500 hr Yoga Teacher Training Certification

Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training

500-hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Training Certification Program

To be eligible for the 500-hour certification you will need to have already obtained a Yoga Alliance Certification at the 200-hour level, (from the Asheville Yoga Center or elsewhere).

Welcome

Are you craving a serious training in Yoga Therapy? Do you know how to adapt the practice for individual students’ needs? Are you comfortable in a one-to-one setting? What about group therapeutics? Maybe you have specific conditions in your own body that have yet to be addressed in a regular class-room setting? This training is designed to empower individuals in the deep understanding and healing of our mind, body and spirit.

Apply now - limited space, acceptance by application approval only

Contact aycnow@gmail.com with any questions you may have.

500hr Yoga Alliance Certification:
Pursuing this track requires 10 required weekends below, there will be extensive homework in between each weekend, involving phone conferences, emails, skype and student teaching, as well as a 5 day graduation week for final assessments and field trips, available only to the 500hr track. Students will also need to complete two of our 3 - 5 day modules (see below for options) to be eligible for a 500hr YA Certification with Advanced Training in Yoga Therapy through the Asheville Yoga Center.
$3400 (does not include required reading or additional two modules below)
Apply now- limited space, acceptance by application approval only.

DATES
Begins January 18th, 2013
Dates and Registration coming soon!

TWO ADDITIONAL MODULES REQUIRED FOR COMPLETION AT THE 500HR LEVEL, (please choose only two from the list below - must be completed through Asheville Yoga Center, or with Director’s approval)
* Prenatal/Postnatal
* Restorative
* Seniors Yoga
* Ayurveda and Yoga
* Therapeutics and Yoga
* Anatomy and Yoga

HOMEWORK:
Whether you decide for the 230hr or 500hr track, there will be required reading (books not included in pricing), papers to write, practice teaching hours to log, daily practice to journal.

EACH WEEKEND INCLUDES:

* Integrating asana, pranayama, bandhas, chanting, meditation, inquiry, yoga nidra, energy, use of props & restoratives, for a wide range of therapeutic conditions.
* Asana, meditation, and pranayama practice, as taught by our faculty, as well as student teaching.
* Comprehensive teaching skills including student assessment, hands on assisting, sequencing, pacing, thematic approaches, creativity.
* Compassionate support, tools and challenges to empower you as a yoga student to grow in your own practice, improving your ability to bring yoga and healing to others.
* Intimate setting with limited enrollment to facilitate a safe environment for learning, practice, and mentorship..
* Experiential exercises for confidence in guiding group classes, workshops, series and individualized yoga therapy sessions.
* Business, liability, and ethical boundaries made easy and clear, with motivational tools to help set up a professional yoga therapist practice.

Pre-requisites
1. Certificate from a 200hr YA program (doesn't have to be from Asheville Yoga)
2. Own and watch several times: Anatomy for Yoga DVD by Paul Grilley
(can buy at pranamaya.com)
3. Know your bones! You should be able to name all the bones from this diagram by heart on the first day of the course.
4. Read Yoga as Medicine by Yoga Journal and Timothy McCall   (one of our required reading texts). Then, write a one page paper: Pick 2 chapters between 8 - 27 from Yoga as Medicine, and write a chapter summary (1-2 paragraphs) and present 5 yoga poses a person with this condition could work on individually at home to ease any discomfort ,(cannot be same poses as presented in the chapter itself).  Needs to be emailed to stephkeach@gmail before first day of program.
5.  A current CPR certification by February 17, 2012 (first weekend of class).  Free instruction around the Asheville area through Red Cross.  Two year expiration on certification. Please bring your copy to be shown to instructor on the first day of class, (not earlier thanks).

Apply now - limited space, acceptance by application approval only

More Info

• Curriculum

  Yoga Foundations
  • history, philosophy
  • teachings from: Vedic and post Vedic periods, Samkhya, Yoga, Tantra, Ayurveda
  • Defining Yoga Therapy
  • current legislation around Yoga Therapy
  • Viniyoga tradition

  Yoga Philosophy
  • prana
  • apana
  • panca maya/panca kosha model
  • subtle anatomy
  • atma/ Brahma
  • purusha/prakrti
  • pañca maya (kosha)
  • Shiva/shakti
  • guna
  • duhkha
  • dharma/marga/bhakti
  • nature of the mind according to Patanjali
  • subtle anatomy: chakra/nadi and kundalini
  • dosha
  • ashrama (stages of life)
  

  Yoga Practices
  asana,
  pranayama
  relaxation
  meditation techniques
  bhavana
  mantra
  mudra.
  

  Yogic/Ayurvedic perspectives on health and disease
  • agni (digestive fire and its contribution to health)
  • prana vayu (movement of prana)
  • prana (inward and forward breath)
  • apana (out breath/ elimination)
  • vyana (circulation/distribution)
  • udana (speech, upward movement)
  • samana (digestion)
  • prana prakopa (disturbance of the vayu)
  • surya/ chandra (sun/moon)
  • brmhana/ langhana (expansion/contraction)
  • vyuha model:
  • heya (the symptoms)
  • hetu (the causes)
  • hana (the goal)
  • upaya (the tools)
  • Knowledge of categorizing illness including:
  • Trajectory, intensity, onset and duration and their influence on the ease and difficulty of healing and management.
  • Setting priorities e.g. shamana (pacification of symptoms - short term), shodhana- (purification/ strengthening-long term).
  

  Anatomy and Physiology
  Knowledge of the following and their relevance to the work of a Yoga therapist:
  • Anatomy and physiology including all major body systems and their interrelationships
  • Functional anatomy and kinesiology
  • The brain and functional neuro-anatomy

  Additional Biomedical Knowledge
  • Familiarity with common medical terminology.
  • Basic knowledge of commonly occurring patho-physiological conditions including symptoms, associated conditions, management, illness trajectories and contraindications.
  • Basic pharmacology
  • Familiarity with common surgical procedures and principles of pre and post surgical care as related to Yoga therapy.  
  • Using the yoga therapist as an adjunct to the PT and/or medical professional.
  • Knowledge of how to reference current information of the above.

  Yoga Psychology/mental health
  • Familiarity with models of human development including developmental stages, lifecycles and personality.
  • Basic knowledge of psychological concepts and terminology including mood, cognition, behavior, and personality as relevant to the work of a yoga therapist.
  • Basic knowledge of commonly occurring mental health conditions, their symptoms and common approaches/interventions – from psychological distress to psychiatric conditions – and their relationship to Yoga therapy.
  • Basic knowledge of how different familial, social, cultural, and religious backgrounds affect mental health.  

  Teaching and Therapeutic Skills
  • In depth knowledge of and observed capacity for well-developed communication skills: listening, presence, directive and non-directive dialog.
  • In depth knowledge of basic counseling methods and concepts
  • Demonstration of the ability to recognize, adjust and adapt to specific client/student needs in the evolving therapeutic relationship.
  • Demonstration of the ability to recognize and monitor transference, counter-transference and projection.
  • Knowledge of the limits of the scope of practice of Yoga Therapy.
  • Knowledge of how to assess the need for referral to professional counseling.
  • understand how people learn movements, and certainly how to progress a personalized program.)
  • In depth knowledge and the ability to use effective teaching methods, e.g.:
  • Adaptation to unique styles of learning: visual, auditory, kinesthetic
  • Implementation of effective teaching methods with regard to individual client/student needs
  • Supportive and effective feedback
  • effective listening skills
  • Considerations for effective progression
  • Coping with unique difficulties & successes
  • In depth knowledge and the ability to transmit the value of self-awareness and self-responsibility throughout the therapeutic process.
  • In depth knowledge and the ability to develop and adjust appropriate practice strategies with the client/student
  • Knowledge of and ability to design, implement, and evaluate programs for therapeutic groups
  • Management of group dynamics including:
  • communication skills
  • time management
  • establishing priorities
  • boundaries
  • Facilitating the process/practice for individual participants and/or unique populations.
  • Creating safe, empowering group experiences.    
  

  Business/Intake
  • Developing and Maintaining Therapeutic Relationships
  • The ability to orient the student to the yoga therapy process
  • The ability to foster trust by establishing an appropriate therapeutic environment through privacy, confidentiality and safety
  • Demonstration of effective client/student-centered communication based upon a respect for and sensitivity to familial, cultural, social, ethnic, and religious factors.
  • Demonstration of the ability to develop and utilize procedures for gathering and evaluating relevant objective and subjective information through:
  • Taking a medical history.
  • Lifestyle and psycho-social assessment, e.g., sleep, diet, social relationships, etc.
  • Observation (darshana), e.g., alignment, movement patterns, tension, breath, etc.
  • Touch (sparshana) e.g., pulse, palpation, feeling for heat, feeling for tension, etc.
  • Interaction (prashna), e.g., styles of communication (eye contact, boundaries, openness in disclosure of personal information)
  • Demonstrate the ability to elicit the goals and expectations of the client.
  • Demonstrate the ability to assess the client's willingness, readiness and capacity to practice, including level of self-awareness.
  • Demonstrate the ability to integrate information from the intake/evaluation and to develop a working idea or theory of the client's condition, limitations and possibilities.
  • Undertake necessary research on client's condition(s)
  • Determine which aspects of conditions/symptoms might be addressed through Yoga therapy
  • Identify priorities and set both short and long term goals with the client/student.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of pacification (shamana), purification, and strengthening
  (shodhana) strategies
  • Combine intake, evaluation and working theory to develop an appropriate strategy.
  • Negotiate specific aspects of practice with client/student, e.g. content, time and duration of practice.
  • Choose yoga tools and techniques.
  • Sequence, adapt, modify, select and evolve yoga practices.
  • Through instruction, demonstration, education and observation using multi-modal strategies (including auditory, visual, and kinesthetic)
  • By applying select principles from learning theory to the client/student interaction (moving from simple to complex)
  • By providing the client/student a means to remember and support their practice (auditory and visual tools)
  • By providing supportive strategies for the client/student to actively participate in their practice.
  • By witnessing and responding to client/student responses and reactions in the context of the session.
  • Demonstrate the ability to gather feedback, re-assess and refine the practice, short-term and long-term goals and priorities.
  • Demonstrate the ability to address new and changing conditions goals and priorities of the student/client and provide appropriate support.
  • Demonstrate the ability to provide appropriate closure for the therapy sessions.
  • In depth knowledge of Yoga practices and methods for self-inquiry
  • In depth knowledge of generally accepted ethical principles including health care codes and Yoga's ethical principles including yama and niyama
  • Demonstrate the ability to apply knowledge of generally accepted ethical principles and related concepts from the yoga tradition (i.e. yama and niyama) to professional interactions and relationships
  • Knowledge of the scope of practice for Yoga Therapy
  • Knowledge of the extent of one's own individual training, skills and experience in the field of Yoga Therapy and the importance of practicing within those parameters   
  • Legal, Regulatory and Business Issues Pertaining to Yoga Therapy
  • Knowledge of the relevant local, state, and national laws and regulations impacting the work of a Yoga Therapist
  • Knowledge of basic business practices relevant to the work of a Yoga Therapist including basic record keeping, planning, financial management
  • Basic knowledge of other healthcare fields and their potential role in and relevance to the work of a Yoga therapist
  • Knowledge of how to establish, maintain and utilize a referral network of peers and related health care practitioners and organizations
  • Familiarity with how to develop and maintain on-going collaborative relationships
  • Knowledge of the fundamental value of on-going personal practice, long-term mentorship and skill maintenance/ development through continuing education
  • Knowledge of when and how to seek advice and support for case consultation, educational advancement, and personal practice
  • Selfcare practices
  
  Apply Now

• How much does it cost?

  COST:
  Program tuition is $3400
  
  $500 deposit required.
  Half to full payment required before Feb. 17.
  
  You can pay the full balance of $2900
  or
  You can pay half the full balance of $1450.
  If you choose half, then your remaining balance of $1450 can be paid over the first five weekends, $290 per weekend
  
  You may pay by cash or check (preferred) or visa/mc.
  Apply Now

• What people are saying

  “I can never thank you enough not just for teaching me Yoga, but giving me hope through the practice to face this most difficult world.”
  -J. Blume, Kannapolis, NC
  
  I enjoyed the range of subjects covered and the way we tackled them, including other yoga instructors and their different styles. This kind of exposure probably wouldn't have occurred at other institutions”
  - N. Conrad, Cornelius, NC
  
  “Stephanie is a wise and wonderful teacher. She shares her vast knowledge of yoga and meditation in more than words, but in the mindfulness and compassion she imparts in every moment of interaction with her students.
  - E. Lang, Spartanburg, SC
  
  “I was in awe of the education I have received ....much deeper and more
  technical than anything I gained from Medical courses taken in the past.. thank you...Yoga is now my passion, my Life.”
  - S. Dulken, Fairview, NC
  

  many more reviews here

• Our Incredible Staff

  Please note that this is not all the staff. We've not included in this list our guest instructors. We host some of the biggest names in the yoga world. Some of the gifted teachers that show up at our studio and contribute to our 500 hour studies program are. Bryan Kest, David Swenson, Rod Stryker, Shakta Kaur Khalsa, David Keil, Doug Keller, Leslie Kaminoff, Amy Weintraub, David Williams, Gary Kraftsow, Cora Wen, Scott Blossom and many others.
  
  

  The Director

  Stephanie Keach RYA500, has been teaching Yoga since 1988. Originally from Santa Barbara, CA, she has studied with most of the top yoga teachers, including her favorites: Ana Forrest, Erich Schiffman, Rodney Yee, Rod Stryker and Bryan Kest. Her Zen -Buddhist background brings a meditative style to the class.

  Stephanie, owner and operator of the Asheville Yoga Center has produced the Flow Yoga video series and The Yoga Handbook. She currently teaches Flow Yoga classes, retreats, workshops and teacher trainings throughout the country. Stephanie resides in Asheville with her husband and three boys. Steph is so respected as a teacher because she is so down-to-earth, real and comfortable with herself. She is a master teacher, full of knowledge, experience and intuitive insight, well loved by many.

  Stephanie specializes in over-seeing the program so that everyone's needs are more than met and hearts are opened wide. She is the Yoga Mama Bear of AYC..

  ---

  Joe Taft
  Joe Taft is a certified Anusara Yoga instructor who has dedicated himself to the practice of yoga since 1997. His teaching style is approachable, lighthearted, uplifting and transformational. Joe interweaves Anusara’s life-affirming and heartfelt approach into his classes through myth, storytelling, Tantric philosophy and the wisdom gathered through his own life’s journey. He has completed hundreds of training hours with John Friend, Sianna Sherman and other senior Anusara instructors. Joe has a keen awareness of body biomechanics and a long history as a devoted athlete. He is an inspiration to yoga teachers and students alike.
  

  ---

  Shala Worsley
  Shala has a deep yoga practice and teaching style that reflects over 12 years of study. She invites students to cultivate the exploration of the physical and spiritual realms. As a teacher, Shala offers a blend of the benefits of yoga in the alignment traditions of Iyengar, and flowing aspects of Ashtanga and Vinyasa, always including therapeutic yoga, yin yoga, meditation, pranayama and yoga philosophy. She embodies a balanced sense of grace, delicate flow, and attention to detail - a direct result of her passion for practicing yoga in nature and our innate connection to the Earth and the Cosmos. She inspires the student to touch their own yogic soul, bringing asana practice to life from within. Shala currently lives in Asheville, NC, teaching at the Asheville Yoga Center and directing the Asheville School of Massage and Yoga. Shala will be teaching most of the training.

  ---

  

  Michael Johnson
  Since he can remember, Michael’s parents were his first and perfect Teachers in this life. In a way, everyone he meets continues to teach him perfectly by being examples of both how and how not to live. Among the many teachers who continue teach him, he has learned from Sri Swami Satchidananda, Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Sharon Gannon, David Life, Geshe Michael Roach, Lama Christie McNally, Lama Marut, Kimberley Theresa, and his beloved partner, Stephanie.

  It is his honor, privilege and hope to return the kindness that so many people have bestowed upon him, by teaching the highest practices of Yoga to all levels of practitioners… responsibly, joyfully, and in a way that will help others achieve their goals in this life and beyond.  

  ---

  Sierra Hollister
  (Ong Kar Kaur) is a devoted student of Yogi Bhajan and gladly answered his request for her to teach in Asheville. She has been teaching in Asheville since 1995. Sierra is certified in both Kundalini and Ashtanga. She has studied with many wonderful teachers over the years, including Gurucharan Singh Khalsa, Shakta Kaur Khalsa, Sarah Powers, David Swenson and Rajashri Choudhury over the years. True to the philosophy of Kundalini, Sierra believes that it is what you experience within during your practice that is of primary importance. It is her deepest hope to uplift others and restore them to the vitality, health and happiness that is their birthright.

  ---

  Cindy Dollar
  Since 1985 Cindy Dollar has supported her students in creating balance, strength, and flexibility in their bodies and in their lives through the practice of yoga. Warm, funny, and approachable, she creates a safe and respectful environment in which students explore their potential. As a student of Zen, Cindy mindfully incorporates this awareness practice into her yoga teaching. You’ll find that her expertise is readily apparent and her enthusiasm for yoga, contagious. Cindy teaches classes and offers private instruction in the Asheville area and leads workshops throughout the Southeast. The readers of Mountain Xpress voted her “Best Yoga Teacher in Western North Carolina” for three consecutive years. A certified Junior Intermediate I Iyengar Yoga instructor, Cindy travels regularly to India to study at the Iyengar Institute. In the US, she studies and practices with senior teachers and attends a weeklong retreat each year led by Patricia Walden. Cindy is a contributing writer to New Life Journal and is the co-author of Yoga Your Way, which was released by Lark Books in December 2004.
  (www.cindydollar.com)

  ---

  Jim Biddle, MD
  Nutrition and Alternative Medicine
  Jim graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine in 1989 and completed his residency in Internal Medicine in Portland, Oregon in 1992.  He specializes in "Integrative Medicine," combining the best of conventional and complementary approaches.  Dr. Biddle is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and is certified in Chelation Therapy.  He is a member of the American College of Physicians and the American College for Advancement in Medicine.  Dr. Biddle has also been certified in hypnotherapy, massage therapy, and Reiki.  In addition, Dr. Biddle is a member of Earthaven (http://www.earthaven.org), a permaculture community building toward a sustainable society that nurtures both humans and the earth.
  (docbiddle.com)

  ---

  Marion Stone
  Marion was introduced to the Rolf Method of Structural Integration and became a certified practitioner in 1996. She completed an Associate’s Degree in Nursing from A-B Tech College and a Certification for Yoga Instruction from the Asheville Yoga Center in 1999. Students will learn about the human body through her hands-on experiential teaching style.

  ---

  Libby Hinsley
  Libby Hinsley, PT, RYT 500, received her 200 and 500 hour yoga teaching certifications from the Asheville Yoga Center. She began her study of yoga in 1998 and has been teaching since 2005. She has taught in a variety of settings and for a wide variety of student populations. She values teachings from many traditions, including Vinyasa flow, mindfulness meditation, Yin, Iyengar, and Anusara. In 2008 she had the fortunate opportunity to study at the Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai, India in the tradition of Krishnamacharya and Desikachar. Since that time, she has focused her study on therapeutic yoga in the Viniyoga tradition. Libby believes that the magic of yoga lies in its most fundamental teachings, and begins with a deep awareness of breath. In her classes, she hopes to lead students inward to discover the perfection of body and spirit that is already, and always, present. She teaches weekly classes and components of the Asheville Yoga Center’s Teacher Training programs, and teaches yoga at the Asheville School of Massage and Yoga. In 2011, she completed her training as a Physical Therapist at Western Carolina University, and currently works as a PT at Physical Therapy and Back Clinic of Leicester.

  ---

  Vishnu Dass (NTS, LMT, CAyu)
  started studying Ayurveda in 1992 under the guidance of Dr. Vasant Lad, world renowned Ayurvedic physician and teacher. Vishnu was one of the first students to successfully graduate from both the Advanced Studies and the Clinical Program at the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque, NM. He was also trained and worked at the Panchakarma Department of the Institute under Dr. Lad's supervision. Vishnu is also a graduate of the New Mexico School of Natural Therapeutics in Albuquerque, MN. He had previously studied with herbalist Michael Tierra at the American School of Herbalism in Santa Cruz, CA. He is a former Board Member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA) and was granted a Lifetime Professional Membership for his service to that Board. He has been in clinical practice for over 12 years, treating people of all ages. He is a highly skilled herbalist who specializes in both the treatment and prevention of disease, including digestive disorders, skin diseases, allergies, arthritis, auto immune diseases, liver disorders, diabetes, hypertension, and many other chronic and severe conditions.
  bluelotusayurveda.com

top