200-hour teacher training
200 hours that will transform your life! To become a yoga teacher is more than just learning how to teach. A certified yoga teacher needs to understand the physical and philosophical depths of yoga.
The Yoga Garden has conducted yoga teacher certification programs for over ten years. We base our approach on up-to-date teaching techniques, medically-informed physical practices and a proven understanding of what it takes to shine as a teacher.
We look forward to working with you to develop your own unique identity as a yoga teacher.
Our Next Training Starts January 10, 2026.
This is your training!
During the Yoga Garden's 200-hour Teacher Training you will study:
- Asana, alignment and modifications
- Physical anatomy and assists
- Sequencing for dynamic and safe classes
- Teaching to specialized populations
- Yoga philosophy
- Meditation, Pranayama and Subtle Body
- Sanskrit and chanting
- Ayurveda and nutrition
- Finding your voice as a teacher
- Teaching yoga as a career
2026 Schedule:
Our next 200-hr. training takes place from January 10 through May 31, 2026. We meet every other Saturday and Sunday from 12:30-5:30.
2026 Program Dates:
Jan. 10 & 11
Jan. 24 & 25
Feb. 7 & 8
Feb. 21 & 22
Mar. 7 & 8
Mar. 21 & 22
Apr. 4 & 5
Apr. 18 & 19
May 2 & 3
May 16 & 17
May 30 & 31
Free Info Sessions:
Sundays, 12:30-1:30pm
June 22
July 20
(Summer Early Bird Pricing through July 31 - Save $200)
August 17
September 14
(Fall Early Bird Pricing through September 30 - Save $100)
October 12
November 16
December 14
(Training starts January 10)
Program Requirements:
- Attend all training modules
- Attend at least 50 Yoga Garden classes
- Observe and report on two Yoga Garden classes
- Assist and adjust a fellow trainee in two Yoga Garden classes
- Teach a final practice class
- Successfully complete all written exams
Perks and Benefits:
You may attend unlimited yoga classes at the Yoga Garden for the duration of the program. Your unlimited membership also gives you free mat storage and discounts on supplies and workshops. After the training, we regularly invite past graduates to attend free refresher sessions to keep your skills sharp.
Yoga Alliance Certification:
Upon successful completion of all program requirements, teacher training graduates will receive their 200-hour Yoga Alliance recognized certificate of completion. This allows you to grow as a teacher and to pursue additional certifications and specializations.
Reading List:
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, translated by Edwin F. Bryant
The Bhagavad Gita, translated by Eknath Easwaran
The Key Muscles of Yoga, by Ray Long
The Devimahatmya, by Devadatta Kali
Pricing:
$3,150 Summer Early Bird (if paid in full by July 31, 2025)
$3,250 Fall Early Bird (if paid in full by September 30, 2025)
$3,350 Standard Enrollment (if paid in full by January 10, 2026)
A payment plan option is also available. $3,450, three payments of $1,150 to be paid Dec. 31, Jan. 31, and Feb. 28.
Required Experience:
Two years’ regular practice in yoga asana. Attend classes in person at the Yoga Garden with Mark and let him know you're interested in this program.
Please contact Mark directly for more information:
610.909.7300 or email mark@yogagardenphilly.com
Testimonials from past graduates
Phenomenal school - I’ve been to many over the years living in Philly and The Yoga Garden studio is the best, hands down. The learnings you gain and growth you achieve and relationships you build there with the teachers are what make its diversity of classes so valuable. - Rebecca
Excellent instruction especially with how to format a class setting. Words to use in cues, anatomy knowledge, kindness and philosophy. - Eileen
Yoga Garden's program provides a strong foundation in both the physical asanas and the underlying philosophy of yoga. I feel so lucky to have found this program and have benefited from the community created by both the program and the studio itself. - Adrienne
The Yoga Garden training was everything I could have dreamed of and more. The studio space itself is always impeccably clean and relaxing, all the yoga instructors and front desk staff are welcoming and kind, and I found the windows looking out above Narberth to be very grounding. Mark is an exceptional teacher - patient, kind, and always willing to break down concepts and ideas into bite-sized pieces. He truly wants you to succeed and grow in your own practice. To me, there is no other place to consider getting your certificate! The Yoga Garden is simply the best. - Danielle
What makes a good teacher training program?
Teacher Training goes so far beyond learning how to teach. It’s a rare opportunity to explore the key aspects of yoga in a structured, guided environment. Far more than just taking more workshops and classes, a training curriculum puts the pieces together in an organized, systematic way.
The 200–hour vinyasa yoga training at the Yoga Garden combines the most essential elements of a traditional yoga lineage with modern, scientifically-informed insights as to how yoga can benefit us in our daily lives. We honor the philosophical and energetic traditions of yoga through a deep study of the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and the Devimahatmya, where you'll learn lessons that apply as much to your daily life as to your teaching skills. We continue the oral tradition of yoga through storytelling and skills development in public speaking. We take the time to learn the Sanskrit names of the asana with all the colorful imagery and cultural richness they contain. And then we bring all of that up to date in a modern, evolving world where facts matter and a medically-informed understanding of how bodies work allows us to create a practice that is as healthy as it is sustainable over time.
Teacher training is about learning in community. Through diversity and variety of thoughts, backgrounds and experiences, new ideas come forth. At the Yoga Garden, we seek to make our teacher training groups inclusive and to honor different cultural traditions and personal expressions. We've experienced firsthand how the mixing of traditions and viewpoints enlivens the learning for all of us.
Over the many months and weekends of a teacher training program, the transformation in our trainees is visible. We see connections being formed between them, confidence in opening up and expressing themselves, formulating clear lesson plans and how they present them, not to mention the depth of knowledge about yoga.
So, if you’re considering a teacher training program, ask yourself what you’re looking for. If your goals go beyond simply learning how to teach a well-organized class, you’ll need a program that offers depth, diversity, updated information as well as a respect for the traditional origins of the practice. You’ll want a teaching method and a framework that gives you the knowledge to truly take your yoga to a new level and apply it out in the world.
