NEW! YOGA FOR WELLNESS
TEACHER TRAINING

This program is designed to...

• transform and uplift your life.

• deepen your yoga practice and your knowledge of holistic health to enrich your life.

• provide the option for those who wish to become an inspirational Yoga for Wellness teacher.

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How This 150-Hour Program Differs from our Previous 200-Hour YTT's

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As in all my (Karen Claffey) Yoga Teacher Training programs since 2002, the goal has always been to train highly skilled, knowledgeable professional yoga teachers with emphasis on not only the physical benefits of yoga, but also the spiritual, heart-centered and philosophical aspects of yoga. This included a wide spectrum of basic to advanced yoga postures, and how to sequence to achieve more and more advanced yoga postures. There was great emphasis on how to give verbal cues for advanced biomechanics and alignment, and how to perform hands-on-adjustments with said biomechanical alignment principles in each posture. Ample hours of the program were devoted to restorative yoga, mindfulness, Ayurveda and more.

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Our programs were designed according to the standards of Yoga Alliance 200-hour curriculum-breakdown: Techniques, Training, Practice 75 hours; Anatomy & Physiology 30 hours; Yoga Humanities 30 hours; Professional Essentials 50 hours. Over and above that, I took pride in not only meeting their standards, but surpassing them.

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A few years ago, I decided to let my Yoga Alliance accreditation expire. Each year when the annual renewal fees came due, I had begun to question more and more the value in it for me as a teacher, and as a teacher-trainer. It had occurred to me that in all the years of teaching in a variety of locations, yoga studios, private clubs, gyms, etc, I had never been asked if I was registered with Yoga Alliance. 

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Yoga is not recognized by insurance companies under employee-benefits programs. As a manual osteopath, I pay annual fees to an association so that insurance companies will recognize my services. Until Yoga and Yoga Therapy is recognized by insurance companies, I do not see the value in paying annual fees.

 

Therefore this new program is not registered with Yoga Alliance, and is not restricted by their program requirements.

 

This new streamlined program I have designed, in my opinion, better serves the needs of teaching to the wider population of students who are new to yoga and/or are simply seeking peace, rather than a rigorous yoga regimen suited to serious full-time yogis. 

 

I've discovered over the past two decades of teaching yoga that only a small percentage of the population wants to, or can, do advanced yoga postures (unless you were a dancer or gymnast). Few of us have the free time it requires to become a serious yogi; which takes devotion and many hours per week to safely master advanced poses.  Rather than rolling out a yoga mat to perform a challenging routine of yoga poses, most people are simply looking for serenity, wellness, and to create a space for self-care and healing. 

 

Most people simply want - and need - to destress! 

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This new program will include all the elements in our previous programs. The difference is, we will put greater focus on restorative yoga, fundamental Hatha yoga poses, warm ups, relaxation, mindfulness practices, and Ayurveda. There will be no mastering difficult poses. No learning Sanskrit names of the poses, and no complicated biomechanical alignment cueing.  (If you are interested in biomechanics and refined alignment check out my online course: Structural Alignment Yoga Therapy).

 

Instead, we will devote time to practices that support wellness. We will explore the science behind practices meant to ground, uplift, and inspire greater self awareness. Students will learn the tools and skills needed for self-care, and the option to share this knowledge 'professionally' with others, if this is your desire. 

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Throughout the program, participants will also learn and share with each other. Their will be occasions to practice-teach your fellow-students. The best way to learn for ourselves, is to teach others. No matter how prepared we may or may not feel to teach others, this step offers an incredible opportunity for growth and learning.  

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In addition to the approximately 100 classroom hours, there will be approximately 50 hours of homework spread throughout the program; or approximately 8 hours per month. Homework will be given the first weekend in October, and is to be completed prior to the last weekend in April. The homework is designed to not only further your yoga and wellness knowledge, but more importantly, to support you in your process of healing and transformation. For participants who successfully complete all the in-class hours, and submit their homework before or by April 11th, 2025, a certificate will be awarded on the last weekend for completing the Yoga for Wellness 150-Hour Program. 

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