Our next Teacher Training Year 1 starts in October 2024.  Year 1 deepens your knowledge further so can be studied even if you don't want to teach - in fact lots of people study our course purely because of the depth and transformative nature of the teaching.​​​​​​​​

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Year 1 weekend 1 Residential  - 8 Limbs of Yoga
Explore the yamas and the niyamas and how they relate to your life. We explore how the principles of the yamas and niyamas work for us in particular postures (asanas) and how we can bring this focus into our yoga practice.  Observing the breath using different breath (pranayama) practices and introduce meditation.
 

Year 1 weekend 2 non residential – Anatomy and Physiology
This weekend will help you understand the connection between the systems in the body (nervous, endocrine, digestive, lymphatic etc). Feeling the effects of yoga on your body. Focussing on the physical anatomical aspects of breathing and how this helps us in meditation. This weekend will inspire you to find out more about your own body and it’s needs.   We will also relate our practice of yoga to the development of a more spiritual practice.
 

Year 1 weekend 3 non residential – Going deeper using ancient texts
Using ancient texts, we start to understand that the mind and the body often have obstacles and samskaras. We explore and understand our mental patterns and how we can use yoga asana and   pranayama to shift these obstacles and find a sense of freedom in body and mind. We also use satsang to discuss these ancient texts and how they can help us in our daily lives.
 

Year 1 weekend 4 residential – Yoga Philosophy
This weekend we establish the relationship between the ancient scriptures (The Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali Sutras ) and  our own practice and how they can influence our personal transformation. We introduce you to these classical texts because they have a relevance to the lives we live now and can help us when we feel life is challenge. We will start looking at how to teach postures; how to read, understand and start teaching bodies.
 

Year 1 weekend 5 – non residential – Chakras and Koshas
What are chakras and what are koshas- these are another way of understanding the body. How can we develop more awareness of our inner bodies, how can we understand that the chakras and koshas have an important part to play in our overall wellbeing; their characteristics, symbols, mantras and meanings. We introduce a deeper connective practice with a focus on feeling different energies in the body through asana, pranayama and meditation. This will help students become more aware of the energy blocks in their own bodies and how we may be able to release these by appropriate asana.
 

Year 1 residential week
This is your retreat week.   We practice deep connective yoga every day morning and evening. We start to observe you teaching in a small group focussing on teaching postures for beginners. We introduce you to using Sanskrit names of the postures. We address any common injuries or issues that arise in classes.  We practice the natural progression from pranayama to meditation. We teach you the Gayatri mantra. During this week, we will ask you to bring a passage from the Bhagavad Gita to life through presentation and play. On this week students will find many aspects of the self which normally remain hidden rise to the surface. This is your week to really let go.

Year 2 weekend 1 – Let’s start teaching
Now we will be preparing to teach and looking at the techniques of teaching. We will also consider the planning involved to teach a class. We will teach in small groups, focussing on reading body language through looking at posture.  We will carry on teaching and learning the Sanskrit names. The role of our own practice, pranayama and mediation in preparing ourselves to teach. We will continue using the ancient texts and chanting to explore how this can support us in our own practice and teaching. This will give you a good foundation and a confidence to start teaching, and understand the relationship between student and teacher.

Year 2 weekend 2 – Clearing and Cleansing (Hatha Yoga Pradipika)
Now we will look at the history of yoga and dive into some of the ancient cleansing methods. We will experience the mudras and the bhandas as well as some of the cleansing practices that chosen from the ancient Hatha Yoga Pradipika including neti, kaphalabhati and nauli. You will start to understand how some of these cleansing techniques can be used daily in order to keep your body and mind pure and clear. These cleansing practices have an important effect on our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.  We will also introduce you to some classical mudras and explore the bhandas in the body. We will continue looking at teaching beginners in small groups.

Year 2 weekend 3 – The effect of yoga on the mind
The focus for this weekend will be how your yoga practice can have a strong effect on your mind and your mental wellbeing.How and why can there be an emotional release in the body during a yoga practice – how do we recognise this and be respectful and understanding of it in our students and ourselves. We will explore how a persons mindset often manifests in their body, mind and breath. We will explore the effects of yoga on our own mood/mental health. We will continue peer teaching in a less formal set up – 1:1.The psychological effects of the mudras, pranayama and meditation are also explored.
 

Year 2 weekend 4 – How do we heal?
We explore the healing effects of yoga and the effect on your lifestyle and habits; the food we eat, the relationship we have with ourselves and others. This is our creative weekend encouraging healing through creative expression. We will work with therapeutic restorative asanas, and observe the effects of this slow, nourishing practice. We will give you an opportunity to reflect and share how your yoga practice brings healing to your body and mind and ask you to consider how you could  teach this to others.>
 

Year 2 residential week – Upanishads and Teaching
We study the Upanishads, another ancient text, to give us a deeper connection to the spiritual and mystical aspects of yoga.Students will understand their own spiritual beliefs and to teach yoga in accordance with these. Students will be able to present themselves to a class in a professional manner. Students will teach to the whole group frequently during this week. Students will demonstrate their ability to teach appropriate precautions, modifications when teaching people with conditions. We will also support students will also overcome any barriers and challenges they may have teaching to a group. We will learn the Sanskrit Student Teacher prayer – saha navavatu – to strengthen your belief in yourself as a teacher.
 

Year 2 weekend 5 – Bringing it together
This weekend we will review the whole course.We will support you fully on any questions, doubts, techniques arising from the course and your teaching practice so far. We will open opportunities to you for further learning, giving you the option for ongoing development as a yoga teacher. The ending is also the beginning. We look at the pranayama and meditation we’ve done together over the course and we observe your teaching of this. We review your own practice and your teaching style. We provide appropriate closure of the course, with an invitation to continued support in the future from us and your school.