Teaching everyday skills for life’s ups and downs. A practical movement and mindfulness toolkit to fit around your life and transform your classroom.
Shift Wellbeing Ambassador Course for Educators
Bespoke Yoga & Mindfulness Training for Primary & Secondary schools in Gloucestershire
For Teachers, TA’s and any adult working in education
Fully funded and bursaries places available
What makes our program different?
Tested by Gloucestershire schools and organisations.
◖ Having worked with hundreds of teachers and TAs, we know that every school is a unique and individual place. With this in mind, we tailor every course we run so that it’s inclusive, relevant, and easily adaptable for the children, adults, and values of each school.
◗ Our team of experts work directly in schools and with young people through classes, workshops, and mentoring, and we run regular focus groups with young people and educators so we understand the ever-changing challenges they face, and what's important to them when supporting wellbeing.
◖ This course has also been officially approved by Gloucestershire Healthy Living and Learning as an intervention that can count towards their Healthy Schools Award and Mental Health Champions Award.
◗ Amazing e-learning platform in app and desktop form with optional in-person events and a community that you can choose to participate in if you prefer learning in-person and it fits with your schedule.
◖ Our course has been rigorously piloted, tested, refined, and enhanced through feedback and reports from researchers, course participants, schools, county councils, and local sports organisations. We're committed to delivering the best possible learning experience and making a big impact.
◗ A flexible and manageable way to learn about yoga and mindfulness that can fit around busy school and home life
Find out more about the academic study, from our pilot program that led to to our funding here.
Meet the founder, Robin as she shares a powerful story on the impact this training course is having in schools.
Quickly find what your looking for
When you think about mental health support in your school, how do you feel?
◖ Overwhelmed: The massive need for support seems to increase every single day, but with limited time and capacity you often feel helpless.
◗ Exhausted: You see signs of burnout in your students, colleagues, and perhaps in yourself.
◖ Left out: You hear about the positive effects of yoga and mindfulness for wellbeing, but those kinds of classes aren’t available or accessible for the children and communities you work with.
What if you could introduce some simple strategies that will:
◖ Help your pupils to regulate their energy levels, focus in the classroom, and improve their sleep.
◗ Give you ways to take care of your own wellbeing, even in the middle of a busy day.
◖ Support pupils and fellow teaching staff who are coping with ongoing stress and anxiety.
◗ Equip young people for the future, with the tools to manage their own mental health and develop resilience.
Why train to become a Shift Wellbeing Ambassador and share yoga and mindfulness with young people?
◖ Make a meaningful impact by supporting the well-being of young lives and fostering positive change.
◗ Gain the skills to empower and educate young people holistically through yoga and mindfulness techniques, helping them thrive in and out of the classroom. Yoga is scientifically proven to help improve sleep, focus, self esteem, confidence and resilience and decrease anxiety and stress.
◖ Learn effective strategies to help students and staff manage stress, anxiety, and emotional challenges.
◗ Offer alternative movement practices to traditional PE, a great way to get students who don’t like competitive sports to try a healthy movement practice
◖ Gain a greater sense of connection and purpose with your existing career in education.
◗ Help young people lengthen their attention spans and focus with mindfulness. In today's fast-paced, digital world, prioritising children's mental health is more important than ever.
◖ Learn wellbeing tools and find a new healthy hobby for yourself, that helps sustain you and reduces burnout.
◗ Start teaching yoga and mindfulness to children, teenagers and colleague’s immediately after completing your training. You can also start teaching smaller aspects of the course before completing the full training, eg after passing the breathwork module you can start delivering that in the classroom or staff meetings!
◖ Join the shift movement community with access to a network of paid yoga work opportunities and support.
Not your traditional training course…
Take care of your own wellbeing while learning how to bring positive change to your school—it's a journey that benefits both you and your community!
This course will:
◖ Support you to experience all the benefits of yoga for yourself.
◗Equip you to manage your emotions and regulate your nervous system.
◖Empower you to bring movement and mindfulness techniques into the school day and share them effectively with the young people you work with.
As you work through the sessions, you’ll develop a toolkit that is sustainable, creative, and realistic for your day-day life.
Shift offers training created specifically for educators, by a skilled team of experienced yoga instructors and teachers currently working in education.
By the end of this course you will:
◖ Develop a wide range of yoga and mindfulness tools to take care of yourself, and feel calm and grounded at home and at work.
◗ Gain confidence to apply these tools in your school in a flexible and effective way.
◖ Feel supported and connected with other educators making a difference to young people’s lives, now and for the future.
What’s involved?
◖ Online learning via the app or desktop platform. our 11 modules are broken down into a series shorter videos, so that it is easy to digest and learn in-between busy work and home life. Amongst the videos there are interactive quizzes and practical techniques for you to try.
◗ 5 x 30 min mentoring calls, these calls are 1:1 with your designated Shift coach and spread across the course. It’s a space for you to get specific, personalised guidance and will help motivate you and keep you accountable to complete the course.
◖ A private 1:1 yoga class to build your confidence in the poses.
◗ Fortnightly group Q&A online video sessions, to give you support as you follow the course and implement ideas.
◖ Access to our learning platform, and video tutorials that you can keep practising and referring back to.
◗ Occasional in-person events throughout the course we hold course specific classes and workshops, these are usually in evenings or on weekends, that you can choose to attend if you prefer learning in-person and want to meet other course participants.
◖ Regular personal practice, we help you start your own yoga and mindfulness practice so that you can experience the benefits for yourself. Also, the best way to learn yoga is through experiencing!
◗ Marked assignments, your shift coach will give you detailed verbal and written feedback on all homework tasks throughout the course so that you continue to grow in confidence as you learn to teach yoga.
Our next course intake
Applications are now open for our 2025 course. The course commences on 24th February 2025.
Our course has a recommended schedule for the cohort to follow, this enables you to connect with other course participants and join our Q/A’s and occasional in-person event. Our schedule runs through the school term and holidays. By following our schedule you’d complete a few hours of coursework a week, completing the course by 29th August 2025. Perfect timing for you to start the new academic year delivering yoga in your school! The good news about our course is we certify you after each module, for example once you have passed the breath module you can then teach breath work in the classroom!
Another option is self paced study, this enables you to work through the modules at your own pace. You have up to 18 months to complete.
Applications close on 7th February 2025.
Course modules
Click the + to find out more about each module
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Onboarding, learning how the platform works and how to find resources, meeting your coach and fellow course participants.
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Working with your coach to design an impactful, achievable, short daily practice, using tools from yoga and mindfulness
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Learn about mindfulness, what it is, it’s benefits and how it can be used throughout your life. Learn specific practices such as mindful walking, eating, listening and other mindful tools you can bring into your classroom for learning
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Yoga is not just stretching, learn how what yoga actually is, the 8 limbs to yoga and its ancient Indian roots and how yoga has been modernised in the west. We will also look at how yoga is marketed and how this can prevent young people from trying yoga. We’ll get you to think about how best to market yoga in your school so that is it accessible.
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This topic explores yoga off the mat and introduces some personal development practices to help you and your students to be more self aware. We cover values, journalling, transformation model, nervous system regulation, intentions and affirmations and roles and responsibilities of wellbeing ambassadors
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Become fascinated with the power of your own breath, learn how your breath impacts your nervous system, how you can self and co-regulate through breath. Learn 5 different breathing techniques and their benefits and precautions. Learn how to teach these techniques, gaining confidence and feedback from your shift coach.
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Learn a few yoga sequences which you can use at different times. The sunsaluation sequence has 12 postures and has an energising effect, the child pose flow is a calming grounding practice and the chair yoga sequence is designed for yoga at the desk. We’ll teach you about key alignment points for the poses so that you can practice and teach yoga safely and go through the benefits and precautions of the poses. Learn how to teach these techniques, gaining confidence and feedback from your shift coach.
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You’ll learn two different guided relaxation scripts and two different guided meditations. Learn how to teach these techniques, gaining confidence and feedback from your shift coach.
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This module explores adapting yoga for different: ages, learning needs, personality types, energy levels, and physical needs. With special guests from The Special Yoga Company teaching you how to adapt yoga for ADHD and Autism.
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This module explores wellbeing practices for the health of the planet. With young people’s mental health affected by climate change and their anxieties growing, we explore how yoga can help support. You’ll learn a loving kindness meditation for compassion and empathy and get resources to local organisations educating young people on climate change.
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After completing the modules, you will do a practical assessment, which can be in-person or online. For the assessment you’ll write a lesson plan and design that around a student in mind and teach it to a family member/friend or student and your shift coach will watch and give feedback at the end.
After successfully completing the course, you’ll be certified as a Shift wellbeing ambassador and be able to run yoga interventions or after school clubs in your school. You can also work for Shift for some paid work opportunities running yoga camps in the school holidays or helping our at events.
Is this course right for you?
◗ You want to see your young people thrive and develop resilience
◖ You want to learn how to be a calm and confident support for others, without burning yourself out along the way
◗ You’re excited to discover ways you could use movement and mindfulness techniques in your educational setting
◖ You’re prepared to dedicate some time outside of the school day to personal growth and developing new skills
◗ You’d love to connect with other teachers and TAs, to share experiences and encouragement as you learn together
What do previous participants say?
Listen to Charlotte and Danielle explain how taking part in this course has changed their personal life and work for the better.
“I was a complete beginner to yoga and can teach it confidently now. It feels really rewarding to be able to pass on those skills to the children in my class.”
“It has been really beneficial for staff, for myself and for the students. The course has been really informative and really thorough. I’ve already seen positive effects from the course!”
See more testimonials and impact in our 2021-2023 impact report, showcasing the work over the last 6 courses with over 80 schools
Are there funded places?
Yes, we have some funded spaces! Having seen the life-changing effects of movement and mindfulness over and over again, we have sponsors who offer funding to open up these wellbeing opportunities to everyone – no-one should be left out because of a budget constraint.
By working together with our sponsors in Gloucestershire, we are able to offer a number of fully funded places and 50% bursary places each year, so that even more teachers and TAs can learn how to use this toolkit for themselves, and share it with others.
The market price for the course is £800 per person, but with a 50% bursary, you or your school can access it for just £400. To secure your bursary after your application is accepted, a £200 deposit will be required. We're excited to support your journey with this amazing opportunity!
Thank you to our sponsors, Active Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire ICB (NHS) for making it possible for us to offer bursary and fully funded places
Funding eligibility
To be successful for a fully funded or a 50% bursary, our 2025 sponsors have a few eligibility criteria that you must meet in order to be successful in your application.
For both fully funded and bursary places you must:
✔️ Work in a Gloucestershire school/college
✔️ Be an adult working in any role within an educational setting (Teacher, TA, SLT, Administrator etc)
Fully funded places
(only one eligibility criteria needs to be met)
✔️ Male and LGBTQIA educators (this is because we are wanting to address the yoga stereotype which predominately female)
✔️ Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic educators
✔️ Educator working in a ‘Young Mind Matter’ Schools (trailblazer) that Shift have not had on the ambassador course before. If you are unsure, view the list of YMM schools we have worked with here. (If your school is highlighted blue this means you are eligible for a fully funded place).
✔️ Special schools/colleges
Bursary places
For a bursary place your school must be new to the Shift wellbeing ambassador program. To see if someone from your school has engaged in the Shift wellbeing ambassador course before, click here (green highlighted schools are the one’s we have worked with previously).
(only one eligibility criteria needs to be met)
✔️ Female educators
✔️ Schools in low socio-economic areas
✔️ Under-resourced schools
✔️ Large schools who have had one member of staff apply for a fully funded place, that want to have a second member of staff trained on a bursary
✔️ Educator working in a ‘Young Mind Matter’ Schools (trailblazer) that Shift have not had on the ambassador course before. If you are unsure, view the list of YMM schools we have worked with here. (If your school is highlighted blue this means you are eligible for a fully funded place).
The market price for the course is £800 per person, but with a 50% bursary, you or your school can access it for just £400. To secure your bursary after your application is accepted, a £200 deposit will be required. We're excited to support your journey with this opportunity!
Invest in your colleagues and students wellbeing
Ready to take the next step? Empower your staff or yourself by investing in the Shift Wellbeing Ambassador Course. Experience the full benefits of our comprehensive training and create lasting impact in your community. Secure your place today!
About Our Founder
Robin’s vision is for yoga to be a normal part of daily life, as natural as brushing your teeth every morning.
As a teenager, Robin experienced bullying and was struggling academically and in family relationships. Concerned about her mental health, her Dad encouraged her to give yoga a try. As she practised yoga and meditation, she noticed her outlook slowly transform and shift into deep awareness and confidence, feeling empowered to make positive choices for health and happiness, and to navigate life going forwards.
“Robin believes that young people are an essential part of the solution to their own wellbeing needs.”
With lots of her peers facing severe mental health issues, Robin’s dream was that they’d be able to discover the same benefits… but she realised that the standard wellbeing industry is not accessible for many. So she completed the training to teach at the age of just 16, becoming the UK’s youngest certified yoga teacher, and began to reach her fellow students directly.
She started running clubs at her own school, then contacted others nearby, leading assemblies and mentoring other young people to train in yoga. Soon she’d set up her own business, running classes in the community, and developing impactful programs like Shift.
By making opportunities available, and helping people to support their friends, students, colleagues and communities, the positive effects can ripple out to help many more individuals to feel connected, healthy, and more resilient.
And you can be part of this vision too…
Let’s get started!
We know the challenges facing pupils and staff in education right now are more intense than ever before, but you can be part of this movement to help prevent mental and physical health problems and be even more effective in your work and school.
Join the next round of Shift to start the positive ripple effect we’ve seen in other Gloucestershire schools, and let’s work towards better outcomes for mental health and wellbeing in your classroom today.
Our next course starts on 24th February Feb 2025. Applications close on 7th February 2025. To find out more about the course dates, click here
Ready to re-align, take care of your own wellbeing, and make a difference to the people around you?
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The course runs across 26 weeks, with 6 additional catch up weeks, every four weeks and breaks in line with the school holidays.
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We recommend spending 15 mins a day, 5 times a week and 30 mins a day, once a week on your personal well-being practice throughout the course - this could be going to a yoga class, watching yoga videos, breathing, guided relaxations in bed, mindful walks, or listening to yoga related podcasts. The personal practice is meant to be creative, sustainable and realistic for your day-to-day life.
An additional 2 to 3 hours will involve watching the course content, reading, and doing some homework tasks. (We help manage your workload by only setting a maximum of 3 hours of work per week, with at least 2 weeks to complete homework tasks.)
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No, this is a basic yoga training and does not qualify you to train colleagues or start a yoga business.
As part of your contract, you’ll be able to teach what you’ve learned within a school setting or after-school club. If your colleagues would like to deliver any of the content with their students, they must complete this course themselves.
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Yes, we encourage you to meet your Shift buddy in person. Where possible, we also run in-person meet ups at the start and end of the course, where we can network, practice yoga together as a group, and have a catch up with snacks and drinks.
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We have carefully designed the course so that the workload and deadlines are manageable for someone with a career in teaching. We are also aware that life can sometimes throw unexpected things at us! We try to be as flexible and accommodating as possible – after all, this is a wellbeing program, and we care about your mental health. We just ask that you keep communicating with us throughout the course.
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Lots! As well as the 1:1 support (4 mentoring calls and a private yoga class), we have fortnightly group Q&A sessions online to meet as a group and discuss the content.
You’ll also have a Shift partner/buddy, and where possible, we try to host in-person meet ups at the start and end of the course. You’ll also receive a manual, access to the learning platform, and personal practice video tutorials.
You can message the Shift team for support at any point throughout the course and afterwards.
Frequently Asked Questions…
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No, it’s beginner-friendly. We have a whole range of people who have successfully completed our course in the past, from complete novices to fully qualified yoga teachers!
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The main live elements will be the fortnightly Q&A Zoom sessions, which will be recorded so that you can catch up if you aren’t able to make them. Your 1:1 mentoring calls can be arranged at a time that suits you.
An additional 2 to 3 hours will involve watching the course content, reading, and doing some homework tasks. (We help manage your workload by only setting a maximum of 3 hours of work per week, with at least 2 weeks to complete homework tasks.)
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Everything we use should be fairly familiar to people with standard IT skills, and nothing is too complex or unusual.
We’ll send walk-through videos that explain how to use the platforms, so you may just need to take some time to explore these.
We’re always happy to help with any questions, and can pair you with a Shift buddy that is more confident with technology.
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Yes, we encourage you to meet your Shift buddy in person. Where possible, we also run in-person meet ups at the start and end of the course, where we can network, practice yoga together as a group, and have a catch up with snacks and drinks.
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We have carefully designed the course so that the workload and deadlines are manageable for someone with a career in teaching. We are also aware that life can sometimes throw unexpected things at us! We try to be as flexible and accommodating as possible – after all, this is a wellbeing program, and we care about your mental health. We just ask that you keep communicating with us throughout the course.
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At the end of the course, we’ll give you feedback over a phone call, and you’ll receive a certificate for successfully completing it.
If the objectives haven’t fully been achieved, we will come up with a support plan to help you get your certificate.
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Seasonal Shift -Stay in the know about our movement. Join our shift news mailing list
Sign up for our quarterly ‘Seasonal Shift’ so you can stay in touch with us and learn more about upcoming events. Also, stay updated on funding opportunities for schools, places on our courses, yoga mat grants, and activity on referral.