[su_quote cite=”Benjamin Franklin”]Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.[/su_quote]

Stepping into the Stream

Whether you are looking to take your yoga practice to a deeper level or are feeling called to share your passion with others in the seat of the teacher, Seattle Yoga Arts offers the educational opportunity to help you fulfill your goals.

Our 6-month Immersion Program (one weekend per month January – June) is the perfect opportunity to devote time to cultivating the inner wisdom that comes from dedicated practice and study. You will refine your understanding of the alignment principles that allow the yoga asanas to be a safe and full expression of your heart. You will consider Classical yoga philosophy and explore in depth the Tantric philosophy that is the foundation of our practice. You will learn more about the anatomy of your amazing body and savor longer and deeper periods of practice including asana, pranayama and meditation. Classes are a combination of practice, lecture and discussion. Join a group of fellow yoga nerds committed to self-discovery as we delve into the beauty and power of yoga.

Taking the Seat of the Teacher

The impulse to take the seat of the teacher arises most auspiciously from the passion and blessings of your own practice, which create a heartfelt desire to offer the gifts of yoga to others. You become an excellent teacher when you bring head and heart, intelligence and passion together into your own individual form of teaching. This teacher training will first support you in establishing daily life practices that sustain and nourish a yogic lifestyle. We will then guide you in accessing your own creativity and brilliance and offer you tools to become the best yoga teacher you can be. We will also take you on a grand tour of the yoga tradition, its philosophy, insights, and texts. We will offer you the very best of our many combined years of teaching and teacher training, so that you will leave this program prepared and inspired to teach effective, contextualized yoga to a diverse body of students.

This training will earn you eligibility for certification through Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour level.

Program Curriculum

Establish the Daily Habits of a Yogi

• Creating a steady home asana practice
• Learning pranayama
• Establishing a daily meditation practice: sourcing the great well
• Refining your poses: personal guidance on your practice
• Contemplation: sourcing great teachings and your own insight for life wisdom

Foundations of the Yogic Path

• Two great texts of yoga: The Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali
• The root text of Saiva Tantra: The Siva Sutras
• History of yoga, where the poses come from, the evolution of yoga in the West

Dwelling in the Body Vessel

• Fundamental anatomy with Michael Jacobus
• Softening as student and teacher
• Embodying and teaching the elements of earth, water, fire, air, spirit
• Contacting your own creative fire
• What to practice when? Teaching for different times, seasons, life transitions

Subtle Body Knowledge

• Introduction to the chakras as a model of energy flow
• Layers of being: the koshas
• Rivers of life: nadis and kundalini
• A model of creation: the tattvas

Taking the Seat of Teaching

• Learning a refined, logical system of body alignment for asana and teaching
• How to teach all categories of poses safely and effectively; standing poses, backbends, forward bends, twists, inversions, restoratives
• The art of verbal and manual adjustments
• Peer teaching with feedback
• Building a wave: the craft of sequencing
• Observation and seeing beauty in the student
• Teaching with a theme: how to teach a meaningful, contextualized yoga class

And more…

• Finding your inspiration
• Clarifying your unique contribution
• Study and practice groups
• Keeping a sadhana (practice) and insight download journal

How to Apply:

We are now accepting applications for our 2019 200-hour Teacher Training program!

Download the 2019 Application

Your application, and $200 non-refundable deposit, can be dropped off or mailed to Seattle Yoga Arts, 1540 15th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, or emailed to info@seattleyogaarts.com. You may also call the studio at (206) 440-3191 to pay the application fee over the phone.

We will respond within 2 weeks of receiving your application to let you know whether you have been accepted into the training. Please do not send any further payments until you hear from us.

NOTE: Upon acceptance, your application fee will be rolled into your full training tuition. That is, your first weekend fee will only be $103.75.

Tuition Fees:

• The entire SYA training totals $3,645.
• Program enrollees can arrange to pay $303.75 per training weekend.

Students enrolled in the program will receive six (6) free yoga classes, plus 20% discounted class packages*, at SYA for the duration of their training. Students can expect to spend about $100 on books, and will also be required to take three (3) classes at other studios. There are no further fees or workshop/retreat costs.

*Please note: SYA’s Monthly Membership, Annual Membership, and income-relevant packages are not included.

Scholarships

Two (2) income-relevant scholarships are available for our year-long program. They reduce the fee by 40% and require financial disclosure for application. Deadline for application is November 30. You can download the scholarship application here and send it along with your application to info@seattleyogaarts.com.

Payment Options

• Pay in full: We will happily take payment in full via check or credit card.
• Auto-pay: If you choose to pay monthly, we ask that you authorize automatic payments to your credit card. Once you are accepted into the program, we will provide you with a credit card authorization form giving us permission to do so. Your credit card will then be automatically charged $303.75 on the Friday of each training weekend.
• By check: You may pay the $303.75 via check on the Friday of each training weekend. As a way of honoring the exchange of energy that is represented by money for teaching, we expect students to take responsibility for this without having to be reminded.

Please do not proceed with full payment until we have responded to your application.

Why Study with Us?

Seattle Yoga Arts is renowned as a studio of depth and excellence in teaching and our core faculty are among the most respected teachers in the Northwest. Since we began our Teacher Training program in 1998, we have trained some of the most beloved teachers in Seattle and beyond. We have had the time and experience to refine our program and we continually refresh our training with current and vital concepts that enhance your potency as a yogi and as a teacher.

Our core faculty members were trained in Anusara yoga and understand that method deeply. We also honor and source the best from the fields of physical therapy, kinesiology, therapeutics, etc. We have a commitment to including the stream of Tantric teaching in our philosophy, while also continually revisiting the root texts of the yoga tradition.

We believe that being a yoga teacher is an honor, a privilege and a never-ending path of growth and service. We have seen over and over that yoga changes lives and know that being part of that evolution is sacred.

Prerequisites:

• At least one year taking weekly (or so) public yoga classes
• At least five classes at Seattle Yoga Arts (required for year-long program only)
• A burning desire to learn more about yoga
• Support network of family and friends for the duration of your training
• Clarity about your schedule, capacities, and other commitments so that you are sure you can make space for this training in your life

Dates & Times:

The year-long program consists of twelve weekends of 15 hours each beginning in January 2019 and ending in December 2019. There are study group gatherings and homework outside of class time. Students are required to attend 6 classes at SYA, observe 6 classes at SYA, and attend 3 classes at other studios throughout the course of the year. Plan on about two to six hours of outside class work a month.

2019 Weekend Dates:

• January 4-6
• February 1-3
• March 1-3
• April 5-7
• May 3-5
• June 7-9

Weekend schedule: (Each day includes breaks for walks and food!)

• Fridays – 1:30 to 7:30 pm
• Saturdays – 12:45 to 6:45 pm
• Sundays – 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Core Faculty: Denise Benitez, Beth Award, Ellen Boyle — all experienced teachers and teacher trainers

Denise Benitez loves books, dogs, water, movement, dancing, poetry, and the tropics. You’ll find her classes informed by anything from her latest movement fascination to Jungian psychology, all of it anchored by her passion for kinesthetic discovery and wise movement that is sound and effective. Yoga has provided a soul purpos