November 30th: $875
Fees are payable when due. Continuation in the program may be suspended for non-payment of fees.
Refund policy: Withdrawal from program up to November 30th 2011: 50% of unused fees paid are refundable excluding initial deposit. Withdrawal after November 30th: no refunds. Fees are not transferable. Non-refunded fees are held as a credit but for no later than December 31, 2012.
Workshops: Attend 10 workshops each workshop is 17 hours. Workshops are structured as Friday evening – through Saturday and Sunday.
Workshop Dates and Times:
Times: Friday evening: 6 – 9pm
Saturdays: 8:30am – 5pm (1 hour break for lunch)
Sundays: 9am – 5pm (1 hour break for lunch)
Dates:
2011:
September 23 – 25
November: 25-27
2012:
January 13 – 15
Feb: 24-26
April: 27-29
June: 1-3
September: 21-23
December 7-9
January 18 - 20
February 15-17
Classes and Internship class requirement:
Classes: Class at your level: 43 classes
Internship class: 43 classes – can be beginner or experienced. A minimum of 23 internship classes must be with Paola di Paolo. A minimum of 23 personal classes must be with Paola di Paolo. The additional 20 internship and 20 personal classes can be with Paola di Paolo or with a teacher of your choice provided he/she is certified for a minimum of 200 hours and is pre-approved by Paola di Paolo.
Intensive: There will be 2 intensives offered during the year. Participation in at least one intensive is required. Each intensive is 3 days:
Dates:
December 27-29, 2011: Hours for each day: 8am – 6pm
August 17-19 2012. Hours for each day: 8am - 6pm
Practicum: Teach a minimum of 35 hours of classes during the course. Record lesson plans, curriculum for a term, reflection on what could be improved, and what went well in your teaching.
Personal practice: daily practice of yoga, pranayama, meditation
Assignments:
There are 2 minor assignments and 1 major one. The minor assignments include questions relating to anatomy, philosophy of teaching, the role of the teacher, curriculum, teaching goals. Assignments must be handed in when due.
Major Assignment: Independent study and seminar presentation. Select an aspect of yoga teaching of interest to you. You may select your topic from the fields of anatomy, teaching a specific population; philosophy. Ensure your topic is pre-approved prior to beginning research. Critical thought and independent research are required. Requirements: primary sources, independent research, 25 pages minimum, double spaced, 12 point font.
Assessment: Assessment is made by the faculty regarding the trainee’s understanding and integration of course material. Mere completion of the assignments, class and workshop hours does not guarantee certification.
Pre-requisite: Successful completion of a 200-hour teacher training program registered with the Yoga Alliance, USA; daily yoga practice; attendance of hatha yoga classes at Four Directions Yoga Studio or with Paola di Paolo at other studios; faculty interview.
Faculty:
Paola di Paolo has been practicing yoga since 1983 and has been involved in teacher training since 1999. She has been certified to teach yoga through Esther Myers Yoga Studio, the Federation of Ontario Yoga Teachers, 3HO for Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan. She is a Registered Yoga Teacher (500 hours) with the Yoga Alliance, USA. She has a wealth of experience teaching both Hatha and Kundalini Yoga. Inspired by her teacher, Esther Myers, Paola encourages students to develop a deeper yoga practice by exploring the organic connection between grounding, breathing and releasing into the poses. She brings her years of experience in training students to become mindful and confident yoga teachers. Paola is interested in the process whereby teachers communicate their yogic awakenings or experiences to a group of students. She is currently on the faculty for teacher training at Esther Myers Yoga Studio. Paola teaches yoga students and teachers in south and central Ontario.
Curriculum:
Anatomy: Our course provides a detailed approach to understanding anatomy of the human body for yoga teachers: consideration of the postures, the natural movements of the body into the postures, alignment for specific bodies. For example, we will consider a detailed study of various spinal alignments ie lordotic spines, kyphotic spines, scoliotic spines. We will explore the safe and most beneficial ways of practicing postures given these different scenarios of the spine. This similar approach will include be applied to the anatomy of the knee, and pelvis. We will also consider the anatomical changes as we age and how yoga can be adapted for an aging population.
Philosophy: We will consider the ancient yogic texts such as Patanjali’s sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, the Dhammapada, and Upanishads. We will consider the ideas presented in these texts relating to metaphysical undestanding of the nature of being, reflection on death and dying, ethics, the nature of knowledge (epistemology). We explore the philosophic nature and assumptions of contemporary yoga philosophy and ethics.
Teaching Skills: How to keep our teaching fresh, new, and inspired. Developing a deeper understanding of what it means to teach yoga, the role of a yoga teacher and scope of practice. How our teaching changes and evolves as we change ourselves. We will consider and explore using teaching skills we may not have been adept in using. We will explore our own curriculum and develop reflective skills to allow us to be more effective teachers. Develop hands on assisting ability, as well as the ability to teach advanced postures without actually having to do them.
Your experience: Asana, pranayama, meditation: Who is teaching? When we engage in our own personal practice as yoga teachers we are meeting ourselves in the present moment. This course will give you an opportunity to develop and appreciate the depth and grounding that comes from a personal yoga and meditation practice. When we allow ourselves to explore our own experience with acceptance and fearlessness, we deepen our awareness. When we teach from this space our teaching is authentic, mindful, intuitive, and helpful for our students on many levels.
Reading List:
Anatomy:
The Physiology of the Joints, Volume 3: The Spinal Column, Pelvic Girdle and Head by I. A. Kapandji
Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff
Philosophy:
If you already have copies of the Yoga Sutra by Patanjali and the Upanishads please continue to use the copies you have.
If you do not have these books already, the following are recommended:
Light on the Yoga Sutras by Patanjali, by B Iyengar
The Upanishads, Eknath Easwaran
