Year Two: The Art of Teaching
Weekly Requirements (September–June)
• Special Studies Class
2 hrs/day and time TBA
• Art of Teaching Class
2 hrs/day and time TBA
• Ongoing Yoga Class
Level 2 or 3 class of your choice
• Assisting
Level 1 class
• Home Practice
5x/week (three 1 hr. & two 1⁄2 hr.)
Special Studies Classes:
Philosophy 3; Anatomy 4; Pranayama;
Pratyahara & Dharana; Therapeutics; Profes-
sional Development; Teaching Practicum
The Art of Teaching Classes:
Standing Poses; Forward Bends; Twists &
Core; Backbends; Inversions & Restorative;
Consolidation
Ongoing Yoga Classes:
Participants are required to attend a weekly
Level 2 or 3 class at Yogasana Center, as well
as assist in a Yogasana Level 1 class.
Home Practices:
Year Two students are required to practice
five times per week on their own—three one
hour practice sessions and two half-hour
sessions. Students will keep a practice journal
and turn it in weekly to receive feedback
from the teacher.
Evaluation:
To be eligible for graduation, students
should have successfully completed all of the
courses, attended a weekly ongoing class,
assisted a weekly Level 1 class, maintained a
consistent home practice, and passed a writ-
ten final exam.
Courses
Philosophy 3: Ancient Yoga and Modern Context
Taught by Witold Fitz-Simon
Dates and times to be announced
In this course we will study some of the parallel
ideas about yoga that inform contemporary under-
standing of the practice. We will look at key texts
that came after Patañjali’s Yoga Sutra and learn
how they took his essentially intellectual spiritual
endeavor and embodied it in the form of Hatha
Yoga. We will pay special attention to the develop-
ment of modern yoga over the past two hundred
years as the backdrop for B. K. S. Iyengar’s synthe-
sis of ancient and modern ideas.
Standing Poses: The Art of Teaching
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
This class will focus on the major teaching points
of standing poses, and how to concisely commu-
nicate and demonstrate those points. We will also
explore the different ways to sequence standing
poses, as well as different modifications to accom-
modate a range of students.
Anatomy 4: Nervous System, Endocrine System and Injury
Taught by Nicola Weiner & Rachel Lynch-John
Dates and times to be announced
Divided into three sections, this course will study:
the nervous system—focusing on the brain, spinal
cord, peripheral nerves, and the autonomic and
somatic nervous systems; the endocrine system—
looking at individual glands and how they relate
to different parts of the body and are affected by
asanas; and pathology—examining the anatomy
of different injuries that are common in a teacher’s
student population.
Forward Bends: The Art of Teaching
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
We will consider what students find most chal-
lenging about forward bends and then explore dif-
ferent ways of sequencing, using different teaching
points, and using props and other modifications to
address those challenges.
Pranayama
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
With the breathing coordination as a foundation,
this course will look at how to teach pranayama.
We will focus on ujjayi and viloma pranayamas,
exploring the use of language and imagery and dif-
ferent ways of preparing and sequencing.
Twists & Core: The Art of Teaching
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
In this class we will focus on how to safely and
effectively teach the poses that develop abdominal
and core strength, as well as the twisting poses
that begin to take a student from the periphery to
deeper layers of the body. There will be a concen-
tration on how to demonstrate and communicate
the major teaching points, how to sequence, and
how to adjust and modify poses to meet students’
needs.
Pratyahara and Dharana: The Subtle Limbs of Yoga
Taught by Witold Fitz-Simon
Dates and times to be announced
Of Patañjali’s eight limbs of yoga, only six can be
actively practiced. Pratyahara—withdrawal of the
senses—and Dharana—concentration—are the
last two practices available to the ordinary yogi.
The final two, Meditative Absorption and Enstasy,
can only occur when the body and mind are ready.
In this 3-week course we will learn various tech-
niques of sense withdrawal and meditation and
apply them to the practice of asana. We will
learn how to incorporate them into our own
lives as well as into the structure of the classes
we teach for a complete and well-rounded yoga
practice.
Backbends: The Art of Teaching
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
Through an understanding of what issues stu-
dents face when practicing backbends, we will
explore when and how to introduce backbends,
what teaching points are most important, as
well as how to modify and adjust to help our
students work safely.
Therapeutics
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
This course is a general introduction to thera-
peutics. We will examine the indications, con-
traindications, and different modifications for
common conditions such as menstruation, pre-
natal, post-natal, low back pain, scoliosis, knee
and shoulder injuries, high/low blood pressure,
etc. While not intending to treat these condi-
tions, we will cover the information necessary
to safely accomodate students’ special needs.
Inversions & Restorative: The Art of Teaching
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
This course will focus on determining when
a student is ready for inverted poses and how
best to prepare and sequence toward these
poses. We will also cover ways of adjusting and
using props to fit students’ individual needs. In-
cluded in this section, we will look at the teach-
ing of restorative poses—the different uses of
props and the fundamental teaching points.
Professional Development
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
In this short course we will discuss the com-
plexities of the teacher-student relationship and
the issues of ethics and boundaries you may
face as a yoga teacher. We will also cover the
business side of being a yoga teacher: where to
get a job, how to market yourself, and more.
Consolidation
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
We will spend these six weeks putting together
our knowledge of the different categories of poses.
There will be an emphasis on sequencing to create
a balanced class, carrying a teaching point through
all categories of poses exploring how to meet the
needs of the many unique and individual bodies in
a single class.
Teaching Practicum
Dates, times and teacher to be announced
This course wll give each teacher trainee an op-
portunity to teach a small group class to friends
and family under the supervision of a Yogasana
faculty member.