Teacher Training FAQs
Q: Will the Basic 200-Hour Training help deepen my practice?
A: Yes - and it will give you a wide-ranging repertoire to develop your practice in various areas. The 200-Hour Training starts with fundamentals (easier forms) and works towards more challenging ones. For those who enjoy a stronger practice, there are opportunities to explore throughout the training. Those who prefer a softer practice, will learn to work with modifications and props as we go toward the stronger practices.
Q: Can I take a Teacher Training even if I don’t want to teach?
A: Trainings are great opportunities to deepen your understanding and practice of Yoga, as mentioned above. However, the trainings are definitely designed for learning to teach (for instance: learning languaging, techniques for assisting and adjusting, etc.). Many people have taken the trainings who don’t teach currently because they just wanted to go further than they could in normal classes. Also, sometimes those who didn’t intend to teach end up loving it and teaching a lot.
Q: What does the Basic 200-Hour training prepare you for?
A: The Basic 200-Hour Training is our foundational training which gives a comprehensive background for teaching in any number of situations, levels and styles. It will prepare you to teach gentler classes (even basic chair and restorative yoga) and stronger more dynamic types of classes. We want trainees coming out of the Basic Training to be able to step into, and cover, any of the classes on our regular schedule.
Q: What is the difference between the various 200 hour formats?
A: The different formats have the same syllabus and content, they are simply set up with different time frames: weekends, once a week, or 5-day intensives during the summer. The structure of each of these formats is designed to work with different people’s schedules. The weekend and midweek formats extend over a longer period which is useful for really assimilating the material. The summer intensive format is great for getting through the program a little more efficiently if a person has more time off in the summer.
Q: What does the Advanced 300-Hour cover beyond the basic 200-Hour and why would you want to go that next step?
A: The Advance Training builds from the foundations of the Basic Training to go deeper into specific areas like body reading, alignment, structural yoga applications, learning more prop tricks, Ayurveda, continuing explorations in meditation, mudras, breathing and diverse postural forms. It is an opportunity for newer teachers to really hone their skills and broaden their repertoire for teaching.
Q: Is the Gentle/ Restorative Teacher Training all about “Restorative Yoga”?
A: It definitely has a strong emphasis restorative yoga, but it also includes other gentle practices such as gentle movements, stretches and even gentle strengthening movements.
Q: What is Restorative Yoga?
A: Restorative Yoga is Yoga done passively and fully supported. In other words, it is very relaxing! It does not include movement or engagement- just setting up the pose and then letting go into it.
Q: How is Yoga Synthesis' Children’s Yoga Teacher Training Unique?
A: The Children’s Yoga Teacher Training is unique because it is designed to meet the Yoga Alliance standards. Unlike other Children’s teacher trainings which are usually shorter and have less depth.