TEACHER TRAINING CURRICULUM

MODULE ONE

EMPOWERMENT THROUGH WISDOM: HOW THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS AFFECT OUR PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH

 

  • How thoughts affect your breath and inner winds.  How this understanding of the Subtle Body creates the foundation for a happy mind.
  • Kleshas; thoughts and emotions that disturb the mind. Identifying and understanding the major kleshas. 
  • Meditation and Asana sequences for Attachments and Anger
  • The Shamanic Roots of Yoga
  • Pure Consciousness and Direct Experience; A Practice Beyond Dogma and Hierarchy
  • Check Your Heart Daily Awareness Practice - taking personal responsibility for your life through a practice to check your thoughts daily
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Required Reading: Introduction to Tantra by Lama Yeshe, Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Be As You Are by Ramana Maharishi

 

MODULE TWO:

GAIN CONTROL OF THE MIND 

  • Kleshas In-Depth: Meditation and Asana Sequences for Depression and Anxiety
  • The importance of Emotional Intelligence and cultivating strong Communication skills
  • Cultivating a tribe, which begins with "The Mitra Project;" having a spiritual friend who you can be accountable to.  What are your experiences, thoughts, challenges and how they lead to breakthroughs. 
  • The Role of Prayer - asking for blessings from our guides, dedicating our practice to the welfare of all.  Creating sacred, healing space.
  • The Bhagavad Gita - practices and insight on how to approach the battlefield that originates in the mind.  How the stories we create about ourselves shape our reality.
  • Ancient purification practices that teach us how to break destructive patterns. 
  • Cutting edge science and how it supports the core and ancient teachings which help us yoke the mind with the body. 

 

Required Reading: Bhagavad Gita by S. Radhakrishnan, The Tibetan Book of Yoga by Geshe Michael Roach, Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment and Calm by Rick Hanson

 

 

MODULE THREE:

MOVEMENT: ASANA, DANCE AND MARTIAL ARTS 

  • The relationship between Asana, Classical Indian Dance and Martial Arts and how these practices help us to yoke our mind with our physical body.  Guest teacher: master of Indian classical Dance, Martial Arts and Yoga.  
  • Anatomy and Physiology
  • Adjustments and Modifications for Safe and Therapeutic Alignment
  • Introduction to Sequencing

 

Required Reading: Anatomy Coloring Workbook by I. Edward Alcamo, Moola Bandha the Master Key by the Bihar School of Yoga

 

MODULE FOUR:

CLASSICAL AYURVEDIC TEACHINGS ROOTED IN THE VEDIC LINEAGE

  • Ayurveda; The holistic approach to Yoga 
  • Understanding how the balance of the elements within you - earth, water, fire, air, ether - influence your movement, meditation and pranayama (breath work) practices as well as your diet.  
  • Discovering your constitution (vata, pitta, kapha) and how to adjust your yoga practice and diet according to the seasons.
  • Classic Ayurvedic Cooking techniques, Nutrition, Plant medicine, healing properties of major herbs and spices.
  • The importance of therapeutic touch, marma points, self massage and the necessity of self care.

 

Required Reading: Ayurveda: A Life of Balance by Maya Tiwari, The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies by Vasant Lad

 

MODULE FIVE:

BREATH, THOUGHTS, ENERGY

  • Pranayama (breath work) and how it affects your subtle body, thoughts and mind.
  • Nauli Kriya (cleansing exercise to regulate digestion and speed metabolism)
  • Pranayama sequences to target specific emotions and create physical and mental balance.
  • Classic pranayama sequences, as taught by Sri Krishnamacharya
  • Chakras (energy centers): Refining self-awareness and tools for self-healing
  • Teaching methodology for YATRI: Yoga for Emotional Healing

 

Required Reading: The Art of Pranayama by BKS Iyengar, Kundalini, the Arousal of Inner Energy by Ajit Mookerjee, Anatomy of the Spirit by Carolyn Myss

 

MODULE SIX:

SANSKRIT AND THE POWER OF WORDS

  • Sanskrit, Mantra, Modern Science: how words affect our thoughts.
  • How to protect our mind through our words.  The power of Sanskrit and powerful communication tools.   
  • Meditation techniques: Shamata: Stillness. "Until you develop Shamata you do not have a mind, your mind has you." - Buddha
  • Creating a well balanced, therapeutic Yatri Yoga class
  • Breakout practice teaching sessions, the art of giving and receiving observation and feedback

 

Required reading:  Sacred Sanskrit Words for Yoga, Chant and Meditation by Leza Lowitz and Reema Datta, Enjoy Sanskrit with audio cd by Reema Datta

 

MODULE SEVEN:

HOW CURRENT SCIENCE SUPPORTS ANCIENT, TRADITIONAL WISDOM PRACTICES 

  • Advanced Communication and Mediation Exercises with guest teacher and psychotherapist, Dr. Lisette Garcia.
  • Contemporary studies by the Dalai Lama and leading Neuroscientists and Psychotherapists on how to experience destructive emotions in constructive ways
  • Becoming your own therapist, creating new stories
  • The Business of Yoga, creating your business plan and your brand with guest teacher and branding specialist, Angela Prewitt.
  • Breakout practice teaching sessions, the art of giving and receiving observation and feedback

 

Required reading: Becoming your own therapist by Lama Yeshe, Diamond Cutter: The Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life by Geshe Michael Roach

 

MODULE EIGHT: 

WHO AM I: CREATE YOUR REALITY THROUGH YOUR NEW STORY

  • Shamanic Journeying and Vision Quest with guest teachers: medicine man from an Apache Tribe in Arizona and his Visionary Wife.  
  • Painting your vision.  Artistic expression with guest visionary art teacher from Oregon.  (writing and painting tools)
  • Creating your vision for what your life will look like now so you can HEAL YOURSELF NOW™.

 

Required Reading: Shamanic Wisdomkeepers by Timothy Freke , Healer Shaman Sage by Alberto Villoldo, Yoga is Not a Religion (online) by Reema Datta

 

Guest teachers include: 

  • Dr. Lisette Garcia, PhD in Psychology and teacher of meditation, mediation and conflict Resolution.
  • Mannie and Rose, Shamans, Direct descendants of the Cherokee Indian Tribe
  • Dr. Aparna Sindhoor, Doctorate in Dance, Literature and Women's studies.  Teacher of dance, yoga, kalarpayattu martial arts and theatre.
  • Dr. Uma Mulnick; Visionary Artist and Healer.
  • Lata Datta, Ayurvedic Specialist.
  • Angie Prewitt, Branding Specialist and Business Coach.

 

Completion of this training qualifies you to take the advanced Master level 300 hour Yoga Alliance certified training with Reema Datta.  Topics include: Dream Yoga, Psychic Development, Plant Medicine, Dying, Death and Beyond,  Advanced Pranayama, Movement, Wisdom teachings, Shamanic Journeying, deeper understanding of the Subtle body and healing modalities focusing on the energetic and gross bodies.