Beginners' Class Teacher Training

Beginners' Class Teacher Training Program - For new teachers / 8 weeks

On-Site In-Person Program: April 3rd - 29th (All Regions)
Mentoring in home studio program: May 1st - 27th

Teaching Upskilling Program - For certified hot yoga teachers / 2 weeks

On-Site In-Person Program:
  • April 3rd - 15th (Europe and Australasia)
  • April 18th - 28th (North America)
  • April 18th - 29th (Latin America)
The 90-minute Beginners’ Class has been a common experience of many IYSF members, yoga sport participants, and yoga practitioners around the world over many years. The IYSF has therefore decided to help protect this special therapeutic yoga practice by conducting an IYSF Beginners’ Class Teacher Training program for new teachers, under the supervision of the IYSF President, Rajashree Choudhury.

The Beginners’ Class Level Teacher Training will complete the IYSF Educational System which already includes an Intermediate Level, Yoga Sport Class, and an Advanced Level, Coaching Skills Class. These three class levels are all part of the official IYSF certification process.

The IYSF Beginner’s Class Teacher Training is an eight-week program for brand new teachers who have been recommended by their studio owners. This program will combine 4 weeks of on-site education, happening in four regions simultaneously - Australasia, Europe, Latin America and North America, and 4 weeks of mentoring, in the trainees’ home yoga studios. During the first 6 weeks of the training, there will be a daily online or in-person lecture, delivered by experienced senior teacher IYSF instructors.

In addition to the Beginners’ Class Teacher Training program, there will also be a two-week Teaching Upskilling program,  available to certified hot yoga teachers seeking IYSF certification.

Each regional training program will be run by an experienced senior teacher IYSF coordinator, with the assistance of one dedicated official guest teacher each week.

Program Goals:

  • To offer an IYSF educational program, run simultaneously in four regions, under the supervision of IYSF president, Rajashree Choudhury.
  • This Beginners’ Teacher Training Program will train yoga enthusiasts and yoga sport practitioners to become competent 90-Minute Beginners’ Class teachers.
  • This qualification will open up a further opportunity for those teachers who wish to continue further training to become IYSF Yoga sport teachers / coaches.
  • The Teacher Upskilling Program will provide a continuing education opportunity to all existing Beginners’ Class teachers, so that they may increase their knowledge base and teaching competency.
  • These two educational programs will also bring trainees and teachers together, during the Yoga Sport week of training,for an evening Yoga Sport Class.
  • This class will be taught by IYSF certified A-level coaches. Yoga sport practitioners, and enthusiasts of advanced yoga practice are welcome to join this class.

Regional Training Locations & Coordinators:

North America, USA - San Francisco

coordinator: Lynn Whitlow

Latin America, Mexico - Mexico City

coordinator: Adrian Alarcon

Australasia, Australia - Melbourne

coordinators: Susan & Michael Houghton

Europe, Czech Republic - Prague

coordinator: Tereza Bonnet-Šenková


Regional Training Location Address and Coordinator Email:

North America Funky Door Yoga, 2567 ShaTeacher Traininguck Ave, Berkeley, CA, 94704, USA - email: lynn@funkydoor.com
Latin America Hot Yoga San Angel, Vito Alessio Robles 53 bis, ex. Hacienda de Guadalupe Chimalistac, Mexico City, Mexico, ZIP Code: 01050, email: fundaciondeyogamx@gmail.com
Australasia Bikram Yoga Fitzroy, 24-26 Johnston Street Fitzroy, 3065 VIC, Australia - email: contactus@bikramyogafitzroy.com.au Europe  Bikram Yoga Prague, Vodickova 1277/19, Prague 1, 110 00 Czech Republic - email: info@cskj.cz

General Curriculum of Beginners' Class Teacher Training Program - For new teachers:

  • 4 weeks onsite, in-person training, in 4 regional host studios, led by IYSF appointed coordinators, with the assistance of visiting senior guest teachers.
  • 4 weeks further mentoring in each trainee’s home studio, under the guidance of IYSF
  • 1.5 hours daily online or in-person lectures (During the 4 weeks of onsite training and the first 2 weeks of home studio mentoring)
  • 2.5 hours daily Instruction Session to improve delivery of class instructions

General Curriculum of Teaching Upskilling Program - For certified hot yoga teachers

  • 2 weeks on-site, in-person training (Australasia and Europe - during weeks 1 & 2; Latin America and North America - during weeks 3 & 4)
  • 1.5 hour daily online or in-person lecture (During the 2 weeks of onsite training and the 4 weeks off-site

Participants’ Pre-Registration Requirements:

  • Beginners’ Class Teacher Training Program - Minimum of 6 months Beginners’ Class practice, before attending teacher training.
  • Teaching Upskilling Program - Proof of certification from any previous Beginners’ Class teacher training

Participants’ Preparation Prior To The Program:

  • Beginners’ Class Instructions will be sent to each trainee after their registration Memorization of these Instructions is required prior to attending training
  • Participation in a pre-training Zoom On-Line Teaching Instructions lecture, which will cover learning skills, energy, intonation, and pace

Program Completion Requirements:

  • 100% in-person attendance of all classes and online lectures (during the first 4 weeks for the Beginners’ Class Teacher Training attendees, and the 2 weeks for the Teaching Upskilling Program attendees)
  • Fulfillment of the home-studio mentoring curriculum
    • Verification of Training Knowledge, based upon each regional coordinator’s requirements, and a final recommendation of certification by the home-studio mentor

Qualification:

IYSF Certification to teach the 90-Minute Beginners’ Class


In-Studio Curriculum for Beginners’ Class Teacher Training Program (week 1 - 4) & Teaching Upskilling Program (week 1 - 2 for Europe and Australasia, week 3 - 4 for North and Latin America):

  • Two Beginners’ classes practiced daily, 5 days each week (except for one evening class in week 4 which will be replaced by a Yoga Sports Class)
  • One 2.5 hour Instruction Session daily, 5 days each week, to improve delivery of teaching instructions
  • One 1.5 hour online lecture daily, 5 days each week, on relevant topics, with a new theme each week
  • These lectures will be recorded to accommodate the different regional time zones

Typical Daily Schedule (class times will vary according to each studio):

Sunday to Thursday or Monday to Friday

  • 9:30 - 11 am — Beginners' Class
  • 11am - 1 pm — Lunch
  • 1 pm - 3:30 pm — Instruction Session
  • 4 pm - 5:30 pm — Online Lecture or in-person Lecture in the studio
  • 6 pm - 7:30 pm — Beginners’ Class

Themes of Lectures during week 1-6 (in person, online, or from recording, according to the regional studio time zones):

  • Yoga Therapy by Rajashree Choudhury (USA)
  • Posture Technique by Tereza Bonnet Senkova (CZ)
  • Anatomy Posture Principles by Hanna Persson (Sweden)
  • Yoga Sport by Kim Tang (USA)
  • Teachers’ Feedback and Studio Business by Lynn Whitlow (USA)
  • Yoga History and Lineage by Christian Scaraglino (Sweden)

Schedule of Lectures during week 1-4 (in person, online, or from recording, according to the regional studio time zones) & Guest Teachers:

Europe/Prague: Beginners' Class Teacher Training: week 1 - 4, Teaching Upskilling program: week 1 - 2

  • Week 1: April 4th - 8th, Yoga Therapy by Rajashree Choudhury (USA), in person 9:30 am CET guest teacher: Rajashree Choudhury
  • Week 2: April 11th - 15th, Posture Technique by Tereza Bonnet Senkova (CZ), in person 9:30 am CET guest teacher: Christian Scaraglino
  • Week 3: April 17th - 21st, Anatomy Postures Principles by Hanna Persson (Sweden), in person 4pm CET guest teachers: Erik and Hanna Persson
  • Week 4: April 25 - 29, Yoga Sport by Kim Tang, from the recording 4 pm CET Yoga Sport Class - guest teacher: Almania Colombo

Australasia/Melbourne: Beginners' Class Teacher Training: week 1 - 4, Teaching Upskilling program: week 1 - 2

  • Week 1: April 4th - 8th, Yoga Therapy by Rajashree Choudhury (USA), online live from Prague, 7:30 pm guest teacher: tbc
  • Week 2: April 11th - 15th, Posture Technique by Tereza Bonnet Senkova (CZ), online live from Prague, 7:30 pm guest teacher: tbc
  • Week 3: April 18th - 22nd, Anatomy Postures Principles by Hanna Persson (Sweden), from the recording guest teacher: tbc
  • Week 4: April 25th - 29th, Yoga Sport by Kim Tang (USA), online live from San Francisco, 10 am (A level coach comes over from Adelaide) guest teacher: tbc

Latin America/Mexico City: Beginners' Class Teacher Training: week 1 - 4, Teaching Upskilling program: week 3 - 4

  • Week 1 - April 4th - 8th, Anatomy Postures Principles by Hanna Persson (Sweden), online live from Sweden (in the morning) guest teacher : tbc
  • Week 2 - April 11th - 15th, Posture Technique by Tereza Bonnet Senkova (CZ), from the e - learning platform guest teacher: Deepak Bhardwaj
  • Week 3 - April 18th - 22nd, Yoga Sport by Kim Tang (USA), in person, guest teacher: Kim Tang
  • Week 4 - April 25th - 29th, Yoga Therapy by Rajashree Choudhury (USA), in person guest teacher : Rajashree Choudhury

North America/San Francisco: Beginners’ Class Teacher Training: week 1-4, Teaching Upskilling Program: week 3-4

  • Week 1 - April 4th - 8th, Anatomy Postures Principles by Hanna Persson (Sweden), online live from Sweden (in the morning) guest teacher: tbc
  • Week 2 - April 11th - 15th, Posture Technique by Tereza Bonnet-Senkova (CZ), from the e - learning platform guest teacher: tbc
  • Week 3 - April 18th - 22nd, Yoga Therapy by Rajashree Choudhury (USA), in person guest teacher: Rajashree Choudhury
  • Week 4 - April 24th - 28th, Yoga Sport by Kim Tang, in person, 4 pm (Australasia is online) / guest teacher: Kim Tang

Home Studio Mentoring Curriculum for Beginners’ Class Teacher Training Program (week 5-8):

  • One Beginners’ class practiced daily, 5 days a week (studio mentor responsibility) One 1.5 hour online live, or recorded lecture daily, 5 days each week, on relevant topics, with a new theme each week (weeks 5 & 6)
  • One Beginners’ mock class taught daily, 5 days a week, under mentoring studio guidance, followed by feedback by the studio mentor (mentor’s feedback from these mock classes will be requested for the final certification)

Schedule of Lectures during week 5-8, for both Teacher Training & Upskilling program participants:

Europe/Prague

  • Week 5: May 2 - 6, Teachers’ Feedback and Studio Business by Lynn Whitlow - studio owners also attend, from recording
  • Week 6: May 9 - 13, Yoga History, Philosophy and Lineage Clinics by Christian Scaraglino, online live from Sweden, 11:30 am

Australasia/Melbourne:

  • Week 5: May 2 - 6, Teachers’ Feedback and Studio Business by Lynn Whitlow - studio owners also attend, online live from San Francisco, 10 am
  • Week 6: May 9 - 13, Yoga History, Philosophy and Lineage Clinics by Christian Scaraglino, online live from Sweden, 9:30 pm

Latin America/Mexico City:

  • Week 5: May 1 - 5, Teachers’ Feedback and Studio Business by Lynn Whitlow - studio owners also attend, online live from San Francisco, 6 pm
  • Week 6: May 9 - 13, Yoga History, Philosophy and Lineage Clinics by Christian Scaraglino, from the recording

North America/San Francisco:

  • Week 5: May 1 - 5, Teachers’ Feedback and Studio Business by Lynn Whitlow - studio owners also attend, online live from San Francisco, 4 pm
  • Week 6: May 9 - 13, Yoga History, Philosophy and Lineage Clinics by Christian Scaraglino, from recording


    • Program Price:

    Beginners’ Class Teacher Training Program: 3000 USD (this cost may be split into 3 payments)

    Teaching Upskilling Program: 1000 USD

    Click the Register Now button below to view detailed Terms and Conditions (including the points specific to the Covid-19 pandemics and travel limitations)

    IYSF Federation leads, mentors and studio owners are welcome to visit the training any time at their convenience. 
    External visitors can also attend for a fix fee of 100 USD/day. In any of these cases, please contact us prior to your visit.

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    Appointed Teachers for IYSF Beginners' Class Teacher Training Online/Live Lectures

    Rajashree Choudhury

    IYSF President
     Yoga Therapy Content
    As yoga increases in popularity, its emerging therapeutic applications are also growing. In the early days, the Hatha Yogis were the first to use asana to prepare and cleanse the body to be more adept for meditation. At the turn of the 19th century, renowned yoga teachers like T. Krishnamacharya, Swami Kuvalayananda and Bhishu Ghosh among others began to promote the added health benefits of yoga.

    Tereza Bonnet-Šenková

    IYSF Head of Technical Committee
    Beginners' Class Posture Technique Content
    Tereza Bonnet-Šenková will lead our teacher training posture technique content. Click the button below to learn more about Tereza and the posture clinics.

    Lynn Whitlow

    IYSF Head Judge
    Teachers' Feedback and Studio Business Content
    Lynn Whitlow’s role as a lecturer in our teacher training is to make a smooth transition in between the on-site training curriculum and trainees return to their home studios, where they will start their work with their mentors. Lynn is going to lecture for the first 5 days of the Home studio curriculum.

    Kim Tang

    IYSF Head Coach
    Yoga Sport Content
    Yoga is one of the six philosophical systems of Hinduism, and Asana is one of the traditional eight limbs of Yoga. While there is still so much controversy surrounding the concept of yoga asana as sport, the IYSF points out that sport, and the practice of yoga asana, both aim to improve and maintain physical skill, self-control, and general wellbeing.

    Hana Persson

    IYSF A-Level Coach
    Anatomy Posture Principles Content
    During the upcoming IYSF Beginners’ Class teacher training, Hanna will be presenting a 5-day lecture series on Anatomy Posture Principles, to help the teacher trainees better understand the therapeutic benefits of the Beginners’ Class postures.

    Christian Scaraglino

    IYSF A-Level Judge
    Beginners' Class History and Lineage Content
    According to the Yogi Times, Yoga is practiced by about 300 million people in the world. In some countries, like in Japan, there is a growth of 413% in the last 5 years alone! Modern postural yoga is going through a renaissance and the world wants more. But what about yoga’s past? Yoga has a rich tapestry of history that has brought us to the mat and competition stage today.
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