200 Hour YTT Syllabus
Useful Links: Curriculum - Kula Flow - 300 HR Syllabus
Course Flow
We are honored that you have decided to follow your heart and trust your intuition and join us in this transformational journey to meet your highest self; to understand your true essence. This course will give you the tools to deepen your practice and sharpen your spirit by cleansing away what no longer serves. We bow to all the teachers and give thanks to all the wisdom that will be revealed. Trust the process and know that you know. Aho!
Daily Flow
The Kula Collective RYT-200 is divided into three cycles as we rise through the 3 ‘worlds’ of learning through the symbolic nature of the Andean Chakana. Each morning we wake up and flow right into our meditation, pranayama and asana practice as the sun rises. We offer a daily intention for the day that is later reflected upon through discussion in class. Our classes are held in beautiful and inspiring spaces, and are led with an open and informative guidance that encourages interaction and group participation. We spend the day communicating from the heart, discovering new parts of ourselves and the world, releasing the Guru within.
The Chakana provides the backbone of our experience, alongside the Yogic and Quechua Chakra System, which lead us through the Lower, Middle, and Upper Worlds of study and self-discovery in the three Cycles of the program. Each Cycle progresses on the last, leading us through a medicine cycle of learning and healing. We take the eighth day of the Cycle off to rest. The fourth day in each Cycle is a half-day of self-sadhana (spiritual practice) ending at lunch. We meet on alternate evenings for Satsang to ‘communicate truth’ through traditional Indian gathering, sacred sharing circle, and ceremony. We honor each cycle through intention and related practices.
Each morning is spent sharing daily intention and philosophy through our Art of Living component, followed by comprehensive lectures on yogic theory and holistic healing practices in Art of Healing. The afternoon is devoted to the Art of Sharing Yoga, interactive workshops that break down the art of teaching and practice, giving participants the opportunity to teach right from the first class. For the first half of the training, during both the morning practice and the afternoon workshops we will share the Kula Flow - our unique sequence; during the second half we cover creative sequences that build upon what we have already learned.
Throughout all, we create sacred space for sharing and celebrate our connection through Bhakti Yoga - the yoga of devotion, in the form of traditional Indian Kirtan and sacred medicine songs from around the world. We follow the yogic, vegetarian diet, which purifies our practice from the inside out, eating our meals with the same reverence and mindfulness that we apply to each step. We meditate as we breathe, bend, dance and laugh our way through our experience.
Style:
We encourage and teach a holistic approach to yoga with a foundation in the traditional 4 paths infused with shamanic wisdom and practices that help connect us with the natural world and her elements. Our passion is to bring these ancient teachings alive and help our students apply them to modern day living.
The Four Arts
Art of Practice:
It is through the experience of yoga that we understand the infinite nature of our being; where we reach beyond the boundaries of our individual lives and individual experience and touch the unity that is Yoga.
The Kula Collective 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training places emphasis on the experiential face of yoga by living our practice as a group - beginning and ending each day with a form of meditation and daily connection to our asana and pranayama. Verify through your own experience and reveal the wisdom within.
Each morning we wake in silence to meditate as the sun rises, flowing into our internal experience of pranayama and the Kula Flow - our unique sequence. As we continue to expand through our teaching, we creatively work with this flow and feel what it is to open up our boundaries, deepening your personal practice through Meditation, Pranayama and Asana.
Outside of the Shala we follow the yogic, vegetarian diet, which purifies our practice from the inside out. We eat our meals with reverence and we open and close our space with Om, the Universal Sound. We find meditation in all that we do not just on that mat. We understand this is a practice that cannot be mastered, but only practiced and find presence in that experience as it unfolds for us.
Art of Living:
How can I live better, slower, with more authenticity? Why do we do what we do? What are the thoughts that I think? How much more deeply can we inhabit our experience? And, underneath all of the thoughts and questions and memories, Who Am I?
There is an art to living well, to living fully, as fully as we can. Philosophers through the ages have speculated on the big questions. Yoga is just one of infinite pathways to the truth. If you have come to Yoga, chances are you may have asked yourself these questions. As we come together in our group training, we explore these and many more, through examining both our own understanding of the Art of Living and that of the ancient sages.
Through study of the Yoga Sutras, modern yoga’s foundational text, as well as the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads, we better come to understand the true nature of the self and our place in the world. Through our discussion as a group, we together uncover what it is to make an art out of living.
How can we share our Yoga with the world? Through living it, of course.
Art of Healing:
When we step into the role of Yoga Teacher, we are not simply sharing a physical practice to keep people fit - we are sharing a holistic practice that helps people to heal physically, mentally, emotionally and energetically. Through sharing yoga as a holistic practice of living, we allow ourselves as a whole to connect to our true nature, as spiritual beings.
As yoga teachers and practitioners we must know what it means to ‘hold space’, know what it is to give ourselves in ceremony, to surrender to a higher power. As yoga teachers we must understand the subtleties of the body and how it interacts with the mind through our energetic anatomy. We have an opportunity to share our yoga in a way that truly can heal, from the inside out.
The Kula Yoga Collective 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training gives the opportunity for deep self-healing through personal discovery practices, group exercises, intentional discussion and Sacred Ceremony. Our training also offers a wide selection of teachings on complementary health practices, including but not limited to: Ayurveda, nutrition, massage, Thai massage, energetic healing, Tai Chi, Chakras, cleansing, herbal healing and the Yogic diet.
As Yoga Teachers we are living examples of unity - of true, whole vitality. Through experiencing the transformation first hand we are better able to share it with others. Through clearing away the parts of us that are no longer in alignment with our true nature, we create space for the truth to be channelled through us. Thus, the Art of Healing component of our curriculum allows us to reveal our wisest Self and unveil our true calling as healing practitioners of an ancient wellness practice.
Art of Teaching:
Sharing yoga is an process of intimacy; one that asks for deep movement within both giver and receiver, through love, authenticity, attention and connection. There are many ways in which yoga can be shared. Here at Kula Collective we believe that the fundamental principle that links all of our yoga teaching is Connection; the concept that in order to truly help another being to find oneness, we must ourselves be a channel to that oneness.
As sharers of yoga, we must eventually be able to abandon ourselves to the infinite creative flow that comes through us. It takes time, patience and a lot of learning to become comfortable enough with ourselves and with what we are sharing to be able to fully let go to this connection as we are teaching? At Kula Collective, we ensure first and foremost that you have a solid foundation of knowledge and understanding to give you the tools you need for your Art to be limitless.
At our RYT-200 level training, we focus on giving you the best foundational understanding of yoga possible in the time available. In asana, this means emphasis on correct alignment, muscular engagement, breathing, and energetic awareness. The Kula Flow is a dynamic, slow Vinyasa sequence that is highly adaptable, containing many of the building blocks you will need to make your own sequences. Students in your class will benefit from our extra focus on anatomical alignment within asana, as well as our step-by-step guide to physical and energetic thai massage-based adjustments.
When we share yoga we are sharing an experience that is largely personal and internal, so it’s important to us that all our participants understand what it is to hold sacred space, how to empower through our communication and how to allow space for all experiences to unfold within the safe, energetic container you create. We make sure you know what to do when someone who is injured or pregnant comes to your class. More than this, we help you to find your creative essence as you build your own sequences and reveal the wise teacher within.
Not only will you leave the training with an entire sequence under your belt, but also the tools and the confidence you need to creatively expand into something new and personal to you and the empowerment you need to trust in the connection that is already present within.
Embody the Practice
We allow our practice to be a ceremony, each time. We live this practice. In doing so we do not just share Yoga, We Embody Yoga. Thank you for trusting and joining us as we live and practice with a supportive and loving community helping each other let go and flow into life.
“We are the ones we have been waiting for” - Hopi Elders
200 Hr Kula Yoga Teacher Training Hours:
Techniques
Asana, pranayama, meditation and kriya techniques will be taught and practiced. Trainees will then practice teaching them to their peers, both one on one, and in a group setting. There will be time to develop one’s own asanas, learn about anatomical alignment, benefits, checkpoints and contraindications, as well as to teach and assist peers during group teaching sessions.
Contact Hours: 100
Asanas:
A variety of asanas from the following groups of asanas will be taught including gentle beginner and intermediate variations. The trainees will be taught how to enter and exit a pose, how to use the breath in the asana, checkpoints for alignment, benefits and contraindications for the asana, and how to assist students in the pose.
Categories of Asanas:
Standing and balancing asanas, forward bends, back bends, side bends, twisting poses, crouching and seated poses, poses on the abdomen, poses on the back, inverted poses and meditation poses. Trainees will also learn how to adapt the techniques for specific ages, levels, some ailments, and in the case of pregnancy. They will learn warm-up techniques and relaxation poses including the importance of deep breathing in relaxation to prevent muscle fatigue and the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles.
Pranayama:
Teacher trainees will learn the form, benefits and contraindications of the following pranayama techniques, as well as when to incorporate them into the class and how to introduce pranayama techniques. Abdominal breathing, the three-part breath, ujjai pranayama, brahmari pranayama, anuloma viloma, and kapalabhati pranayama. They will learn how to perform these pranayamas with the bandhas and with relatively short breath retention (Kumbhaka) when appropriate.
Bandhas:
In order to perform the retention in the above breathing techniques, it is necessary to teach and learn Mula bandha, Jalandhara bandha and Uddiyana bandha, the latter also being instrumental to kriyas such as nauli. The purpose of the bandhas will be discussed in its relation to the uniting of prana and apana to channel them into the shushumna nadi.
Kriyas:
Trainees will learn the following kriyas, their benefits, primarily for their own practice, and later how to introduce the kriya to a class: Jal neti, jal kapalabhati, agni sara, and tratak.
Meditation:
In the theory section, the goal and paths of yoga will be discussed, thereby leading to the concept and techniques of meditation. Guided meditation will be explored, including creative visualization, meditation using yantra, mantra, ideation, ishta chakra and the withdrawal of the senses from external objects. Students will be guided in choosing a mantra for meditation.
Mantra:
We will explore the idea of mantra as a mystical energy encased in a sound structure in relation to mantras such as Om. Trainees will learn to chant and present yogic mantras for the beginning and/or ending of yoga classes (such as the the Shanti mantra or the Jyothi mantra). Bija mantras for purifying the chakras will also be explored including the timing and procedure for using these mantras in meditation.
Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics
Our program attributes emphasis to this section, as we believe that Western students of yoga tend to focus more thoroughly on the physical aspects of yoga: alignment, health benefits etc. than on the philosophical base and framework of yoga, including the practice of yoga off the mat. This section will introduce yoga psychology and philosophy through discussions on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, primarily Chapters One and Two.
Facilitators will present sutras, and also use pairwork and group work discussions to give trainees the opportunity to explore how these sutras relate to their practice, and how they live their lives. Patanjali’s eight-fold path is the climax of chapter two, and the trainers will offer concrete examples of how to implement Yamas and Niyamas in our daily lives. Trainees will have the opportunity to discuss their understanding and experience with these yogic guidelines. They will also be guided to see the interrelationship of all of the ten principles, as well as the interrelationship of the different paths of yoga. The paths (Bhakti, Karma, Raja and Jnana) will also be introduced in both a philosophical and practical light.
Contact Hours: 30
Transformational Experiences:
During the transformational experiences evening program, students will delve into the practice of both nama and abstract kirtan, as well as Vedic mantras such as: the Gayatri mantra, the Mahamrityunjaya (healing) mantra, the Shanti mantra, the Loving-kindness mantra, and the Akhanda mantra. Students will experience Yoga Nidra and Sacred Ceremony. Transformational experiences will also include some rituals, group sharing, healing circles and creative movement.
Lifestyle:
We will present and compare Yogic and Ayurvedic concepts of nutrition, as well as those of daily cleansing rituals, self massage, and other practices.
Ethics:
As a natural extension to the ten principles (Yamas and Niyamas), as well as the discussions on Teaching Methodology, we will flow into a discussion of professionalism and ethics in the teaching profession in general and the yoga profession in particular. We will present our Statement of Professional Standards, and discuss as a group the importance of having and maintaining codes of professional standards.
Teaching Methodology
Practical teaching methodology includes how to demonstrate, observe, cue and assist students. This will be integrated with the Techniques class. We will also model the importance of language used to describe entry, maintaining and exiting poses. For example, in the forward bend, the image of “surrendering the body to the force of gravity” is a useful, and gentle image, as is “inhale release slightly, exhale and sink in to the pose – feel the pulse of the pose”, as opposed to “pull” or “push”-style language.
Theoretical discussions of methodology (pedagogy) aim to explore how to become a transformational facilitator, or teacher rather than just an instructor. This includes such topics as: the art of sequencing, creating a safe space, establishing a student-centered class, managing group dynamics, language and cuing, the ethics of assisting, and creating a yogic environment for learning, (including the dress of the teacher, yogic colours, the direction of the class etc). Trainees will also discuss qualities that will be instrumental to them as teachers.
Contact Hours: 25
Anatomy and Physiology:
In the 20 hours of anatomy and physiology class, students will be learning both about the physical system and the subtle body.
Physical Anatomy:
This class aims to teach trainees about anatomy and how it relates to yoga. Teachers and students will be guided by resources such as Anatomy and Asana, and The Anatomy of Movement. Subjects will include the study of the skeleton, muscles and joints, the cardio-vascular system, the respiratory system and the endocrine system and how they are benefited by yoga.
Subtle Anatomy:
Subtle anatomy is the yogic teaching regarding the three bodies, the physical body, the astral body and the causal body, as well as the five corresponding sheaths, and the yogic techniques that purify each sheath. Further, the concept of nadis, and chakras will be explored. The shape, location, associated glands, and characteristics of each chakra will be explored. This subject will be complemented by the practical meditation sessions and chanting sessions which will explore meditating and chanting to purify the chakras. It will also complement the discussion of the ida, pingala and shushumna nadis that is intrinsic to any discussion of pranayama and the bandhas.
Practicum:
In the first half of the program, trainees will be gradually introduced to teaching by teaching peers each pose or mini sequence in the Techniques class. This will progress towards teaching one pose or mini sequence to the whole group ‘Group Teaching’. In second half of the course, the trainees will each teach two classes to a peer. Each class will be 90 minutes long. They will then get 15 minutes of feedback from their peers and from the trainer.
The first round will be a set KULA FLOW sequence; the second round will be the Unique Creative Flow: a beginners or intermediate level class where students are required to create and sequence their own class holistically around a theme and peak pose of their choice.