Our Namaslay® Yoga Teacher Training program has been such a success over the last year, and since we've been receiving requests for more, we are ready to make it happen again, but this one is a little different, as we are switching things up and offering this version in a weekend format at our new studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut rather than doing a long intensive! This is a great opportunity for those who live within driving distance to Ridgefield, Connecticut, or who have obligations Monday through Friday and are unable to take extended periods of time off - all the details are below or apply now!
What makes this yoga teacher training unique?
Over the years, I've found that many yoga teacher training programs are lacking in a few key areas:
Strength Training For Yoga: One major component I've noticed that's left out of so many yoga teacher trainings is foundational basics for strength training. Based on what I see in classes I both teach and attend, I see many students relying on their mobility (and often, their hyper-mobility - yikes!), to get them through powerful vinyasa classes. The danger is that over time, relying on that hyper-mobility may lead to joint damage and potential injury. A great way to balance out hyper-mobility is building strength. Not only will the strength building personally impact our trainees in their overall health, but it will give their yoga practice that extra boost it may need to take it to the next level. In addition, the vital strength training information they learn in the Namaslay® Yoga Teacher Training program will ensure they'll have solutions for their students with hyper-mobility. We'll be bringing in a strength and conditioning coach to teach the foundational basics for strength building as it applies to yoga.
Entrepreneurial Class for Yoga Teachers: I can't tell you how many newly minted yoga teachers have written to me and said, "Ok, I graduated from my teacher training, but I don't feel comfortable enough to teach and I feel like I can't make any money!" The Namaslay® Yoga Teacher Training includes classes on how to market yourself as a yoga teacher, how to build a strong social media presence, how to design workshops and retreats, and will answer all your questions about how to create a viable business as a yoga instructor. Not that yoga is about money, but we all have bills to pay! In addition, trainees of our program will get teaching experience daily, from day one. Yes, you read that right. It is our mission to ensure our graduates feel comfortable and confident to teach immediately after our training.
Yoga for All: One thing that's always stuck out to me is the lack of training to accommodate all bodies at yoga class. Many of us teachers were taught a script that really only works for one type of person - the slender, bendy person. It doesn't take into account the fact that many people have bigger bodies. People carrying extra weight cannot do, for example, a comfortable downward dog with the traditional cue of "feet hip distance" due to their bellies because bigger bellies create a different center-point of gravity than the slender, bendy person has. Cueing needs to reflect this so that you can welcome bigger students in your class safely and ensure they get something out of the practice. The Namaslay® Yoga Teacher Training includes education on how to safely teach yoga for bigger bodies, as well as the elderly, and people with PTSD and anxiety.
Namaslay® Yoga Classes: Upon graduating our teacher training program, you will be able to register as a 200hr yoga teacher who is able to teach vinyasa, and you may also offer Namaslay® yoga classes as retreat, studio or workshop offerings. You will have the option, if you like, to use our trademarked Namaslay® Yoga name. The content of your Namaslay® class is completely up to you, and we're confident you'll have ideas galore you can draw upon from the Namaslay® curriculum. Some of the advantages of having permission to call your classes, retreats or workshops Namaslay® Yoga include:
marketing help from YBC® - once you have the details of your Namaslay® class, workshop or retreat set, simply get in touch with us and we will promote your offering on our website (great for SEO), and social media (great for your own social exposure)
exclusivity and marketability - only those who graduate our YTT will be approved to use our Namaslay® trademark for their offerings
Additional supplementary teachings: At YBC®, we understand yoga to be so much more than a standard script of postures, breath-work and meditation on the mat. We understand yoga to be a way of life. We live our yoga on and off the mat. We bring the lessons of yoga to everything we do from eating to socializing to working out, which is why the Namaslay® Teacher Training also incorporates discussions on gut health, stress and the human body, communication for yoga teachers, and growth mindset.
In addition, the curriculum goes above and beyond what is required by the Yoga Alliance and provides all the vital, foundational tools you need as a yoga teacher. We live our lives by the Namaslay® message, which marries old world yogic principles to modern life, and we are confident that through this training, you will emerge a competent, capable, exceptional yoga teacher, eager to help others learn to live the best version of their lives.
The 200hr Yoga Teacher Training Curriculum
The Namaslay® 200hr Yoga Teacher Training program is accredited by Yoga Alliance, which means that it meets stringent standards for yoga education, and upon successful completion of our training, you will be able to register through the Yoga Alliance, if you choose, as a 200hr yoga teacher. Our program covers:
Yogic Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics
Introduction to Yogic Texts
Introduction to Yamas and Niyamas
Introduction to Conscious Eating
Introduction to Sanskrit as it applies to yoga
Aromatherapy for yoga
The Entrepreneurial Yogi: social media, and marketing
Seva
Teaching Methodology
Applying Yogic Ethics to Modern Business as a Yoga Teacher
The Greatness Within: Realizing your true potential
Yoga Class Design and Sequencing
Yoga Workshop Design and Sequencing
Communication Skills for Yoga Teachers
How to Teach Special Groups- An emphasis on people with PTSD, people who are overweight, athletes, and the elderly
Anatomy and Physiology
Intro to the Knee, Shin, Calf and Foot
Intro to Glutes and Hips
Intro to Arms and Trunk
Intro to Shoulders and Chest
Intro to Jaw, Head, Neck and Upper Back
Intro to Chakras
Intro to Bandhas
Stress, the Human Body and Gut Health
Basic Movement Foundations
Strength Building Fitness for Yoga
Techniques, Training and Practice
Meditations and Mudras
Pranayama Techniques and Practices
Teaching Sun Salutes A & B
Intro to Teaching Seated Postures
Intro to Teaching Standing Postures
Intro to Teaching Supine Postures
Intro to Arm Balances and Advanced Poses
Intro to Teaching Yin Yoga
In Focus: Hip Opening
In Focus: Back Bending
Principles of Demos, Assists and Corrections
Practicum
Teaching Sun Salutes A and B
Teaching a Workshop
Teaching a Guided Meditation/Centering
Teaching a Yoga Class without Pose Calling
Teaching a Yoga Class without your mat
Two written exams
The Teachers
We will have a small team of highly skilled instructors to help run the program. I will be teaching the business and marketing sections of the training, the communication classes, personal development and various morning classes. I will also co-teach the asana classes and assists/adjusts classes. In my own studies, my main focus was Ashtanga Vinyasa, and the majority of my studies have been under Mark Ansari, a direct student of Patthabi Jois. I take frequent master classes with renowned teachers, and consider myself a student first, always. However, I physically cannot teach this entire curriculum myself, and even if I could, it would not be in the best interest of your education. I firmly believe it's important for our Namaslay® trainees to be taught by a number of different teachers from various backgrounds and with different teaching styles. Therefore, for this training, we will be bringing in the following guest teachers, among others:
Danny Tavino, Strength and Conditioning, CF-L1
Jen Mehall, Special Focus including Yoga for Bigger Bodies, Yoga for PTSD, and more.
You will also have various supplemental workshops including:
Sound bath
Yoga Nidra
Restorative
Your Certification
Upon successfully passing our 200hr yoga teacher training program, you will be certified to teach yoga anywhere in the world. Through our training, you will be able to teach vinyasa, power, yin and Namaslay® yoga classes. You'll be able to register with the Yoga Alliance, if you wish, as a 200hr Registered Yoga Teacher. Should you offer Namaslay® classes, YBC® will be able to help you with marketing.
Note that we do not sell certifications, and that your participation in the training does not guarantee you a certification. Certifications will be granted only upon successfully passing our written exam and practicums. The graduation ceremony will take place on the second to last day of the training.
Who is this training for?
The Namaslay® Yoga Teacher Training program is intensive. It is no joke. This is not a relaxing, care-free retreat, but rather an introspective, rigorous program that will be physically and mentally demanding. This is a time for deep, intensive self-study that will not only better your own life, but brighten the lives of those you reach through your teaching. This training is for people who aren't 100% satisfied with where they're at. It's for people who are ready to make a change, but who might be a little apprehensive about taking the first step. This training is for people who want more out of their lives, who feel that deep down, they possess a profound inherent strength and gift, and are looking for a training to help them bring it to life.
This yoga teacher training is best suited for people who want to be yoga teachers. While we are open to accepting people who are looking to deepen their own personal practice yet do not have a desire to teach, please note that this training has a strong emphasis on developing qualified, exceptional teachers, and there will be a tremendous amount of practice teaching and business classes throughout the program in which all trainees are expected to participate.
This training is not suited for pregnant women due to the acrobatic nature of the training.
Please note that this training is very physically and mentally demanding. It's important that you be in good physical and mental health to successfully complete the program. Please note that you do not need to know or be able to do every single yoga pose. You're coming to us to learn, so you don't need to know everything right off the bat. However, you should have a strong personal yoga practice (at least three classes per week - one of which is hot yoga) so that the training won't be a total shock to your system.
Formats, Dates, Scheduling
This training will be quite different from the three week intensive formats we have done in the past. This training will span five months, taking place at our new studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut (address will be shared upon sign up). We will meet from 7am - 7pm on Saturdays and 7am - 12 noon on Sundays.
June 15 - 16, 2019
June 22 - 23, 2019
July 20 - 21, 2019
July 27 - 28, 2019
August 3 - 4, 2019
August 24 - 25, 2019
September 7 - 8, 2019
September 21 - 22, 2019
October 5 - 6, 2019. Graduation day will be October 6th at 11am.
It is imperative that all students have 100% attendance in order to be considered for graduation, unless prior arrangements have been made.
A typical Saturday will look like this:
7:00am - 8:30am - Guided Journaling, Meditation, Pranayama and Yoga
8:30 - 9:00am - Breakfast break
9:00am -10am - Anatomy and Physiology
10am - 11:00am - Yoga Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics Lecture
11:00am - 12 noon - Strength Class
12:00 - 1:30pm - Lunch Break
1:30pm - 3:30pm - Teaching Methodology Lecture
3:30pm - 5:30pm Techniques, Training and Practice
5:30pm - 7:00pm - Anatomy and Physiology
The Venue
This training will take place at our new studio in Ridgefield, Connecticut. The address will be shared after sign-up. The studio has plenty of parking and is within walking distance to restaurants and convenience stores. We have a large yoga room, with all the mats and props you will need. The one thing I’d like to note is that the space has one half-bathroom, so there is no shower or locker room. If you need to shower after yoga or strength practice and you do not live close by, you will need to either use these or perhaps coordinate with others in the training who live close by, or are staying at a local AirBnB or hotel. You could also probably get creative and call a local gym to ask their price to use their locker room facilities. We don’t anticipate you getting exceptionally sweaty from every single yoga/strength practice we do, but some yoga classes and strength classes can be really rigorous. I just want to be clear on that up front.
Accommodations
This training does not include accommodations. You are welcome to either stay at an AirBnB (using that link will give you $20 off your first AirBnB rental), or any of the local hotels including the ones below. Remember that you will make very close friends with the others taking the training, so perhaps by the second weekend you’ll be interested in sharing a hotel room or AirBnB to save money.
Days Inn by Wyndham, starting at $76/night
Residence Inn, starting at $107/night
Maron Hotel and Suites, starting at $81/night
Maximum occupancy for this training is 25.
Surrounding Area and Logistics
If you're arriving by plane, you can fly into the following airports and rent a car:
Bradley International Airport in Hartford, CT (approx 1hr 20 min from Ridgefield, CT)
JFK or La Guardia Airports in NYC (approx 1hr 15 min from Ridgefield, CT)
Alternatively, you can drive - our studio has plenty of parking.
Investment
Below is the cost. This pricing includes: Namaslay® 200hr Yoga Teacher Training tuition and all props, including mats.
Price: $3,500 plus 6.35% CT sales tax (added on automatically at check out)
This pricing does not include: airfare/travel, accommodation, food, travel insurance, required reading texts. Required reading lists will be emailed to you upon acceptance into the program.
Payment plans: Payment plans are available, and come with a $250 convenience fee. It works like this: The cost for applying to our training is $199. That $199 fee will be credited towards your balance if you are accepted. If you are not accepted, it will be refunded to you. If you are accepted and would like to do the payment plan, you will then pay a $250 deposit via PayPal. This payment does not go towards your final balance; this is the aforementioned convenience fee. Once you make the deposit, you will then receive a link for monthly equal payments of the remaining balance that you will pay via credit card. The balance must be paid in full by April 1, 2019. All sales are final, no refunds are granted for any reason unless you're able to find someone else to take your spot.
Eligibility and Application Process
We live our lives by the Namaslay® philosophy - lead with love, kindness, gratitude and an unwavering belief in one's intrinsic capabilities. We believe in being gentle, determined, and strong. We believe in doing no harm and taking no shit. We are accepting applicants filled with kindness, determination and grit. We are accepting applicants with open minds, open hearts, and a willingness to be lovingly and gently pushed so they can emerge the best versions of themselves. We are accepting applicants who want to grow and lift others up through the Namaslay® teachings of this program. Note that no where on our program description does it say that you must be able to do all the yoga poses, or have the perfect forward fold or handstand. We don't care about that stuff because you're coming to us to learn. We'd much prefer someone with an open mind who can't do x, y or z pose, than someone who is closed minded but has the perfect handstand. We're not here for the handstands. We are here for the growth that comes from the teachings. We are here to build confident, compassionate, loving, knowledgeable teachers. So don't worry about what you can or cannot do right now, because that's not important. Rather, ask yourself if you have the love and determination to get through what is sure to be a demanding yet empowering, life-changing, intensive training.
To apply:
Go to our application page to apply. You will be notified within three business days of your acceptance. As we already have a list of interested applicants, we are sure this program will sell out. Therefore, payment (either the deposit or full amount) will be required within three business days, or your spot will go to the next person.
Final Thoughts
I am so inspired by the YBC® Community, and am so proud of the curriculum we've developed. I know that this is going to be an unforgettable, life changing experience for those who attend, and I am honored and humbled to share the adventure with you. Please check out our Namaslay® YTT account to see pictures from our latest trainings.
We're excited to have you! Submit your application here.