yoga teacher training
July 15, 2016
To the casual student of yoga, it may seem that teaching yoga merely means demonstrating how to correctly perform asanas. The advanced student, or yoga teacher in training, knows better. In addition to the spiritual aspects of yoga practice, there are so many other technical pieces involved. One of the most important is sequencing. You can think of sequences at three different levels. There is, of course, the order in which asanas are performed. But good sequencing involves giving thought to the mini-sequences needed to attain a given pose, as well as the big picture of how to sequence moving between different pose categories (standing poses to floor poses, for example). While understanding the principles of sequencing is crucial to creating a great yoga class, it can seem daunting to new teachers. In our 200 hour teacher training, we teach the 66 basic yoga postures and some 100 variations. It’s […]
June 21, 2016
First you decide to take the life-changing plunge to become a yoga teacher. Next, you must find the yoga teacher training program that’s right for you. This is no small task. One big consideration is where the training will take place. The location you choose has the power to shape your experience. Check in with yourself and ask some key questions: During my training, do I want to wake up in my own bed every morning? Or am I hankering for a physical journey as well as a spiritual one? Is your favorite studio with your favorite teacher offering a training that’s only a mile or two from home? Or do you long to experience life in an ashram with a view of the majestic Himalayas? Or beautiful South India? For some, circumstances dictate that you must stick close to home and perhaps stretch out your training over a period […]
April 15, 2016
When people come to a yoga class, on some level they know it is not the same as taking a Crossfit or circuit training class. Even a new or casual student has an intuition that yoga is something deeper. Yoga is not an exercise regimen. The eight limbs of yoga provide a spiritual way of life designed to unite us with the whole of existence. There is a tendency in the West to focus on only one limb of yoga, the asanas, or postures. While there are undoubtedly benefits to engaging with yoga on even one level, as a teacher, you want to authentically embrace the entire spiritual system if you wish to serve as an example for your students. When you set out to teach, you are committing to living a yogic lifestyle. You will live yoga and pass it onto others. We offer these nine foundational steps to […]
February 18, 2016
You are an interesting anomaly in the modern world. By becoming a yoga instructor, you are choosing a career path that will help you enrich the lives of others as well your own. And you are proving yourself to be willing to do the hard work necessary to make it happen. As your yoga teacher training approaches, how do you prepare yourself — physically, spiritually and plain old logistically — for an experience that will be demanding on so many levels? We offer twelve pieces of advice, from the practical to the spiritual, to ensure you’re as prepared as possible for what promises to be one of the most transformative and intense experiences of your life. Practical considerations Whether you choose an intensive teacher training in a locale far from home, or a nearby program that spreads lessons out over the course of six months to a year, there are a number of […]
August 3, 2015
Asanas are powerful in that they work on the entire physic-psycho-spiritual system by assisting in creating an extremely subtle body and mind, the basis of spiritual elevation.
July 14, 2015
A Journey Into Excellence Meet Paula, a.k.a. Parvati, a young woman who decided to listen to her calling and make yoga teaching her life’s career. Parvati is a Sanskrit name and means ‘The Universal Mother and Great Goddess’ and that’s true for Paula who is moving into her greatness both personally and as someone who shares the profound teachings of yoga with others. She has completed her yoga teacher training course with the Himalayan Yoga Institute in April 2014 and has been teaching yoga in London ever since. Embarking on the yoga journey at the tender age of 14, she shares her beginnings, her courageous decision to travel to India at the age of only 18 and to make yoga the central focus of her life. How It All Began When I was 13 I had an amazing teacher at school. She taught us world religion and was one of […]
November 20, 2014
It’s a question you may have been asking for a while. You are not sure whether you are ready for a career as a yoga teacher. Is your yoga practice ‘advanced’ enough? Do you have what it takes to be a teacher? The answer may surprise you: you actually don’t have to be a master level practitioner to become a yoga teacher. The most important quality required for teaching is your love and passion for yoga.Don’t doubt your own abilities. Why not you? You can always expand your abilities as you go. Find peace in your calling. Release yourself from the 9-5 mentality and begin savouring a life built on the power of yoga. About a month ago our autumn 200h Yoga Teacher Training programme in Kullu Valley, India, came to a close. Powerful yoga teachers were created and lives were changed. It was an amazing experience for everyone. But […]
September 4, 2014
Written by Ganga Devi Today I am going to share with you an amazing, little known exercize which you can do after your home yoga practice. How to maintain healthy and glowing skin has always been a hot topic and has become even more so in today’s world where our skin is increasingly exposed to free radicals due to heavy pollution, processed foods and sedentary lifestyles. Among the many practices of yoga, the one presented here is taught on our yoga teacher training courses and yoga retreats. Today I discuss the benefits and science of this tool but watch out for our future newsletters, where I will provide you with a complete step-by-step description on how to practice this massage. Busting the ‘Sweat = Detox’ Myth Have you noticed that people who regularly practice yoga and meditation often have a radiance about them which is quite unique and compelling? Glowing skin […]
August 8, 2014
Written by Ganga Devi The Most Common Misconception About Yoga Styles It’s easy to get confused about the many yoga styles offered in the world today which can make it quite difficult to choose a teacher training course. The biggest misconception about them though is the belief that any one style is authentic yoga. It is not. Yoga styles are a rather modern invention and didn’t exist some 50 years ago. In traditional yoga we only ever had lineages and schools of yoga, so a student or disciple would approach a teacher to learn from him/her and stick to that teacher for the rest of his/her life. It was a highly individualized approach in which a teacher would tailor the practices according to the student’s needs and abilities. Sometimes the teacher would refuse to accept a student and if the student was persistent s/he would have to undergo a series of […]