Welcome to Yoga Anatomy School
Trish Corley 
Dr. Trish Corley welcomes you to Yoga Anatomy School. Join a community of yoga teachers gaining knowledge and confidence and increasing impact!
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Welcome to Yoga Anatomy School
My name is Dr. Trish Corley and I am thrilled you are here! The Yoga Anatomy School is a source of educational resources related to yoga anatomy and effective ways of teaching yoga. The world needs more confident and effective yoga teachers. I, Dr. Trish Corley and the Yoga Anatomy School are here to make that happen!
I thought it best to use this first blog space to introduce myself and share a bit about the development of Yoga Anatomy School.
If you have known me for some time, you’re probably excited but not surprised by the creation of Yoga Anatomy School. If we haven’t really met yet, here’s a little bit of my story.
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Movement and Science Came Natural!
Gymnastics was my world growing up. I have to assume it influenced my decision to become a physical therapist (physiotherapist) and a yoga teacher with a passion for handstands. I studied Behavioral Neuroscience in undergrad at Lehigh University (Bethlehem, PA) and earned my doctorate in physical therapy in 2003 from Simmons College in Boston, MA.
While in physical therapy school, I developed a passion for running and completed the New York City marathon (twice!) Though I trained well, my body hurt for many days after. When I registered for another marathon years later, I added a weekly yoga class to my training program...even though I wasn’t too into yoga. I was amazed at how much better my body felt. I also came upon a spiritual path that I didn’t even know I was looking for. I was hooked on yoga!
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An Anatomy Professor? I didn't see that one coming!
After seven years of clinical practice as a physical therapist in hospitals and clinics including NYU Medical Center and Texas Children’s Hospital, I received an unexpected email. A former student from a clinical setting passed my information on to San Jacinto College in Houston, TX. When they needed a new Director/Functional Anatomy Professor for the Physical Therapist Assistant program, I got the call. I was not looking for a new job. However, the idea of teaching and leading a program in physical therapy education put a fire in my heart. In truth, my favorite part of any of my clinical jobs was mentoring Physical Therapy students and new graduates. I was one of the few therapists that wanted to have a student all the time!
I got the job! Although I loved it, I turned more and more to yoga to help manage the stress of directing the program and being a new professor. After my first six months as the Director of the Physical Therapist Assistant program and teaching Functional Anatomy, my favorite yoga studio (YogaOne studios in Houston, TX) offered a 200 hour yoga teacher training. It happened to be at the time of the college’s spring break. Without much thought of where it would take me, I joined. As it is for many yoga teachers, I was not planning to teach yoga, but I loved it. I started teaching a weekly class right away.
That training was truly life changing! I remember being so excited for the anatomy component of that training. I was eager to explore anatomy in a new way and to see how a yoga teacher approaches anatomy. I was left disappointed. The information was presented in a boring way. It was not applicable to yoga, or even movement. I knew it could be better!
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Passion Turned Into Career
Anatomy Connections was created! This was my first series of yoga anatomy workshops and courses for 200 hour yoga teacher trainings. It was a dream come true to combine my passion for yoga, anatomy, teaching, and travel all in one. The dream only got better when yoga teachers gained knowledge and confidence all while having fun!
In 2015, my husband Mike and I had the opportunity to move to Singapore. While it was tough to leave my position at San Jacinto College, I embraced a full time yoga career. New Angle Yoga was founded. I primarily led 200 hour yoga teacher trainings and yoga anatomy focused CEUs. The community that developed over the learning of yoga fueled my soul. Though I had to leave Singapore, my commitment to teaching yoga and creating community would not fade. In 2019, I opened a brick and mortar studio in Oklahoma City, OK. Oh what a community we created!
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Called Back to Physical Therapy Clinical Practice
My call back to physical therapy clinical practice came when Covid hit and impacted the yoga and fitness industry. I was thrilled to work in the Cancer Rehab program at Touro Infirmary in New Orleans, LA. It was the perfect place to integrate yoga and meditation into the modern health care system. There are many inspiring stories about people empowered through yoga as they faced the challenges of surviving cancer. I am grateful to have a much deeper understanding of how yoga and meditation improve the outcomes of cancer care.
While it was a rewarding job that I loved, my heart kept telling me to spend more time teaching yoga and yoga anatomy. And if yoga has taught me anything, it is to follow my heart.
Those two years at Touro Infirmary in the US healthcare system also inspired me. Modern western medicine is mind-blowing. I saw it save lives. But it also wrecks havoc on peoples' minds, bodies, and spirits; and it is a financial nightmare. I came to realize that while healthcare professionals are certainly needed, there is so much healing available with a regular yoga practice. The teacher, however, can make all the difference! Not all yoga practices or teachers are equal. The knowledge and confidence of a teacher and the methods they use to guide students can be "make or break it" when it comes to people healing.
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The world needs better yoga teachers to change the health of modern society.
The purpose of the Yoga Anatomy School is to train high impact yoga teachers and to provide them with more knowledge and confidence so they can be more effective in serving their students. The yoga teacher training graduates of New Angle Yoga (the predecessor of Yoga Anatomy School) consistently report readiness to teach yoga upon graduation. They understand anatomy and alignment and are making a great impact on people all over the world. All yoga teachers (and their students) deserve this opportunity!
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The Yoga Anatomy School is the culmination of my more than twenty years experience as a doctor of physical therapy, five years as a professor of functional anatomy (and program director developing curriculum design expertise), fifteen+ years of teaching yoga globally, and a whole lot of love and passion. I offer world class yoga teacher trainings and unique programs for yoga teachers to learn anatomy AND put it into action right away.
My goal is not for yoga teachers to know every single anatomy detail. If you are not aware, most healthcare practitioners don’t know all of the details of human anatomy.
My purpose is to teach yoga teachers (and those in training) to effectively communicate and confidently guide their students in healthy, healing, and empowering yoga practices.
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Yoga Anatomy School
At The Yoga Anatomy School, we are community of yoga teachers committed to making an impact on the health of modern society; confident yoga teachers who understand anatomy and have resources to keep learning; leaders who give their students what they are craving and deserve.
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We want you in this community! Can you imagine it? Having the knowledge and confidence to teach yoga in the environment you desire. To know how to work with students with injuries. To effectively share the impact that yoga had on you with others!
I offer various programs with carefully designed curriculum and frameworks that are proven to work! Learn how to elevate your impact as a yoga teacher in a simple and practical way. Go from “I can’t learn anatomy” to teaching anatomy informed yoga classes. Your students will not only feel safe, but excited to learn from you and keep coming back!
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To all of you who have supported this journey towards the development of Yoga Anatomy School, I sincerely thank you. I couldn't do this without you! Keep following this space for articles on yoga anatomy and best practices for teaching yoga.
Want to Learn More! I now write my blogs and provide details of my offerings over on my personal website at www.trishcorley.com.
With lots of love,
Trish
Dr. Trish Corley, PT, DPT, E-RYT 500
Categories: : Yoga Anatomy
