As the saying goes 'the truth cannot be said.' It can, however, be heard. It's inherent in each of us. It's who we are. The essence of yoga is remembering who we are.
We create conditions where the truth might be heard through challenging asana (posture), vinyasa (breath and movement), spiritual insight, pranayama (breath exercise), meditation, music, and humor.
Vibrant Living Yoga guides you to experience yourself free of false limitations and the Training empowers you to assist others. Drawing on my extensive yoga practice and training (with dozens of modern masters), you will dive deeply into a spectrum of today's yogic styles, including Jivamukti, Iyengar, Astanga and more. Discover how you share yoga by learning what's come before you.
Curriculum
Techniques of Yoga – 102 hours
Kriya yoga, Pranayama, Teaching/practicing meditation, Sequencing, Restorative yoga and props, Surya Namaskar, standing poses, forward bends, twists, backbends, inversions, balances, Satsang, Chanting, Kirtan.
Teaching Methodology – 45 hours
Vibrant Living Yoga teaching method, adjustments and assists for Surya Namaskar, standing poses, forward bends, twists, backbends, inversions, balances and Savasana. Teaching privately and special needs including kids classes and pregnancy modifications.
Anatomy and Physiology – 20 hours
Basics of skeletal, muscular, respiratory, cardiovascular anatomy, injury and recovery, esoteric anatomy including chakras, nadis, prana, and bandha, anatomy of adjustments.
Yogic Scripture, Philosophy, Ethics, & Lifestyle - 43 hours
Basic yoga philosophy, Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, Bhagavad Gita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Advaita Vedanta/non-dualism, living in the now moment, Gunas, Awareness, Enlightenment, 3 kinds of teachers and students, the pitfalls and ethics of being a yoga teacher.
Group Practicum and Presentation Skills – 16 hours
Includes student teaching as well as observing and assisting in classes taught by others. Class transcriptions focusing on sequencing, theme, and music; teaching in small and large group setting to hone your skills. Yogic languaging skills and elocution. Neuro-Linguistic Programming for yoga teachers.
Sample Daily Schedule
This intensive course is four weeks total; each week includes four full days, two half-days, and one day off. The following is the basic schedule which varies slightly as benefits the group.
| 4:15am – 5:45am |
Early asana practice (optional) |
| 6:00am – 7:00am |
Meditation and Pranayama |
| 7:00am – 9:00am |
Vibrant Living Yoga Class |
| 9:00am – 10:00am |
Breakfast |
| 10:00am – 1:00pm |
Lecture, discussion, techniques. |
| 1:00pm – 4:00pm |
Lunch/Break |
| 4:00pm – 6:00pm |
Lecture, discussion, techniques, practicum, asana. |
| 6:30pm – 7:30pm |
Dinner/Break |
| 7:30pm – 9:00pm |
Most evenings - Satsang and special activities
(guest lecture, film, kirtan) |
Guest Faculty
Your training includes exceptional experts in the following fields: Iyengar yoga, Astanga Vinyasa yoga, Yogic Anatomy, chanting, Vedas and kirtan. Please check back often for updates.
Tim Miller
Tim Miller has been studying and teaching Ashtanga Yoga for over 25 years and was the first American certified to teach by Pattabhi Jois at the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mysore, India. Tim has a thorough knowledge of this ancient system, which he imparts in a dynamic, yet compassionate and playful manner. "My goal as a teacher is to inspire a passion for practice. The practice itself, done consistently and accurately, is the real teacher." Tim teaches workshops and retreats throughout the United States and abroad.
Edward Clark
Edward Clark is the creator of Tripsichore, the London-based yoga performance group that has delighted audiences around the world. He began studying yoga in 1979. Notable among his teachers are Narayani and Giris Rabinovitch, and he also admires Ashtanga vinyasa, Sivananda, Iyengar, and Viniyoga practices. The Tripsichore group has practiced daily for the past 14 years, devising and refining its techniques for asana, pranayama, pratyahara, dharana, and dhyana. Edward fuses his keen artistic vision with a deep understanding of the essential pursuit of yoga practice. His classes are entertaining, demanding, and exhilarating.
Dave Stringer
Dave Stringer has been profiled in Time, Billboard, In Style, and Yoga Journal as a leader of the new American kirtan movement. Kirtan is a form of mantra chanting that has become popular as a participatory live music experience at hundreds of yoga studios worldwide. Dave's sound marries the transcendent mysticism of traditional Indian instruments with the exuberant, groove-oriented sound of American gospel, jazz and funk.
Initially trained as a visual artist and jazz musician, Dave first started chanting mantras when a film-editing project brought him to the ashram of Swami Muktananda in India. After the film project ended, he remained in India to teach school in a rural village, and continued his studies of the traditions of yoga under the guidance of Swami Chidvilasananda. He began teaching meditation to prison inmates and leading kirtan at yoga studios across America in the mid 1990's.
Dave and his band tour tirelessly, performing throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. An articulate public speaker, he probes the dilemmas of the spirit with a wry and unorthodox sense of humor. His work constructs a modern, participatory theatrical art form out of the ancient traditions of kirtan and yoga, open to a multiplicity of interpretations, and accessible to all.
Louise Ellis
Louise Ellis has been a student and practitioner of yoga for 35 years, and has been teaching for 30. She started out with the study of traditional hatha yoga, pranayama and philosophy under Swami Vishnudevanda in 1971. Her background includes several diverse yoga traditions, within which she has both practiced and taught. She maintains a dedicated daily practice and continues to travel extensively in India both to study and teach. She has been studying in Mysore with her Guru Sri K. Pattabhi Jois since 1993, and is one of the few women to have been certified by him to teach the Ashtanga Vinyasa system.
Her individualized approach to teaching, centers on the development of pratyahara and ease in daily practice through the use of breath, dristhi and an attitude of surrender and bhakti.
"No matter which sequence you happen to be doing at a given time the
important thing is the quality of attention and sense of lightness you
bring to it. It's an art form to approach each days practice without
expectation and with a sense of perspective".
Alanna Kaivalya
A life-long obsession with sound has guided Alanna in the direction of music and vibration. Through the teachings of yoga, she has found a home for her spirit within the pulsations of the heart.
Her foremost teachers are Sharon Gannon and David Life, the creators of Jivamukti Yoga, and through their grace, she also found Manorama, a Sanskrit teacher who has graced Alanna with a deeper knowledge of how sound profoundly affects us on an energetic and cellular level. Her practice has also been heavily infused with the love-filled influence of Shri Dharma Mittra, a teacher who revealed the true devotional nature of asana practice. These profound teachings have liberated Alanna, and through that freedom, she offers teachings worldwide to students of yoga, exclusively in the Jivamukti tradition. As an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Instructor, she fills her classes with Nada (sound), Bhakti (devotion) and Shraddha (faith). Her classes feature an unyielding spirit for bringing yoga off the mat and into the world. Her face forward, charismatic style is the perfect platform for classes that are masterful, artistic, and always feature an element of mystery.
While on her world tour, she has led kirtans (devotional singing concerts) and performed with Dave Stringer, who has been a musical inspiration for Alanna. Recently, while in Sydney, Australia, Alanna found herself in the midst of a tidal wave of opportunity, and through riding that wave, she had the opportunity to write, create and produce her newest album, Shine.
Simon Borg-Olivier
Simon was first introduced to yoga at age six learning breath retentions
from his father, then the main bandhas from Basil Brown (an Olympic
athlete). At age 17, a Tibetan Lama introduced Simon to the philosophy of
yoga. In 1980, Simon started the physical practice of hatha yoga eventually
learning with BKS Iyengar, K. Pattabahi Jois and TKV Desikachar. Simon
commenced teaching in 1982.
Simon met his main teacher Natanaga Zhander (Shandor Remete) in 1985. Then in 1988, Simon met physiotherapist yoga teacher Bianca Machliss. Together Simon and Bianca have developed the unique Yoga Synergy system. Synergy-style yoga is intelligently designed in accordance with the principles of applied anatomy and physiology, but it can also be very dynamic and fluid. Since 1995 Simon has been teaching courses in the Applied Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga throughout the world. Simon is co-author of OApplied Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga, which is the main text book for a course he developed and lectures in at RMIT University (Melbourne).
Wah!
Wah! combines reggae, Hindu chanting and pop to create a unique mix of spiritual world music. Concerts include chanting, storytelling and songs in English; the atmosphere is festive and jubilant. Described by NY Spirit Magazine, "WAH! injects something a little trippier to create a mellow groove that's luscious and highly addictive."
Wah! has ten solo albums to date including Unplugged, Jai Jai Jai, Opium, and Savasana. According to Music Design magazine, Wah!'s Opium, ".is a feel-good, pop-oriented album that strikes a balance between the spirituality of her Hindu chant work and the trendy, melody-driven nature of modern pop/jazz music." Wah! tours extensively, performing at yoga centers, festivals, conferences and pop venues. She has headlined the LEAF Festival in Asheville, NC and The UK Yoga Show in London, England. www.wahmusic.com
Gabriel Cousens
Rebbe Gabriel Cousens, M.D., M.D.(H), D.D. (Doctor of Divinity), Diplomate American Board of Holistic Medicine, Diplomate Ayurveda, a physician of the soul, teaches and lives the sevenfold peace. To the process of awakening and healing, Rebbe Gabriel Cousens, M.D., M.D.(H), weaves a background as a holistic physician, medical researcher, world-recognized live-food nutritionist, psychiatrist, family therapist, homeopath, acupuncturist, Ayurvedic practitioner, expert on green juice spiritual fasting and detoxification fasting, ecological leader, Reiki master, internationally celebrated spiritual teacher, author, lecturer, culture-bridger, world peaceworker, to give a unique holistic approach to nurturing the hungry soul.
A honoree for lifetime achievement by the World Organization of Natural Medicine, Dr. Cousens has published research in leading scientific journals and authored many books, including Spiritual Nutrition: Six Foundations for Spiritual Life and the Awakening of Kundalini, Rainbow Green Live-Food Cuisine; Conscious Eating, and more. An ordained Essene teacher since 1984, founder of the Essene Order of Light, in 1993, Gabriel founded the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in 1994 in Patagonia, AZ. It is a unique center whose mission it is to help individuals and the planet transform and heal physically, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually, making the transition from a culture of death and war to a Culture of Life and Liberation.
Shanti GoldsCousens
Shanti GoldsCousens comes from the depth of her experience in the spiritual and healing arts. After many years of study, she has been ordained as an Essene Priestess in the Essene Order of Light, and is currently assisting Gabriel Cousens, MD, her husband, specifically in the preparation and training of priestesses. She co-teaches the Sacred Relationship Course at the Tree of Life Rejuvenation Center in Patagonia, Arizona with Gabriel. She earned her Master's Degree in Vegan and Live-Food Nutrition from the University of Integrated Science.
Shanti became vegan at age 16 and began her study of yoga at nineteen. She spent 16 years with Kali Ray, living, learning, training, meditating and teaching. In 1986 she became among the first of the trained Kali Ray TriYoga teachers and taught as a Senior Teacher at the Kali Ray TriYoga headquarters for 16 years. For seven years she studied and worked under Elizabeth Van Buren, Director of the College of Botanical Healing Arts in California in the art, science and spirit of aromatherapy. The essence of Shanti's work is to bring the healing power of the Shekhinah energy (Sacred Feminine) into the planet for the healing of the world.
Emil Wendel
Native of Switzerland, Emil has lived in Asia since the mid-seventies, studying first Chinese Classics, Taoism in Taiwan and then Sanskrit and Indian Thought on the Subcontinent. Making Nepal his home in 1980, he co-founded Machan Wildlife Resort, a safari lodge in the jungles of South Nepal, and continued to study and retreat through East Asia, India and Nepal.
Emil, deeply passionate about philosophy and especially its application in Yoga, practices and teaches Hatha-Yoga, using a method of merging physical postures, breathing techniques and meditation with discussions on liberating knowledge, to deepen a Yoga practice beyond the mere physical experience.
The many years of residency in Nepal and India have allowed Emil exceptional insight into the depth of Indian Civilization and its underlying currents.
Among his mentors and lineages from which he's distilled his method, through years of self-practice and experimentation: Prânâyâma and Kriyâ-Yoga in the tradition of the Bihar School; Iyengar, Ashtanga, and various Vinyasa asana styles; Professor Saraswati Prasad Ghimire; and much more (see Emil's 'With Gratitude' page).
Emil presently instructs teacher training programs in Australia, India, and Europe while the lands of India, Nepal and Bali remain his home.
Alastair Prentice
Alastair Prentice is a certified New Code NLP Trainer, Master Hypnotherapist and an NLP Coach specializing in training in NLP (Neuro-Linguistic Programming), Ericksonian Hypnosis, and solution-focused coaching. He has trained extensively with some of the foremost therapists in the world of NLP, Brief Therapy and Hypnosis including NLP co-founder Dr John Grinder and Stephen Gilligan Ph.D.
Alastair presents workshops and teaches on courses for a wide range of people, from clinical therapists and business-coaches to those in professional sports, business-management and on Yoga Teacher Training courses. This training allows anyone to tap their own personal genius, to explicate the patterns that create performance excellence, and finally to transfer these models into other fields, for example coaching, therapy, teaching or business.
These dynamic seminars are an intense experiential examination of what mythologist Joseph Campbell called the "hero's journey", wherein a person responds to the call to live a life that is transformational to the consciousness of self and community. They incorporate NLP, Ericksonian hypnosis, hatha-vinyasa yoga and Aikido, all with the intention of responding to a call to awaken into full human consciousness through the practice of self awareness and sponsorship of life.
Simone Powers
A culinary genius in creating amazing gourmet raw cuisine, Simone's
passion is making organic, fresh, vibrant, healing foods into culinary
bliss and keeping it approachable to all people regardless of their food
interest or experience.
Simone is a certified Raw and Living Foods Chef and Instructor with Living
Light Culinary Arts Institute. As a master student of Chef Elaina Love,
they have co-taught classes and workshops and catered yoga and raw food
retreats around the world. She worked at Café Gratitude in San Francisco
as their coveted dessert chef where she
learned to hone her dessert making skills to a fine art.
Her knowledge and understanding of raw foods is something she is very
passionate about sharing. Her youthful energy and desire to make foods
taste absolutely amazing give her an edge that is not often seen in any
chef.
She is currently based in San Francisco California and travels the world
catering raw, vegan retreats and doing personal consultations.