200 Hour Teacher Training Course 2020

There are hundreds of 200-hour teacher trainings out there and it can be a challenge to decide which one is right for you. So here, we’ll tell you about some of the specific aspects of the Greystones Yoga Studio Teacher Training:

Our Way With Yoga

If you are attracted to yoga and perhaps already beginning to understand that the practice is ultimately a journey of self-discovery, then this is the training course for you. Maybe you want to teach yoga, or maybe you love what yoga is already doing for you and you want to understand and learn more. Perhaps you are already teaching and would like to enhance your knowledge of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga (which will be the foundation of the course), and Yin Yoga, which is a wonderful complement to an Ashtanga practice. The course will deepen your practice and your understanding of yoga, and show you how a personal practice can nurture and support you throughout your life. It will also give you the skills, knowledge and confidence to start out as a teacher if that is what your goal is.

At GYS, we teach post-lineage yoga, where, while we place great value on the student/teacher relationship and stay true to the methodology of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga,  we follow no guru and encourage our students to discover how their own yoga practice can be their best teacher. The environment, as well as the teaching philosophy, is inclusive, compassionate, adaptive and non-dogmatic. 

A 5-month Completion Date

The timetable of our Teacher Training is designed to keep you engaged on the course by allowing you to complete your training between February and June 2020, meeting for one weekend monthly, except for April, when there will be a full week of training. 

Expert Tuition

The principle tutor on the course is Ríonach O’Flynn, a Certified Senior Yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance Professionals (this is the highest level of accreditation with Yoga Alliance Professionals). Ingrid Jaanisoo will assist and will be the primary tutor on the Yin Yoga Module. The history and philosophy of yoga will be taught by yoga scholar, writer and teacher, Marianne Jacuzzi.  The yoga anatomy modules of the training course will be brought to us courtesy of world-renowned yoga anatomy teachers, Leslie Kaminoff & Amy Matthews. 

Yoga Fundamentals and Asana Teaching Techniques.

Every time we meet, we will begin the day with an Asana, Pranayama & Meditation class. One of our main goals will be to help you establish your own regular, daily practice (if you don’t already have one). You will learn about the importance of a personal practice and how to integrate this into your life. We’ll look at diet and nutrition to support your practice and your life. You will learn, through demonstration and extensive practice, how to teach a class up to Navasana in the Primary Series, including backbends and the Finishing Sequence, exploring how to modify where necessary to accommodate the individual student, whatever their body type or stage of life. You will also study Yin Yoga during a specific module of the course. The principles of observation, alignment, safe and gentle adjustment, communication with and support for your student at all times will be highlighted throughout your training with us.

History & Philosophy of Yoga

This is a vast and sometimes complex subject that you could study for a lifetime and more. Our goal will be to give you a solid introduction to the Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita (the foundational texts on our course). We will study Patanjali’s eightfold path called ashtanga, “eight limbs” (ashta=eight, anga=limb) and explore how the practice and philosophy of yoga can enable us to live a healthier, happier and more purposeful life. We will also look at the history of modern yoga from the time of Krishnamacharya and see how the various styles of yoga now practised in the West evolved from his teachings.

Pranayama, Meditation & The Subtle Body

“Chakras”, “Nadis”, “Bandhas” and “Koshas”…..just a few of the terms that you may have heard in yoga class and may not fully understand.  Through the study of meditation and yogic breathing techniques (pranayama), you will gain a better understanding of the subtle body and the terminology around it, learning how your practice impacts your entire being.

A New View Of Yoga Anatomy

While knowledge of anatomy is essential for any good yoga teacher, the way anatomy is taught is often less than ideal. It’s almost impossible to digest the essential information you need to know in a single weekend (which is the offering on many Teacher Training courses). We are partnering with world-renowned renowned teachers, Leslie Kaminoff & Amy Matthews, co-authors of the classic book, Yoga Anatomy, to offer our teacher trainees a new way of learning yoga anatomy that is accessible, flexible and extremely educational.  Their new online course, YogaAnatomy.Net Fundamentals, is exclusively available through Teacher Training programmes and we are delighted to launch our Teacher Training Course using this method. You won’t feel like you’re back at school or college, instead, Leslie & Amy make learning anatomy very engaging, by sharing examples, analogies and stories and guiding you through physical experiments that make the material helpful and applicable to teaching yoga to students. You will learn:

• How to make poses accessible for any student
• What to do when students have an injury and still want to practice
• How each muscle is used and how slight alterations in a pose can enhance or reduce its effectiveness
• How the spine, breathing and body position are all fundamentally linked

As well as the hours of teaching you will enjoy at the studio, you will have all the time you need to revise at your own pace, with continuous, exclusive access to the online material for 12 months as a trainee with GYS. This is an invaluable resource for any yoga teacher, especially one just starting out. 

The Ethics & Business of Teaching

You will learn about both the practical and ethical aspects of being an authentic teacher in today’s very busy yoga environment. This module will include:

• Your presence in the teaching space – how to develop your teaching presence and make your students feel comfortable and confident in your teaching.
• The importance of ongoing study to maintain both your personal practice and your teaching standards
• Ethical guidelines for teachers (the student/teacher relationship, boundaries, conflict, consent issues around adjustment and assists)
• The business of Yoga – how to set up classes and deal with financial affairs.

Assessment & Graduation

Students will be continually assessed throughout the entire course and a final weekend of assessment and feedback will take place in October. Graduating students will be awarded their Greystones Yoga 200-hour Teacher Training Certificate, which is internationally recognised through the auspices of Yoga Alliance Professionals UK.