Our Yoga Teacher Training programs take you to the spiritual heart of the practice
GOA YOGA TEACHER TRAINING
Integrated approach
Learn how to teach both Hatha and Vinyasa yoga, and integrate alignment principles into a mindful Vinyasa Flow
Find your own voice
You can only teach what you know, so we give you the skills to teach from your own experience and practical knowledge
Personal attention
We teach in small groups to give you the personal attention you deserve for maximum learning
The training is truly transformative – you’ll experience an authentic process that encourages you to look at your own reality, takes you deeper in your own practice, and gives you the skills to teach yoga.
This is a DOGMA FREE training with interesting, innovative teachers, all of whom are serious yoga practitioners with global reputations:
- Heather Elton (Asana & Yoga Philosophy)
- Nuria Reed (Vinyasa Flow)
- David Keil Online Anatomy Course
- And Guest Teachers
For more information about our teachers, visit our Yoga Teacher Training Faculty page.
Space is limited to 16 students.
We encourage you to apply early to ensure a place on the program.
The course is accredited by Yoga Alliance USA (200+ hours).
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
This 200-hour Teacher Training will provide you with a solid foundation for your yoga practice. It involves intense study of asana technique, yoga adjustments, assists & prop use, applied anatomy, sequencing asanas, yoga philosophy and practicum to practice teaching yoga, including creating a class.
The Practice
- Develop a skilful and varied asana practice, which is the starting place for an authentic yogic inquiry – a practice that moves beyond a mere physical experience to make it relevant to real life.
- Study BKS Iyengar inspired alignment principles and develop precise technique to avoid injury.
- Explore the ‘inner/outer’ techniques of yoga – breath/bandhas/dristi – that tie poses together into a seamless ‘moving meditation’ and reveal the spiritual path underlying the practice.
- Learn basic teaching points essential to each asana.
- Learn how to teach restorative yoga to nourish the body and reduce anxiety.
- Practise basic pranayama and meditation.
- Be able to make an informed decision about what aspects of yoga you like, what you want to practise and teach.
Applied Anatomy & Biomechanics of Movement
- Applied anatomy for yoga asana
- Learn yoga anatomy and techniques to break down ‘peak poses’ so you can teach ‘workshop style’.
- Learnhow to teach yoga safely and make it accessible for everyone.
- Understand basic anatomy and safe alignment so you can prevent injuries in your students and yourself.
Adjustment clinic
- Get hands-on experience with adjustments and props, to prepare you for working with all body types.
- Learn to develop observations skills to ‘read’ bodies and do hands on adjustments
- Learn skilful use props and modifications to make yoga accessible to everyone.
- Learn to guide the student’s physical body and breath to provide stability and equanimity in the pose.
- Study the Vinyasa of Touch, and the power of intention, to release patterns of emotional holding in the body.
Yoga Philosophy
- Study the history of yoga and Integrate yoga philosophy into your teachings and personal practice.
- Hindu, Buddhist and contemporary yogic philosophy are taught in a way that lifts it ‘off the page’ and ‘off the mat’.
- Have an overview of ancient yoga thought and the roots of modern postural yoga.
- Discuss current ideas in contemporary yoga like Neo-liberalism, Cultural Appropriation, Post-Colonialism and Gender Issues in Yoga.
- Yoga philosophy is not just an academic lesson, but a yogic inquiry relevant to real life.
- We aim to reveal the spiritual path underlying the practice so you can glimpse your true nature –Purusha (pure consciousness).
- Begin a genuine spiritual practice.
How to teach
- We want you to learnhow to teach yoga, so we’ve built extra hours into our Practicum module.
- Rather than memorise some other teacher’s Vinyasa sequence, we want you have the knowledge and confidence to create your own yoga class.
- Build movement vocabularies and learn the Art of Sequencing vinyasa flow
- Work in groups and individually to create Vinyasa Flow sequences.
- Watch and give demonstrations of asanas, adjustments and Vinyasa Flow sequences.
- Give clear instructions and refine your verbal cues to communicate effectively.
- Watch videos of your demos and get valuable feedback from teachers and colleagues.
- How to teach a private client
WHAT WE BELIEVE
- Yoga is an ancient science that uses the body and breath to penetrate the mind and liberate us from suffering. Yoga is the path to enlightenment – Moksha.
- While there are many different authentic paths of Hatha yoga, we believe that they merge into ONE essential teaching that uses the body and the breath to liberate ourselves from suffering.
- Asana gives you freedom physically from illness and disease.
- Pranayama frees you from your regular breath and makes the pranic body vibrant and subtle.
- Meditation prepares an unstable and distracted mind for the inner limbs of yoga.
- We aim to give you the highest skills possible to teach and reveal the spiritual path underlying the practice so you can glimpse your true nature – Purusha (pure consciousness.)
- We want you to live the yogic reality – and to take the practice off the mat, integrate the knowledge into your life and share it with others.
- Deciding to teach yoga should not be a career move. It should be a sincere calling deep within your heart.
- Yoga Teacher Training is an investment in the future. Being an inspired and excellent teacher involves much more than getting a certificate. It requires dedication, discipline and years of continuous practice.
- You must also have a true desire to serve others in order to communicate to your students the true essence of yoga. Establishing yourself as a teacher is a journey of many steps: start your journey here and become the teacher or practitioner you aspire to be.
WHERE IT IS
There’s no better place than India – with its 5,000-year-old tradition of spiritual practice – to do your Yoga Teacher Training. India breathes this knowledge and supports your spiritual practice.
An immersion style teacher training course allows you to study away from the distractions and responsibilities of regular life, so you can dedicate yourself full time to the yoga practice.
Devaraya Wellness is an internationally-acclaimed venue, purpose-built for yoga, situated on Mandrem Beach in North Goa. It is a peaceful venue with comfortable guest rooms and ensuite bathrooms. Indian cuisine is made from fresh organic local produce. Devaraya provides the ideal environment where all your needs are taken care of, so you can focus on your inner journey, really live the practice, and feel what it’s like to be a real yogi.
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
"Deeply impressed by the care and attention"
“I am deeply impressed by the care and attention that Heather has put into this TTC. She goes out of her way to ensure that the students benefit from as many experiences as are available in Goa to help round us as teachers and yoga practitioners, inviting in guest speakers who are passing through the area, arranging trips to chanting and ceremonies, or bringing in people with different body types to morning practice to help us learn to adjust them.
I’d not really considered the importance of doing a YTT that is ‘non-dogmatic’ before I applied, but having completed this training I see that having the opportunity to absorb history and information about the many paths of yoga without the inference that there is a wrong or right one to choose, or that one is ‘better’ than the other, is fundamental to the process of self-exploration that true yoga offers.
The setting is beautiful. The teachers are deeply knowledgable and so wonderfully willing to share their passion for the subject and their decades of experience.
My own practice transformed as a result of the experience, as a hard-core Ashtangi, who often pushed my body beyond its limits, I am now softer and more compassionate towards myself and as a result towards others. Some of the other students who came with soft gentle practices have discovered strength and endurance they didn’t know was inside them. I have emerged from this experience with a deeper understanding of yoga, myself, others, and some friends I will treasure for many years to come.” – Jennifer Crowther
"More than I could have imagined"
“Thank you for an unbelievable Yoga Teacher Training experience! Before I selected your TTC in Goa, I did extensive research as I had many items that were important to me. I wanted to have excellent meals; the food was plentiful and better than I could imagine. I wanted the atmosphere to be comfortable; Satsanga was safe, comfortable, peaceful and very beautiful.
But more importantly, I wanted to immerse myself in all aspects of yoga and saturate myself with the practice of yoga, the philosophy, anatomy and different yoga practices. It was more than I could have imagined…The class was the right size to get quality one-on-one and yet have interactions with fellow students from all over the world. The fellow yoginis were warm, kind, funny, supportive and very loving. I highly recommend Heather Elton’s Yoga Teaching Training. She brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the training.” – Kristine Headrick
"A beautiful and well-structured program"
“The TTC with Heather Elton and Emil Wendel surpassed my expectations. And I expect a lot. The quality of all the classes and teachers was of a very high standard and I just kept learning during each and every class for four weeks day in and day out. Heather has created a beautiful and well-structured program for a full yoga experience and I feel well equipped for the job of being a teacher now. It was an amazing journey. The meditation, pranayama and philosophy in the mornings with Emil Wendel were beautiful. I can still hear his words. The asana practice in the mornings was filled with joy and strength. And then we still had the anatomy classes, adjustments, Satsang with John Weddepohl, Kirtan with Rachel and John. The experiences never ended and it was wonderful to share it in the group that we were in. Thank you Heather for creating this platform and bringing all these wonderful teachers and yogis together.” – Josta Van der Kolk
"Strengthened my commitment to yoga as a way of life"
“The Goa TTC was very well structured and provided me with a deeper and more holistic insight into the yogic path, which strengthened my commitment to yoga as a way of life. Heather’s love for yoga shone through her teachings and practices, and the genuine approach made her truly inspiring to follow. Through her strength, fairness, honesty, and nurture, Heather enabled me to open my eyes to see the power within myself, and use this power to share what I have learnt with others. For this, I am truly grateful.” – Laura Cubie
"Inspirational and very rounded"
“I found the training with Heather inspirational and very rounded, I left with a solid grounding in the principles of asana, in-depth knowledge of anatomy, a wonderful appreciation of yoga philosophy and an excellent understanding of the body and adjustments for all major asanas. Learning the practical aspects of vinyasa flow and exploring creative sequencing were fun and challenging in equal measure.” – Amie Wallace
"So many inspiring and knowledgeable teachers"
“Thank you for organizing this training and bringing together so many inspiring and knowledgeable teachers. Your openness and honesty really contributed to inspire such qualities in all of us in the group and to bring us together. I’m usually a very reserved and shy person and I’ve never felt as open to a group as in this training. Your emphasis on integrating the philosophy into the teaching, even into an asana class has changed my way of teaching and I try to integrate something from ‘beyond the asana’ into each class… and I often get questions about it! Satsanga is a beautiful and restful place, ideal to concentrate on studying and practicing while staying rested.” – Sophie Fabre
"A very complete dogma free TTC"
“Heather Elton Yoga’s TTC in Goa prepared me to begin teaching the principles and techniques of yoga safely and competently. Heather Elton’s yoga is a very complete dogma free TTC. I have learned a lot. I have integrated the yoga on and off the mat into my daily life thanks to Heather and her great team!” – Elske Klassen
YOUR INVESTMENT
Prerequisites
To be accepted on the training, you need to have a regular yoga practice of 3 times a week for a minimum of two years to ensure that you have the necessary physical stamina and mental discipline, but also to be embodied in asana practice.
Immersion-style training in Goa can easily take you out of your comfort zone. You will live in an intimate setting with total strangers. You’ll share a room. You’ll be totally immersed in yoga practice (pranayama/meditation/asana, philosophy, anatomy & physiology, as well as the business of yoga and practical teaching) for 10 hours a day, 6 days a week, for close to a month. It can be intense on a physical and emotional level. There will be good days and vulnerable days and we will help you find equanimity in the process.
You will emerge having a taste of what it means to be a yogi.
Dates
March 8 – 30, 2020
Price
$3,500 USD
Christmas Sale: $2,795 USD until Dec 29, 2019
Includes yoga tuition + 2 vegetarian meals a day + twin share accommodation.
Single Supplement – $1980 USD
(Payment plans are possible on request.)
Sample daily timetable
6:00 – 7:15: Pranayama | Meditation
7:15 – 7:45: Tea break
7:45 – 9:45: Hatha Vinyasa yoga
10:00 – 11:00: Breakfast
11:00 – 13:00: Yoga Philosophy | Business of Yoga
13:00 – 15:00: Lunch break
15:00 – 18:00: Yoga clinic – Anatomy & Biomechanics of Movement | Adjustment Clinic | Asana Workshop | Sequencing Vinyasa Flow | Practicum (How to teach)
19:00 – 20:00: Dinner
20:00 – 21:30: Yoga film | Kirtan | Satsang | Yoga nidra | Reading | Saturday Nite Market | Free time
Note: This is a sample schedule and may change slightly due to festival holidays and the interests of the course. Sundays are free time.
A P P L Y N O W
Step 1: Fill in the application form below. Please read the instructions carefully.
Step 2: Each application will be read in detail, with applicants assessed individually. Successful applicants will receive confirmation of acceptance.
Step 3: Pay the non-refundable deposit of $850 USD to secure your place.
Step 4: The balance of the course fee is due by January 15, 2020.