200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Stephanie Lynn, E-RYT 500

Yoga teacher training offers us two beautiful opportunities.  It offers us the opportunity to deepen our practice and understanding of what it means to be a student of yoga, both on and off the mat.  It also provides the opportunity to take the seat of the teacher and begin leading others on that path.  These are both powerful and meaningful, life-shifting events.  Choosing the right training program is an important part of your transition.  A high quality program offers a comprehensive, holistic approach by an experienced and dedicated teacher, who will not only offer a great deal of information, but support, encourage, and steward you during your transition from student only, to student and teacher.  You will always feel strongly connected to the people that you share your teacher training with, even those you might not see again.  You will be able to most easily blossom and grow if your teacher is a guiding and grounding force for you as you move forward into discovering who you are as a yoga teacher.  Your time in training will be a time of deep study and reflection of the history, traditions, and teachings of yoga, but also of yourself.  Through a deeper understanding of self, we awaken to our beautiful potential, not just as teachers, but as parents, friends, community members, and all of the aspects of being human.  We are no longer sleep walking, and we awaken to living a life of intention, a life of peaceful presence, calm focus, and self-mastery.  Through the development of our own daily practice (sadhana), self-inquiry and study, and the practices of discernment and intention, we start moving down a life-long path.  Our embodiment of the teachings of yoga informs others around us, and we lead and teach by example as much in life as we do in the classroom.  This is the foundation of this program.  Though we study together as a community and support each other in our training program, the study and path of yoga is an individual one, each person going inward to discover, assimilate, integrate and begin to create a life of balance, simplicity, intention, and wholeness.  We find ourselves, our true Selves, in order to begin helping others.  This is a lifelong journey.  It begins with your graduation!  I hope you will join me!  Namaste

 

 

This is a comprehensive program which covers a lot of material during our time together.  No doubt, you will be assimilating and digesting the information from this training for years to come.  There is a strong focus on Vinyasa Flow Yoga, Breathwork, Mantra and Meditation, and an introduction to Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga and Yoga Nidra.  We will be studying the rich history, traditions, and spiritual teachings of yoga, as well as anatomy, teaching methodology, and the business of being a yoga teacher.

 

You are asked to make a commitment to this training to yourself and to your teacher and fellow trainees during the course of the training.  As far as possible, set aside distractions and circumstances which will inhibit or hinder your learning and growth during this special time.  This training will require you to be at your best in order to get from it what you need.  Please consider it carefully, and be sure that you are fully committed.  

 

Under the loving guidance and support of Stephanie Lynn, E-RYT 500, we will cover the following:

​

Techniques, Training and Practice (100+ hours)

Asana, Pranayama, Mantra, Pratyahara, Concentration, and Meditation

 

• Developing your own sadhana that will keep you strong, clean, vital, healthy, focused, peaceful and available to yourself and your students in a relaxed and dynamic way

• Creating a deeper understanding of your own body and mind through your own healthy practice so that you can then lead others on the path you have traveled

• The proper alignment and execution of the the postures through clear, concise cuing and adjustments from a seasoned and compassionate instructor

• Focus and Analysis of foundational postures for deeper understanding, both in practice and in teaching

• How to teach Meditation, Vinyasa Flow, Gentle Yoga, General Hatha Yoga, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga, and Yoga Nidra, and the considerations of teaching hot yoga classes

• Practice with teaching and adjusting fellow teacher trainees and with receiving compassionate, helpful feedback

• Creating smart sequences that consider and include the natural opening and strengthening of the body, safe movement from one pose to another and gradual progression in a sequence from warm up to peak to cool down to Savasana

• Pronunciation and use of Sanskrit

• The use of Bandhas and Mudras

• The use of Mantra

• The use of Props to create proper alignment, deeper release, and better understanding of the postures

 

 

Anatomy and Physiology (20+ hours)

Physical and Esoteric

 

• Understanding and integration of Eastern and Western Philosophies

• Study of the physical anatomy and physiology (bones, muscles, joints, fascia, organs, lymphatic and endocrine systems) and their effects on posture, alignment, and breath.

• Study of the subtle energy body (Chakras and Nadis)

• Study of the Koshas and Gunas

• The practice of building and directing energy through asana, pranayama, and the use of bandhas

• An introduction to Ayurveda and the Doshas

• Learning how to teach individuals with a deeper understanding of how anatomy and physiology affect the posture, alignment, and experience of the asanas

• Better understanding of physical habits and the ways they create imbalance in the body

 

Philosophy, Lifestyle, and Ethics for Yoga Teachers (30+ hours)

Living What You Teach and Teaching from the Heart of Yoga

 

• Integrating ancient wisdom into modern living

• A deep study of the Yoga Sutra of Pantanjali

• An Introduction to the Bhagavad Gita

• Learning the art of integrating the spiritual teachings of yoga in your classes, while cultivating an atmosphere that is relatable, comfortable, and accessible to all

• How to give Dharma talks and create class themes

• The importance of confidence, humility, service, and integrity in and out of the classroom

• Virtuous living and teaching through practice of the Yamas and Niyamas

• The ethical responsibilities and moral imperatives of holding the seat of the teacher

 

 

Teaching Methodology (25+ hours)

Transitioning to the Seat of the Teacher with Knowledge, Confidence, and Compassion

 

• Learning the art of clear, concise, and effective cuing

• Finding and using your authentic voice

• Adjusting with confidence, sensitivity and sensibility in a way that guides students toward a deeper understanding of the postures, their body, and their practice

• How to create class themes, sequences, and the community of the class

• Moving around the classroom to teach so that you are available to meet the students' needs.  Saving your mat for your own practice and demonstrating only when it is appropriate

• Embodying what you teach and teaching by example (integrity and authenticity), be yourself (your best self)!

• The importance of music, atmosphere, temperature, lighting and other details in creating the ambience and community of your classroom and/or studio

 

Practicum (10+ hours)

Finding Your Stride, Comfort, and Grace as a Teacher

 

• Practicing teaching with progressive independence and confidence

• Observing your fellow teacher trainees and offering gentle, honest, and compassionate analysis and feedback

• Observing and analyzing classes outside of the training program, to find what resonates with you and what is not a good fit for you

• Learning to relate to your students and yourself as a teacher

• Coming into your own style and self-awareness through experience and with the guidance, support and encouragement of your teacher and peers

• Learning how to create sequences, adjust, cue, and guide the energy of the room through experience and reflection

• Learning how to teach the students that are in front of you, even if it deviates from your plan

 

Yoga Business (5+ hours)

How to Get Started Teaching

 

• Studios, privates, workshops and retreats

• Owning a studio

• Contracting or employment

• Networking and public image

• Marketing and advertising

• Insurance

• Business Ethics

• Business structures and taxes

• DBA vs. LLC

 

Graduation Requirements:

• Trainee must be present and engaged for ALL contact hours of the training (make-up hours are available at an additional cost to the trainee and at the lead teachers discretion and availability, but the trainee's graduation and certification will most likely be delayed)

• Completion of periodic homework assignments and required reading (approx. 5-10 hours/week)

• Written Final Exam (approximately 2 hours in length)

• Non-contact hours including:

1. Sadhana (daily practice) on the days that we don't meet.

2. Daily journaling is strongly suggested.

3. Observing 3 classes taught by seasoned teachers and a written analysis of each to be shared or turned in.

4. Teaching and recording two classes, at least one hour each.  Lesson plan, recording and written feedback from your students to be turned in.

​

Booklists:

 

Required:

• Course Guide provided

• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali Translation and Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda

• The Living Gita: The Complete Bhagavad Gita Commentary by Sri Swami Satchidananda

• The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga by Ray Long, MD, FRCSC

• The Yoga Bible by Christina Brown

 

 

Other excellent books you might want to invest in at some point:

• Yinsights by Bernie Clark

• Relax and Renew by Judith Lasater

• Yoga Sequencing by Mark Stephens

• Yoga Nidra by Swami Satyananda Saraswati

• Yoga Morality by Georg Feuerstein

• Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff

• Yoga and Ayurveda by David Frawley

• Teaching Yoga: Essential Foundations and Techniques by Mark Stephens

​

​