Intelligent Yoga Teacher Training

Are you ready to challenge how you think about yoga?

Intelligent Yoga Teacher Training (IYTT) is a thought-provoking teacher training course, which actively encourages a questioning approach to yoga practice and teaching.  During the course, you'll be encouraged to develop a deeper understanding of your own embodied experience of yoga and how to adapt it to offer creative and inspiring yoga classes which are relevant to modern yoga students.

Take your yoga practice to the next level

At IYTT we are inspired by the most current scientific research into anatomy and movement.  We support your yoga practice and teaching throughout the course and beyond as you transition from yoga trainee to established yoga teacher.

IYTT is structured as an intentionally spacious programme, delivered across 5 modules spread over 12 months, with time between modules to support integration.  Each module is immersive, encouraging a deep dive into the material, with time for questions, practice and discussion.

Module 1
Functional movement, breath and holding space

• Explore functional and developmental movement patterns

• Breath awareness

• Anatomy:  Upper and lower limb and spinal connection,
motor learning, strength, balance and endurance - Jody Barber

• Holding space for yourself and others

• Trauma sensitivity

• Philosophy: the historical development of yoga from ancient to modern times - Nev Cregan

• Investigate what are we doing in yoga and why

• Building a personal yoga practice

• Small group teaching practice

Module 2
Movement, development and gravity

• Gravity in practice – how does it affect the way we move?

• Exploring approaches to grounding through asana and breathwork

• Translating personal practice into teaching skills

• Drawing on personal practice to create intelligent, logical sequences

• Anatomy: the foot and how it relates to the rest of our body - Gary Carter

• Philosophy: The emergence of Buddhism and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras - Nev Cregan

• Meditation and simple pranayama

• Small group teaching practice

Module 3
Spinal Engine

• Spinal integration – understanding the spine as the foundation of practice

• Adapting yoga for individuals part 1: exploring anatomical variations

• Anatomy: head neck and shoulder girdle - Gary Carter

• Explore how and why we practice inversions in yoga

• Philosophy: Classical Yoga and Patanjali’s yoga sutras;
comparison of Buddhist meditation with Patanjali - Nev Cregan

• Teaching ethics:  the art of adjusting – exploring touch, personal space and boundaries

• The art of demonstration

• Small group teaching practice

Module 4
Responsive, accessible and inclusive teaching

• Subtleties of teaching: language and verbal communication

• Adapting yoga for individuals part 2: common injuries and issues

• Creating accessible and inclusive classes

• Anatomy: the fascial body and body reading - Gary Carter

• Sequencing: developing dynamic, creative and responsive class plans

• Philosophy: Tantra and Hatha Yoga:
the sources of modern postural yoga - Nev Cregan

• Accessible teaching:  creating welcoming and inclusive classes

• Breathwork and restorative practices to enhance wellbeing

• Small group teaching practice

Module 5
Fine tuning and expanding your practice

• Developing workshops and exploring how to expand your teaching

• Creating and delivering longer workshops

• Holding space and managing retreats

• The art of teaching 1:1

• Preparation for final assessments

• Self care

• Creating an ethical yoga business which sustains you and reflects your values

Mentoring and Assessment

• Mentoring and support in preparation for assessment and ongoing teaching is a key element of the course.  The course programme includes:

• 2 individual mentor meetings with Catherine

• Mock assessment approximately halfway through the course

• 2 group supervision meetings with Catherine

Final Practical Assessment

• Create and teach an hour long class to at least 5 students

• To be submitted online to an external assessor who will provide written feedback

• Trainees are responsible for the assessor’s fee (currently £90) to be paid directly to the assessor

Full Course Content

The course content will be practical and skills-based, facilitating a personal journey of exploration and discovery.   We work collaboratively with you, sharing material in a variety of ways including guided practice and asana technique classes, group work, teaching practice and individual study and reading, both online and in-person.  The course covers these key areas:

  • asana, pranayama and meditation
  • anatomy and physiology
  • teaching skills
  • philosophy
  • mentoring and supervision

As part of the course content we will explore the place of yoga in our modern lives and show how it remains current and relevant to practitioners in the Western world.  There's a strong focus on anatomy and physiology on this course, delivered by senior teachers with decades of experience in their fields: Jody Barber a physiotherapist with 30 years experience in neurological practice and renowned teacher Gary Carter, providing one of the most comprehensive groundings in anatomy of any teacher training diploma in the UK.

Supportive Mentoring

We believe in creating a collaborative and supportive learning environment and actively enjoy supporting you throughout your training and beyond.

At IYTT, you are never just a number, and we will stay in touch and continue to work with you well beyond your time on the course.  We have created a mentoring program for all trainees which includes structured 1:1 mentor meetings and group supervision meetings facilitated by me, Catherine Annis.

Each module is supported by at least one teaching assistant who is a recent IYTT graduate and is available to offer advice and support throughout the course.

At the end of each IYTT programme,  there's an opportunity for graduates to join the teaching team as teaching assistants.  This is a valuable chance to review the training from the other side, and to work closely with the teaching team, learning how to hold space and deliver this ground breaking teacher training programme first hand.

The course content includes:

  • Course Content, London, Yoga, Teacher, Training, 2019, 2020, Manual, Alliance, 200hr, Catherine Annis, AccreditedHow to develop a strong self-practice as the foundation for teaching
  • Practical functional anatomy & physiology, including the latest research on fascia and movement
  • Constructing and deconstructing yoga forms so that they are suitable for students with differing abilities and experience
  • Creating a safe, welcoming and accessible space for personal exploration
  • Body-reading and understanding physical ability so we can offer fully accessible classes, open to everyone
  • Teaching skills including voice and use of language, sequencing, class organisation and lesson planning for groups and adapting your approach for private clients
  • Assisting and observing skills
  • Essential prāṇāyāma, breath awareness and restorative yoga
  • Meditation
  • The history of yoga and its place in the modern world
  • Ethics and responsibilities of yoga teachers
  • Business skills, marketing and technical advice for online teaching
  • 5 hours of mentor meetings and professional supervision with Catherine

Outside the modules, trainees will also be required to complete:

  • 40 hours classes / workshops with recommended teachers
  • 30 hours documented self practice
  • 10 hours observing
  • 2 hours observed class teaching
  • Personal research assignments to underpin your learning

Syllabus

The course content will cover the following aspects of yoga:

Asana

Trainees will be encouraged to develop a strong personal practice, so you teach from your own fully embodied and authentic experience.  Classes are led by Catherine Annis, and will be supported by up to two assistants, so there is plenty of opportunity for individual attention and personal guidance, and an interactive approach is encouraged throughout.

Fundamental principles:

  • To create a collaborative, accessible and trauma sensitive approach to practice
  • Discover the relationship between healthy, functional movement and gravity, breath and the spine
  • Develop a thorough understanding of functional anatomy as it applies to the yoga forms
  • Create safe, intelligent and sustainable movement and alignment principles, which can be applied to all forms of yoga
  • Provide trainees with the confidence and understanding to teach a wide range of bodies effectively and safely
  • Learn to adapt and modify yoga forms as appropriate
  • Develop a mature, sensitive self-practice to suit your own  unique needs
  • Establish a safe, nurturing space within which trainees can develop trust in their intuition and build an atmosphere of curiosity and enquiry in their yoga practice

Anatomy & physiology

We’re passionate about creating a course which acknowledges and celebrates the intelligence and adaptability of the human body.  The core anatomy teachings on the IYTT will be delivered by senior teachers Jody Barber, a physiotherapist specialising in patients with a neurological diagnosis and Gary Carter who each bring decades of expertise to the course.  Gary is well known for his clarity and brings an unparalleled depth and breadth of knowledge in this important area of study.

Key areas of study:

  • The basics of anatomy including joint mobility and structure
  • Body reading and how to identify unnecessary tension and holding patterns
  • Help your students re-establish easy, beneficial movement
  • Understand fundamental movement principles and biomechanics
  • Discover how the theory of anatomy and physiology applies in the moving body, and what your students are doing in asana
  • Be inspired as you discover how the study of anatomy links the physical body directly to the teaching of yoga

Join this course to view anatomy as a vibrant tool, stimulating a dynamic exploration into the teaching and practice of yoga.

Teaching skills & methodology

The course will focus on creating knowledgeable and confident teachers.  You will graduate with strong teaching skills and the ability to create supportive and engaging classes.  We'll cover:

  • how to work with and support common injuries and issues
  • creating and holding space for personal exploration
  • how and when to demonstrate movements
  • delivering clear verbal suggestions and cues
  • teaching online - including advice on technical set-up
  • giving and receiving feedback
  • observation skills and body reading
  • the skill of offering safe, intelligent and appropriate adjustments both on-line and in person
  • class planning
  • sequencing and class organisation
  • teaching private clients in a 1:1 setting
  • flattening the hierarchy in class to create a truly collaborative and practical learning environment

Professional Skills

Because we recognise you need to earn a return on your investment, we also cover key business skills, including social media, building your yoga business and marketing yourself as a yoga teacher.

Yoga philosophy

The philosophy will examine the history of yoga, both modern and ancient, and explore key texts including:

  • The Upanishads
  • Patanjali
  • The Bhagavad Gita
  • The Hatha Yoga Pradipika.

We will also look at the links between yoga and Buddhism and introduce the fundamentals of meditation.

 

Roles, ethics & responsibilities

Yoga teachers need to develop a keen sense of how they are perceived and the role they play.  We'll cover:

  • Trauma sensitive facilitation techniques
  • How to create warm and supportive learning environments, whilst remaining professional and ethical
  • Supporting vulnerable and impressionable students
  • Accessible and inclusive teaching modalities
  • Key legal and ethical responsibilities of becoming a yoga teacher

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