The Yogasara Yoga Teacher Training Course

Most weekends there will be a led class in the morning on one day and a self-practice space the next. In the led classes we teach you the art of Vinyasa – linking breath with movement (‘Vinyasa’ was not originally a ‘style of yoga” but a meditative practice that supports the nervous system and facilitates the synergy of breath, movement and awareness). We share opening and closing chants and break down postures in detail and explore them in depth physically and energetically. We also take a journey through the Chakra system during some of these sessions. We demystify the Chakras and facilitate exploration of, understanding and embodiment of this map physically and energetically.

The self-practice sessions are our Yogasara signature offering. As long-term practitioners we know the importance of personal practice – which is how the tradition of modern yoga evolved. The led class is a very contemporary format and so much of the nuance of practice can be lost. In the self-practice space we have several experienced teachers on hand to help you develop your personal practice with 1-1 attention, and room to explore postures in more depth with guidance. It also allows you time to create a bespoke practice that takes into account things like: your energy levels, mood, menstrual cycle, injuries, the season, more challenging postures that might not be offered in the average led class, or maybe things you avoid – which may hold real treasure for you!

During the self-practice sessions we also teach you foundational knowledge of Bandhas, Kriyas, Breath and Pranayama, Mantra and prayer and help you explore and embody the Vayus and Koshas, essential Yogic maps that bring the practice to life! If you don’t have a personal practice, don’t worry we will help you build one and there is a Yogasara sequence to help you with this.

This space also means we can offer students with more diverse needs can still join our training. The self-practice style of class really lends itself to supporting modifications that can be hard to incorporate in a led class.

The afternoons are a combination of yogic philosophy and transpersonal psychology, including trauma awareness, embodied anatomy, and teaching skills. Other teaching sessions include how to hold space, teaching practice, voice work, Movement Medicine, and a roots of yoga workshop. This roots of yoga session will support and inspire you for the essay which is about the history of yoga, consumerism and cultural appropriation – a juicy topic to get you reflecting deeply about yoga from many angles!

We generally run from 9.30-5 or 5.30pm. Lunch is an hour, and we aim to take this at 1pm but, alongside breaks, we will respond to the needs of the group and move with the energy of the day.

There is continuous assessment during the course through; self-reflection (you submit some written self-reflection forms) group work (through a presentation of chosen yogic topic), fulfilling apprentice hours and an essay.

About half-way through the course, you will have the opportunity to do a mini trial session where you will receive feedback from your peers and in-depth feedback from your teachers. This is done in a sensitive and supportive fashion and students feedback it is one of the most transformative experiences of the course.

There is a teaching assessment at the end of the course and two more assessment dates, scheduled a few months after the course, to allow those who need a bit more time to prepare. You cannot fail this course! We may refer you if you don’t meet the criteria and support you to develop any areas that need to be fulfilled to pass.

We suggest you attend at least 1-3 classes a week and start to incorporate a daily home practice. This could be asana, meditation, mantra, prayer, pranayama or a combination. It could be a few minutes a day or as long as you wish, depending on your lifestyle. Yoga is a beautiful and empowering way of life and the more you are able to embody the practice the more profound your teaching will be and the more benefits you will receive personally.

We suggest you keep a practice diary during the course to help you track your journey.

Students spend on average 2-3 hours/week for reading and homework assignments. This varies depending on the lifestyle demands of each student. Most students report wanting to dive in due to their passion and fascination with the course material! Depending on how you manage your time, you might have nothing to do some weeks and more to do at other times.

You will take your first steps into teaching by about the third to fourth weekend. Your teaching time will gradually increase through the course until you are teaching pretty much a full class for your final assessment. Many students decide to set up small classes with their friends, family or other students outside of course hours. This is a great way to learn and explore what your teaching style is. We also host low-cost community classes at Yogasara that are offered by trainees so you can get your hands-on the general public – your students will be part of teaching you to teach!

You will learn to teach in the style of Yogasara Krama Vinyasa Tantra (the ‘Yogasara Method‘) – Kramas are modifications to make your teaching accessible to all bodies. This has been inspired by the training that the course tutors have completed. Influences include, Astanga, Anusara, Vini, Bihar School and Forrest. This provides you with an integrated approach that honours the depth and breadth of the practice. We aim to inspire and empower you to develop own unique offering, so that your teaching is congruent with your own embodied integrity and wisdom.

Your course is led by Sarah Harlow (YAP senior teacher-trainer and IYN Yoga Elder). Sarah is also a transpersonal psychologist, embodied psychotherapist and body worker, so all our trainings naturally have a therapeutic and trauma informed dimension.

Sarah is supported and assisted by several of Yogasara’s most senior teachers, who also bring expertise in other areas such as psychology, neuroscience and more. We are supported by experts in related disciplines to offer you an in-depth and transformative journey on many levels.

This is a 250-hour course. This means that we have a minimum of 180 hours direct contact time with tutors and the remaining hours are through self-study and apprentice hours. In reality you are likely to exceed both of these figures

You’ll receive the Yogasara handbook and a reading list. The handbook contains essential information for the course, and an introduction to many of the topics we will cover. It serves as a great quick reference but does not replace the vast and in-depth knowledge contained in the books on the reading list!

The reading list is for life – we don’t expect you to read everything on here during this course! The authors have dedicated years and years of their lives to being able to share knowledge in this depth. We want you to be inspired and curious and digest the material at your own pace. We will give you specific chapters to read and also send you video resources and shorter articles to support you in your learning.