Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training at Pathway Yoga - 2018/2019
Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training at Pathway Yoga - 2018/2019
Iyengar Yoga Teacher Training at Pathway Yoga - 2018/2019
Becoming an Iyengar yoga teacher is a process shaped by Sri BKS Iyengar. We respect his guidelines
as set out by our national association, the Iyengar Yoga Association of Canada/l’Association
canadienne de yoga Iyengar. Excerpts from the IYAC/ACYI Guidelines and Teacher Training
Handbook are included. These are exactly what they are called – Guidelines. Exceptions can be made
and expectations adjusted according to circumstance.
Here is an overview of how the process unfolds at Pathway Yoga.
Attend an Intermediate or Advancing class regularly over the training period. If you live
outside Ottawa, attend an equivalent class with a teacher in your community, in which
Sirsasana and Sarvangasana with variations are taught regularly.
Attend at least two weekend asana/pranayama workshops during each year of training,
including one each year with a senior Iyengar yoga teacher. Attend four or more
Saturday afternoon workshops each year at Pathway Yoga during each year of training.
Attend monthly teacher-training workshops during each of the first two years of
training.
Introductory-level teachers attend one beginner class per week during the first year of
training and one intermediate class per week the second year of training, as an
apprentice. Intermediate Junior-level trainees are expected to make apprenticeship
arrangements with the training teacher according to their experience and how long they
have been certified at the current level of teaching.
Study many dimensions of yoga through writing papers and preparing projects.
For Introductory teachers, during the third year of training, plan and teach the
equivalent of three 8-week sessions of Introductory 2 level classes, consulting with the
training teacher.
Be inquisitive, openhearted and dedicated!
1. Studies, teaches, disseminates, and promotes the art, science, and philosophy of yoga
according to the tradition of BKS Iyengar without incorporating or teaching other styles of
yoga.
2. Honours and abides by the Code of Ethics and operates within the guidelines of IYAC/ACYI.
3. Maintains membership in IYAC/ACYI.
4. Retains and renews the Certification Mark, as required.
5. Receives continuing instruction at the Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute (RIMYI)
in Pune, India, or from intermediate/senior/advanced Iyengar yoga teachers.
6. Acknowledges the governing influence of the teaching of B.K.S. Iyengar on his/her practice
and teaching.
7. Maintains a regular personal practice.
An Iyengar Yoga Teacher-Training Program for the Introductory I/II levels is designed to prepare
participants to sit the Introductory II assessment.
1. Students wishing to enter an IYAC/ACYI-recognized teacher-training program:
a. Before enrolling, shall have done a minimum of three years of study with a qualified
Teaching Member of IYAC/ACYI.
b. Must have an established practice in asana and pranayama.
c. If unknown to the training teacher, must have a letter of recommendation from a
teacher certified in Iyengar yoga by IYAC/ACYI or another recognized Iyengar yoga
certifying body.
2. The student must become an Associate Member of IYAC/ACYI upon entering an
IYAC/ACYI-recognized teacher-training program,
NOTE: PREGNANCY. Should a apprentice become pregnant while training to teach Iyengar yoga,
it may be counterproductive or harmful to the teacher trainee to continue training during the course of
the pregnancy. IYAC/ACYI recommends that the student take a leave of absence from teacher
training from the time of conception through the first year of the child’s life.
Please refer to the IYAC/ACYI Teacher Training Handbook for more details, available to
IYAC/ACYI members at https://www.iyengaryogacanada.com/system/files/members-
only/teacher_training_handbook-dec_4_2016_.pdf
INTRODUCTORY I/II
The Introductory Iyengar Yoga Teacher-Training curriculum prepares participants for IYAC/ACYI Assessment for the
Introductory II Certificate.
Requirements must be completed within five years for the student teacher to qualify for application for IYAC/ACYI
assessment for the Introductory II Certificate. The student teacher and the Training Teacher may appeal to extend this
time period by writing a letter to the chair of the Professional Development Committee.
Minimum 200 classroom hours as an Iyengar yoga student in asana and pranayama classes with regular feedback
regarding asana practice from the Training Teacher over the training period. Classes must be taught by a certified Iyengar
yoga teacher.
Minimum of 100 hours of workshop experience in asana and pranayama with the Training Teacher and other senior-level
Canadian and international teachers.
NOTE: One month’s attendance in classes at RIMYI counts for 75 workshop hours.
Minimum of 100 apprenticeship hours in classes following the Introductory I and II syllabi over the training period.
These classes must be taught or supervised by a teacher certified in Iyengar yoga at the Intermediate Junior II level or
higher.
First term: Attend a beginner class as a beginning student. Reflect on the experience as a prospective teacher.
Second term: Observe and take notes, without participating in the class.
Teach a few designated asanas under the direction and supervision of the Training Teacher, who will provide
feedback.
Teach a class. Review the class plan with the Training Teacher. Teach the class under supervision of the
Training Teacher, who will provide feedback.
Minimum 50 hours of workshop training in teaching skills, with the Training Teacher or other senior-level Iyengar yoga
teachers on topics related to:
Peer teaching
Minimum of three eight-week sessions of sequenced independent teaching, in an outreach class, with oversight by the
supervising Training Teacher.
Regular written assignments covering all aspects of the IYAC/ACYI Teacher- Training guidelines, including the anatomy
and philosophy components. These written assignments must be coordinated with the IYAC/ACYI required reading list.
Written assignments:
Papers on teaching skills – for example, on topics related to Instructional language and linking, sequencing and
lesson planning.
Papers on asana and pranayama – for example, on topics related to: asana analysis for teaching purposes, suitable
adaptations for pregnant women in general classes, stages of pranayama relative to the syllabus, preparatory
poses for pranayama.
history of yoga, principles of astanga yoga, as found in Guruji’s Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali,
basic concepts presented in each of the four chapters of Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
The Invocation to Patanjali and its importance in the tradition of Iyengar yoga.
A basic understanding of body surfaces; of skeletal anatomy, including major bones; and of the main organs and
major systems of the body.
An ability to label the required anatomical information for each topic onto a blank body-frame outline.
An ability to accurately describe any anatomical terms being used in lay person’s terms.
EVALUATION
In addition to the program content, an important component of a teacher-training program is regular and ongoing
evaluation.
All evaluation is dependent upon the training teacher being current and familiar with the apprentice’s practice
and teaching.
1. Practical
a. B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Yoga.
b. B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama.
c. B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life.
d. B.K.S. Iyengar, Iyengar Yoga: Wisdom and Practice.
e. Geeta S. Iyengar, Yoga: A Gem for Women.
f. Geeta S. Iyengar, Yoga in Action, Preliminary Course.
g. B.K.S. Iyengar and Geeta S. Iyengar, Basic Guidelines for Teachers of Yoga.
h. Geeta S. Iyengar, Yoga-Sadhana: La mobilité dans la stabilité/Mobility in Stability, Atoury, Tours, France, July
2007.
Geeta S. Iyengar, compiled and edited by Chris Saudek, Yoga during Pregnancy: A Guide for Iyengar Students
and Teachers.
Astadala Yogamala, Vols. 1 – 8, ongoing.
B.K.S. Iyengar, Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health (new [2008] edition).
Lois Steinberg, Geeta S. Iyengar’s Guide to a Woman’s Yoga Practice, Vol. 1, (menstruation).
Lois Steinberg, Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics – The Knee, Neck and Shoulders.
Bobby Clennel, compiler and illustrator, Iyengar Yoga Glossary.
Bobby Clennel, The Woman’s Yoga Book.
Linda Sparrowe and Patricia Walden, The Woman’s Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong Guide to Wellness.
Course notes from documented international workshops with Geeta S. Iyengar.
3. Philosophy
a. B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.
b. B.KS. Iyengar, Tree of Yoga.
c. B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Life.
d. Bhagavad Gita (one of the versions below or one approved by the senior or training teacher):
i. S. Radhakrishnan, The Bhagavad Gita.
ii. Christopher Isherwood and Swami Prabhavananda, The Song of God.
iii. Swami Nikhilananda, The Bhagavad Gita or Song of the Lord.
iv. Barbara Stoler Miller, The Bhagavad-Gita: Krishna’s Council in Time of War.
v. Swami Svatmarama, Hatha Yoga Pradipika.
READING LIST - Recommended
1. Practical
a. Swati Chanchani and Rajvi Chanchani, Yoga for Children.
b. B.K.S. Iyengar, Yoga: The Path to Holistic Health (new edition).
c. Astadala Yogamala, Vols. 1 – 8
d. Prashant S. Iyengar, Alpha and Omega of Trikonasana.
e. Lois Steinberg, Geeta S. Iyengar’s Guide to a Woman’s Yoga Practice, Vol. 1, (menstruation).
f. Lois Steinberg, Iyengar Yoga Therapeutics – The Knee, Neck and Shoulders.
g. Silva Mehta, Mira Mehta, and Shyam Mehta, Yoga the Iyengar Way.
h. Mira Mehta, Yoga for Health, (covers Ayurveda).
i. Mira Mehta, with Krishna S. Arjunwadkar, Yoga Explained.
j. Mira Mehta, How to Do Yoga.
k. Mary Pullig Schatz, Back Care Basics.
l. Christine Saudek, Yoga Kurunta: An Exploration In the Use of Wall Ropes in the Practice of Yoga Asanas.
m. Rajvi Mehta, editor, Yoga Rahasya (Journal of RIMYI), ongoing.
n. Linda Sparrowe and Patricia Walden, The Woman’s Book of Yoga and Health: A Lifelong Guide to Wellness.
o. Bobby Clennell, The Woman’s Yoga Book.
p. Course notes from documented international workshops with Geeta S. Iyengar.
2. Anatomy
a. Blandine Calais-Germain, Anatomy of Movement.
b. Ray Long, MD, The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga, Scientific Keys, (various volumes).
c. Mabel E. Todd, The Thinking Body.
d. Any established text on anatomy, physiology, or kinesiology.
3. Philosophy
a. Georg Feuerstein, Shambala Encyclopedia of Yoga.
b. S. Radakrishnan, Indian Philosophy, Volumes I and II.
c. Swami Vivekanada, The Yogas and Other Works (Jnana, Karma, Bhakti Yoga), (issued separately or as one
volume).
d. Prashant S. Iyengar, Alpha and Omega of Trikonasana.
e. Mira Mehta, with Krishna S. Arjunwadkar, Yoga Explained, (extensive explanation of samnkya and yoga
philosophical systems).
f. Rajvi Mehta, editor, Yoga Rahasya (Journal of RIMYI), ongoing.
g. Ashtadala Yogamala, Vols. 1 – 8
h. Edwin F. Bryant, The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali: A new edition, translation and commentary.
i. Barbara Stoller Miller, Yoga, Discipline of Freedom: The Yoga Sutra Attributed to Patanjali.
j. Rama Prasada, translator, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra, with the Commentary of Vyasa and the Gloss of Vachaspati
Misra.
k. S. Radhakrishnan, The Principal Upanishads.
l. Swami Nikhilananda, translator and editor, The Upanishads, (a one-volume abridgement).
Bibliographie en français
Reference Texts: Light on Yoga (LOY) and Light on Pranayama (LOP) by B.K.S. Iyengar, and
Yoga: A Gem for Women (Gem) by Geeta S. Iyengar
Intermediate Junior I
Key Objective
The refinement of understanding and presentation of the foundations and principles of Iyengar yoga.
Teaching
Junior Intermediate I teachers are required to know the key objectives and list of general objectives for Introductory II.
Junior Intermediate I teachers are also required to demonstrate the following refinements:
1. Demonstrate increasing skill in teaching from what is observed in the students practice
2. Demonstrate increasing skill in linking instruction to actions within a pose
3. Demonstrate increasing skill in demonstrating teaching points
4. Makes safe corrections and adjustments to students in the poses.
5. Be decisive and show insight in the corrections.
6. Demonstrate increasing skills in addressing students’ mobility, flexibility
7. Ability to help students establish stability in their poses.
8. Demonstrate basic knowledge of common problems and related safety guidelines.
9. Be familiar with suitable precautions to be taken in the teaching of each level.
10. Make overall instructions subtle and teaching more insightful.
11. Show evidence of refined seeing.
12. Demonstrate a more commanding presence.
13. Be more demanding of students.
14. Be prepared to answer questions from students.
15. Give sequential instructions within a pose.
16. Be able to sequence a series of postures within a practice.
17. When teaching poses from a previous syllabus, teache refinements as though students have been doing the poses
for some time.
18. Show control of the teaching environment with increasing skill.
19. When one student needs correction, be able to correct that student using an “open” instruction that will also teach
the rest of the class.
20. Be able to relate teaching points to the spine.
21. Be able to identify a problem and find a teaching solution.
22. Be able to think on your feet.
23. Inspire, engage, and enhance students’ understanding of the asanas.
24. Demonstrate spontaneity, a lack of hesitation and enthusiasm when teaching.
25. Teach the finer points of the poses.
26. Stimulate students to work more effectively.
27. Show sensitivity and awareness.
28. Teach and shows the elements of alignment.
Intermediate Junior II
Key Objective
Teaching
Junior Intermediate II teachers are required to know the key objectives and list of general objectives for Introductory
II, and Junior Intermediate I.
Junior Intermediate II teachers are also expected to demonstrate the following refinements:
1. Be able to relate teaching points to the spine and the organic body.
2. Show the development of fluidity, clarity and compassion in your teaching.
3. Demonstrate the ability for self - questioning and evaluation.