Your Yoga Teacher Training
500-hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Training Certification Program and Advanced Studies
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
This is our classic 500 hr program, that we have offered since 2005. We now offer it in two formats though.
One Month Immersion
Complete an entire 500 hour certification in as little as a month.
Full details here>
Original Module Format
This program is built around the idea of modules. You get to choose the modules that most interest you and the ones that best fit your schedule. This path can be completed in as little as 12 months. Details below.
What are modules? Modules in short are events around a specific aspect of yoga. They are anywhere from 2-7 days long generally, often a 3 day weekend. Modules are taught either by one of our experienced staff members or an international yoga teacher. We bring some of the biggest names in the industry to our studio and programs. You decide which particular module you take, at what time and taught by whom. There are required modules you need to take and some that are left up to your choice or concentration. Modules are generally open to the public as well, so you will be joined by experienced teachers as well as aspiring enthusiasts. Modules can be taken by someone not going after a 500 hour certification, though if they decide later to pursue the 500hr certification, they can retroactively include the modules they've already taken.
To earn the 500-hour certification, you need to complete all
the required modules listed below within five years. The modules are offered primarily in Asheville.
Required
Please note each of the first 9 modules below are required.
- Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga
- Yin Yoga
- Meditation and Yoga
- Restorative Yoga
- Anatomy and Yoga
- Yoga Sutras
- Ayurveda and Yoga
- Therapeutics and Yoga
- Vinyasa Yoga
One of the following two are required (if you choose both then one will count as your elective below)
One elective is required. This is an ever changing list. You are choosing this elective to represent your interest in teaching yoga/ this workshop should ultimately be reflected in your teaching style. You will find details for these programs on our events page.
- Please email aycnow@gmail.com for any transfer credits
- Contact us for a current list of electives aycnow@gmail.com
More Info
- If I have taken a few of these courses in the past already can those count?
- How much does it cost?
- 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
- 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 DirectorStephanie 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 week long retreat each year led by Patricia Walden. Cindy is a contributing writer to New Life Journal and is the coauthor 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
Contact aycnow@gmail.com with any questions you may have.Application Process
(By acceptance only)
To apply fill out and submit form below, then use one of the links below the form to pay a deposit or in full.
Register and Pay $50 application feeThank you. Thank you. I loved every minute of the program. It has challenged me, strengthened me and opened my heart! No complaints. I feel well-prepared, though I know I will never stop learning. –Live in Total Yoga Graduate
"Thank you and Peace. I've learned so much about myself during this course. I feel it has just been the beginning of a life's work. The seeds were planted long ago now the sun of Yoga has warmed them to sprout and grow. I loved all the reading. Every weekend was challenging and rewarding. I never felt as if my time was being wasted. All the instructors were patient kind and knowledgeable I love learning about and being exposed to so many different aspects of Yoga.–C. Eberhardt.
Thank you! all my teachers! You inspire me to always be present and true. I realize that the hard work will never end, I rejoice in the work and learning ahead.–Jackson Drew Whisnant
The most amazing thing I've ever done!!! (besides Burning Man!)–(on the Total Yoga Immersion) Meredith Nelson-Wray
Immersion with Stephanie was life changing!–Kim McMurray
"I love how you incorporate all aspects of Yoga into the training: History, philosophy, reading, pranayama, meditation, asana, self-exploration, chanting, play.. I also love how you bring in so many different teachers so we are exposed to many different and affective styles. Thank you for a great experience!"–Live in Total Yoga Graduate
These last months have been beyond my wildest dreams - Yoga has become my passion. My life! I was in awe of the education I have received..much deeper and more technical than anything I gained from medical coursed I have taken in the past. I am thankful for all the knowledge and compassion that has been passed on to me through such beautiful people and I am grateful and thankful for them all. This has been quite a humbling experience for me. Stephanie, thanks for your love, support, your gifts, your wonderful storytelling, sharing yourself with us and all your hard work!.–S. Dulken
Teacher training with Steph: Thirty bodies bathed in sweat. Windows completely steamed pull the shade on the outside world. "It's not the pose. It's the journey" has become my mantra.–Sky Bridges
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