The Vancouver Island Yoga School is pleased to announce its new 300-hour yoga teacher training program that gives students an authentic experience of traditionally taught classical yoga.
The course curriculum is based on the Ashtanga Vinyasa Method and Patanjali Sutras. The objective for students is to significantly deepen their personal practice and knowledge of practical yoga philosophy and allow this to inform their future teaching.
VIYS faculty, Geoff MacKenzie and Deborah Carruthers, talk a little about the program:
Students will improve their functional breathing techniques, posture alignment, variations, use of props, and the "assisted self-practice" Mysore-style model. Through practicums, you will practice teaching and adjusting students early in the program in a fun, supportive manner.
Students will be inspired to further their studies of this perennial wisdom and apply it to their everyday life and interpersonal relationships.
Students are guided in led classes and the traditional Mysore style of learning. In keeping with the tradition of the student-teacher relationship, you are given postures as your body/mind is ready to receive them. This personal experience of overall growth and steadiness of practice will cultivate excellence in teaching going forward.
This training offers a departure from modern yoga classes, where students are often thrown into classes where advanced postures are given without the foundation and readiness of the student. Cultivation of a deep spiritual practice requires mastery of breath, mind, and posture, one step at a time.
Students will learn the Ashtanga Primary series, increasing their knowledge of each individual posture. Daily classes will be dedicated to specific themes such as hip opening, back bending, arm balancing, and inversion sequences. Deepening and developing your personal practice will be a priority in this training.
This 300-Hour Canadian Yoga Alliance Certification course is perfect for yoga teachers with 200-hour certificates to increase their skill, confidence, and success in starting their own teaching business or working for an established studio.
I have been practicing yoga for over 25 years since beginning on a forest floor in France in 1996. I began teaching classes in 2004 after completing a YTT in Victoria, BC. My guidance is informed by extensive studies with R. Sharath Jois and his family in Mysore, India, combined with input from innovative Western practitioners. Modern approaches to strength, mobility, and breathwork training feature in my own practice too.
My students consider me a reliable, steady presence in the classroom. You can count on me to apply the Ashtanga Vinyasa method in a way that will challenge you while still respecting where you’re starting from and what your intentions are. Ultimately, I want you to breathe well, move well, and focus your mind on what you’re doing.
I have 13 years of teaching experience in the Ashtanga method. As the director of Harmony Yoga and Wellness Center, I facilitated eight teacher training programs and four retreats to Kerala, India.
I honour my teachers along the way in the Mysore method with Geoff MacKenzie, Rolf and Marcia Naujokat (Goa), Sharmila Desi (Goa), David Swensen, Kino Macgregor, and Tim Feldman (Miami). I hold a Master’s Degree in Counselling Psychology and a Level One Ayurveda Practitioner Certification.
The curriculum will include:
The course will be delivered in a series of weekend modules starting March 4th, 2022, and delivered in modules of one weekend per month, with two 4-5 day intensives, over a period of six months.
Location of training modules: First Light Yoga, 718 E 20th Ave, Vancouver BC.
In Duncan, all YTT modules will be taught at VI Yoga School, 360 Duncan Street, Duncan, BC.
In Vancouver, all YTT modules will be taught at First Light Yoga in the Bridge & Enrich Lives Society building, 718 E 20th Avenue, Vancouver, BC.
In addition to the training modules, including 100 hours of supervised practice, students are expected to cultivate an independent solo daily practice. It builds discipline and dedication and cultivates a meditative state. This combines well with regular periods of study with an experienced teacher.
We encourage all potential students to contact VI Yoga School’s faculty members by clicking on the link below. We will contact you and answer your questions about the 300-Hour YTT Program, and you can complete an application form.
There are limited spaces in this program, so please contact us soon to secure your place.
Namaste,
Geoff and Deborah
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