Basic Teacher Training

Basic Yoga Teacher Certification Program

Yoga on High is registered with Yoga Alliance as a 200-hour teacher training program.

Next Session begins September 2010

11-month evening & weekend program

Yoga on High Basic Teacher Training (200-hour)

Yoga on High offers a comprehensive 11-month long Basic Teacher Training Program which provides a foundation in anatomy, philosophy and asana instruction.  Teacher Trainees may certify in either hatha or ashtanga to begin working with beginning students or continuing beginners.   The training sessions are held on Thursday evenings and several weekends throughout the year.

Martha Marcom, head of the ashtanga program, has been practicing for over twenty-five years and is one of a handful of teachers in the Midwest who was authorized to teach the Primary Series by Sri Pattabhi Jois.  Marcia Miller and Linda Oshins are co-leaders of the hatha program. Marcia has been a full-time, certified yoga teacher for over thirty years and is recognized throughout the Midwest as a premier yoga teacher in her form. Linda has been practicing yoga for over twenty years and has a background in curriculum design. Graduates of the program say that the interplay between the three principals is one of the best parts of the program.

In addition to regular weekly classes at Yoga on High, the Center offers a rich and diverse weekend workshop program including a full schedule of world-renowned teachers, again the most comprehensive in the state. The guest faculty each year includes Rodney Yee and Tim Miller. Additionally, Yoga on High staff teach short weekend courses on special subjects that enrich the core program.

The Yoga on High Basic Teacher Training Program has two tracks, Ashtanga and Hatha. Completion of the coursework and requirements described below lead to Yoga on High Teacher Certification (200-hour level) and registration through Yoga Alliance. Much of the fundamental course work offered is shared by both systems. We have found that drawing from these two systems, as well as our own study with many different teachers, infuses our teaching with respect for a variety of yoga styles. It also recognizes individual approaches to teaching in a way that our students value. Students normally certify in one track, but experienced students may elect to certify in both with permission of the instructional staff.

Teacher trainees will be mentored, scheduled to assist teaching staff, and given opportunities to teach peers and classes of differing levels.

The Yoga on High Basic Teacher Training program is a full-spectrum curriculum. At the end of this training course, you will be able to:

• Design safe, graduated classes for beginning students (we define beginners as students in the first several years of yoga classes and practice)
• Teach breath awareness to beginners
• Understand how to sequence poses from warm up though deep relaxation
• Analyze a pose and break it into focused points of emphasis in order to introduce it to students in increments
• Protect students with common functional or structural problems from harm
• Use props creatively
• Teach basic principals of alignment
• Step a pose up or down in complexity to accommodate students with differing capabilities
• Ask your own body a question about the beginner’s body and answer it
• Diversify your teaching approach to accommodate students with different learning styles
• “Read” a student’s body and make proper adjustments
• Teach simple restorative poses and beginners breathing practices
• Guide relaxations
• Understand classroom ethics and professionalism
• Understand some general principles of anatomy as they apply to teaching yoga
• Be familiar with basic theoretical principles of yoga philosophy

As part of the course materials, you receive a teacher training manual and two nine-week beginners’ courses, one for hatha students and one for ashtangis.

Who is Eligible:

You need not necessarily want to teach in order to join the program; you may elect to attend as a commitment to your deepening practice. Teaching or preparing to teach is a logical next step in your own development.

You may attend if you have:

• Consistently attended classes taught by one of the three core faculty for at least 6 months or obtained permission from one of the core faculty. We welcome students who have studied with other teachers.
• Studied yoga consistently for two years.
• Have a strong personal asana practice including a daily practice of inversions.