200-Hour Hybrid: Self-Paced Online and 14 Day In-Person Yoga Teacher Training in the Amazon, Peru

Certification

Students who complete the training are eligible to register with Yoga Alliance as Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®).

How the training works

This teacher training includes a mandatory 40-hour online component that forms part of the overall program and is included in the package price. The online modules are delivered through Moksha Yoga Amazónica's website members' area and are completed on a self-paced basis.

The online coursework consists of pre-arrival and post-departure modules and must be completed by students who wish to be approved for Yoga Alliance registration. While participants are encouraged to complete the pre-arrival lessons before attending the residential training in Peru, this is not always possible for students who book close to the start date. Therefore, the online coursework may be completed before, during, or after the residential portion of the program, provided all required modules are successfully completed.

Schedule for residential program

• 05:45 - 07:00 Kriyas / sharkarma cleansing techniques, pranayama, and meditation
• 07:00 - 08:30 Asana postural practice (Vinyasa Flow)
• 08:30 - 09:15 Breakfast
• 09:15 - 10:30 Philosophy
• 10:30 - 11:30 Anatomy, physiology, and bio-mechanics
• 11:30 - 12:30 Teaching methodology
• 12:30 - 13:15 Lunch
• 13:15 - 14:30 Break
• 14:30 - 15:30 Body-alignment and adjustments practicum
• 15:30 - 17:00 Asana postural practice (Yin yoga)
• 17:00 - 18:00 Meditation class and practice
• 18:00 - 19:00 Ancient Vedic texts study and discussion
• 19:00 - 19:45 Dinner
• 19:45 - 21:00 Ayurvedic Massages
• 21:00 - 22:30 Self-study

Course information, Curriculum

Whether you are beginning your yoga journey or are an advanced practitioner searching to expand your knowledge, this teacher training will deepen your yoga practice, detox your body and mind, and bring you confidence and inspiration to become a joyful and knowledgeable yoga teacher.

Located in the spectacular Kantu Garden Lodge in the warm and dry jungle of Moyobamba, with a plethora of flowers, scents, and soundscapes, hummingbirds and monkeys visit throughout the day, organic fruits grow on the property, and morning mist makes this jungle oasis a surreal and ideal place to complete your yoga teacher training.

Moksha Yoga Amazónica is an experiential yoga school based in the Amazon rainforest of Peru that focuses on Integral Vinyasa, Yin, and Karma Yoga. The teachings are based on the ancient Vedic texts of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Hatha Yoga Padipika.

The teachings are combined with the physical and spiritual body and mind cleansing and detoxification techniques, incorporating Ayurvedic Abhyanga massage and self-care routines to activate and align the Nadis (energy lines) and chakras (vortexes of energy located over the main endocrine glands).

Moksha Yoga Amazónica offers yoga classes, retreats, and teacher training courses in Peru. They are a Yoga Alliance-registered school, allowing you to teach anywhere in the world upon successfully completing this yoga teacher training program.

Program

• Day 1: Arrival throughout the day, opening ceremony, asana postural practice, and meditation
• Day 2 to 13: Classes every day
• Day 14: Morning classes, closing ceremony, and departure

Moksha Yoga Amazónica prepares you to become a yoga teacher specialized in Vinyasa Flow and Yin yoga. This combines the energetic flowing movements of Vinyasa with the stillness of Yin yoga.

This training is composed of theoretical and practical knowledge presented interactively and experientially for you to become confident in leading mixed-level safe and creative classes to the public, all while gaining tools to deepen your personal yoga practice and advance to the next level. You will learn all this in the idyllic location that is the Amazon rainforest and jungle of Moyobamba, surrounded by nature, flowers, and wildlife.

The teaching team focuses on forming yoga teachers who teach more than simply asanas to their students, but who also live a life that is consistent with yogic values, off the mat.

Learning objectives

• Gain an in-depth understanding of Vinyasa flow-based and Yin yoga, covering traditional asanas, alignment, modifications and adjustments, pranayama, meditation, anatomy, biomechanics, subtle body theory, yoga philosophy, yoga ethics, and the business of yoga.
• Develop an ability to plan and guide asana postural practices of various levels across a spectrum from gentle beginner’s classes to vigorous flows that are challenging yet accessible.
• Become confident in adjusting and assisting students in proper postural alignment with both verbal cueing and hands-on adjustments.
• Find your voice and unique personal style as a yoga teacher, and internalize that being a great teacher means being a great student.
• Further your own personal asana postural and off-the-mat yoga practice at home, as well as deepen your yogic lifestyle through an understanding and daily application of the ancient yogic texts toward developing equanimity.

Hatha yoga

The Sanskrit word ‘Hatha’ means force and alludes to a system of physical techniques comprised of asanas, pranayama, kriyas, mudras, and meditation. As such, Hatha yoga is actually an umbrella term for most types of yoga teaching physical postures, meaning nearly every yoga style is Hatha yoga. With ‘Ha’ meaning the sun and ‘tha’ the moon, this practice aims to balance these two energies, bringing peace to the mind and body, to prepare the body for deeper spiritual practices like meditation. As ancient asanas were not merely postures but instead mudras, they were intended to seal and channel prana within the body.

Hatha yoga asana practice is relatively gentle, slow, and characterized by longer static posture holds than most other styles. In spite of this, however, the practice can still be physically and mentally challenging. Classes will typically start with a gentle warm-up and then progress to more physically challenging postures.

During this training, you will learn the Hatha yoga Pawanmukta Series (a warm-up that connects breath to movement, awakens your muscles and joints, and opens up your body) and foundational asanas such as serpent, eagle, bow, cow face, crocodile, fish, lion, camel, the warriors, and many more.

Vinyasa yoga

The Sanskrit word ‘Vinyasa’ translates as “to place specially”, and Vinyasa yoga is thus characterized by fluidly stringing asana postures together, with each movement synchronized with the breath. Vinyasa yoga is a vigorous and movement-intensive style based on continuous flow from one asana to the next and offers a wide variety of postures which means that, unlike the rigidity of Ashtanga yoga sequences, no two Vinyasa classes are ever alike. Faster-paced than Hatha yoga, Vinyasa yoga classes involve progressively increasing body heat - and sweat - and building strength. It teaches us to cultivate an awareness that links each action to the next, both on the mat and in our lives.

During this training, you will learn Vinyasa yoga methods to assess the needs of individual students or groups, and then build a complementary, step-by-step practice to meet those needs. In addition to the postures you will learn during Hatha yoga classes (many of which transpose in Vinyasa), you will practice Ashtanga sun salutations A and B, plank pose, four-limbed staff pose, cat-cow stretches, side plank, cobra, grasshopper, as well as many other and more advanced asanas such as arm balances, headstands, inversions, and handstands techniques.

Course content

The instructors are always present during classes and practice, observing and making recommendations for pose modifications and adjustments to proper alignment. You will learn the fundamentals of yoga, its philosophies and ethics, and how to deepen not only your physical but also mental, spiritual and emotional practice. There will be observations and feedback on your personal practice and practicums by the lead trainers so that you learn areas of improvement specific to you.

The physical component of this training consists of morning kriya cleansing techniques, two asana postural practices and two meditations daily, a daily body-alignment practicum where you will learn hands-on adjustments, pose modifications and verbal cueing, and special clinics on arm balances and headstands. You will learn proper hand placement and weight distribution for foundational postures so that you develop good habits to avoid injuries and find more ease of movement and balance as you progress towards more advanced postures.

You will also learn proper sitting positions to activate your root chakra during meditation, and exercises you can practice to make sitting for long periods of time not painful but instead enjoyable. You will take part in peer-to-peer class observations and assisting others during their practicums in addition to teaching your own classes so that when you complete the training you have advanced your practice to a much higher level and can apply both the theoretical and practical knowledge to your personal practice and teaching.

The theoretical component of this training covers both traditional Indian yogic knowledge on shatkarma and pranayama’s effects on the body, a study of yoga philosophy through discussing ancient Vedic texts, a study of Ayurveda and nutrition, the aims and effects of deep breathing and meditation, and a study of the subtle body, but also modern anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics.

This 200-hour yoga teacher training program incorporates training hours in the following educational categories and topics:

Asana postural practice techniques

• Breakdown and analysis of more than 80 classical Hatha and Vinyasa yoga postures, including arm balances and inversions.
• Pose modifications for injured people and prenatal yoga, and variations for different student levels.

How to use yoga props

• Blocks, bolsters, straps, and blankets

Specialized workshops and clinics

Themed workshops will cover a wide range of key asanas and body parts, such as standing, balancing, and seated postures, forward bend, back-bends, hip openers, downward-facing dog, chair, the moons, the warriors, twists, inversions, headstands, handstands, wrists health and conditioning, and core strengthening.

Teaching practice

Constructive feedback about your teaching will be given by both fellow students and trainers to allow you to hear students’ perspectives, improve your technique and cueing, and find your unique voice and style as a teacher. Some of the things you will learn and practice include:

• Teaching practicums
• Receiving feedback from peers and trainers
• Observing others teaching
• Listening to and giving your own feedback
• Learning to give hands-on adjustments
• Learning verbal alignment cues
• Communication skills for compassion and non-competitiveness
• Teaching methodology, including safe sequencing
• Principles of demonstration
• Teaching styles and the qualities of a great teacher
• Voice projection and floor presence
• Pranayama, mudras, and bandhas locks

The process of learning

• Learning styles and student needs
• Planning and structuring a class
• Dealing with injuries and contraindications
• Safety precautions and modifications

Shatkarma/Shatkriya body cleansing

Shatkarma is the Sanskrit term for the yogic purification techniques (kriyas) of the body as outlined in the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika." The purpose of these cleansing techniques is to keep the body clean and healthy and to prepare for the main work of yoga towards moksha, or liberation. Shatkarmas are said to remove toxins and impurities blocking the flow of prana in the body, making pranayama and meditation practice easier. Some of the Shatkarma techniques you will learn and practice include:

• Nauli
• Agni Saar
• Kapalabhati
• Trataka

Pranayama yogic breathing: breath expansion, restriction, and retention

As breath is linked to energy flow, moods and even longevity, breathing theory and practice will be studied in various classes, from pranayama, meditation, asana, anatomy, philosophy, and workshops. You will learn the different types of prana, breathing, and techniques to cool or warm the body and calm the mind, and practice the following:

• Nadi Shodhana (alternate nostril breathing)
• Sheetali (cooling breath)
• Shitkari (hissing breath)
• Ujjayi (victorious breath)
• Bhastrika (bellows breath)
• Simhasana (lion’s breath)
• Swana (panting dog breath)
• Bhramari (humming bee breath)

Meditation

• Breathing meditation
• Trataka (candlelight meditation)
• Active meditations
• Yoga Nidra

Mudras and Bandhas

You will learn foundational mudras and their applications, such as various hand, but also head, postural, and perennial mudras. You will also learn and practice the 4 main bandhas energy locks: throat lock, root lock, abdominal lock, and great lock.

Philosophy

Through the study of ancient Vedic texts and open discussion, philosophy classes will touch on many important and interesting points that deal with human existence and how the practice of yoga can help us reach higher states of consciousness and happiness.

You will learn about the ancestral trilogy of yoga: Bhakti or the yoga of devotion, Karma or the yoga of selflessly performing actions and service without expecting anything in return, and of Jnana yoga, an analytical self-inquiry into one’s own true nature through self-observation and conscious attention. You will discuss how to experientially apply these principles to your yoga teacher training experience together, as well as beyond in your daily lives. Some of the other topics you will learn about include:

• The meaning of yoga, its origins, and history
• The eight-limb path of yoga according to Patanjali
• The Vedas and the 12 schools of Indian philosophy
• The aim of yoga, modification of the fluctuations of the mind, mental disposition, levels of preparation, the meaning and benefits of Om chanting, and Samadhi
• The obstacles on the path of yoga, physical and mental disturbances caused by an un-concentrated mind, means to overcome obstacles and methods to control the fluctuations of the mind
• Lifestyle and ethics for yoga practitioners and teachers

Anatomy and bio-mechanics

Classes will cover both physical anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics such as bodily systems, organs, muscle groups, and the major joints, but also subtle body anatomy such as the chakras, nadis, and koshas. This includes both the study of the subjects and the application of their principles to yoga practice, such as benefits or contraindications. Some additional topics to be covered include:

• The skeletal, muscular, respiratory, nervous, circulatory, endocrine, digestive, sympathetic and parasympathetic systems
• Fascia and connective tissue
• The Golgi tendon organ
• The neck, shoulders, wrists, spine, hips, pelvic floor, knees, and ankles

Professional development

In order for you to gain the tools necessary to succeed in your yoga teaching career, you will learn about the various avenues you can take in your teaching journey, from studio employee to freelancer, organizing workshops and retreats, as well as how to market yourself or your studio. Some of the topics to be covered include:

• Understanding the difference between being certified and being registered
• Studio employee vs. independent contractor work options
• Private class methods
• Roles and responsibilities as a yoga teacher
• Trauma and betterment methods for students
• Networking, marketing, and advertising
• Insurance, legal, and tax considerations

One-on-One Mentorship Integration Session

Because feedback is essential for growth, as part of your professional development you will receive a one-on-one mentorship session with an instructor, which will serve both as an opportunity for you to ask questions or voice any concerns you may have, while the instructor will compassionately share feedback from his or her observations thus far. Through constructive conversation, you will be assigned an action item for growth.

Yoga Nidra

You will take part in a class on yoga Nidra methods as well as a practicum so that you can both learn the theory behind reaching this deepest state of relaxation while maintaining full consciousness and also experience it for yourself.

Sound therapy sessions

We live in a vibratory universe where everything we sense, feel, see and touch is pure energy, or particles of energy vibrating. As such, the basic principle of sound healing is this concept of resonance of vibratory frequencies of objects, which includes human beings. If we are not resonating with some part of ourselves or our surroundings, we become dissonant and without harmony, which can create illness.

Although healing with sound is believed to date back to ancient Greece, recent research has linked music to a number of health benefits, from boosting immune function and lowering stress levels to improving your body’s functions such as blood pressure, and even breathing. Sound is measured in terms of Frequency of Hertz (Hz), and sound therapy is the application of healing frequencies to the physical and subtle energy fields around the body.

During this training, you will take part in sound therapy/healing sessions, witnessing a variety of Indian, Tibetan, and Andean instruments and tools such as tuning forks, singing bowls, ocean drums, rain, and thunder-making instruments, koshi bells, hangdrums, native double octave flutes, chanting, and more.

Ayurvedic massages

Traveling through the sea of life our bodies gather barnacles of conditioning through diverse experiences. These ‘barnacles’ are subconscious areas of tension that house our history of emotions, such as defenses and vulnerabilities. Through Ayurvedic massages, you will learn to read an individual’s body map of aches, pains, and bumps, fully aware that every touch evokes certain emotions, and gently facilitate the ‘letting-go’ of unresolved wounds. Just as a machine needs to be oiled, the body loves to have its largest organ, the skin, soothed, which is why oils are commonly used in Ayurvedic massages.

This course is for you if:

• You want to become a yoga instructor with an integral formation
• You want to have a training that allows you to know the Yoga Sutras, the lessons of the Bhagavad Gita, and the techniques of Hatha Yoga Pradipika
• You want to live an intense personal and professional transformational experience
• You want to enrich your practice with different styles of yoga
• You want to register with the Yoga Alliance as a certified Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT200) with international recognition.

The purpose is to train qualified yoga teachers whose practice, discipline, and personal knowledge particularly inspire their students. As such, they train instructors who integrate the classical practices of yoga: asanas, study yoga (Jnana), yoga of action (Karma), yoga of meditation (Raja) and yoga of devotion (Bhakti). Upon graduating, you will feel ready and confident to lead safe and inspired Vinyasa and Yin yoga classes, while maximizing the use of props, pose variations and modifications, and contraindications towards creating progressively challenging classes.

Come feel the music on this sacred journey into ancient arts and explore the divine intricacies of yoga in its many forms, combining science with the path of the heart and cultivating self-love and happiness in a teacher training deeply devoted to spiritual growth. You will deepen your ability to be centered, present in life, and engaged with the world so that you can better spread mindful movement and inspire wellness through your love of sharing yoga. They look forward to welcoming you as part of our community.

Gifts

• Mala beads rosary for meditation
• Moksha Yoga Amazónica tank top