200-hr YTT Curriculum

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Asana & Anatomy

Cultivating a personal yoga practice is the cornerstone for authentic and creative teaching. Students enrolled in the teacher training program will learn how to develop a personal practice that is fully conscious, incorporating alignment principles for the body, mind and heart. Essential areas covered will include:

  • Benefits and contraindications of postures
  • Explanation and application of the Hatha Yoga Principles of Alignment
  • Use of props and modifications of postures
  • Hands-on assists
  • General anatomy of the human body and anatomy of movement including identification of major muscle groups and bones
  • Range of motion, tension and compression

Pranayama & Meditation

Pranayama and meditation are in many ways the heart of any yoga practice. Through consistent practice they unveil powerful benefits, transforming the practitioner. Key components taught will include:

  • Regular practice of specific pranayama and meditation techniques
  • Identification of the main nadis, vayus and chakras and how their charge manifests physically and emotionally
  • How energy moves and how to move energy

Philosophy, Ethics & Lifestyle

Yoga is a frame of mind and a way of life. As part of the teacher training program, students will learn about the history of yoga from its early roots to its current form in the West. In addition, students will explore the following:

  • Classical and Tantric Yoga Philosophies
  • Ethics of living yoga on and off the mat
  • The business of Yoga
  • How to market yourself as a teacher

Teaching Methodology

A skillful teacher is one who is grounded in knowledge while also being motivated internally by her yoga practice to evolve spiritually. At the same time, the teacher must be sensitive to her students, always adapting her teaching to what she sees in the classroom. Participants will learn how to:

  • Create and teach a one-hour yoga lesson
  • Integrate a yoga theme into the class
  • Step a pose up or down to match level of students
  • Read a student’s body and know when/how to assist appropriately
  • Move and direct energy in the classroom
  • Adapt teaching to what you see happening in the classroom