A 200hr training is the perfect introduction to the world of teaching yoga, but all of us soon realise that there is far more to teaching yoga than calling out the names of poses with our suitably relaxing ‘yoga voices’. Over time, as our practice and our teaching matures, our questions should, hopefully, begin to outnumber our answers and we start to look to refine our knowledge and build our skill. In this 30hr training, we’ll discover how to integrate modern understanding of body/mind into our yoga teaching and the strategies we can use to maximise satisfaction and learning for our students and, for ourselves, as teachers. Topics we will over include:

Module 1 - Removing Asana Law + Advancing Teaching Skill + Building Your Yoga Career We will begin to let go of yoga ‘law’ and absolute alignment, and instead begin to incorporate contemporary understanding of the human body into our teaching and our practice. We’ll look at ways to understand and experience asana and their intention, then discover how asana principles can apply to unique student bodies. The focus will mainly be on core, common components of vinyasa sequences.

You may have thousands of hours of anatomical and philosophical training, but that in itself does not mean that you would be an effective yoga teacher. As teachers we need to learn how to; hold space for students from many backgrounds, communicate ideas effectively, ensure the safety of students, engage with students, teach all levels of practitioner and facilitate a practice of self-enquiry in a 60-90 min class. Time will be focused on translating your knowledge into the art of teaching. Finally, our discussion will move on to the next steps you might take on your yoga career, the obstacles you might fight and how to overcome them and thrive.

Module 2 - Demystifying Backbends and Twist + Marketing + Mindfulness As teachers and experienced students, we’ve stepped past the stage where we see asana as ‘shapes’ to be completed or imitated. He we’ll further refine that skill as we look at the true physical intentions of more demanding backbends and twists and how we can work deeper, in a more controlled and safe way. Not only will we look to advance our own practice, but to try and understand how we can communicate this to our students in an effective way.

We cannot make a living as a yoga teacher simply by breathing for the length of a 200hr training and gaining a certificate. Along with building our teaching skill we need to work out strategies to build a name for ourself and our offering. We’ll be looking at practical strategies for marketing including; social media, emails, podcasting, creating valuable content and simply getting your face out there.

Often modern vinyasa yoga becomes a sweaty, fast, mind-less practice. We’ll look to discover how we can begin to incorporate mindfulness in to vinyasa classes, both as separate sections of the sequencing or through guided savasanas and seated meditation.

Module 3 - Deconstructing Advances poses + Balancing Flexibility and Strength If you are working towards any complex goal or teaching something complex, it’s important to break it down in its component parts rather that only teach/practice the complete advanced thing, in its entirety. This logic applies to asana. We’ll take various advance poses and look at; what needs to be strong, what needs to be open, what skills need to be learnt and how we would teach this through intelligent and progressive sequencing. This will include inversions, arm balances and other complex poses: feel free to think of poses you’d like to explore!

Yoga asana is far more than simply stretching and so in our quest to find overall balance we’ll explore the balance of flexibility and strength, and how they can work together. Though this enquiry we’ll discover; different types of stretching, how we can find balance in asanas, drills to build mobility and discussions on active and passive range of motion.