Maybe city life has you tied up for time. A schedule that wakes you up early and keeps you out late. You have always gifted yourself that hour of yoga every other day, but eight hours on back-to-back days for a month sounds like a little too much of a good thing. Or, perhaps way too much of a good thing. We’re New Yorkers too and we get it. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just slow down for a month and not be left in the dust? Well until you figure out how to overcome the time space barrier through deep levels of meditation, we have created the Customized Teacher Training program just for you.There are many reasons for choosing this type of Program. Often as a parent of young children, the full day commitment of our Intensive Programs simply doesn’t fly. Demanding work schedules are a factor as well. Over the years we have become a hub for many international students and a customized program is sometimes the only choice for our international students’ limited schedule. But for many students, the allure of a Customized Program is that you can move forward at your own pace. Not everyone has a learning style that flourishes in the fast paced environment of an Intensive program. Students who are newer to Yoga often benefit from moving more slowly through material and kinesthetic experience. What may be second nature to another student may be completely novel to the less experienced student. The information you will receive in your training is extensive and no matter what your background, it is beneficial to really slow down and sit with the material as much as possible. If customizing your program feels like the best way for you to slow down and take everything in, we fully embrace your choice and we are happy to work out a schedule for you.
How it works:
As a student of the Atmananda Customized Teacher Training Program you are required to complete exactly the same number of hours and curriculum as any other Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Training Program. Failure to complete such requirements will prohibit you from earning your certification. To find out exactly what is included in our coursework, please visit the 200hr, 300hr, or 500hr Program pages on our website: www.atmananda.com
Much of the customized training is done in small groups with other customized teacher trainees. At the beginning of your program a schedule will be drawn up that fits your life and the lives of your classmates. The benefits of going through this program as a group include having practice partners, other people to bounce ideas and experiences off of, and an exposure to the different teaching styles that we all intrinsically hold. Last but not least, yoga at Atmananda is fueled by community. Though we do encourage you to explore your practice and your mediation in isolation, we also recognize what a supportive family our community is for many students.
Part or all of your training may also be done as private classes. The benefits of private classes are, of course, ultimate flexibility in scheduling and the undivided attention of the instructor. Working one-on-one may sound phenomenal or terrifying to you, it really just depends on your learning preference. The downside of sticking only to private classes is that you would miss out on the community learning process that occurs in our group programs. Since one focus of this program is to prepare you to teach groups, we highly encourage you to join in either the customized group or the intensive group.
If there is another Intensive program running, you will also be asked to sit in on those classes as much as possible. Again you will be exposed to the discussion, teaching styles and feedback of the Intensive Training community. This is a great chance to meet friends, practice partners and receive the supportive feedback that will make you a great teacher.
Aside from official class time, like all Teacher Trainees, you will be required to take and observe a required number of asana classes. The idea behind this is that you will be exposed to the teaching styles of experienced teachers, who went through our training themselves. We do offer the option of taking classes at your home studio if that is the only option that fits your schedule. We will then require you to have your instructor sign off on each class you take in order to keep track of your hours. Please note: Your Customized Teacher Training Program must be completed within 9 months. You will have access to free unlimited yoga classes at our studio until the completion of your program.
So if a Customized Teacher Training sounds like the right option for you, please schedule to meet with JhonT, the Founder and Director of Atmananda, or one of our staff members, and we will be happy to answer any more questions or concerns that you might have.