World renowned teachers, Richard Freeman and Mary Taylor, have offered their teacher's intensive training for the past 25 years, every summer in the United States. The iconic program has attracted practitioners and teachers from throughout the world, to join together in Colorado for this month-long training. In November 2023, Richard and Mary for the first time outside of Colorado, will offer a month-long teacher's intensive modeled after the original course. This intensive – with Chinese translation to enhance students' learning experience – will be offered at Taipei's Space Yoga.
This program is designed for serious practitioners and teachers who want to deepen their practice and explore how different facets of yoga support both the practice and your depth of understanding so you can teach with strength and clarity.
The purpose of the month-long course is to facilitate an exploration of the internal principles and forms of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga at a level that will deepen one's practice and make teaching a natural outcome of practice. Always returning to our own personal experience, we will explore the practices and philosophies of yoga, their contexts, purposes, patterns, and limitations. We will examine the tradition from multiple viewpoints, to give depth and sophistication to the interconnected processes of yoga.
The course will flow through and include the following content: personal asana practice, teaching and assisting students, the biomechanics of posture and movement, anatomy and therapeutics of safe asana practice, the many and often contradictory philosophies of yoga including a comparative investigation of Buddhism and yoga, an introduction to Sanskrit, the study and application of pranayama, meditation, and chanting practices, and the hands-on world of relating to others.
You will learn:
Foundations of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga and how it is influenced by and interfaces with hatha yoga, Buddhism and everyday life.
Asana study of Primary and Intermediate series of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga
The importance of alignment and form in practicing and teaching asana safely
The necessity of a basic understanding of anatomy when teaching asana
How to adapt postures and practices to fit individual student needs
Alternative and therapeutic postures and practices that will support students in deepening their practices and understanding of yoga
The careful and appropriate art of assisting including manual adjusting
An overview of Indian philosophy that supports a full spectrum yoga practice
Basic pranayama practices
How to begin and maintain a sitting meditation practice
How to incorporate the rich and complimentary understandings from disciplines, sciences, and everyday life into the mystery of the yoga practice
Recognizing that most teachers and students will not find the traditional standards accessible, this course will provide a rich context for whatever level of practice is appropriate for each individual. The philosophical and contemplative background of the tradition and its intelligent application to real-world bodies and circumstances will be emphasized.
A comprehensive training manual will be provided to all training participants, as well as a required & recommended reading list. Students who complete all aspects of the training will receive a certificate of completion.