Main Focus Areas of the Teacher Training Program:

• A Whole Person Approach to the Art of Teaching - Learn how the elements of Yoga, including asanas, pranayama, body awareness, guided imagery, meditation and deep relaxation, come together as a vehicle for health and healing.
   
• Experiential Approach to Education - Learn all the key concepts of teaching such as sequencing, pacing, class design and hands-on adjustments in a concise and clear format that is creative, comprehensive and interesting.

• Take Your Teaching Beyond the Yoga Classroom - Learn to teach Yoga classes for specific focus groups such as medical settings, education, recovery and business as well as Yoga classes for the general public.

• Yoga Postures In-depth - Learn how asanas work at physical, energetic, emotional and spiritual levels as well as how to modify them for individual needs.

• Explore the Body as Energy - Learn how breathing, pranayama, mudras, bhandas and chakras are essential elements of Yoga practice and teaching.

• Understand Health and Illness - Learn the nature of health and illness from the Yoga perspective. Understand the role of stress in health and illness as well as the specific ways in which Yoga manages stress.

• Creative, Student Centered Education - Learn to teach Yoga classes that are exceptional and creative, that develop a theme from start to finish; classes that involve your student at every level of their being and leave them with the complete experience of integration which is Yoga.

• Hands-on Experience - Our internship program gives you the opportunity to apply your skills in real life right in your own community with the support of an experienced mentor.

• Quality Instructional Materials - Our five hundred page training manual is a lifelong resource in Yoga and mind-body health that supports every aspect of your teaching and practice.

Early Morning Yoga Class

The IYT approach to teaching focuses on a whole person experience of Yoga: body, mind and spirit. Beginning at 6:30 AM each day there's a group Yoga class. One of the facets of IYT Yoga is that each class has a theme which is focused on throughout the class. Example of these themes are the relationship between breath and movement, developing correct alignment, incorporating the chakras into a Yoga class, Yoga and Ayurveda as well as special teaching focuses such as timing, pacing, sequencing, voicing, assisting, etc. These classes include both gentle, moderate and vigorous Yoga with both basic and intermediate postures. This is an hour and a half class. We'll spend fifteen minutes after breakfast assessing specific points about the class in relation to the theme from that day. These classes are taught by Joseph Le Page and the staff of that particular training.

The first presentation in the morning from approximately 9:00 to 10:45 introduces the main themes of the program including an introduction to the IYT approach to teaching Yoga, the different aspects of Yoga, Yoga history, Yoga Psychology, Yoga and Ayurveda, in-depth understanding of the chakras, Yoga as a Psychology of Healing, Stress and its management through Yoga, Yoga and the emotions, etc. These themes are usually carried throughout the day, so that there's a common intention for each day and a sense of mastery over a particular facet of Yoga.

These early morning presentations are also used for the presentations of anatomy and physiology. These are explored through a unique experiential process in which we tour the body, understand the function of the various systems, learn how stress affects them and how Yoga creates wellness. This experiential approach holds the interest both of new students and those with some background in anatomy and physiology.

In this exploration, we cover all the main posture groups including warm-ups, standing poses, balancing poses, back bends, forward bends, twists and inversions. We'll explore the principles underlying each group of poses and practice teach several foundation poses from each group. IYT has recently incorporated a unique system of posture cards with detailed information on each of the poses. These cards can be assembled into an unlimited variety of exercises and activities which make the process of learning to teach both a joy and a creative adventure.

Teaching Methodology

The period following our break focuses on the art and science of teaching Yoga. Through this program you will learn a methodology for teaching a gentle, Yoga-based wellness program. This program is designed to facilitate integration and wholeness for body, mind and spirit in a wide variety of settings and applications. You'll learn two variations of the IYT approach to teaching and learning Yoga. One is a gentle Yoga classes for use in a wide variety of settings, including corporate stress management. You will also learn to teach a Yoga based wellness program designed to be used in complementary and therapeutic settings such as hospitals, rehab centers, mental health and senior centers. This approach has been utilized successfully in over 500 professional and complementary settings. You will also be introduced to our IYT level II Yoga class which is a more vigorous variations with dynamic and intermediate poses. All of these sequences are extensively supported and described in our 500 page manual

Asana is a key aspect of learning and teaching Yoga, but Yoga is a vast never ending story, that is ultimately the story of the life journey. This journey can not be complete without the other aspects of Yoga, many of which are actually more fundamental to the use of Yoga as a wellness modality than asana. These other aspects include pranavidya - the science of the flow of health and energy within the body; pranayama - the study of the expansion and channeling of energy; bhavana - the study of the use of imagery for healing and awakening; mudra - the science of accessing energetic realms through specific hand and body positions; mantra- the science of sacred sound; Yoga nidra - a specialized ten step healing process, and dhyana - meditation, opening the gateway to our true essence. Our last session of the afternoon focuses on introducing and exploring these other facets of the journey of Yoga.

 Evening Programs and Special Guest Speakers.

Evening programs are a gentle way to end a busy days' activities, including very gentle Yoga, partner Yoga, Somatics, restorative Yoga and yogasage (a series of gentle, supported postures for very deep relaxation). Evening programs usually end at 9:00 PM.

Because IYT is open to students from all Yoga traditions, we often invite individuals from a wide range of backgrounds to offer special guest presentations. Since 1993, we've opened our doors and hearts to dozens of guest faculty, including Stephen Bodian,Ph.D., Cheri Clampett, Judith Cornell, Ph.D.,Donna Farhi, Georg Feuerstein, Ph.D., Steven Halpern, Anodea Judith, Gary Kraftsow, Emmet Miller, MD, Richard Miller, Ph.D., David Simon, MD, Tom Stiles and Francis Vaughn, Ph.D.

 

IYT as a Learning Community

• Who is the IYT Teacher Training Program appropriate for?

Those who come to the IYT program are looking for training which is creative, engaging, and offers them a high level of personal and professional growth in an intensive format. The program is especially suited to professionals in health, education, business and fitness who would like to introduce Yoga based wellness programs into their professions and into the wider community.

• How does the Teacher Training Program relate to the Yoga Therapist Training Program?

The Professional Yoga Therapist Training Program is an advanced program for those who are already Yoga teachers. It covers in-depth information on Yoga and health such as designing Yoga wellness programs for individuals with particular health conditions. Its focus is one-on-one work, along with specialized group work. The focus of the Teacher Training is on the fundamentals of teaching Yoga to groups including special focus groups. The IYT teacher training is an ideal preparation for becoming a Yoga Therapist because it introduces an entire psychology of Yoga and health which are unique to IYT and form the foundation of becoming a successful Yoga Therapist.

July 30-August 12 2006 Faculty

Scott Blossom