Welcome.

I am glad you are here.

This program is for certified 200 hour teachers, who would like to be guided by experienced teachers, on how to grow and expand their personal practice and teaching skills. This is the advanced training I wish I had in 2007.

I had been teaching for about a year and had questions. What do I do in this situation? How do I teach all levels classes better? How do I teach corporate classes? How do I grow my business to be able to serve more people?

That training didn’t exist when I graduated. I looked for a mentor (they didn’t exist) , read as much as I could, traveled for workshops, immersions and trainings. I went to every workshop I could find. I studied with teachers from every tradition and walk of life. I accumulated lots of knowledge and figured out through trial and error how to apply it to my classes. But I still longed for… something.

It wasn’t until I read an interview with Seane Corn, that I understood what I was looking for. I was looking for a mentor.

I was look for guidance. I was looking for this training.

This is not your regular training, where you will learn more and more information. Although you will learn lots of new information, we want you to put this information into practice. This is a training that will provide you with hands on mentoring from experienced teachers. With feedback for your teaching, refining your message and your teaching skills. It will teach you the business of Yoga, through coaching and provide you with practical tools that you can put into practice as soon as you get home. You will be asked to teach your peers classes and create a workshop you will then take with you.

Yoga is experiential. Meaning you have to experience it for it to work. Reading about it, Talking, taking more trainings etc. won’t work. The knowledge must be experienced and put into practice for it to work. Yoga is also a spiritual practice. It has many aspects to it but the underlining practice is one of spirit. That’s why it is so transformational.

That’s why it works.

While we are teaching you very practical tools to use in your life and teachings, please know that for us, and our understanding, this path of yoga is a deeply spiritual one. We approach every aspect of teaching, including the business aspect, as a spiritual practice. If this is not a line with you, this may not be the training that will serve you best.

A 300 hour yoga teacher training certificate, is the advanced level of certification available through Yoga Alliance. You must have a 200 hour certificate in order to apply for this advanced teaching program. This is an opportunity for you to deepen your teaching skills and knowledge. When we begin our teaching journey, everything is new and exciting. As we gain experience, questions come up about teaching different students and populations as well as interest in different areas of the yoga path. This course is designed to get you back to your daily practice as well as to help answer any questions that you may have encountered. We have specifically created this training as help you to define your interests and “niche”, in order to grow your skill set and teaching opportunities. There are many, many yoga teachers out there. How do you find your voice and the right path for you?

Overview

Dates: October 15-November 9,2023
Prerequisites: 200 hour yoga TT and at least one year of teaching.
Location: Chania, Greece
Contact information: 500hytt@gmail.com
Lead teacher : Jonni-lyn Friel
Anatomy, Kirtan and methodology : Evangelos Apostolopoulos
Assistant: Annie Hayes-Pantony

Accredited with Yoga Alliance with Namaha Yoga School

This training will focus on the following areas of learning:

• Restorative Yoga

• Yoga Nidra

• Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga

• Advanced sequencing and hands on assists

• Sequencing for different populations

• Workshops and creating wider offerings

• The Business of Yoga

• Advanced Pranayama and Meditation techniques

• Yoga Philosophy

• Theming and working with themes in your class

• Mantras

• Chakra Intensive

Restorative Yoga

These can be challenging and stressful times to live. We all experience stress at a number of different levels and most of us are unaware of how deep the effects of stress can go. Learning the art of relaxation is like working a muscle. We can relax more easily when we have practiced the techniques for the relaxation to appear. Restorative Yoga and working with the practice of mindfulness will give you the tools you need to help teach relaxation for others and develop relaxation in yourself.

Within this one week stand alone training, we will learn and practice the art of Restorative Yoga. The following techniques will be taught and practiced in depth within this training:

• sequencing restorative classes

• holding space

• how to demo

• tone of voice

• props needed and how to properly use them

• organization of students, props and space

• energetics of alignment

• The benefit of each pose as well as the therapeutic aspects of the pose will be explored as well as the added option of hands on assists.

Yoga Nidra

Yoga Nidra, or yogic sleep as it is commonly known, is an immensely powerful meditation technique, and one of the easiest yoga practices to develop and maintain. While the practitioner rests comfortably in savasana , this systematic meditation takes you through the five layers of self, leaving you with a sense of calm . Learn simple techniques and tips to write your own Yoga Nidrā scripts and teach different populations.

Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga

Both the subtle anatomy and physical anatomy will be explored in great detail during this course. Both in how to sequence poses, sequence and use our knowledge to create and understand the human body a little better. Each person is different but there are some basic guidelines that we can keep as teachers to teach who is in front of us to the best of our ability.

Sequencing

Sequencing for different populations, advanced sequencing and hands on assists. When we plan a class and write down our sequences, we have to be thinking who is in front of us that we teach. We have to teach to the level we have. Learn how to repare a well- rounded class with warm-ups, progressively building asanas, pranayama and meditation/relaxation to honor the students we have in front of us. The teacher's role in this process is to intelligently plan the class based on who is in front of you and their abilities, observe and speak with students to figure out when they have understood the experience and give informed guidance and inspiration along the path.

In this training we will cover teaching different populations as well as sequencing for advanced poses and classes. The art of hands on assists will be discussed, explored and with relation to consent and proper touch. A wonderful assist can add a whole other level of understanding to a pose and can be a true gift of love to offer a student.

Workshops, creating wider offerings and the Business of Yoga

The world has many, many yoga teachers out there right now. And this is a wonderful thing! Do not be afraid of this but rather use it as a challenge to find your own voice, community and offerings. The clearer you are on your style, interests and what you can offer, the more you can narrow your niche down to find your perfect students and what will resonate with you. You will be asked to create and teach a workshop for the course to your peers. Feedback is given and you have a chance to create or refine a workshop of your very own!

Advanced Pranayama and Meditation techniques

Meditation is not a technique, but is something that happens as a result of using concentration techniques. Meditation is the listening to the subtle process of creation and then the realization that the space in which creation occurs is self. It is the merging of subject and observer. We will delve deep into the practices of meditation and more advanced practices of pranayama within this training.

“Pranayama is more than just controlling the breath. Its primary purpose is to awaken prana, to maintain a healthy body and mind, and to prepare ourselves so that we can become aware of the more subtle levels of our Existence. If you can realize the true reality of the breath, you can realize the atman.”

~ Paramahamsa Satyananda

Yoga Philosophy

This practice of yoga is a deep and ancient practice that comes from India. At the heart of this practice is the philosophy. Too often these days, the focus is on the asana or poses. We forget the foundation of yoga, which is the philosophy. We will deeply explore this subject and our own relationship to it as well as how we can apply it to our everyday lives and teachings.

Theming and working with themes in your class

When thinking about incorporating philosophy in class, we might consider the following as we prepare: Teach what you know.

As with all aspects of teaching, we don't want to introduce concepts to our students that we haven't fully ingested and lived. If we talk about a topic that we haven't really practiced or molded into our own words, we tend to sound like a "talking head" with a dryness that lacks the personal and energetic aspect of living a concept.

Mantras and Mudras

The Sanskrit word 'mudra' is translated as gesture or attitude. Mudras are psychic, emotional, devotional and aesthetic gestures. They are often associated with hand and finger positions, which is how we are offering them in the training. However there are also mudras involving the entire body or even just the eyes.

Mudras are said to alter mood, attitude and perception, and can deepen awareness and concentration. They are said to engage certain areas of the brain and connect deeply with that area. A mudra can be used at anytime, although most students of yoga associate them closely with meditation and breathing techniques. Mantras are translated as “protector of the mind”. Mantras carry an energy of sacred sound, from the ancient language of Sanskrit. We will explore both how teach as well as the joy that comes from the repetition of a mantra.

The Venue

Armonia Retreat Center in Chaina, Crete.

This beautiful retreat venter has facilities that are modern with an emphasis on beauty and serenity. It is ideally located in the heart of the picturesque traditional village of Douliana, surrounded by beautiful nature and only 15 minutes away from the sea by car, 40 minutes by foot. An ancient woodland path is a stone's throw away.