Program Description 
The Practice Yoga Teacher Training Program is an immersion into the powerful and rewarding vinyasa practices derived from the Krishnamacharya lineage. Completion of the coursework and requirements leads to Practice Yoga Vinyasa Teacher Certification. Successful completion will meet the requirements of certification by Yoga Alliance®, the national education and support organization (RYT 200).
The directors, Practice Yoga co-founders Kim Carter and Kathi Kizirnis, will teach specific methods and techniques drawn from traditional Ashtanga Yoga* (as taught by the late Sri K. Pattabhi Jois) and its modern offshoot, Power Vinyasa Yoga. We honor all traditional lineages, but feel especially inspired by these styles/forms. *You will NOT be a Certified Ashtanga Teacher (official certification or authorization requires years of study with the Jois family in Mysore, India). You will be qualified to teach beginner- and intermediate-level (open-level) classes described as Ashtanga-Vinyasa, Power Vinyasa, Flow, Vinyasa Flow, Hatha and Gentle. The principles and sequencing that we teach are immensely adaptable and can be used in many settings, from corporate classes to gyms to studio work.
We view the body as a powerful tool for awakening the spirit. Teachers and students of all physical abilities are welcome; we ask only that you commit fully to the program and to your own growth. The 200-hour certification should be considered a ‘jumping-off point,’ and not a complete education or ‘degree.’ Yoga practice is a timeless endeavor, and we hope that this training will inspire a lifelong curiosity and passion for its history, methods and evolution.
Our extensive studies with many teachers from various traditions inform our practices, our teaching and our lives. We believe that continuing education with master teachers — those who’ve earned great respect in the international yoga community, and those who inspire us — keeps us fresh and passionate.
Our teachers and mentors include: Tim Miller, Richard Freeman, David Swenson, Baron Baptiste, Philip Urso, Rodney Yee, Maty Ezraty, Kino McGregor, Ray Long, M.D., Martha Marcom, Anna Ferguson and our Practice Yoga community.
What you’ll learn
Our goal is to empower you to become a confident, inspiring, passionate and remarkable teacher. Many of the skills you will learn can be applied to other professional endeavors (especially teaching of any kind); in fact, with dedication and commitment, the training will bring out the above qualities in every aspect of your life, so that you live as you teach — with integrity, courage and passion.
Even if you don’t want to teach yoga, the immersion experience will yield rewards in your practice and in your life, especially as the boundaries between the two blur and eventually disappear.
You will learn to:
• Teach safe, effective, fun and transformative classes, with emphasis on sun salutations, movement with breath (vinyasa) and sound sequencing of basic postures.
• Make classes accessible and safe for students with common physical issues, conditions and injuries.
• Understand and teach fundamental alignment principles and points of emphasis in asanas (postures).
• Develop powerful focus and presence that will keep you aware of and responsive to students’ physical and mental needs.
• Give safe, effective physical and verbal cues and adjustments/ assists.
• Use basic anatomy and physiology to deepen your understanding of asana, pranayama and meditation, and to keep your students (and yourself) safe.
• Teach simple restorative poses and guided relaxations appropriate for a general (varied) student population.
• Develop your own meditation practice, and lead guided meditations.
• Understand and pronounce basic Sanskrit terms.
• Understand yoga’s historical foundations and basic philosophical principles, and explore their relevance to our modern lives.
• Develop a practice of inquiry into the physical, energetic and spiritual aspects of your own practice, and how to share that process of inquiry with others.
• Follow classroom ethics and act with professionalism.
As part of the course materials, you will receive a teacher training manual. Additional reading and reference materials will be required.
Program Requirements
We will meet for one long and one short weekend each month, September 2012 through April 2013. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO ATTEND ALL SESSIONS. If you must miss a session, you will be required to meet with a trainee and/or director ($50/hour for the latter) to review the material.
A typical weekend session will include lecture and discussion on yoga philosophy, anatomy, practice-teaching sessions, assisting in live classes and asana clinics on how to “read bodies” and teach each category of asana. Practice-teaching will include live feedback and support.
Guest teachers may be brought in to Practice to teach specialized topics. We may require one off-site workshop in Columbus or Cincinnati, within our scheduled dates, at extra cost not to exceed $150.
Each trainee is expected to demonstrate a commitment to yogic practice and lifestyle by maintaining a home practice and attending at least one studio class per week at Practice Yoga (students living outside the Dayton area may choose to attend sessions at a studio in your geographic area with the approval of directors).
Full participation both inside and outside of the classroom is required; expect lots of independent study and work, including @12 hours of assisting live classes. Trainees will be individually mentored by a director for support, planning and evaluation.
Required reading (must be purchased individually; not included in tuition):
• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated by Swami Satchidananda (we will work specifically with this translation)
• Bhagavad Gita: A New Translation by Steven Mitchell
• The Inner Tradition of Yoga: A Guide to Yoga Philosophy for the Contemporary Practitioner by Michael Stone *
• Scientific Keys Vol. 2: The Key Poses of Hatha Yoga by Ray Long, M.D.
• Anatomy of Movement by Blandine Calais-Germain
• Mula Bandha, the Master Key by Swami Buddhananda
• Journey Into Power by Baron Baptiste *
• Ashtanga Yoga: The Practice by David Swenson *
* PLEASE READ AS MUCH OF THESE TITLES AS POSSIBLE BEFORE THE TRAINING START-DATE
Suggested reading:
• Yoga Mala by Sri K. Pattabhi Jois
• Light on Yoga by Sri B.K.S. Iyengar
• Light on Pranayama by Sri B.K.S. Iyengar
• The Path of Yoga: An Essential Guide to its Principles and Practices by Georg Feuerstein
• Yoga and the Quest for the True Self by Stephen Cope
• The Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit and Lawrence M. Elson
• Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff
• Meditations From the Mat by Rolf Gates
Web resources
• dailybandha.com (Ray Long)
• yogajournal.com
• yogaworkshop.com (talks and articles by Richard Freeman)
• centreofgravity.org (Michael Stone, Centre of Gravity)
Certification and Attendance Policy
To become certified, teacher trainees must commit to attending the program and participating fully. If less than 85% of the teacher training sessions or required asana classes are attended, certification will not be granted until additional coursework is completed. Trainees are expected to work with another student to cover any missed material. Each student will be required to commit to assisting during regularly scheduled classes. While assisting, you must attend every class agreed to and are expected to arrive on time and stay through the end of the class.
Tuition and Refund Policy:
Application deadline is Monday, August 20.
Tuition is $2750, which includes $500 non-refundable deposit. Payment plans will be considered on a case-by-case basis. EARLY REGISTRATION DISCOUNT: $2600 in full by July 1. No refunds will be issued after the program start date.
Dates:
Long weekends: 6-9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
Short weekends: 3-8 p.m. Saturdays
• Dates / times subject to change, with notice •
Sept. 14-16, 29
Oct. 12-14, 20
Nov. 9-11, 17
Dec. 7-9, 15
Jan. 11-13, 26
Feb. 8-10, 16
March 8-10, 23
April 12-14, 20
Additional information
If you’re not a current student at Practice, we require that you attend at least two classes and meet with Kathi and/or Kim to determine whether we are the place and the program that is right for you.
You may also contact us at info@practiceyogadayton.com or call us directly at 937-321-7676. We welcome the opportunity to talk with you.