Level 2 - living yoga - yoga therapy and advanced teacher training

Click to download the complete teacher training course guide (printer friendly) PDF

500 hour advanced yoga teacher training

(200 hour training + additional 300 hours)

BodyMindLife's Advanced Yoga Teacher Training includes the 200 hour program and an additional 300 hours of non-repetitive module-based study, allowing students to deepen their understanding and gain confidence in their teaching. This program is unlike any other yoga teacher training offered globally, and has been developed to access the spiritual depths of human potential. Building on the concepts offered in the 200 hour ART of Yoga - Foundational Yoga Teacher Training, upon completion, you will be equipped to guide your students on a personal level back to balance.

Module 5 subjects: functional assessment I, harnessing the power - pranyama, mudra and bandha , functional assessment II - designing personal practices, yoga for special needs, auyerveda, yoga teaching as a business.

Module 6 subjects: exploring the dance of vinyasa yoga II, ancient wisdom modern society, overcoming gravity, relationship building II, counseling skills, meditation, teaching practicum.

spring full time training 13 october - 21 november 2007

Our 300 hour Living Yoga - Yoga Therapy and Advanced Yoga Teacher Training offers further study options that will enable students to continue on from the 200 hour Foundational Teacher Training and achieve a total of 500 training hours, allowing graduates to register as a RYT500 with Yoga Alliance. Over six condensed weeks of intensive study and practice, this unique program gives students further skills that will allow them to become effective and high impact teachers. Through deeper study of the therapeutic applications of Yoga, students who complete this program will have the unique ability to assess their clients’ state of health and prescribe a personal practice that will move them toward wellness of the body, mind and spirit.  Students will look at where their clients physical and energetic systems are out of balance, compromised by stress, poor nutrition and hydration, and negative or destructive thought patterns, and will have the tools to guide them back to wholeness.

daily commitment
6:30am - 5:00pm - Monday through to Saturday

subject content

daily yoga practice

As a yoga teacher, our best sources of inspiration are the experiences derived through our own yoga practice. Each day will begin with morning asana, which will introduce students to different styles of teaching, techniques, practices, sequencing, pranayama, chanting and meditation.

functional assessment 1 - posture, function and balance of the bodymind

This course focuses on assessing different postural types, looking at how they present in yoga practice, and how to apply the relevant building blocks of practice - flexibility, stability and strength.

The aim of this course is to learn how to assess muscle length tension imbalances (tightness and correspending weakness around the joints.) We focus on how to correct these imbalances. How to identify instability in the joints and before loading the body in strength postures. From that understanding, students will come to understand functional movement patterns and how to correctly apply them to yoga postures; how fast twitch and slow twitch muscles affect the posture differently, and how to balance these. One of the most important aspects of this course is learning how to assess core function (strength) and how to apply bandhas (internal locks) for safety and stability of the spine.

harnessing the power - pranayama, mudra and bandha

Yogic philosophy and physiology regard the control of breath as one of the prime means for achieving physical, mental and emotional and spiritual wellbeing. As breathing practices have powerful mental and physical effects it is important that yoga teachers are able to select practices that are suitable for their students and can clearly communicate the instruction of their application. We will explore the principles, practices of pranayama, mudra (seals or hand gestures) and bandha (internal locks) to enhance and deepen one's yoga practice.


functional assessment 2 - designing personal practices

This is a continuation of Functional Assessment 1, taking the principles learnt into greater depth of knowledge through practical applications, and review of case studies. The aim of this course is to teach students how to design a personalized yoga practice based upon their assessment of the client. This involves directly meeting the needs of the individual, prescribing corrective practice to balance all body systems. Taking a wholistic approach, this course looks at all lifestyle factors that move people away from balance, and helps us to guide our students back into living a balanced, vital and abundant life. This course is excellent for those who want to focus on teaching private yoga sessions, and will enhance participants' knowledge of yoga as a wholistic system for healthy body and mind.

ancient wisdom - modern society

This unique course looks at understanding the Chakra system through the anatomy and physiology of the body from a modern scientific perspective. We explore the Chakras as they relate to the nervous system, and how each Chakra corresponds with a major nerve plexus and therefore affects the different parts of the body that is innervated by certain nerves. We also look at the relationship between the visceral system (organs) and the somatic system (myofascial), giving participants a deeper understanding of the interconnectedness of mind, body and spirit. Given that the physical body is a crystallization of every mental, emotional, physical and spiritual choice, students of this course will be able to understand in more depth the emotional/mental aspect behind different body postures and injuries.

ayurveda

Ayurveda is the 'science of life' and is the sister science of yoga. Having been practiced for thousands of years in India, Ayurveda is the original source of many of today’s natural therapies, and is hailed as the ‘mother of all healing sciences’. Born from ancient Vedic wisdom, Ayurveda focuses on inspiring individuals to heal themselves with the aid of herbs, diet, body therapies spiritual psychology and lifestyle adjustments. Scientific research and development over thousands of years supports Ayurveda’s effectiveness and easy application to the modern Western world. Although a complete system in itself, Ayurveda is also a powerful adjunct to other modalities. It’s eternal principles and tools enhance one’s understanding of the patient/client and clarifies the most effective treatment approach. The aim of this course is to introduce students to the tridosha, Ayurveda's system of categorizing body types, characteristics and attributes. Through this understanding, participants will be able to recognize certain traits within their students that will assist them in designing appropriate practices.

overcoming gravity

This course takes knowledge discovered in 'Ancient Wisdom-Modern Society' to a deeper level, looking at how the Chakra system relates to the joint stability needed to live in the field of gravity. We will look at how the evolution of our species relates to movement, how certain movement patterns are innately developed from the infant stage of life - and the overall effect of missing an important stage of our physical development. The aim of this course is to teach students how to design a specific yoga practice incorporating developmental movement patterns, to cater to individual needs.

yoga for special needs

Most yoga teachers at some time in their career will encounter students in their classes who have special needs, injuries and health conditions that will require the teacher to modify their class. The responsibility for the well-being of the student falls on the yoga teacher, who must have a thorough knowledge of how asanas can be adapted to suit special needs and the contra-indications relating to those special needs. This module is designed to provide an understanding of the more common areas of special needs. Some of the more common special needs we will explore include pre-natal, back and neck care, seniors yoga, stress management and disease management through prevention rather than cure.

relationship building 2

This course takes concepts discussed in Relationship Building 1 further, deepening our awareness of how we interact with other human beings. Students will learn basic skills on how to deal with emotions as they arise in class, and how to assess where people 'don't show up' energetically. We look at the concept of 'mutuality', that is, being aware of self and others at the same time (being aware of teacher and student mutually). As a yoga teacher, it is important to develop somatic awareness and subtleties of tissue to tissue communication, how to recognize energetic patterning in the body, and how to bring the student's awareness to specific areas of the body to unwind that patterning.

the art of assisting and hands-on enhancements 2

This course expands upon assisting and adjusting techniques learnt in Assisting 1, allowing students to develop their skills and become more intuitive and sensitive in their touch. We look at more advanced adjustments, the role of the teacher assistant, and developing skills of assisting/adjusting while teaching a yoga class.

counseling skills

As a yoga teacher, our job often involves talking to students not only about their physical yoga practice, but also many of the emotional issues that surface as a result of practicing. As yoga is a mind/body discipline, Yoga teachers must be able to respond to their students in a way that communicates compassion and empathy for the student's situation, while maintaining personal boundaries. When counseling students, Yoga teachers must remain neutral, positive, and professional, and recognize the limits of their own experience. In some cases teachers may need to refer students to other health-care professionals such as counsellors, psychologists, or therapists. This course gives participants the necessary skills to become good listeners and effective communicators, which are essential tools for counseling within teacher-student interactions.

meditation

Meditation, or Dhyana - the seventh limb of Yoga according to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras - is one of the main objectives of Yoga. Most long-time students of yoga would agree that cultivating a daily meditation practice is one of the most challenging, yet rewarding aspects of their yoga practice.
This course trains participants in the more common types of Meditation Techniques and practices from different yoga traditions. As the use of Meditation will usually be a fundamental part of the yoga class, it is essential that teachers are proficient in being able to guide their students, allowing them to develop mental steadiness, clarity and insight.

the business of yoga

This course looks at how to deal with one of our biggest challenges as Yoga teachers: how to do what we love as yoga teachers, and to be financially rewarded at the same time. How to share the offerings of yoga, become abundant, while observing the ethical guidelines of the yamas and niyamas. Yoga teaching is a profession that has guidelines, standards and legal issues, and it is important for all yoga teachers to be aware of these. This course teaches students how to market and promote themselves, and we explore the various opportunities available to yoga teachers, including teaching in yoga studios, gyms, health clubs, health resorts, hospitals, community centres, working abroad and even opening a yoga studio. We look at current trends in yoga, and how they affect YOU as a teacher. We introduce BodyMindLife Yoga's Affiliation Program: becoming an Affiliated Teacher and opening an Affiliated Studio allows teachers to be part of a growing community of like-minded people who share resources, receive assistance in developing their business, and benefit from being associated with an established brand.

teaching practicum

Students will have the opportunity to consolidate their experience and knowlege received throughout this course, by designing and developing personalized yoga practices. They will receive feedback from their peers and the course facilitators, allowing them to grow and develop their skills. As teaching is the best teacher, this practical approach will help them become effective, inspirational and high impact yoga teachers.