Course full: Hatha & Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training in Nepal with Heather Elton
Learn to teach yoga in unique collaboration with a Buddhist monastery
Taught by: Heather Elton, Andrew McGonigle, and guest teachers
Location: Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Pharping, Nepal
Cost: USD $3,475
Heather Elton and Mahalaya Nepal present Level 1 (200 hour) Hatha & Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training
**This course is now over-subscribed and is no longer accepting applications. Our next teacher training is with Doron Hanoch in Aug-Sep 2017, currently open for applications**
This Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training is for the discerning student. It is a high-quality training with excellent teachers, but what really sets it apart is that you will study yoga philosophy ‘in situ,’ on location in Nepal, where ancient yogic traditions are still alive. You will feel supported in your practice by monks, priests and spiritual practitioners, will be living within the grounds of a Tibetan monastery, and have a chance to visit temples, stupas and sacred sites. Our training is designed to take you to the spiritual heart of this holistic practice.
Yoga is the path to enlightenment. While there are many different authentic paths of Hatha Yoga, we believe that they all distil down to 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 makes the pranic body vibrant and subtle. Meditation takes you deeper to understand how the mind works and seeks to liberate you from an unstable and unproductive mind. This is where real liberation from suffering begins. While we aim to give you the highest skills possible to teach, we also want to reveal the spiritual path underlying the practice and the technologies to stabilise the mind, so you can glimpse your true nature – Purusha (pure consciousness.) We want you to actually live the yogic reality – and to be able to take the practice off the mat, integrate the knowledge into your life and share it with others.
This Level 1 training provides an overview of different aspects of yoga. It’s designed to give you a taste of what it means to be a yoga teacher and practitioner. By the end of the training you will:
- have developed a skilful and varied asana practice;
- understand basic yoga philosophy in a way you can integrate into your teachings;
- understand basic anatomy and alignment so you can prevent injuries in your students and yourself;
- have taken steps towards a genuine spiritual practice;
- have had an experience that will provide you lifelong inspiration and context to practice and teach yoga;
- be able to make an informed decision about what aspects of yoga you like, and what you want to practice and teach.
Deciding to teach yoga should not be a career move. It should be a sincere calling 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.
Why do this yoga teacher training?
Study yoga in Nepal, the land of Living Tantra – philosophy on the road with yogis, Rinpoches, monks, priests, artists and take the practice off your mat into real life. This dogma-free training offers great value: you’ll stay in a modern, safe and comfortable hotel within the grounds of a stunning Tibetan monastery and receive an excellent, high-quality training.
Study with interesting, senior teachers, all of whom are serious yoga practitioners with global reputations and who will work with you intensively throughout the course to give you personal attention that is sensitive to your needs and ongoing development. This is a transformational training that integrates ancient wisdom with contemporary psychology and anatomical science, in a mindful practice designed to diminish suffering in our lives. You’ll experience an authentic process that makes you look at your own reality, takes you deeper in your own practice, and gives you the skills to teach yoga. It will give you the ability to teach from your own experience and practical knowhow that are the stamp of a true teacher – someone who can teach at a more authentic, more intelligent and more intuitive level because they live it.
Hindu, Buddhist and contemporary yogic philosophy are taught in a way that lifts them ‘off the page’, and ‘off the mat,’ so you can integrate them into your teaching and personal practice. Learn mantras, how to use prayer beads, spin prayer wheels, receive Puja, observe ceremonies, enter a holy place with respect and immerse yourself in living yogic culture in Nepal. The philosophy is relevant to both the physical experience and the spiritual practice. It is not an academic lesson, but a yogic inquiry relevant to real life.
- Study traditional Hatha Yoga with BKS Iyengar alignment principles;
- Learn techniques to breakdown difficult asanas (inversions, arm balances, backbends, etc) to teach ‘workshop style’;
- Build movement vocabularies and learn to sequence Vinyasa Flow as a seamless ‘moving meditation’;
- Study biomechanics of movement and get hands-on experience with adjustments and prop usage that is relevant to ‘real bodies’;
- Gain experience of practical Teaching: demonstrate and adjust asanas, work in groups and individually to create Vinyasa Flow sequences, structure and teach a yoga class, get feedback from teachers and colleagues, and see yourself in action on video;
- Learn how to teach basic Pranayama and Mediation;
- Restorative yoga and Yoga Nidra;
- Understand how to make Yoga your Business
**Watch the video from a past TTC** (More videos coming soon…)
What we believe
Even though advanced asana can be exhilarating and has its purpose, Yoga is not gymnastics. Yoga is an ancient Indian science that uses the body and breath to penetrate the mind and liberate us from suffering. While traditional Hatha Yoga and Vinyasa Krama in the Krishnamacharya lineage are the main forms of practice, this training offers a comparative study of contemporary Yoga styles, including BKS Iyengar methodology.
Whether we practice Vinyasa or Hatha, it’s necessary to explore the’ inner/outer’ techniques of Vinyasa, to reveal the spiritual path underlying the practice; learn the principles of subtle alignment, breath/bandhas/dristi, and the methodology that ties poses together into a seamless ‘moving meditation’. From this perspective, asana is the starting place for a genuine yogic inquiry – a practice that moves beyond a mere physical experience and makes its relevant to real life. We believe that the Guru lies within and will do everything in our power to guide you on this transformative journey.
Photo by Heather Elton
The Teachers
This course brings together some of the top teachers of the specialism – Heather Elton as the course designer and lead teacher, Andrew McGonigle (“Dr Yogi“) teaches anatomy and physiology, and we have very special guest teachings from senior monks and sadhus.
Our teachers have a passion for Yoga and have dedicated their lives to the spiritual path. We do not preach the dogma of one tradition, but take a comparative view that embraces all Yoga traditions and the big questions on the path to liberation. We walk the spiritual path and bring that experience to the course to guide you to find the qualities to be an excellent teacher and a practitioner who is able to map out your path and embrace yoga into your life.
See full teacher bios by clicking the link at the bottom of the page.
What You Will Learn
Our unique programme truly gives you the knowledge, technique and confidence to share Yoga. The combination of in-class contact hours and pre-course reading totals 200+ hours, for which 200 hours will be accredited by the Yoga Alliance 200 RYS Teacher Training programme. Graduates are eligible to register as RYT 200s.
Sample Daily Timetable
- Pranayama and meditation
- Asana
- Brunch
- Philosophy
- Break
- Yoga Clinic
- Dinner
- Evening program (Films, Satsang, Readings or Yoga Nidra)
Note: This is a sample schedule and will vary according to the specific programme of each day. Sundays are free each week.
The Venue
The training will be hosted in a stunning and welcoming Tibetan Monastery, supplemented by three days on the road visiting sacred sites in Nepal, such as Boudhanath, Pashupati and Patan. The Monastery is situated near Pharping in the Kathmandu Valley and foothills of the Himalayas. We will stay in the comfortable and modern guesthouse in the grounds of the temple, less than an hour’s drive from the heart of Kathmandu.
For Tibetan Buddhists, the hills of Pharping are considered as sacred as Bodhgaya in India, as it is where is where the second buddha Guru Padmasambhava (“Guru Rinpoche”) attained the state of enlightenment, before going on to establish Buddhism in Tibet. The monastery which is our home during the retreat makes important contributions to the preservation and sharing of the Buddhist teachings, and our stay there helps to fund education for the many young monks from remote areas of Nepal.
The lovely guesthouse in the monastery grounds has spacious and modern rooms, comfortable beds for deep and refreshing sleeps, all with contemporary attached bathrooms and hot showers (and many with balconies). The yoga space overlooks the rice paddies of the Kathmandu valley, and – when the weather is clear – gives us stunning views of the sunrise over the Himalayas.
It is the perfect place to go within and study.
All vegetarian, delicious local and international menus freshly prepared to nourish your practice. Dietary requirements can be accommodated on request.
The price is all-inclusive from the time we meet in Kathmandu to when we drop you off back in the city at the end of the course, covering all teaching, twin-share accommodation, substantial brunch and dinner each day, local transport for the TTC, and use of props. International flight and visa not included.
A welcome pack full of information to help you to plan and prepare your visit will be provided once your place is confirmed.
Pre-Requisites
To be accepted on the training, you need to have practiced yoga regularly for at least two years, to ensure you have the necessary physical stamina and mental discipline. This training is intense on a physical and emotional level. There will be good days and vulnerable days. You will be totally immersed in yoga practice (pranayama, meditation, asana, philosophy, anatomy & physiology, as well as the business of yoga and practical teaching) for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week, for almost a month. You will emerge having a taste of what it means to be a yogi.
Yoga Alliance Accreditation
Heather Elton is a registered E-RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance. Our Yoga Teacher Training programme is internationally accredited to qualify for 200 RYS Yoga Alliance Registration. The completion of the 200 RYS training allows graduates to qualify for an advanced 300 RYS training program with our school or any other Yoga Alliance certified training school.
How To Apply
Step 1: Email us to request an application form. Please read its instructions carefully. Once you have completed the application form, follow the link in the email to submit it.
Step 2: Each application is read in detail, with applicants judged individually. If you are accepted into the training, we will email you with confirmation of your acceptance and next steps.