YOGA ALLIANCE USA TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM

(SUN YOGA TEACHER TRAINING PROGRAM SYT229)

For:

Those who would like to teach yoga or who would simply like to deepen their practice

Expect:

A challenging and fulfilling course into classical and contemporary yoga

Our aim:

To give you a well-rounded training in both classical and contemporary yoga as well as the scriptures, philosophy, ethics and lifestyle

Your qualifications:

Sun Yoga Teacher’s Certificate, and registration with Yoga Alliance USA

Structure:

The course has been approved by Yoga Alliance USA, and successful graduates of the course will be eligible for registration with Yoga Alliance USA, an internationally recognized professional body for yoga teachers. Yoga Alliance USA sets a minimum standard of competency for yoga teachers, and this standard has been widely adopted by yoga teachers in many parts of the world.

The curriculum is comprehensive, and covers 200 hours (160 contact hours, 40 hours assignment, practicum and self-study), and will take you on a journey into Ashtanga, Hatha, Iyengar and the more contemporary styles of yoga such as flow and Kripalu.

You will be taught in a small group by a dedicated Programme Director who will be supported by other teachers who are well-regarded in their respective fields. Your journey will be intensive, provocative, and at times, emotionally and mentally taxing. You will go through countless teaching practices after rigorous classroom sessions in Teaching Methodology, covering area such as voice, vocabulary, dialogue, structuring, music and projection, factors which elevates a good yoga class to one that is life-enhancing. Your experience will, of course, be gained at observing, co-teaching and finally teaching at Sun Yoga.

In short, our mandate is to transform you into a world-class teacher,
not just any yoga teacher.

The Sun Yoga SYT229 Teacher Program meets the standards set put by Yoga Alliance USA and is recognised as a Yoga Alliance USA Registered School. Graduates of the Sun Yoga SYT229 Course will be eligible for registration with Yoga Alliance USA.

The RYT200 hours is a professional qualification, and graduates of the program will be registered with Yoga Alliance USA. Graduates will also be able to use the Yoga Alliance USA’s Registry Mark as a stamp of standards, and will be registered in its database, www.yogaalliance.com. This is the minimum competency standard that many teachers in the world adopt – the syllabus of all Yoga Alliance USA’s training schools have been scrutinised and approved by a panel and follows a stringent set of criteria.

To reiterate, this is a professional course that meets international standards, and as such, it is an intensive program of study. You will be required to complete 200 hours of training, of which 160 hours are contact hours. Therefore, in addition to taught classes, trainee teachers will have to undertake periods of self-study and assignments. You will also be expected to co-teach several classes until you achieve the appropriate level of skill to teach on your own.

Your course will be taught to the highest standards. You will be expected to spend a day at the Universiti Malaya Medical Faculty for your Anatomy class. We believe that textbook learning is not sufficient for your understanding of the human body, and all students are required to put aside one Friday for this part of the curriculum.

Similarly, for other parts of the curriculum, we seek to let you experience the subject matter at first hand. You will be encouraged to follow a vegetarian diet (we even provide takeaway dinners for you), to choose a meditation path for forty days and to be able to teach yoga in many unusual situations. You will be asked to design a yoga syllabus, and your co-trainees will critique you on this as well as your teaching style. In the last intake, the trainees went for a weekend retreat by the beach in Penang to consolidate their learning. This is all part of your training to be a world-class yoga teacher.

The syllabus, in accordance with Yoga Alliance USA, is as follows:

Techniques 100 hours

Teaching Methodology 20 hours

Anatomy and Physiology 20 hours

Philosophy/Ethics/Lifestyle 20 hours

Practicum 10 hours

Balance of Hours 30 hours

Contact Hours minimum 160 hours

Techniques	Includes asanas, pranayamas, kriyas, chanting, and meditation. Hours in this category include both training in the techniques and practice of them.
Teaching Methodology	Principles of demonstration, observation, assisting/correcting, instruction, teaching styles, qualities of a teacher and the student's process of learning.
Anatomy and Physiology	Includes both physical anatomy and physiology (bodily systems, organs, etc.) and astral/energy/subtle anatomy and physiology (chakras, nadis, etc.)
Philosophy/Ethics/Lifestyle	Study of yoga scriptures (Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, etc.), ethics for yoga teachers, 'living the life of the yogi', etc.
Practicum	Includes student teaching as well as observing and assisting in classes taught by others. Hours are a combination of supervised and unsupervised.
Balance of Hours to complete the 200 hour	Electives are drawn from the above categories. These hours do not necessarily represent student electives: the hours may be used according to a school's own particular emphasis.
Contact Hours	The teacher trainer is physically in the presence of the student while lecturing on a topic. The non-contact or independent study hours can include: assigned reading or other homework, non- supervised study groups, observing yoga classes, etc.

Pre-requisites

Good physical health, good command of English and an open mind are the three pre-requisites. It is preferable that prospective students have some experience of yoga, though this is not necessary, as trainee teachers would undergo at least 70 hours of training in classical yoga. The previous group did a total of 120 hours on basic yoga classes!

The course is challenging in that it demands the best of you. Apart from the rigours of physical yoga, you will be required to undertake assignments on lesson planning, teaching methodology, philosophy, scriptures. These are expected to be of the highest standards.

Photographs from Teacher Training 2005