Teacher Intensives Course Details 2023
Course Details
Teacher’s Intensive: August 5 - 30, 2024
This course is full
You may still apply below to be considered for the waiting list in the event a space becomes available.
QUALIFICATIONS
Students must apply for acceptance. For acceptance into the course, students need to have:
A solid grounding in the practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga.
Completed intermediate series or an equivalent intensity of asana experience in another lineage.
A minimum of five years of practice.
An appreciation of subtlety and a sense of humor.
TUITION
Tuition includes all classes and required materials.
Total Cost: 3,900€ | $4,185 USD
(Course is priced in euro- USD cost is subject to change based on conversion rate)
Payment made after acceptance only.
APPLICATION
Applications are evaluated from a broad perspective, and we try to select a group of students with balanced interests and proficiencies: yoga, Buddhist studies, asana practice, philosophical study, life experience, bodywork, teaching, and so on. So please be clear and specific about your interests, strengths, limitations, and other information you feel is important when completing the application.
PROCESS
Applications will be evaluated in the order in which they are received.
Due to the volume of applications we receive and limited spots available in the course, many qualified students do not get in the first time they apply. But eventually we find a spot in the best training for each applicant. Richard and Mary review each application thoroughly and try try to let you know your status as soon as possible.
Please keep in mind that it is not unusual for students to apply to this intensive numerous times before being admitted, yet somehow it always seems to work out that people find themselves in what feels to them like the “right” intensive. So if you don’t get in this time, we will welcome your application in the future.
The course will be filled by accepted students in the order they have applied. (In other words, all else being equal, an application received earlier is accepted first).
Applications received after the course is filled will be evaluated and responded to only if there is an opening in the course.
If you are not accepted outright, but are asked to be on the waiting list, please know that many people get into the course this way. For various reasons accepted students sometimes must drop out. So if you can be flexible in this way your chances of attending this year increase.
If you are accepted, a 500 € nonrefundable deposit will be required to hold your space in the course.
SCHOLARSHIPS
Four partial and one full scholarship will be available.
If you'd like to be considered for a scholarship, please note this, with an explanation of your needs, in the last question of your application.
Please note that applying for a scholarship limits your possibility of being accepted simply because limited scholarships are available.
We also are open to arranging payment plans for any student, those applying for scholarships and those who can afford the cost, but would be more comfortable paying over time.
Applicants applying for financial aid must be willing to give proof of financial aid need.
“The solvent of pure awareness dissolves samskaras.”
Course Description
We will have a comparative look at important schools of Indian thought and how they influence each other. Among those we will study are Classical Samkhya, Yoga Samkhya, Vedanta (Advaita and opposing schools), Buddhism (including the Madhyamika or Middle Path School), Hatha/Tantra, and Bhakti. We will also examine contemporary trends of thought in both the West and the East that might influence our yoga practice. In the spirit of yoga, we will seek to be at home with, entangled in, and yet free of philosophy. We hope to awaken an intelligence that understands not only the doctrines of each school but their hidden presuppositions and interdependencies as well.
ASANA
We will detail the inner and outer techniques of vinyasa, traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa sequences, and the subtle alignment and precision that tie the poses together into a meditative experience. Asana will be treated as the context and base for meditation, the practical ground for making our yogic inquiry genuine and relevant to real life.
PRANAYAMA
The basic techniques of pranayama will be explored and practiced so that they are appropriate and beneficial to the individual. Bandha will be used as natural, integrated responses to the movement of internal breath. Particular attention will be given to the subtleties of inhaling, exhaling, and how they affect the mind and the body.
SANSKRIT & CHANTING
An introduction to the correct pronunciation of this polished language will be part of our practice, so that we can tune in, resonate, and taste its aesthetic pleasures. We will learn, memorize, and chant portions of traditional texts.
ANATOMY & KINESIOLOGY
We will explore and review anatomy and kinesiology, which will enable us to understand what is happening biomechanically in each posture and movement. Two afternoons of the training will include hands-on experience at an anatomy lab.
THERAPEUTICS
We will learn how to address difficulties and injuries that students or we might encounter in yoga practice. Included will be the use of simple props. We will also learn to recognize imbalances in alignment or attitude that lead to injury.
MEDITATION
We will be introduced to traditional Buddhist Shamatha-Vipassana meditation. One afternoon per week will be reserved for group meditation instruction and practice. A nonresidential weekend retreat will deepen the practice. Attention will be given to how this practice fits with the methods of the Yoga Sutra and the Ashtanga Vinyasa practice.
TEACHING SKILLS
We will learn safe and beneficial hands-on adjustment techniques and will address how to be an effective teacher, based on practicing and putting humor and compassion into action.
Course Schedule
Please Note: This schedule is approximate and may change as we solidify some of the details for the course.
YOGA
MONDAYS, TUESDAYS, THURSDAYS, FRIDAYS
8:00 – 10:30
asana & sitting practice
10:45 – 12:15
chanting & philosophy
WEDNESDAYS
8:00am – 10:30am
asana & sitting practice
10:45am – 12:15pm
assisting & teaching techniques
THURSDAYS
2:00pm – 4:00pm
detailing asana
MEDITATION
WEDNESDAYS
14:00 – 16:00
sitting meditation
SATURDAY & SUNDAY
August 17 - 18
9:30am – 5:30pm
weekend of sitting meditation
Please Note: This is the approximate schedule based on years past. As the time nears and various details with venue availability etc. become clear, we will adjust to accommodate those details. We will update this schedule as necessary.
CADAVER LAB
TUESDAY & WEDNESDAY
August 20 - 21
cadaver lab with Todd Garcia
University of Frankfurt
This traditional Tibetan sand mandala represents the celestial mansion of the Medicine Buddha. Monks painstakingly created it by laying millions of grains of sand over a period of days. After completion, mandalas are normally swept up and offered to the mythical serpent beings (nagas) residing in a nearby stream or river, symbolizing the impermanence of life; but the monks left this one intact as a good omen for the Menla Mountain Retreat (New York), where, together with Buddhist scholar Robert Thurman, Richard and Mary teach a retreat every summer.