Joanna Dunn and Heather Anastos came to practice and teach yoga for two different reasons.

Dunn started yoga as a way to cope with and manage depression and anxiety, while Anastos practiced for therapeutic relief of neck and back pain.

But Dunn said their different experiences are perhaps what makes their new teacher-training program — Rasayana School of Yoga — so different from other offerings.

“It’s a much more holistic approach than what’s available,” Anastos said. “We want to incorporate meditation, mindfulness practices and teaching future yoga instructors how to adapt the practice of yoga to any ability level.”

“Rasayana” means “a rejuvenative treatment to restore vitality to the body.” And that’s exactly their approach. They don’t focus on the postures and physical aspects of yoga. For them it’s about teaching the lifestyle, philosophy, rituals and therapeutic powers of yoga.

An idea is born

Dunn and Anastos met during an advanced 500-hour teacher training in 2010. After completing the training, they both were faculty for Pacific Yoga’s teacher training in 2014 at Yoga Community in Kennewick. In 2015, they started talking about collaborating and creating Rasayana School of Yoga.

The 10-month long, 200-hour teacher training will be based in two locations: Yoga Community, Anastos’ studio in Kennewick, and at Evolve Local Yoga, Dunn’s studio in Leavenworth. They also have an advanced study course available for students who want to learn advanced yoga techniques and philosophy. The training includes a three-day retreat in November.

“We want to create a community of teachers between eastern and central Washington. In this way, we hope to get the best of both worlds and teachers can come away with a network that they can work with,” Anastos said.

Both Anastos and Dunn have a strong background in alignment-based yoga, which uses blocks, straps, chairs and blankets to make poses more accessible and comfortable for a variety of bodies, ages and abilities.

Dunn started doing yoga in 1999 with a weekly gentle yoga class on Saturday mornings. She slowly worked her way into practicing daily. In 2001, she completed her 200-hour teaching certification and her first teacher training under the mentorship of her yoga instructor. Since then, she has focused on teaching a variety of styles, including beginner-level alignment, a slow-paced Vinyasa, yin and restorative, as well as somatic movement and meditation.

Anastos is an ayurvedic practitioner and certified in jyotish, which is vedic astrology. She also works full time as a chemist at Washington River Protection Solutions in addition to teaching yoga and operating her studio. She focuses on the mental, emotional and physical healing aspects of yoga.

She started doing yoga as a way to find relief from severe neck and back pain, and since then her therapeutic style has attracted students looking for holistic remedies for pain relief and those with moderate to severe mobility issues — even some who are wheelchair bound.

New school’s focus

The new school will focus on balancing all eight limbs of the practice of yoga, starting with a mindful, alignment-based approach that takes into account modifications for injury and illness. It is accompanied by meditation, pranayama, or breath control, and the study of yoga philosophies to provide a comprehensive introduction to the art of teaching yoga.

Anastos said her biggest motivation is to not only equip yoga instructors to meet the unique demands of students but to prepare more teachers to meet increased interest in yoga as a therapeutic alternative.

The school’s curriculum not only includes teaching techniques, sequencing, business and ethics, but also how to tailor yoga to meet the needs of special populations, such as prenatal yoga, trauma-informed yoga, yoga for aging-populations and yoga for scoliosis.

Although some knowledge of yoga is recommended, both Dunn and Anastos emphasize that the classes are open to anyone, regardless of age or ability.

“There are other trainings happening, but they are focused on the 26 poses of hot hatha which is a very different approach than Heather and I take,” Dunn said. “Our emphasis is really on accessible yoga for all bodies. All of this makes this program unique to Central Washington.”

The class size will be intimate too with a maximum of 20 students.

Tuition is $3,700 and $3,200 for the advanced training. Classes are on the weekends.

For more information, visit rasayana-yoga.com, find the school on Facebook or call 509-470-0542.