FACULTY

Anamargret Sanchez: Director
Manorama
Rolf Sovik Psy.D
Ed Danaher
Dwarka Prasad
Katrin Loveland
David Keil
Gurbani Kaur

This year Prana Yoga welcomes Rolf Sovik Head of The Himalayan Institute who will unlock the mysteries of meditation, “The Bhagavad Gita” and Patanjali’s “Yoga Sutra” to our faculty. For more information on Rolf please visit www.HimalayanInstitute.org

CURRICULUM

Yogic Philosophy ~ Laying The Foundation The philosophy portion of our curriculum is based on readings and discussions of ancient yoga texts. (Training hours are counted as contact and non-contact under this section).

The sage Patanjali first recorded the core principles and philosophies of the science of yoga thousands of years ago in the form of the text called “The Yoga Sutras”. We use this text and “The Bhagavad Gita”, as well as the study of Tantric philosophy which changes consciousness through the energetic use of prana. Discussions focus on distillation of core yogic philosophies and their application to everyday life as well as methods of communicating these ideas to our students. We study the eight limbs of yoga, examining our asana practice in relation to moral discipline, the quality of our breath, being present, concentration and meditation. Group discussions invite trainees to explore their own connection to the teachings and examine the integration of yogic philosophy into their everyday lives.

Asana (postures) ~ Building Your Practice We begin this journey by examining Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutations) A and B proceeding to other components of a well-rounded safe yoga class such as standing poses, balancing, inversions, backbends, twists, forward bends, restorative and finally Relaxation (Savasana). We present the physical practice of yoga through in-depth examinations of these poses and class sequences. Our training highlights alignment principles, breath patterns and the physiological / energetic benefits of each asana. We also demonstrate modifications for students with special needs. We recognize the unique history each student brings to his or her yoga class. We remind our trainees to give their students a balance of personal attention and space, allowing them to develop their own relationship to the practice.

Pranayama ~ (Breath Control) and Meditation Pranayama and meditation are excellent tools for reducing anxiety and stress and are essential for spiritual growth and changing consciousness. In this module of our program trainees learn that the body is just the beginning and how pranayama and meditation advance us to the next level of our practice. We learn the physiological benefits of these exercises and explore safe methods to integrate them into our practice. Dwarka Prasad (Juan Meza) has been teaching yoga, pranayama and meditation for the last 45 years and brings us these teachings directly from his Guru ~Yogi Gupta (Swami Kailashananda) a great sage from India who in 1954 was one of the first teachers to bring these teachings to the west. He is also known for authoring two of the first textbooks in the practice of yoga. Dwarka guides trainees through multiple workshops teaching the proper techniques for pranayama (yogic breathing) and meditation. We also learn the physiological benefits of these exercises and explore safe methods to integrate them into our practice.

Ayurveda ~ Science of Life The word Ayurveda is a Sanskrit term meaning "science of life". Ayu means "life" and Veda means "science or knowing". The sister sciences of Yoga, Tantra and Ayurveda were developed together more than 5,000 years ago and have repeatedly influenced one another throughout history. This portion of our training focuses on the combined study of Yoga and Ayurveda and how both sciences work together to enhance every aspect of a human being: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. We will learn basic principles of Ayurveda such as our individual constitutions (doshas) and the concept of the rishis, that consciousness is energy manifested into the five elements (ether, air, fire, water and earth) and how these principles are universally applicable to each of us. Ed Danaher is Head of the Panchakarma Dept. at The Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, Nm. He has worked with Dr. Vasant Lad head of the institute and leading Ayurvedic physician in the world today for the past 20 years. For more info please visit www.Ayurveda.com

Sanskrit ~ (Language of Yoga) Sanskrit is the ancient language of yoga. Sanskrit is a pure vibrational language over 5000 years old and is the mother of all Proto Indo-European languages.

WHAT THE STUDENTS LEARN:

• All five mouth positions (an asana dance in the mouth)
• All the sounds of the Sanskrit Alphabet
• How to read the Devanagari script
• Difference between resonant and non-resonant sounds & their meaning in Sanskrit
• How breath relates to sound - alpa prana & maha prana
• Introduction to the Yoga of Sound - Nada Yoga
• Indepth discussion on 'Om' or AUM - Brahma Vishnu Shiva etc.
• How Sanskrit & Yoga relate
• What is Mantra? Why is Sanskrit the original language of mantra?
• Pronunciation & chanting of select mantras & asana pose names.
• Plus: FAQ's regarding Sanskrit and its relation to mantra, yoga, language in general, pronunciation etc.

This module of our training is taught by Manorama (Thea D'Alvia) considered to be one of the leading Sanskrit teachers in the world today who also holds a degree in linguistics from Columbia University. Manorama is a direct disciple of Shri Brahmananda Saraswati (Dr.Ramamurti Mishra) an Indian Sage and also one of the first teachers to bring yoga to the west as well as one of the first authors of many famous textbooks on the subject of yoga. Dr. Mishra had a PhD. in Sanskrit was a brain surgeon and had further done research in endocrinology, modern psychology and other braches of medicine in Europe, India and the U.S. Dr. Mishra founded Ananda Ashram in upstate New York. For more information on Manorama please visit www.sanskritstudies.org

Anatomy and Physiology Gross and Subtle ~ The Body as a Unit Through intensive workshops, students learn the principles of physical and subtle anatomy and the action of these anatomies in their yoga practice. Trainees are presented with accessible teachings that incorporate asana and emphasize experiential learning. These teachings begin with an overview of the dynamics and systems of the physical body and are then followed by the introduction to the location and function of the nadis, charkas and bandhas .Subtle anatomy teachings emphasize the relationships between the subtle anatomy and the emotional psychic bodies.

David Kiel is a leading yoga anatomy teacher and teaches in teacher training programs around the world. For more info on David please visit www.yoganatomy.net Gurbani Kaur teaches Kundalini Yoga at Prana Yoga and is a valuable addition to our teacher training faculty.

Certified Iyengar teacher Katrin Loveland teaches us alignment, inversions and restrorative yoga.

Prenatal Yoga is taught by Maria Auday, Prana Yoga teacher and direct student of Swami Kailashananda of Rishikesh, India.

Practicum
This module of our training incorporates all principles learned throughout the training with final emphasis on:

• Class sequencing
• Teacher presence
• Relaxation techniques
• Importance of a daily asana, meditation, pranayama practice as a teacher
• Continuing education
• Teaching Ethics
• And more.

The program culminates teaching in a group setting giving trainees an opportunity to teach classes to their classmates at different intervals working their way up to a 90-minute class. We give the trainees opportunities to synthesize the teachings and discuss fears, concerns or ideas about presenting the material. Throughout the program, trainees are also required to observe and assist teachers at our center exposing them to a variety of teaching styles.

Training
Classes are held on Saturdays with alternating Fridays and Sundays. Several weekends will consist of all three days. Required classes in addition to training hours may be taken at your convenience.

Tuition: $2,800

All materials and classes included.

• Graduation Requirements:
• Completion of all required asana, meditation and pranayama classes within the 12- week period, ideally taking three to four classes per week.
• Attendance to all workshops. This is mandatory as some instructors are flown in specifically for this training.
• Observation of led classes at the Prana Yoga Center.
• Assisting teachers in classes at the Prana Yoga Center.
• Completion of five hours of karma Yoga (selfless service).
• Approximately 50 hours of independent study, reading and homework, including the completion of a report based on The Bhagavad Gita.
• Before beginning this training students will be required to start a daily 5 minute meditation practice and keep a journal.
• Final Exam

For a complete list of instructor bios please refer to the "Teachers Bios" page on our website www.pranayogamiami.com

Please note* we do not recommend applying for our training unless you have taken classes at Prana Yoga. It is important for you to have previously experienced the style of yoga you will learn in this program.

To ensure interest and dedication to the program, applicants must have been practicing yoga consistently for at least one year.

All applicants will be required to fill out an application and complete an interview process before acceptance into the program.