Learn to become a teacher of Classical Yoga in our Teacher Training Program!
Our 200-hour Yoga Alliance certified course is designed for aspiring teachers from all traditions who want to enrich and expand their personal practices and learn to teach yoga with depth, clarity and wisdom. We offer this course once a year starting each February.
Our training draws from the ancient spiritual roots of yoga. Under the guidance of Swami Jaya Devi, students will gain an experiential understanding of all eight limbs of yoga, and how they work together to influence and change your experience of life, both on and off the mat.
2021 Open House Sessions
For anyone interested in the program, we are offering Open House meetings on the following Saturdays:
- October 17
- November 21
- December 12
- January 16
Our FREE Open House includes Swami Jaya Devi’s 10:00 am yoga class and an 11:45 am – 12:30 pm virtual gathering with her and the teaching staff to learn more about the course. There will be plenty of time for Q&As so bring your questions! All Open House meetings will be on Zoom.
An In-Depth Study of Classical Yoga
Our training will take you deeply into the experience of yoga as a moving meditation, and teach you how to bring the same experience to others. It will create a deep understanding of the asanas and their techniques, the power of pranayama, meditation, mantra, mudra, experiential anatomy, yoga philosophy, and the ultimate goal of yoga: wholeness of being.
In addition, you will gain an understanding of four major paths of yoga: Raja Yoga, the eight-limbed path described by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras; Jnana Yoga, the path of intellectual study and introspection; Karma Yoga, the path of service and action; and Bhakti Yoga, the path of devotion. You will experience each of these paths personally as you participate in the different aspects of our training course. After completing our course, you will be well prepared to teach the depth of classical yoga to others.
Each weekend, students will study the physical, energetic and spiritual aspects of yoga. We will gain hands-on experience through experiential anatomy and asana practice. Through a carefully guided exploration of pranayama, students will be initiated into many of the classical yogic breaths and learn how to unleash the power of these breaths to clear the energy centers, or chakras, and how to use the practices of yoga to keep the body’s energy centers open and balanced.
Throughout the course, students will dive into the ancient practices of meditation and learn to calm and discipline the mind. These practices will include an exploration of Naad Yoga, the yoga of sound. We will chant different mantras and kirtans, using vibration and intention to open the heart and focus the mind on higher realms. Students will also have an opportunity to take their yoga off the mat and practice Karma Yoga by creating and participating in a group community service project.
Teacher Training in the Time of COVID-19
In early 2020, our new CYTT students signed up for a six-month in person course to learn how to embody the gifts of yoga as well as share them with the world. This transformative course asks our students to dig in and participate in deep inner work during a “normal” year. We did not have a “normal” year. Between a global pandemic and a long overdue anti-racism reckoning, we dug deep into both the structure and content of our course. Ultimately, we spent seven of the nine weekends completely online, yet the depth of what we were able to accomplish was meaningful and REAL. We embraced our new reality and dove into Vimeo yoga philosophy sessions and Zoom teaching practicums. We bonded over virtual hangouts. We reached far past our comfort zones to create something amazing together: a container we could all pour ourselves into to help us move through the uncertainty of the time. We feel grateful to be able to bring those experiences and lessons into our 200-hour course for 2021.
We will continue to follow the science and recommendations from the CDC and Yoga Alliance. At this point, in mid-September, Yoga Alliance has not released their decision about in person and virtual contact hour requirements for teacher training in 2021. As soon as we receive them, we will incorporate their requirements.
Our plan is to have both outdoor in person and virtual sessions each day with a long, restful lunch time between. While we will develop relationships together as much as we can in person, we will also have an amazing and accessible online platform to come together in community where you’ll access and turn in homework, be able to communicate with your classmates and your mentors.
Here is what a teacher training day might look like:
- An outdoor, in person, socially distanced 90-minute asana practice with Swami Jaya Devi or one of our Senior Teachers.
- An outdoor, in person, socially distanced 90-minute posture clinic or teaching practicum.
- 90-minute lunch break
- 1-hour virtual experiential anatomy session
- 90-minute virtual yoga philosophy session with Swami Jaya Devi
Other modules will include:
- Conscious communication
- How to adjust students to make classes accessible for all bodies
- How to sequence a class
- How to teach meditation and pranayama
- Mudras and mantras
- The business of yoga
What our grads are saying…
The CYTT was the best thing that could have happened to me in 2020! It provided an incredible opportunity to grow through yoga and community while enduring such a time of personal and societal transformation. I was able to use this quarantine time to dive deep into breath and wholeness instead of fear and freak-out! All while getting to know an extraordinary group of teachers and classmates. I'm forever grateful for this experience and can't wait to see what's next!
Ali Fann
It was completely overwhelming and awesome. It made me look at myself in a whole new way. And now to share the tools I have learned with others just makes me feel whole.
Naga Mayee Jaya
The CYTT was the best thing that could have happened to me in 2020! It provided an incredible opportunity to grow through yoga and community while enduring such a time of personal and societal transformation. I was able to use this quarantine time to dive deep into breath and wholeness instead of fear and freak-out! All while getting to know an extraordinary group of teachers and classmates. I'm forever grateful for this experience and can't wait to see what's next!
Annie Annapurna Padnuk
Overall, it was a good experience for me. Going online was difficult, and I’m impressed with how it all came together in the end. I'm glad I chose Kashi for training and look forward to continuing to practice and learn.
Coby Bryan
This course what exactly what I needed during this time. I wasn't sure how it would be to stay with everything going virtual, but staying was the right thing for me. I feel like I grew as a person and while I learned so much, the curiosity and search for knowing are some of the greatest things I bring with me after the course is finished. I'm excited to continue on this path.
Barbarba Adamson
I enjoyed the experience of being in the CYTT program. The mentors I’ve had were really supportive and understanding. I love and appreciate the whole staff! I’ve met wonderful amazing peers in this program. The whole Kashi team staff is super awesome! They feel like family. They accept you as you are. I love that! Thank you, Kashi!
Sabrina Jean-Louis
This course was had so much depth of knowledge from all of the experienced teachers and a wealth of Vedic knowledge from Swami Jaya Devi.