This 200 Hours Yoga Teacher Training will prepare you to introduce people to yoga with confidence. You’ll have a solid foundation in asana, and feel confident to guide people using breath awareness, pranayama, mantras, meditation and relaxation. Most of all you’ll have an understanding of what the Yoga path really is. Successfully graduated students are aware of their own unique presence, energy, message and teaching style. This program is registered with the American Yoga Alliance (YA), and meets the established standards. Completing our program will allow you to register with the Yoga Alliance as a RYT-200.
Course Curriculum
PRACTICE – Your practice is your foundation, your real teacher. In the training, you will commit to daily practicing asana, pranayama, and meditation. Your practice will allow you to experience the effects on your body and mind. What you experience, you will understand. What you understand, you will be able to share with others.
ASANA – You’ll practice asana, pranayama techniques, and different meditations 2-6 hours every day. Since a Parimukti training is demanding and challenging physically and mentally, we find it important to have a good balance between more dynamic physical practice and classes to restore and rejuvenate (yin, yoga nidra, restorative).
PRANAYAMA – A variation of different pranayama techniques is integrated into our your daily practice. Consequently, you will become familiar with key verbal instructions, function, benefits and contraindications of the most important pranayamas. At the end of the program you will have integrated these practices and, thus, will be able to incorporate pranayama into your teaching, as well.
MEDITATION – Meditation is a very important element of Parimukti trainings. In this 200 hours training you’ll develop an understanding of what meditation is and how it helps to gain insight into ourselves and our relationship with the world. You will be introduced to meditation techniques like silent sitting, movement meditations, heart meditations, and buddhist meditations. Also, every student can choose to have a day in silence. This day you will receive teachings and practices silently, allowing yourself to observe your beliefs and thoughts more closely.
MANTRA – You will be introduced to chanting mantras in a more classical setting (start/end of the class) as well as a more joyous setting in a kirtan evening. You will be chanting some of the most important mantras and understand by experience how sound can positively charge oneself and the environment.
ALIGNMENT – You will have a daily alignment class, in which you learn the most important asana postures addressing their alignment. These classes include Sanskrit and English names, key verbal cues, function of the postures, basic hands-on adjustments, benefits and contraindications. All types of asana are covered: standing, standing balancing, sitting poses (forward bends and twists) forward bends, supine, back bending, core awakening, arm balance and inversions.
PHYSICAL ANATOMY – Proper understanding of anatomy is crucial for a yoga (asana) teacher. During this course you will study the functional applied anatomy of the major joints (knee joint, hip joint, shoulder joint, and spine), fundamental bones and basic muscles throughout the course. This will help you to understand and identify differences in students and corresponding needs.
YOGIC ANATOMY – We will introduce you to different models of how the body is being perceived by the yoga tradition. Therefore we will discuss the chakras, nadis, kriyas, mudras, bandhas and koshas. This will help you to more fully understand the process and benefits of yoga.
YOGIC PHILOSOPHY – You will gain insight into the evolution of yoga from the vedic to these modern times. We guide you in how to apply yoga philosophy in your yoga practice, your teachings, and most importantly, in your everyday life. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, with a particular focus on the 8 limbs of yoga, will be studied in depth.
ART OF TEACHING – Teaching is a great medium to learn about yourself and others. Therefore, you will be asked to work with the other students, in groups, on teaching assignments from the very beginning. Our teachers will give you practical tools and constructive feedback that will help you grow rapidly and confidently. The Art of Teaching classes are a great platform where you can integrate what you have learned in the alignment, anatomy and philosophy classes. Above all you will be invited and challenged to find your unique way of teaching a class.
Depth and understanding:
The focus of the second half of the training consists in a deep studying and understanding of the Yoga practice which we ultimately want to share. Deep understanding and awareness both enriches your own daily practice and will create a fertile soil for your own unique teaching foundations and ensure a successful and enriching process.
Practice your way to perfection:
Every morning will be dedicated to meditation, pranayama, and asana. The rest of the day we will study the asanas, pranayama, meditation, and chanting. We will also learn mantras from the Vedas, with a focus on their meaning, application, and proper pronunciation. During this training, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali will also be introduced as one of the pillars of Hatha yoga, and we will introduce the science of Ayurveda to understand more deeply how to lead a healthy life according to one’s dosha (bodily constitution)
Program Highlights:
With a meaningful theoretical and practical approach, the training features:
Daily practice of meditation, pranayama, and asana
Study of the asanas and their musculoskeletal alignment
Verbal and hands-on adjustments and their benefits and contraindications
Scientific background of the hands-on adjustments
Study of the Vedic and Upanishadic mantras
Chanting and meditation studies
