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.
Training starts Feb. 1, 2025. Join us for one of our Free Info Sessions!
- 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
- Attend all training modules
- Attend at least 50 Yoga Garden classes during the course of the training
- Observe and report on two public Yoga Garden classes
- Assist and adjust students in two public Yoga Garden classes
- Teach a final practice class
- Successfully complete all written exams
2025 Schedule:
Our next 200-hr. training takes place from February to June, 2025. We meet about every other Saturday and Sunday from 12:30-5:30.
Program Dates:
Feb. 1 & 2
Feb. 8 & 9
Feb. 22 & 23
Mar. 1 & 2
Mar. 15 & 16
Mar. 29 & 30
Apr. 5 & 6
Apr. 12 & 13
Apr. 26 & 27
May 3 & 4
May 17 & 18
Free Info Sessions:
Sundays, 12:30-1:30pm
Jan. 19
(Training Starts Feb. 1)
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:
$3,250 (if paid in full by Jan. 31, 2025)
A payment plan option is also available. $3,450, three payments of $1,150 to be paid Jan. 31, Mar. 1, and Apr. 1, 2025.
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.
teacher training application form
Please contact Mark directly for more information:
610.909.7300 or email mark@yogagardenphilly.com
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.
