300+ Hour Advanced Yoga Therapy Teacher Training

*Note: This is a 300 hour advanced teacher training course. 200 hour certification is a prerequisite to take this course. 200 hour certification can be from any yoga tradition.

This program is designed for yoga teachers who are looking to increase their self-awareness as teachers, to deepen their knowledge and approach to teaching, and to expand their understanding of therapeutic principles as applied to yogic practices.  It is suitable for those wishing to strengthen their skills to comfortably teach varying populations of students with unique needs and intentions.  Additionally, by the end of the program, teachers will be prepared to offer one-on-one customized sessions to students from a therapeutic yoga perspective.  The program is a synthesis of yoga and yoga therapy models from a variety of traditions and empasizes a balanced mixture of self-inquiry, theory, and practical work.  Participants are encouraged throughout the program to build upon their existing strengths as teachers in order to support their skills as developing yoga therapists and advanced level teachers. 

In this program, you will have the opportunity to:

• Explore advanced ideas around class sequencing based on various approaches and themes.
• Practice hands-on and verbal postural adjustment skills utilizing imagery and therapeutic dialogue guidance.
• Review and expand your knowledge of functional anatomy from an experiential approach.
• Gain comfort in teaching and developing classes for a variety of specialized needs.
• Develop assessment and facilitation skills for one-on-one sessions with students/clients.
• Deepen your relationship with yogic philosophy and subtle energy awareness.
• Strengthen your personal practice in relation to self-inquiry, presence and active listening, and bring these qualities to your teaching.

The program is delivered in four modules, made up of four weekends each. Each module offers a different focal point of study and practice, and although the first three modules can be taken in any order, the modules are designed to build upon the teachings of each previous module. Module four requires a pre-requisite of all other modules or an equivalent background knowledge. In order to qualify for certification, attendance at all modules is required.

Certification

This is a 300+ hour program in advanced yoga instruction with a focus on Yoga Therapy.  Certification is by the Rama Lotus Yoga Centre and is recognized with the Yoga Alliance (500hr for 200hr RYTs).  In addition, this course is recognized with the International Association of Yoga Therapists.

The Rama Lotus Yoga Centre is recognized by Human Resources and Social Development Canada (HRSDC), and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a certified private educational institution. 

Meet Your Teaching Team

Kristine Karpinski

Kristine has collectively trained in, practiced and taught various healing modalities,    body-centred therapies and movement methods for over 30 years.  She is certified in Yoga,  YogaDance and Yoga Therapy; having trained in numerous traditions including Kundalini, Sivananda, Kripalu, Laughter Yoga, Integrative, Phoenix Rising, Functional Yoga Therapy, Shake Your Soul®, Kripalu YogaDance, Yoga Meets Dance®, and JourneyDance®.  Additionally she is a SomaSoul®: Somatic Expressive Therapy practitioner.  she is a member of Yoga Alliance (500hr), the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), and the International Somatic Movement Therapist and Educator Association (ISMETA).  

Guy Tardif

Guy Tardif has been a student of yoga since 1999.  His journey in yoga began in his apartment watching yoga videos (VHS) in an attempt to rehabilitate himself from a motor vehicle accident; fascinated by how breath and postures helped to heal his body he searched out how else yoga could improve his life.  That curiosity has lead him to explore, Bikram, Kripalu, Ashtanga, Kundalini (including the study of Japji), Anusara, Restorative, mantra and sound, meditation (including two 10 day vippasana sits) and two trips to India.  In 2000 he began his hatha yoga teacher training at Kripalu center where he learned the inspiring words of Swami Kripalu "self observation without criticism is the highest form of yogic (spiritual) practice".  Guy continues to explore yoga off the mat by teaching classes and assisting in teacher trainings. 

Laurie Howe

Yoga has brought Laurie the greatest sense of joy. She is continually amazed and inspired by the changes and challenges yoga brings to her mind, body and spirit.

As a parent, and through years of working in the healthcare industry, along with life's daily challenges, yoga has helped Laurie to overcome many personal and physical obstacles. Although she enjoys many mainstream physical activities, Laurie finds that yoga is still the best way to balance and improve body and mind.

Laurie believes that yoga should be approached with sense of adventure, patience and humour. She is dedicated to creating a fun learning environment of compassion and acceptance, encouraging her students to be fully present in their practice.

Sahaj Durnin

First introduced to yoga in 1995, Sahaj has never looked back. True to the meaning of her name, natural, she walks, talks, and breathes yoga. To be true to her raja yoga, Sahaj has committed to her personal daily sadhana for one to two hours each morning for the past 11 years. She has studied with many masters including her own teacher Bhuvaneswari Devi for the past 11 years, as well as Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, Osho, Eckhardt Tolle, Swami Rama, Shree Vasant, Yogi Bhajan, Yogi Raj and Amma. She has taught kundalini yoga, ayurvedic nutrition and lifestyle courses (including basic panchakarma techniques), agnihotra ceremony, freestyle dance, art in gibberish and many other practices which have enabled her students to come into greater contact with their bodies, hearts, and inner truth. A grounded and soft yet direct approach, Sahaj's teaching style is always inspiring and uplifting with a practical flavor which allows her students to understand the connection between their class and their life.

This 300+ hour course will cover the following subjects:

Module 1: Advanced Teaching

• Class sequencing for a variety of class structures
• Perfecting the art of adjustments and supporting natural alignment discoveries
• Conscious verbal teaching instruction, therapeutic dialogue, motivation, etc.
• Experiential physical and energetic anatomy of individual yoga postures
• Functional principles of alignment in regards to modifications and advanced posture support

Module 2: Consciousness Studies

• Yoga Philosophy (Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, Yoga Sutras and Hatha Yoga Pradipika) for application in yoga therapeutics and teaching lectures
• The use of silence, sound, mantra and breath to engage subtle energy influences
• Use of mudra, bandha and pranayama in Yoga Therapy
• Sanskrit terminology and inquiry
• Yoga Nidra and Restorative Yoga
• Chakra anatomy and subte energies

Module 3: Therapeutic Yoga for Group Classes

• Principles of Ayurveda as an applied teaching methodology
• Preparing yoga classes with life-cycle and developmental stages in mind
• Designing therapeutic yoga classes and reviewing applicable anatomy/physiology for specific health conditions (including but not limited to: stress, anxiety & depression, sleep disorders, respiratory issues, chronic pain, back/body injury, addiction, digestive disorders, etabolic syndromes, heart disease and cancer).

Module 4: Therapeutic Yoga for Individual Sessions

• Continued study of Ayurveda as an applied therapy methodology
• Models of health, with an emphasis on holistic integration, recognizing that healing and transformation comes from within
• Therapeutic ethics and active listening skills
• Assessment skills based on the Koshas as a foundational pathway to working with clients
• Private session development with supervised practicum work and case study examples
• Business practices, professional ethics and networking to support the development of a client-based yoga therapy practice

Schedule:

Postponed: New Dates to be announced ASAP! 

Times

Fridays ~ 7:30 - 9:30pm

Saturdays ~ 9am - 6pm

Sundays ~ 9am - 6pm

Registration

Course Price: $4,000^+hst

Earlybird Price: $3,700^+hst for registration by January 14^th, 2012

Cost by Module: $1,100^+hst

Payment Methods

Cash, Money Order, Visa or MasterCard

Refund Policy

Refunds are available up to 21 days before the course, minus a $350 administration cost.  Written requests for refund must be submitted to the Rama Lotus Yoga Centre front desk no later than Januar 14^th, 2012.  No refunds are available for any reason after January 14^th, 2012, including once the course has started.

Refund policy for those purchasing single modules: Refunds are available up to 21 days before the module begins minus a $100 administration cost.  No refunds are available after this 21 day period including once the module has started.

Please note that the content of this course schedule as well as the teaching team are subject to change without notice.