The 500-hour LevelYoga Alliance Registered Teacher Training School
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The 500-hour LevelYoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher Training School Live the Knowledge
“All Life is Yoga,” says Sri Aurobindo, the great yogi of yogis. At the 500-hour Level, you will take this to heart and embark on a seven month journey to expand your understanding of what it means to live Purna Yoga. The 500-hour level consists of 300 hours of classes (three 2-week intensives) and independent study (two 14-week sessions of book reviews, asana and meditation practice, and anatomy study). While at the College, you will receive the tools, techniques and information to deepen your teaching, and when you are away from the College, you will have the time to integrate, deepen, and apply what you have learned. Looking deep within yourself, you will learn to discover the areas that hold promise, and unveil their potential. Plan to delve into the wellsprings of your inspiration to teach yoga, and into your heart, bringing forth the teacher within. In this course, expectations are higher and living yoga is the goal. You will learn additional asanas and sequences, therapeutic applications, how to teach the Purna Yoga Meditation Snacks, and the holistic approach to business and marketing. In the end, you will emerge confident enough to hold the mantle of an Affiliated Purna Yoga Instructor.
*Download the Program Packet (all the forms and information on this web page, in a printer-ready format)
Dates2010 Start Attend all three in order: Course 1: January 11-23, 2010 Course 2: May 17-29, 2010 Course 3: Sept 6-18, 2010
Cost$ 5,770 Payment Schedule: Up to December 27, 2009
Tuition does not include lodging, food, books and materials, or travel expenses.
PrerequisitesYou must have completed a 200-hour yoga teacher training. If your 200-hour training was not in Purna Yoga you must:
If you intend to register at the 500-hour level after completing this course, you MUST have attended a 200-hour Level Course at a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School (RYS), AND you MUST be a Registered Yoga Teacher at the 200-hour level (RYT-200). This 500-hour Level Course provides the additional 300 hours of training required to obtain the 500-hour level registration. Therefore, if you have not fulfilled the 200-hour prerequisite, and are not registered with Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour level, you will not be able to register at the 500-hour level after completing this course.
CurriculumPhilosophy: Purna Yoga introduction and lineage, Yoga Class Etiquette, Key Sutras, Yamas and Niyamas, Kleshas, Saucha in Teaching, Savitri, Om, Mantras, Poetry, and much more How to ApplyPlease download the Application and complete it in full. You may also call us at Yoga Centers and we will gladly mail an Application to you. Applications are due by December 27, 2009. However, because courses do fill, we recommend you submit your application two months before the course begins. Mail your completed application, along with your $100 registration fee to:
We will contact you by email within three weeks of receiving your Application to confirm your enrollment. The 500-hour Level Application (PDF)
Book ListHere are the required textbooks for the 500-hour course. Please refer to the Yoga Centers Online Store for prices and ordering information:
Plus one or two more titles to be determined
Frequently Asked Questions
What certificate will I receive? This program has two certification tracks. Students select which track they wish to complete.
In the second track, you will earn the Affiliate Purna Yoga Instructor certification in addition to the 500-hour Course Completion. Graduates at this level will be recognized as Affiliate Purna Yoga Instructors on the Purna Yoga website (www.purnayoga.com). This track requires additional independent study above and beyond the Yoga Alliance requirements for an RYT-500; in addition, completion of the required elements on this track does not guarantee certification as an Affiliate Purna Yoga Instructor. That distinction is subject to approval by your instructors.
What is the Yoga Alliance? The Yoga Alliance was created to establish national standards for yoga teachers. Over the years, it has grown to become the nationally recognized body of yoga teacher training standards. Yoga Alliance does not certify teachers; instead it provides a list of teachers who have fulfilled certain yoga teacher training minimum standards. Those standards make up the 200-hour level and the 500-hour level of most teacher training programs today. Most studios and yoga teaching venues require teachers to be registered with the Yoga Alliance in order to teach yoga.
What if I my 200-hour training was not at The College of Purna Yoga? May I still attend this course? What if I am not registered with Yoga Alliance? Will I still be able to attend this program? When can I register with Yoga Alliance? With your successful completion of the program requirements (course hours and homework) you will earn the 500-Hour Course Completion Certificate from the College of Purna Yoga. To register with Yoga Alliance at the 500-hour level, becoming a “RYT-500,” you will need this certification and you will need to document 100 hours of yoga classes that you have taught in order to complete your Yoga Alliance application for registration. Your yoga classes can be from any time in your yoga teaching career, even teaching you did before you took this training.
What if I have to miss one of the three courses in the program? Because the course progresses sequentially through the curriculum, it is very difficult to continue if you cannot attend all three of the courses in order. If a leave of absence is unavoidable, or if you miss more than 12 hours of a course, you will be permitted to resume the course at the same point one year later. What if I miss a class session? To receive your Course Completion Certificate and be eligible for Yoga Alliance registration, you must complete 100% of the classes and requirements. In addition, you must attend the first 5 modules of the course. However, we understand that you may not be able to foresee every conflict, so we have devised the following procedures if you must miss a class.
If you miss more than 30 minutes of a module (4 hour course), either by arriving late or leaving early, you will not receive credit for that module, and the entire module will have to be made-up.
Any missed modules may be made up in the following ways: If you miss 1-3 modules (up to 12 hours):
If you miss more than 3 modules:
Who will be my instructor?
The 500-hour course will be taught by selected Senior Certified Purna Yoga Instructors, Aadil Palkhivala, and Mirra. The teachers of the 500-hour Level are Certified Purna Yoga Instructors with over 4,000 hours of training, practice, and apprenticing. They are also registered with Yoga Alliance as E-RYT-500s (“Experienced Registered Yoga Teachers at the 500-hour Level,” the highest level awarded). They have been hand-selected by Purna Yoga founders Aadil Palkhivala and Mirra, and have studied under them personally for many years to achieve the level of being a College of Purna Yoga faculty member. The members of the college faculty have made very deep commitments to their own practice of Purna Yoga as well as serving others and carrying on the Purna Yoga lineage by training teachers. How many people will be in class? We require a minimum of 10 students and accept a maximum of 30 students. In most classes, you will have one teacher and one or two assistants.
How much homework will I have? During the two 12-week breaks (after Courses 1 and 2), you will have a workbook that you must complete. The workbook consists of anatomy lessons, home practice in asana and meditation, books to read and respond to, and other written assignments. Your workbook must be complete prior to each of the courses. Expect to spend approximately 2 hours a day on your yoga homework, which includes your personal yoga and meditation practice. Expect about 50 hours of homework for the entire course.
How much should I expect to pay for books and materials? Your books should cost around $200 (less if you already own the anatomy text book from the 200-hour program). You can order them from the Yoga Centers Online Store, or find them at other book resellers.
I am coming from out-of-town. Where can I stay? We will provide you with a list of local recommended accommodations, ranging from rooms in houses, to hotels and bed and breakfasts, as well as transportation options. Many students find that they prefer to set up carpools and shared lodgings with their classmates while they are here. We regret that, due to privacy concerns, we are not able to share directory information with students until the course has begun.
After I graduate, where will I be able to teach? Upon completion, you will be able to teach Purna Yoga at a variety of yoga venues, such as studios, gyms, park departments, and schools. While there are no legal requirements for teaching yoga, most studios require their teachers to be registered with Yoga Alliance. The 500-hour level is one of the most prestigious levels of Yoga Alliance Registrations.
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