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At its root, this unique 200hr teacher training envisions the practice and study of Ashtanga yoga as a journey toward self-knowledge and our relationship to each other and the world.

Its function is to help teachers develop skills to hold space for that inquiry in others. If you’ve been a long term Ashtanga practitioner over the years you’ll know that there are many Ashtanga teachers sharing the method in their own unique ways, so you’ll also know there’s more than one way to approach the teaching of Ashtanga yoga. What if there were a way to take all of this knowledge and place it in the hands of the practitioner? So they can begin to make the decisions that are best for their needs and progress through the practise and study of Ashtanga yoga.

This training will help you share the traditional practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga in a way that’s accessible and available to a wide ranging population.

How will this training help you?

It will help you uncover your ‘why’

The practice of yoga is deeply personal to all of us. We all have our own reason for stepping on a yoga mat or sitting on a cushion. The next step, of wanting to teach, is also deeply personal. This training will help you to uncover your own ‘why’ – the reasons you do what you do. It will then help you shape that ‘why’ to help you support others in discovering theirs.

It will give you the space to learn together

This training will give space to learning as an individual and within a community. It will honour the interdependence of all of us by exploring how the great vows of Ashtanga yoga, the yamas, can facilitate a space of co-learning and shared experience.

It will help you see Ashtanga yoga as a process of discovery

During the training, as you begin to see that the teaching and practice of Ashtanga yoga is actually an ongoing process of meeting yourself and others, you’ll use insights and skills to hold space for a wide variety of people and experiences, through the lens of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga practice and framework.

Who is this teacher training for?

Experienced practitioners with the desire to take a deep dive into the practice, history and philosophy of Ashtanga yoga, who also wish to begin sharing it with others.

What are the criteria for application?

  • Two years of dedicated practice of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.
  • Experience and understanding of practising the full primary series of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.
  • On acceptance to the training you will receive access to a resource folder containing the asana names, opening and closing chants and the vinyasa count. Please commit to memorising, or having a good knowledge, of this before the first day of the training.

What will you learn on the teacher training course?

  • Guidance on your daily personal practice.
  • Learn how to facilitate a practitioner-centred learning environment.
  • Learn about power dynamics and consent in the yoga class.
  • Learn to adapt sequences and poses for individual practitioners.
  • Learn foundations of asana assists.
  • In-depth study of the anatomy and biomechanics of asana.
  • Introduction to the physiological systems including polyvagal theory.
  • Learn yogic models of assessment.
  • Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Yoga.
  • Learn to teach an Ashtanga yoga beginner’s class.
  • Learn to teach a full primary series Ashtanga yoga class.
  • Learn to guide a simple breathing practice.
  • Learn to guide a meditation.
  • Have lots of time to practise teaching.

At the end of this course you’ll be qualified to:

  • Teach an Ashtanga yoga beginner’s class.
  • Teach a practitioner-centred, full primary series Ashtanga yoga class.
  • Guide a simple breathing practice.
  • Guide a meditation.

What credentials will you receive?

On successful assessment and graduation of the course you’ll receive a Stillpoint Yoga foundation teacher certificate accredited by Yoga Alliance Professionals. This certificate will give you the ability to begin to teach your own Ashtanga yoga classes and lead you toward further training with Stillpoint Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga Worldwide.

This training will not authorise you to teach Ashtanga yoga through the Sharath Yoga Centre/SYC.

There will be also an opportunity to upgrade your training to a 230hr foundation plus certificate with 30hrs of online mentoring after the course finishes.

Pricing and schedule

The training is divided into two independent modules. You can choose to join either for both of them or only one. If you choose to join for only one of the modules, you will be able to complete the second module in 2025 at Purple Valley in Goa. Trainees will be awarded with a foundational yoga certificate upon successful completion of both modules 1 and 2. Each module is two weeks long.

Price given below is per 2 week module and includes shared/single accommodation, meals and all the teaching by Scott and Greg and additional guest faculty.

 

Garden view room Single ( Savasana and Cottages) 3400 GBP
Garden view Shared ( Savasana and Cottages) 3100 GBP
Standard Single (Ganesh and Savasana) 3150 GBP
Standard Shared ( Ganesh/Savasana) 2900 GBP

Accommodation options

Sample weekly schedule:

Saturday
2pm onwards: Arrival at the retreat
5pm: Introduction meeting and welcome dinner (please try to attend the meeting and dinner)

Sunday to Friday
6am–7am: Morning meditation
7am–9am: Guided class or Mysore style class
9.30am: Breakfast
11.30am –1pm: Theory
1pm–1.30pm: Break with fruits
1.30pm–3.30pm: Asana Theory
3.30pm–4pm: Break with Chai
4pm–5.30pm: Practicum
6pm: Dinner

Teacher Bios

Scott and Greg have been friends and colleagues since 2014. When they met they realised they had a shared vision around the teaching and practice of Ashtanga yoga. Between 2015 and 2019 they shared teaching annually, with their dear friend Kia Naddermier, at the renowned Stillpoint Yoga Spring Gatherings in London, holding space for practice, conversation and community about the many different elements of what it means to practise yoga.

They have also spent many years writing and collaborating on developing trainings that help Ashtanga yoga impact as many people as possible. They have both run long term Mysore programmes, Greg since 2000 in the USA and Scott since 2009 in London. They bring a wealth of experience, not just as individuals but more importantly as a shared outcome of their deep friendship: mutual love, collaboration and respect.

Greg Nardi

Greg Nardi is a YAP senior teacher and E-RYT 500. He is the lead teacher of Ashtanga Yoga Worldwide classes, workshops, and trainings.

Ashtanga Yoga Worldwide comes from Greg’s 24+ years of experience studying, practising and teaching yoga. He took extended trips to Mysore, India between 1999-2016 to learn yoga with a focus on asana, yoga history and philosophy, pranayama, meditation, and chanting.

Greg also attends Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy. He teaches with Yoga4Change, a Florida based non-profit organisation that achieves lasting, demonstrative change for veterans, individuals who are experiencing incarceration, youth and people living with mental health conditions, through a purpose-driven yoga curriculum.

Greg was formerly authorised level 2 with the KPJAYI in Mysore, India. Since resigning his authorisation in 2018, Greg has dedicated himself to educating yoga practitioners about power dynamics and consent-driven, student-centred approaches to the teaching and practice of Ashtanga Yoga. Greg believes in the healing power of yoga for all.

Scott Johnson

Scott Johnson has 20+ years of practice and study of yoga. He co-founded Stillpoint Yoga London, a dedicated Mysore self-practice shala, in London Bridge in 2009 which still runs today. Scott’s teaching is greatly inspired and influenced by John Scott, Lucy Crawford and Manju Pattabhi Jois. Scott is authorised to teach the primary and intermediate series of Ashtanga yoga by Manju and is a Yoga Alliance Professionals Senior Teacher. Scott has also undergone extensive training with Clear Mind Institute, gaining their level 3 certificate in Mindfulness and Compassion, and brings this quality of awareness to the practice and teaching of Ashtanga yoga.

Scott is host of The Stillpoints Podcast where he interacts with like-minded practitioners, teachers and creatives on what it means to live a contemplative life.

Scott teaches with encouragement, insight and integrity to the Ashtanga yoga lineage he has had access to. He adheres to the authentic tradition and lineage of Ashtanga yoga, assisting practitioners in discovering how the practice can unfold, not only personally on the mat, but also in the wider context of daily life.

 

How to apply

To apply for this training, please submit the form below and we’ll get back to you with more information.

Booking information

Please read the booking information before booking a retreat.

Accommodation Options

Take a look at our 3 accommodation options: