The Yoga Training Programme

Three Year Practitioner Training Programmes are offered in Bristol. They are available for those students who wish to develop the skills to teach, using this approach to Yoga. The Yoga Teaching Programme offers an in-depth teacher training in Yoga Practice, Teaching, Psychology and Therapy. The training will include both working with small groups and a special emphasis on one to one teaching and therapy for learning or healing Yoga.

To download the 2010-2012 Yoga Training Programme details as a PDF file please click the logo

To download the 2010-2012 YTP application form as a PDF file please click the logo

To view the Yoga Training Programme diary dates

Aims:
To present a view of Yoga to help develop our practice and deepen our relationship with Yoga. This means respecting the vital source from which these teachings originated and their place in our age and culture.

Framework:
The Yoga Training Programme reflects the teachings of TKV Desikachar and his father and teacher T Krishnamacharya as taught to Paul Harvey over 25 years through appreciating Yoga as a:

• Learning or healing practice for groups or individuals.
  
  
• Teaching received from T Krishnamacharya through TKV Desikachar
  
  
• Philosophy through Texts and Teachers
  
  
• Psychology comparable to Western models
  
  
• Complementary Therapy to support health and recovery from illness

Prerequisites:
Prior completion of a minimum of 60 hours study through the Centre for Yoga Studies Introductory and Foundation Study Courses or the equivalent through an acceptable Yoga National Governing Body Foundation level study alternative.

I am continually reviewing which alternative Nationally Accepted Foundation or Accredited Teacher Training courses would qualify. For example any BWY Foundation Certificate or Teaching Diploma holder would be acceptable and therefore, if they so wished, would be exempt from the Centre for Yoga Studies Introductory and Foundation Study Courses, but not the other prerequisites.

However all candidates would be expected to have a Foundation level of appreciation in the theoretical understanding and practical experience of the approach of T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikacher to the teaching of Yoga.

Application and Acceptance Process:
Applications can be submitted at any time. All applicants will also need to attend a YTP interview as part of the evaluation process at the Yoganjali Practice and Teaching Centre in Bristol with Paul.

They will be held as part of the prerequisite criteria. An informal personal meeting, short presentation on any topic, along with a theory and practice assessment will take place during these days. These meetings will be held according to demand so any interested students can apply at any time and from there suggestions can be made around suitable dates.

Successful completion of the meeting will result in an applicant being offered a place on the Yoga Training Programme. If applicants are unsuccessful on the day they will be offered guidance on possible options.

Some applicants may be asked to undertake further study prior to any final decision regarding acceptance onto the Programme. Because of this and the limited number of places some applicants may be asked to re-apply.

Group:
Each group will have up to 16 students.

Diploma:
Students successfully completing the Yoga Training Programme will receive the Practitioner Qualification and will qualify for the BWY National Governing Body Accreditation Diploma.

Teachers:
The Programme will be led by Paul Harvey with faculty assistants and specialist tutors supporting the Programme where necesary and appropriate.

Programme Contact, Study and Supervision Hours:
This full teacher training programme totalling over 600 teacher training hours (over 500 hours training plus a minimum of 60 hours at Introductory/Foundation level) meets the European Minimum Standard of 500 hours training. It also exceeds the national educational standards in the UK of the Governing Body of Yoga, the British Wheel of Yoga with its 200 hours and the Yoga Alliance 500 hour Level Yoga Teacher Training Association Registration.

- A minimum of 500 hours over three years through:

• 425 contact hours over 21 non-residential three day workshops with Paul Harvey and Specialist Faculty Teachers
  
  
• 20 hours personal lessons with an acceptably experienced teacher.
  
  
• 10 hours individual and group class supervision for your current teaching work from the second year with an acceptable supervisor.
  
  
• 5 hours (approx) external group class assessment from the second year with an acceptable external assessor.
  
  
• 100 hours in home study and course completion projects
  
  
• 80 hours personal teaching in group classes and individual lessons
  

Assessment and Projects:
There will be informal and formal teaching and practice assessments with emphasis on the overall quality of the individual students’ development. The work will be assessed by the Programme trainer or where appropriate faculty support teachers.

• Continuing assessment of coursework given as both theoretical and practical home study is necessary and the student is expected to fulfil each year satisfactorily in terms of completion on time and the quality of the work submitted. The home study will include written work each weekend around Yoga theory and practice, Yoga Sutra study, anatomy and physiology, teaching methodology and counselling skills. Here the students own personal teacher will support the students own efforts with the home study homework.
  
  
• All students will be required to teaching group classes by the second year and working with individuals by the third year.
  
  
• Live teaching experience is necessary based on actual teaching experience of 40 hours group class teaching over at least 3 terms from the end of the first year and eight individual case studies of at least 5 tuition hours each to be undertaken from the end of the second year. The case files will be supervised with appropriate feedback.
  
  
• There will also be external examination of around 5 hours (3 hours teaching plus feedback time) of the student's own group classes in the second and third years by a teaching practice assessor who will make a written evaluation.
  
  

Programme Fees:
The total budget for the three years of the 2009-2011 courses will be around £5400 respectively plus approx £250 BWY completion costs.

This breaks down into an approximate annual budget of:

• £1400 per year fixed over three years for seven three day weekend workshops in Bristol including refreshments and lunch and all tuition costs. This would be payable over each year at the time of tuition or through a negotiable bank schedule. All Workshop fees must be paid for whether or not the student is able to attend.
  
  
• £400 per year (approx average if based on £40 per hour) for 20 hours of personal tuition (from year one) and 10 hours of group (from year two) and individual (from year three) supervision; payable directly to the teacher or supervisor at the time of tuition.

plus course commencement/completion costs of up to approx £250 comprising:

• around £75 Course registration fees for the BWY in order to qualify for student teacher training insurance and BWY Accreditation when the course is completed.
  
  
• around £150 to cover around 5 hours external assessment of two of your group classes. The fee to visit your group classes will be around £50 per visit plus travel costs for a minimum of two assessments.

A Programme Registration Deposit of £600 is required as confirmation of acceptance of a place. The BWY Course registration fees are also payable at the same time. The Programme deposit of will not be refundable but will be offset against the final years workshop fees. British Wheel of Yoga membership is required prior to starting the Yoga Training Programme.

Weekend schedule:

• Friday
  11.00 - Arrivals
  11.30 - Session and Practice
  12.45pm - Lunch
  1.45 - Session
  2.45 - Break
  3.00 - Session and Practice
  4.00 - Break
  4.15 - Session
  5.15 - Break
  5.30 - Session
  6.30 - Supper
  7.30 - Session and Practice
  9.00 - Departures
  
  
• Saturday
  9.00am – Session
  10.00 - Break
  10.15 - Session
  11.15 - Break
  11.30 - Session and Practice
  1.00 - Lunch
  2.00 - Session
  3.00 - Break
  3.15 - Session and Practice
  4.15 - Break
  4.30 - Session
  5.30 - Break
  5.45 - Session and Practice
  7.15 - Departures
  
  
• Sunday
  9.00am - Session
  10.00 - Break
  10.15 - Session
  11.15 - Break
  11.30 - Session and Practice
  1.00pm - Lunch
  2.00 - Session
  3.00 - Session and Practice
  4.00 - Departures

Venue:
Yoganjali Teaching and Therapy Centre
Princes Place
Off Gloucester Road
Bishopston
Bristol BS7 8NP

2010 TBC so 2007 Year 1 Programme dates are shown as a guide
March 9th - 11th
April 13th - 15th
May 18 - 20th
June 29th - July 1st
September 14th - 16th
October 19th - 21st
November 23rd - 25th

The YTP topics are:

1. Sadhana - Yoga Practice

• Individual lessons for personal practice
• Group workshops to develop self planning, planning for others and observational skills.
• Building and working with basic, group class and personalised Learning or Healing Yoga practices.

2. Yoga Sutra

• A study of the Yoga Sutra.

3. Roots of Yoga and Related Texts

• Definition of Yoga according to root texts.
• Approaches to and evolution of Yoga.
• Overview of related texts

4. Asana - Postures

• Definition according to Yoga texts.
• Detailed study of Primary Asana.
• Introduction to Intermediate Asana.
• Overview of Advanced Asana.
• Classification, sequence building, compensation and breathing.
• Movement, stay, variation and modification.
• Asana with sound, Mudra and Bandha.
• Apprenticeship into the Art and theory of observation in practice.

5. Pranayama - Seated Breathing

• Definition according to Yoga texts.
• Detailed study of important techniques and theory of Prana and Nadi.
• Preparation, classification, components and sequence building within Pranayama.

6. Dhyana - Meditation

• Introduction into the various aspects of meditation within practice.
• Basic techniques applied through Asana and Pranayama.
• Refinement of practice through meditation.

7. Yoga Cikitsa ( Yoga Therapeutics)

• The therapeutic possibilities of Yoga in working with problems or illness.
• Study of Ayurveda and its therapeutic links with Yoga.

8. Viniyoga (Application) of Yoga

• The Teachings from T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar.
• Eastern and Western Teaching Methodology and the student teacher relationship.
• Advantages and disadvantages of individual and group tuition.
• Application of Yoga for individual and group situations.
• Organisational and Ethical aspects of teaching.
• Introduction to counselling skills.

9. Sanskrit and Nada Yoga (Sound)

• Introducing the Romanised Sanskrit alphabet.
• Understanding the important names in Asana and Pranayama.
• Application of voice work and techniques for sound in practice.
• Reciting the Yoga Sutra and Yoga teachings.

10. The Human System

• Study of anatomy, physiology, pathology, pharmacology and kinesiology.

11. Svadhyaya - Home Study

• Formal home study of a practical nature through reading, practice planning, theory questions and personal practice.
  
  
• Completion of final year Yoga Sutra study project.
  
  
• Completion of 80 hours external group and one to one teaching.