Integrative Yoga Therapy - Yoga Certification Teacher Training Program

IYT
Yoga Teacher Training

	Training Professional Yoga Educators (article by IYT founder Joseph Le Page)

The Integrative Yoga Therapy Teacher Training program gives students in-depth skills to teach Yoga as a vehicle for total wellness. Along with offering Yoga classes with a focus on health and healing to the general public, IYT graduates teach Yoga-based wellness programs in a wide variety of complementary settings including hospitals, businesses, and complementary health care settings. IYT teachers also develop special focus programs, such as Yoga for back care, depression, and many other health conditions. The two-week intensive training is followed by a one week module selected from a variety of specializations to complete the approved 200 hour Yoga teacher certification program by the Yoga Alliance.

Main Focus Areas of the Teacher Training Program:

• Individualized Teacher and Learning - Develop your Yoga teaching as part of your own unique life vision and mission. Th eIntegrative Yoga Teacher Training Program is based in the vision of Yoga Therapy using an individualized approach with the understanding that the needs of students are unique and each Yoga teacher should evolve their own vision of the teaching process.

• 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.

• A Multidimensional Approach to Yoga Postures - Learn to teach asana through the Integrative Posture Principles. These principles facilitate a precise and in-depth understanding of how asanas work at physical, energetic, emotional, and spiritual levels, and how to modify them for individual needs.

• 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.

• Explore the Deeper Practices of Yoga - Learn pranayama, mudras, bandhas, chakras, meditation, Yoga nidra, and hands-on healing, in order to expand your horizons of Yoga teaching.

A Typical Day
Early Morning Yoga Class - the IYT approach to teaching focuses on a whole person experience of Yoga: body, mind and spirit. Beginning at 6:00 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.
Early Morning Presentation - 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-depth Exploration of Yoga Postures - An in-depth understanding of Yoga postures is essential for meeting the needs of individuals and specific groups. In our posture-focus workshops we explore the many facets of Yoga asana inclu asana yoga

ding correct alignment, methodology for teaching and adjusting, benefits and contraindications, and adaptations and modifications for a wide variety of uses. We also explore how the postures affect the physiological systems of the body, work to reduce stress and facilitate the mind-body connection. We explore the effects of the postures on the subtle body as well, including the chakras and gain an insight into how the postures work in relation to Ayurveda. Our training manual contains ten to twelve pages of information on each posture to support your learning and includes affirmations and guided imagery for each pose at the physical, psychological and spiritual levels.

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.

The posture focus class is followed by a lunch and break period of two hours which allows time for exploring our beautiful retreat sites, connecting or napping.

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 your manual.

During the second week of the program, you'll have an opportunity to prepare and present a sample class. Many students choose special themes of particular interest to them such as Yoga and Stress Management, Yoga for seniors, Yoga and Women's issues as well as general Yoga classes. You'll work together with a small group of students who share a similar interest and then present your class in front of a family group of 12-15 classmates whom you've had an opportunity to get to know and feel safe with. Your class preparation is supported both by the extensive information in your manual, and a faculty group facilitator designated for your group.

Breath, Meditation and Movement - 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 day's 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,PhD, Cheri Clampett, Judith Cornell, PhD, Donna Farhi, Georg Feuerstein, PhD, Steven Halpern, Anodea Judith, Gary Kraftsow, Emmet Miller, MD, Richard Miller, PhD, David Simon, MD, Tom Stiles and Francis Vaughn, PhD.

IYT as a Learning Community - Our programs draw in students from a wide variety of careers professions and lifestyles. This creates a rich learning community of professional contacts and enduring friendships which support our journey as Yoga teachers and therapists.
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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.