200 Hour Teacher Training
Elemental Yoga Mind-Body Teacher Training Program (200-hour)
Designed for teachers, aspiring teachers, and dedicated students of yoga
As of April, 2007, the Elemental Yoga Mind-Body Teacher Training Program is the only Yoga Alliance-accredited teacher training program in the country with a mind-body focus.
The mission of the Elemental Yoga Mind-Body Yoga Teacher Training Program is to promote the integration of mind, body, and spirit in the teaching of yoga. We aim to provide the highest caliber of mind-body training to help yoga teachers, mental health professionals, and bodyworkers teach yoga from a therapeutic, mind-body perspective. We seek to instill in them a sensitivity to and expertise in working with the thoughts, emotions, and physical issues of their students to reduce stress, shift long-held patterns, awaken internal awareness, and facilitate the process of healing and growth.
Continuing Education credits (65 total) are offered for this program through the National Association of Social Workers.
Accreditation:
Yoga Teachers:
The Elemental Yoga Mind/Body Teacher Training Program is registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour level. Required components are the June intensive (June 15-17 and June 22-28, 2007), plus each additional weekend training.
In addition, each student is now required to teach 5 hours as part of their contact hours in training.
Social Workers:
The Elemental Yoga Mind/Body Teacher Training Program is approved by the National Association of Social Workers (Provider #886459124) for 65 Continuing Education contact hours.
Psychologists:
Elemental Yoga is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Elemental Yoga maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Elemental Yoga offers 25 CE credits to psychologists for this program.
Dates
Training Dates for Class of 2008-09:
| Sanskrit, Levels I and II | June 28, 29, and 30, 2008 | $200 |
| Weeklong Intensive (Core Training) | June 20-27, 2008 | $2,300 |
Additional training required as part of 200-hour certification-
Weekend Workshops:
| Restorative Yoga: A Force for Healing | JUL 18-20, 2008 | $210 |
| Yoga Philosophy II (Yoga Sutras) ($185 for those not enrolled in Training Program) |
AUG 29 - SEP 1, 2008 | included |
| Yoga: An Energy Map to the Mind and Emotions | SEP 19-21, 2008 | $210 |
| The Bhagavad Gita with Edwin Bryant, Ph.D. | OCT 3-5, 2008 | $210 |
| Art of Assisting, Level I | OCT 31 - NOV 2, 2008 | $210 |
| Art of Assisting, Level II | DEC 5-7, 2008 | $210 |
| Yoga Therapeutics I: Working with Spinal Anomalies | JAN 2-4, 2009 | $210 |
| Yoga Therapeutics II: Pain disorders, Injuries, Pregnancy, Anxiety, and Depression | JAN 30 - FEB 1, 2009 | $210 |
| Yoga for the Emotional Body: Healing Anxiety, Insomnia, and Depression | FEB 27 - MAR 1, 2009 | $210 |
| Sequencing: The Architecture of a Yoga Class | MAR 27-29, 2009 | $210 |
| Yoga Therapeutics III: Balancing Asymmetries | APR 24-25, 2009 | $210 |
| Teacher Training Clinics | TBA 2009 | $100 |
Curriculum
Due to its strong focus on Yoga as a Mind-Body Medicine, this training includes over 100 extra hours of intensive training in Yoga Therapeutics and the Emotional Body. Students who fulfill the training requirements will be given credit for 300 hours of study, of which 100 hours will be considered advanced and applicable to the 500-hour training program.
The Psychology of Yoga
In this portion of the training, we will explore issues related to the psychology of yoga. Highlights will include the ways in which memories, emotions, and experiences are stored in the mental, emotional, physical, and energy bodies and the psycho-neuro-immunology of the mind-body connection. We will explore the central role of the nervous system as an intermediary in healing, examining the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, as well as other relevant brain structures. We will examine yoga's impact on the mind, nervous system, immune system, and limbic system (emotional body) of students in both group and private class settings.
This portion of the training will be interwoven with the Self-Study/Professional Development section.
Anatomy, Alignment, and the Physical Practice
Within a framework of yoga anatomy, we will undertake an in-depth study of the major yoga postures, including standing poses, revolved poses and twists, balancing poses, forward bends, backbends, prone and supine poses, and inversions. We will review the finer points of alignment, focusing on the 'four grounds' of the feet, pelvis, thoracic spine, and cervical spine, with an eye toward the therapeutic applications of postures for creating maximum freedom and space in the body. We will examine the fascial and fluid systems of the body, and explore the insertions, attachments, and actions of certain muscle groups and fascia as they relate to asana.
We will delve into the art of sequencing a class in preparation for certain postures, classes of postures, actions within postures, or effects of postures. We will also look at sequencing targeted to impact students' mental and emotional bodies, therapeutic sequencing to deal with injuries, asymmetries, and special issues, and individualized sequences for home practice. Students will design their own therapeutic sequences and teach them in live class settings.
We will cover basic pranayama techniques, including ujjayi pranayama as it pertains to the vinyasa practice, as well as other pranayama techniques and their impact on the nervous system. We will examine the core body in depth from physical, emotional, and energetic perspectives (emphasizing mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, and the psoas muscle), and discuss the ethical issues pertaining to the development of core strength and power. We will focus on the development of dristi (attention) on both external and internal levels during the physical practice, and the roles of dristi and ujjayi breath on facilitating the release of tension held in the body's organ systems and connective tissue.
Energetic and Emotional Anatomy
We will travel along the thread of awareness that connects the mind and emotional body; this portion of the training will underscore ways in which the yoga practice can both mirror and bring healing to our mental and emotional bodies. We will look at the limbic system and emotional memory, and visit the ways in which mental and emotional strain and trauma can be housed in our physical and energetic bodies. We will learn how to read students' mental and emotional states, and how to facilitate physical and emotional release and expansion.
An extensive portion of the training will be devoted to addressing anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, and depression in students in both class and individual settings; we will learn the anatomy of anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, and depression, their impact on our mental, emotional, and energetic bodies, and how to employ tools from a yogic practice to intervene in and improve these issues.
We will also journey into the energetics of yoga, including the nadi and chakra systems and the structures of the nervous system. We will discuss techniques designed to assess students' difficulties and help restore balance to the nervous systems of individuals as well as groups.
Yoga Therapeutics
Drawing from our understanding of anatomy, alignment, and assisting, an integral portion of this training will delve deeply into yoga's therapeutic potential in both class and private settings. We will explore the art of assisting students in postures using verbal directions, pressure point and physical assists, hands-on physical adjustments, and modification with props. Energy anatomy and body reading will be a special focus as it pertains both to assisting and teaching.
The techniques of Yoga Therapeutics (physical postures, restorative yoga, breathwork, meditation, and relaxation) will be covered, and research reviewed as to the efficacy of these procedures. We will discuss how to detect and address issues such as back anomalies (i.e. scoliosis, lordosis, kyphosis, and sacral/lumbar spine issues), hypermobility, pregnancy, infertility, arthritis, hypermobility and joint laxity, physical injuries, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and other pain disorders, and emotional issues such as anxiety, insomnia, PTSD, and depression.
Unlike many other didactic programs, this program's Yoga Therapeutics component is deeply experiential and kinesthetic, and takes place in a live clinic setting. The live clinics involve "real" people from the community, offering the teachers-in-training the opportunity to see these issues expressed in "live" students, and to observe the efficacy of therapeutic yoga interventions in action.
The practice of Restorative Yoga is an integral portion of the training, encompassing a full weekend in its own right. Restorative Yoga's extraordinary power for healing at both gross and subtle levels will be explored in detail. Teachers-in-training will learn how to adapt Restorative Yoga to address the nervous system, immune system, and emotional body, both in their own practice and in class and private settings. They will also learn the Restorative Yoga sequences for anxiety, insomnia, and depression designed by Bo Forbes.
Yoga Philosophy and the Study of Yogic Texts
We will undertake a study of the foundational texts of yoga with Edwin Bryant, Ph.D., renowned professor of Hindu Philosophy at Rutgers University and author of several books. This module of the teacher training program will include an in-depth study of the Yoga Sutras and Bhagavad Gita, including the background and context for these classical texts. Interwoven throughout the yearlong study will also be selections from the Upanishads, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and other Vedic texts.
Sanskrit: The Language of Yoga
We will immerse ourselves in the study of Sanskrit, the original language of yoga, learning the Sanskrit alphabet and pronunciation of asana names. We will also experience the power and resonance of the sound of yoga through learning, memorizing, and chanting selections from portions of yogic texts and mantras. This portion of the training will be taught by Nicolai Bachman of Sanskrit Sounds, who has authored two books on Sanskrit and Ayurveda.
Self-Study/Professional Development
This component of the training is predicated upon the concept that excellence in the teaching of yoga requires a strong commitment to one's own growth and healing. To this end, we will investigate the ethical principles of yoga as they apply to teaching and personal practice, looking at the yamas and niyamas as well as the ethics of teaching. We will explore the qualities necessary to teach yoga to students, touching on issues of spiritual growth and responsibility, self-care, boundaries, and the intricacies of teacher-student relationships.
As part of their self-study process, students will become adept at monitoring and intervening in their fluctuating internal states. Teachers-in-training will examine their strengths and challenges, how they influence the path to self-awareness, and how they impact personal and teaching relationships. They will be offered ways to ignite and potentiate an ongoing practice of self-exploration and reflection to enhance spiritual development as well as teaching ability. Students should be prepared for self-examination (in verbal and written form) throughout the year.
Affiliated Teachers
Nicolai Bachman, MA, RYT
Nicolai Bachman, MA, RYT has been teaching Sanskrit and related topics since 1994. His primary teachers are Vyaas Houston, Vasant Lad, David Frawley and Sonia Nelson. Nicolai currently teaches Sanskrit, chanting, yoga philosophy, and Ayurveda at teacher training programs, studios, and schools throughout the country. He has produced several highly acclaimed Sanskrit audio/visual learning tools including 108 Sanskrit Flash Cards and Asana Names and the Language of Yoga. Nicolai received his M.A. in Eastern Philosophy from St. John's College. He is also a graduate of the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and is pursuing a graduate degree in Nutrition. He is registered with Yoga Alliance at the 500 hour level.
Edwin Bryant, Ph.D.
Edwin Bryant received his Ph.D in Indic languages and Cultures from Columbia University, taught Hinduism at Harvard University for three years, and is presently the professor of Hinduism at Rutgers University where he teaches courses on Hindu Philosophy, Bhagavad Gita, Sanskrit, Yoga, and other related subjects. He has received numerous awards and fellowships, and is the author of six books and dozens of articles. Edwin's Penguin World Classics translation of the Srimad Bhagavata Purana, which is the traditional source for the story of Krishna's incarnation, is aimed at the general public interested in Hinduism, as well as the yoga community. His forthcoming translation of the Yoga Sutras is specifically dedicated to the Yoga community and contributes to the growing body of literature on Yoga by providing extracts form the traditional commentaries on Patanjali's text. Edwin has been personally involved with yoga as an initiated practitioner in a traditional Vaishnava sect who has practiced bhakti yoga for 25 years, a number of them in India.
Lou Benson, RMT
Lou Benson is a bodyworker in Cambridge, MA, with advanced certifications in Structural Integration and Aston Patterning. Lou is currently on the faculty at the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge. She has been teaching anatomy and bodywork to massage therapists for over 12 years, and has been a yoga student for 4 years. Being multi-segmented 3-dimensional moving puzzles in a gravitational field isn't always easy; a primary focus in Lou's work as a therapist and teacher, therefore, is to increase one's kinesthetic awareness of neutrality and balance. Lou's goal in preparing this class is to provide a key piece of the foundation for seeing balance in asana practice through a practical and easily accessible view of anatomical structure and function.
Fees & Registration
Course Fees for students taking the 200-hour certification course:
The fee for the Core Training is $2,300 for students taking the 200-hour certification course. The fee for additional weekends is $210, as listed in the table under "dates."
A deposit of $230 is due immediately upon registration. Course fees for the June, 2007 course are due by May 25, 2007 or immediately upon registration.
Registration:
Reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis. We cannot hold your space in the training without your application and deposit.
To register, please download and fill out the Teacher Training application and send to: bo@elementalyoga.com. The purpose of this application is to better know you and your needs.
You can send your deposit or full fee to:
- Bo Forbes
- Elemental Yoga Teacher Training
- c/o The Arlington Center
- 369 Mass. Avenue
- Arlington, MA 02474
Cancellations:
Less than 30 days prior to the training, deposits are not refundable.
If notice is given more than 30 days prior to the start of the course, full course fees can be refunded, less a $200 administrative fee.