience, and over two decades of teaching to create inclusive, sensory-aware yoga spaces that support focus, balance, and self-acceptance for neurodivergent minds and bodies.

Natalie Wilkie - Psychotherapist, MA, MBACP, EMDR Accred. is an accredited psychotherapist with nearly 20 years’ experience in trauma, neurodivergence, and emotional wellbeing. She integrates psychodynamic therapy, EMDR, and Polyvagal-informed practice to support healing and resilience. As guest lecturer, she brings her therapeutic expertise to help yoga teachers understand and support neurodivergent students with sensitivity and confidence.