Teacher Training and Advanced Studies

Fall 2015 Integrated Yoga Study & Practice:

Saturdays 11am-1pm 9/26, 10/17, 11/21, and 12/12

Tasha Yoga 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training:

Yoga is a sacred path.  When we learn to teach yoga we contribute to the transformation of others as we guide them to experience the depths of their own hearts. Designed for those who wish to begin teaching, as well as for those already teaching looking to develop their skills, this program cultivates the sensitivity, creativity, kindness and skills to facilitate this exquisite transformation in others.

An important emphasis of this program is to refine your understanding of the Principles of Alignment and heart-oriented philosophy in a supportive community.  In order to teach effectively with confidence, it is valuable to cultivate an experiential and analytical understanding of the poses, their benefits and applications, and optimal sequencing.  So we will practice asana together and reflect on this practice.

In addition to cultivating your own practice with an eye to teaching, this program helps you discover your authentic voice and empowers the teacher within.  Come prepared for an utterly interactive, progressive and naturally unfolding experience as you develop as a yoga teacher.  First you enjoy teaching the individual elements of a class to one another.  As you progress, you gradually build the components into a complete class that inspires a group of students to experience the joy, beauty, and fullness of life through yoga.

Students in this  YTT come away with a strong foundation in the philosophy of yoga; an ability to articulate pose instructions clearly and succinctly; skill in observing, adjusting, and demonstrating poses;  and language skills to inspire students to express their poses from the inside out.  You will learn to weave in masterfully the heart theme throughout the technical instructions and class sequences.  With these powerful tools, you create the greatest potential for expansion from within in your students.

Schedule: Saturday  10-5 & Sunday 10-5

Requirements For Particiaption:

  • Successful completion of 100-hour Anusara Yoga Immersion
  • Submit an application
  • Sincere intention to help students develop and unfold their potential through yoga
  • Embody a high level of studentship, as shown through words and actions

In this course you will practice and learn to:

  • take the seat of the teacher
  • observe students and teach to what you see
  • clearly and accurately teach Anusara Yoga Universal Principles of Alignment
  • instruct the major classes of poses
  • sequence poses effectively
  • offer appropriate verbal and physical adjustments
  • identify and remedy common misalignments
  • integrate yoga philosophy into your teaching
  • find your unique voice as a teacher
  • use language to connect with the heart of the student
  • skillfully weave heart themes into your instruction
  • provide powerful demonstrations
  • guide students into basic restoratives
  • lead pranayama and basic meditation
  • apply anatomy to therapeutic instruction, taught by Martin Kirk
  • modify poses for different levels of students
  • mindful communication with different types of students: active listening, giving positive and constructive feedback
  • look for the good
  • cultivate your adhikara/studentship

Successful completion entails:

  • Attend all sessions.
  • Purchase required books: Anusara Yoga Teacher Training Manual, Anusara Immersion Manual, Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Siva Sutras, Anatomy of Movement.
  • Complete all assignments, both reading and written, including regular journaling and written take-home test.
  • Complete and document 150 hours of practice distributed between class, workshops, and home practice.  Of this 150 hours, a minimum of 40 hours must be contact hours with an Anusara Certified or Inspired Teacher.
  • Teach 15 hours of yoga classes in your local community
  • Apprenticeship of 12 hours (included in YTT)

Students who successfully fulfill the requirements of the YTT  will receive a Certificate of Completion.  Tasha Yoga is a Registered Yoga School with the Yoga Alliance, so upon completion students can apply online and receive YA Registration within 48 hours.

To apply: Contact Tasha Judson at [email protected] or call (413) 346-3638.

Tasha Yoga  300-Hour Teacher Training:

This training provides a template through which to perceive a wide array of yogic teachings available today.  You will learn a three-part sequence of development, observable historically in Indian yogic traditions both Hindu and Buddhist.

Part 1: Begin Where You Are – Bring Mindful Clarity to Observing your Life:

Part 1, associated with Early Buddhism and Classical Yoga, inaugurates the path of yoga.  Topics include identifying a yogic path, handling challenges and suffering, and ethics. We consider the motivations and aspirations for practice.  Practice and teaching in this section refine your understanding of bio-mechanical alignment, establishing a meditation practice, and cultivating a steady mind.

Part 2: Cultivate the Heart – Infuse Love and Compassion with your Relationships:

Part 2, associated with Buddhist Mahayana and Hindu Bhakti,  develops emotional intelligence, love, compassion, devotion, and service.  Practice and teaching in this section addresses how to animate asana with heart qualities, meditation that cultivates the heart, conscious relationship skills, and service.

Part 3: Living a Life Saturated with Freedom – Deepen your Sense of the Highest and Interweave Your Life with its Domain:

Part 3, associated with Tantras especially Shaiva (Hindu) and Tibetan (Buddhist), helps you name your understandings of the highest, and integrate this understanding with your life.  Practice in this section works especially with connecting your practices, daily life, and teaching to the highest purposes of yoga.

This three part course helps you develop tools to interpret your own practice, and to make informed choices about your path.  Together we will study key Hindu and Buddhist yogic texts for each phase.  We will practice asana, pranayama and meditation, and clarify the ideas that support these practices.  Those in the Teacher Training option will have extensive opportunities to practice the full range of teaching skills.  You will learn to adapt these skills to meet the developmental needs of particular students.

Eligibility:

For 300-Hour Teacher Training (TT300): You must be a graduate of Tasha Yoga Teacher Training or another 200-Hour teacher training in any Hatha Yoga method.  You must be currently teaching yoga.  Documentation of additional 100 approved contact hours is required to receive TY 300-Hour Certificate.

For Advanced Studies (AS): Regular self-guided home practice for the last two years, regular attendance at TY classes during this program (if local), solid knowledge of foundational poses and alignment, familiarity with the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras, sincere interest in furthering your personal growth through development of your yoga practice.  This program includes the Saturday portion of the training, including asana and pranayama practice, meditation, and philosophy discussion.

Contact Hours:

All of the hours count towards 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Certification through Tasha Yoga.  Tasha Yoga is a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School at the 200 and 300 Hour level, so your two certificates combined make you eligible for YA Registration at the 500-Hour level.  If you are seeking TY Certification at the 500-Hour level you are responsible documenting your completion of a total of 300 approved hours in addition to your already existing 200-Hour certification.  All of the above hours are pre-approved and form the nucleus of the TY 500-Hour Teacher Training.  A limited number of hours may be earned through independent study or approved outside workshops.  Together with your 200-hour certificate, these 300 hours meet the requirements for the 500-Hour Certificate in accordance with Yoga Alliance standards.

Weekend General Schedule

Saturday 10-1pm Asana Practice & Philosophy (TT and AS together)

Saturday 2-5pm Teaching Methods & Skills (TT and AS together)

Sunday 9-12am Teaching Methods & Skills (TT)

Sunday 1-4pm Practice Teaching  (TT)