Becoming A Yoga Teacher

Yoga is an ancient tradition serving so many people with our contemporary dilemmas. The numbers of training programs available today has increased exponentially. With so many training programs,  the depth and breadth of knowledge and experience of the teachers leading your trainings varies greatly. ​Understanding WHO you are training with matters greatly.

FACULTY	amrita yoga	Yoga School A	Yoga School B	Yoga School C
Primary Teacher	Sarahjoy Marsh, MA, C-IAYT, 500hr E-RYT	500hr RYT	500hr RYT	C-IAYT
Practicing + Teaching	Practicing since 1989 ​Teaching since 1993	Practicing for ​15 years	Not Stated	Not Stated​
Founder	Founder of prison yoga programs	NO	NO	NO
Activist	Teaching yoga in prisons since 1998	​NO	​NO	NO
Teacher	Leading Retreats since 1996	N​O	N​O	​N​O
Trainer	Leading 200hr YA Yoga Teacher Trainings since 2001	Leading 200hr YA Yoga Teacher Trainings Online since 2015	????	????
Therapist	Private Yoga Therapy since 2002	NO	​NO	NO
Trainer	Leading 300hr YA Yoga Teacher Trainings since 2012	NO	NO​	NO
Trainer	Leading 800hr IAYT Yoga Therapy Trainings since 2020	​NO	​NO	NO
Author	Author of Hunger, Hope & Healing: A Yoga Approach to Reclaiming Your Relationship with Your Body and Food, 2015	NO	NO	NO
Guest Faculty from India	Sarahjoy's teachers from India:  Pandit Deobrat Mishra, Saraswathi Vasudevan, Acharya	NO	​NO	NO
Co-Facilitators	500hr YA & 800hr IAYT Certified Teachers	Not Stated	500hr RYT	500hr YA &  800hr IAYT  Certified Teachers
Assistant Teachers	500hr YA  ​Certified Teachers	Not Stated	200hr RYT	Not Stated
Yoga Alliance ​Board Member	Sarahjoy has been a board member for the Yoga Alliance since 2018.	NO	​NO	​NO

Yoga Curriculum

As a yoga teacher it is both personally transformational and professionally responsible for you to have as thorough a grasp of yoga's holistic practices as possible. This is not only a physical practice of poses, though social media may cause us to believe otherwise. Yoga includes the physical body as well as the subtle body, the layers of the mind, deep inner wisdom, and the grace of consciousness, love, and peace. 

YOGA CURRICULUM	amrita yoga	Yoga School A	Yoga School B	Yoga School C
Full Range of Asana	*	​*	*	​*
Pranayama	*	​*	*	​*
12 Forms of Mindfulness	*	---	---	---
Naad Yoga + Chanting	*	---	​---	---
Meditation	*	*	​*	*
Self-Inquiry + Dharma	*	---	---	---
8 Limbs of Yoga including Yamas + Niyamas	*	​*	*	​*
Yoga Sutras	*	*	​*​	*
Upanishads	*	​---	*	​---
Bhagavad Gita	*	---	*	​*
Koshas	*	---	​---	*
Doshas	*	​---	---	---
Vayus	*	---	---	​---
Ayurveda on the mat + off	*	​---	---	​*

The Necessary Skills for Teaching Yoga

Teaching yoga requires certain teaching skills. Having a personal foundation in your yoga practice is essential for who you are as a teacher. Your personal presence in the classroom acts as the foundation for your students and community. That foundation will then act as the inner scaffold into which you will integrate the necessary skills for teaching yoga to students of all levels. 

TEACHING SKILLS	amrita yoga	Yoga School A	Yoga School B	Yoga School C
Language Skills	*	*	​​---	​*
Cueing Skills	*	*	​*	*
Observation Skills	​*	---	​---	​---
Demonstration Skills	​*	​---	​​---	---
Sequencing Skills for Alignment	​*	​*	*	*
Adjustments, Props, & Adaptations	​*	*	*​	​*
Anatomy, Bio-mechanics, & Physiology	*	​*	*	​*
Sequencing for the Doshas	*	​---	​​---	---
Creating + Engaging with the Teachable Moments	*	---	​---	---
Integrating Themes, Life Skills, & Brain Science	*	---	*	​---
Teaching in specialized settings	*	---	​---	​*
Yoga for All Bodies	*	*	​*	*
Teaching multi-level, ​multi-dosha classes! ​	*	---	​​---	​*

Trauma-Informed Yoga

Trauma-Informed yoga has become an essential aspect of teaching yoga.  Not only is trauma-awareness on the rise, but social, ecological, and global traumas continue to happen. More people are turning to yoga - or being referred to yoga classes - for its ability to help with resilience, recovery, healing, and transformation, of all kinds. 

TRAUMA EDUCATION	amrita yoga	Yoga School A	Yoga School B	Yoga School C
The Impact of Trauma	*	​---	​---	---
​Neuroscience of Yoga	​*	​*	​---	---
​Window of Tolerance	​*	​---	---	---
​Triune Brain	*	---	---	---
​Polyvagal Theory	​*	---	---	---
​Left + Right Brain Hemispheres	*	---	---	---
Trauma-Stewardship	*	​---	---	---
Intersection of the Gunas + PolyVagal Theory	*	---	---	---
Pranayama + Mindfulness Tailored for ​Trauma-Sensitivity	*	​---	​---	---
Classroom Leadership Skills for Difficult Situations	*	---	​---	---
Engaging the Whole Brain	*	---	---	---
Creating Safety in Self + in Community	​*	---	---	---
Discerning Between Yogic States + ​Trauma States	*	---	---	---
Interpersonal Boundaries for Healthy ​Teacher-Student Relationships	*	---	---	​---

Ayurveda in Yoga

Ayurveda is the sister science to Yoga. Our training school integrates Ayurveda into all levels of our trainings beginning at the 200-hr Level. Understanding Ayurveda will reveal to you the deeper beauty of the yogic systems as well as of your own inner body intelligence and grace.

AYURVEDA	amrita yoga	Yoga School A	Yoga School B	Yoga School C
Science of Ayurveda	​*	*	​---	​*
Gunas, Koshas, Doshas, Chakras, ​& Vayus	*	*	​---	---
​Sequencing for the Gunas, Doshas, ​or Vayus	*	---	---	​---
​Dinacharya: Daily Routine	​*	​---	---	---
Surya + Chandra Practices	*	---	---	​---
​Panchamaya Kosha Model for Trauma Healing	​*	​---	---	​*
​Ayurveda Off The Mat ​Into Your Life	*	---	​---	​*
Teaching multi-level, ​multi-dosha classes!	​*	​---	---	​---
Seasonal Living, Sequencing & Healing	*	---	---	​---

Training Format

Yoga is traditionally taught from one teacher to one student. In person. Our contemporary lives include much more technology which brings both freedom and the need for discernment. Learning yoga primarily from videos is not recommended. Learning to teach yoga primarily from videos is also not recommended. 

We prioritize synchronous learning with additional training from asynchronous content.

Yoga is an interpersonal experience between the teacher and the student; between individuals and the community in which they are practicing.  Learning to teach yoga needs to include these interpersonal experiences and nuances so that teachers can develop the skills they will need to be in relationship with their students, in real time. As a student's journey unfolds they will need different levels of direction, inspiration, and support from their teacher. If teachers have not received this support themselves, they will be unprepared to provide it to their students. 

FORMAT	amrita yoga	Yoga School A	Yoga School B	Yoga School C
Online Synchronous Learning Modules	4 Immersion ​Weekends	NO	NO	NO
Breakout Rooms	In every module, we have Live Practicum. You'll be teaching right away!	NO	NO	​NO
Online Learning Platform with Discussion Boards	Comments + Questions are encouraged!	*	*	*
Weekly Mentoring Sessions	Refine skills, discuss insights + challenges, get feedback on your practice.	*	*	*
Asynchronous Learning Modules	Online Learning Management System has everything organized for you!	​*	*	*
Anatomy + Asana Video Library	Lessons on anatomy in asana specifically for yoga teachers.	*	​*	*
Yoga Philosophy Video Library	Dynamic yet easy to digest dharma discussions.	​*	*	​*
Online Self-Assessment Quizzes	You can check your own learning!	Not Stated	Not Stated	NO
Teacher-Studio Ratio	1 to 5	​Not Stated	Not Stated	Not Stated
Training Manual	180 pages	600 Pages	Not Stated	NO
Total Synchronous ​Learning Hours	108 hours	24 hours	None	12 hours

Investment Levels

We want to build the field of yoga teachers who are grounded in the holistic, integrative methodology of yoga and who are steeped in trauma-informed skills for bringing yoga to settings in need of yoga for healing and resilience. 

Our investment structure incentives early registration with a 90-day Advance Early Bird Rate, a 60-day Intermediate Early Bird Rate, and a 30-day Early Bird Rate. Our intention is to get you into your coursework right away and help you to be prepared before our live synchronous learning modules! 

INVESTMENT LEVELS	amrita yoga	Yoga School A	Yoga School B	Yoga School C​
1	$2000 Advanced ​Early Bird Rate ​(90-days prior)	$2850	$437	$2497
2	$2500 Intermediate Early Bird Rate (60-days prior)	$2850	$437	$2497
3	$3000 Regular Early Bird Rate ​(30-days prior)	$2850	$437	$2497
4	$3500 Full Cost (within 30 days) No Early Bird Rate	$2850	$437	$2497
Payment Plans Available	4, 6, or 10 months	6 payments/ $475 month	6 payments/ $80 month	NOT STATED
Equity + Diversity Scholarhips	YES	NOT Stated	NOT Stated	YES

Apply Today!

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Scholarship
​We strive to make teacher trainings accessible for all. Therefore, we provide selective scholarship assistance.
To determine your eligibility for financial assistance, please FIRST complete the training AND scholarship applications.

Scholarship Request Form

Our Guiding Teachers

In our Teacher Trainings, join us to deepen your understanding and lived expression of the yogic teachings of Eknath Easwaran and Anthony de Mello. Transformational teachers and leaders in spiritual communities, in India and in the West, the teachings of each of these awakened beings are still relevant today. Specifically, we’ll draw on Easwaran’s Bhagavad Gita translations and commentaries. We’ll read their offerings, seeking to embody their wisdom in our practice and in our lives. These teachers forged frontiers that influenced generations of practitioners.

Eknath Easwaran

Dr. Shankaranarayana Jois

Pema Chodron

Anthony De Mello

We use the following books as a part of our yoga philosophy and dharma in this training:
The Way to Love by Anthony DeMello and A More Ardent Fire by Eknath Easwaran (both included in your tuition). 
We also recommend The Sacred Tradition of Yoga by Dr. Shankaranarayana Jois
and When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron. ​

Apply Today!