300 hour Advanced Teacher Training Program

Curriculum:

Embodied Anatomy & Kinesiology:

Understanding asana from the perspective of different body systems and tissues.
Integrating principles of anatomy and kinesiology in teaching asana and vinyasa.
Using principles of anatomy and kinesiology to explore and adapt asana.

Asana Analysis:

Developing observation skills in relationship to movement and stillness.
Analyzing the effects of different choices in language, focus and orientation.
Exploring different approaches to asana.

Teaching Skills:

Finding precision and flexibility in your language.
Becoming mindful of your own preferences and patterns.
Valuing different approaches to transmission and learning.
Distilling your values and principles of teaching.

Program Components:

The full certification program will have four parts, and homework – if all parts are completed, there will be a total of 300 contact hours. These parts can be completed over a two-year period – it is not necessary to do them at the same time as the weekend workshops.

Part 1: Weekend workshops: 9 workshops x 15 hours per workshop= 135 hours

Each of these 15 hour weekend workshops will have a particular point of focus based in anatomy and kinesiology. In each weekend there will be advanced A&K classes, asana practice, structured explorations, teaching practice and feedback.
Amy Matthews will be the lead teacher for the majority of the workshops, with guest classes from Jill Satterfield and Leslie Kaminoff.

Part 2: Complementary training: 80 hours

An additional 80 hours of training with senior Breathing Project teachers Leslie Kaminoff and Jill Satterfield is required. Classes can be taken in Leslie’s Advanced Studies course at the Breathing Project, or in Jill’s Vajra Yoga workshops. (Graduates of Leslie or Jill’s program will receive credit towards a portion of these hours.)

Part 3: Assisting in asana class: 55 hours

Assisting Amy, Jill and/or Leslie in asana classes will be an opportunity to observe different teaching choices and to witness the effects of those choices in class.

Part 4: Spectrum classes (variety of styles and teachers): 30 hours

With the goal of understanding the value of a variety of approaches to teaching yoga, an additional 30 hours of asana class are required. These classes should be in at least 10 different approaches – possible choices include: Anusara, Astanga, Bikram, Dharma Mittra, Integral, Iyengar, Jivamukti, Kundalini, Sivananda, Viniyoga, Yin Yoga.
(The cost of these classes is not included in the program fees.)

Homework – two parts:

Book discussion: The final part of each month’s workshop will be a discussion of a book from the reading list. Three or four students will lead the discussion of the book, and its relationship to yoga.

Spectrum class reviews: After attending the ‘spectrum classes’, program participants will be asked to write a review of the classes, focusing on the strengths of each style or tradition, and how each supports an embodied experience of asana.

Schedule of Workshops:

Sept 5-7, 2008
Opening: Embodied Mind
Amy Matthews & Leslie Kaminoff
How do we see? How do we describe and name what we see? How do our own preconceptions shape what we see?

Oct 24-26, 2008
Exploring the Container: Bones & Ligaments
Amy Matthews & Jill Satterfield
How does the Skeletal System help us find clear pathways of support, and a sense of resilience and relationship between our limbs and spine?

Nov 21-23, 2008
Inner Landscape: the NeuroEndocrine System
Amy Matthews & Jill Satterfield
How do we respond to feedback from our inner environment? The outer environment? How do we modulate between them?

Jan 23-25, 2009
Embodied Breathing: Breath as Shape Change
Jill Satterfield & Leslie Kaminoff
How is breath created through the changing relationships of space within us? How does changing our breath change our experience?

Feb 20-22, 2009
Starting from the Contents: Digestive System
Amy Matthews & Jill Satterfield
What happens when we initiate movement from the organs? How do the digestive organs help us take in, integrate and release experiences?

Mar 20-22, 2009
Starting from the Contents: Lungs & Heart
Amy Matthews & Jill Satterfield
What does the flow of blood through the tissues of our body give us? How do the heart and lungs give us fluid support for movement?

April 24-26, 2009
Starting from the Contents: Kidney & Bladder
Amy Matthews & Jill Satterfield
How do we support and ground ourselves? How do we support the organs that provide our resources?

May 15-17, 2009
Shifting Consciousness: Embodied Breathing pt 2
Amy Matthews & Jill Satterfield
What is cellular consciousness? How do the rhythms of breath in the lungs and the cells support movement on every level?

June 12-14, 2009
Embodied Mind pt 2: Transitions
Amy Matthews, Jill Satterfield & Leslie Kaminoff
How do you communicate your experiences? What has value to you? What has value for your students?

Weekend Schedule:

Friday: 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Saturday: 11 am - 6 pm
Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm

Prices:

Full 300-hour program: $4,800
(Graduates of Leslie Kaminoff’s Advanced Study program receive a $1,400 discount, and graduates of Jill Satterfield’s Vajra Yoga TT receive a $400 discount.)

Individual workshops:
Single workshop: $400
Three or more workshops: $375 each
All nine weekends: $3,000 (333.33 ea)

PAYMENT PLAN & WORK STUDY is available.

Program Pre-requisites:

Participants must have completed a 200 hr Yoga Teacher Training, or equivalent training in another discipline. This program is intended for people who have had basic training in anatomy and kinesiology, and have begun to teach.

Application:

Please send an email to Amy Matthews at training@embodiedasana.com, with the following information:

Name
Address
Phone number
Email address
Previous yoga training/experience
What do you consider your strengths as a teacher?
Where would you like to have more choices in your teaching?
Your choice of payment plan: Payment in full, three parts, monthly?

YOGA ALLIANCE:
This program is not certified through Yoga Alliance, though the paperwork will be made available for individuals to submit individual applications for registration.