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Some of the Usual Questions About
Starting a Teacher Training Program
| We are Here to Help |
| We have tried to address some of the common questions, but please feel welcome to connect with us directly. |
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Connect with Us |
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June 2008, Side A |
| "How do I know if Lulu Bandha's is the place for me to train as a teacher?" |
| Krishna said to Arjuna, "No learning can happen without love." If you feel a connection and draw to study with Kira Ryder and the other teachers of Lulu Bandha's, that is all that really matters. We highly recommend taking some classes live or online or watching some of our videos before arriving for your first day of school. Steady and consistent time with a teacher is how the transmission takes place. Read through how the school works and what is expected of you. Connect in and introduce yourself. Fill out the application and feel into the possibilities. If coming here feels opening, compelling, new, and not necessarily logical, then it might be a match. |
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Lisa and Celine, Winter 2008 |
| In Ventura Country, Bryan Legere of the Ventura Yoga Studio offers a Teacher Training Program. The Santa Barbara Yoga Center has a fantastic program with lots of visiting teachers. The beloved Ganga White and Tracy Rich of the White Lotus Foundation offer a residential yoga teacher training program in the mountains of Santa Barbara. And of course, there are countless programs in Los Angeles. But we believe that location should not limit your choices. Below is a list of teachers and schools we highly recommend. The Yoga Alliance no longer accepts compiled hours from different sources for your initial certification, but please do not allow the certification process to limit your learning. |
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List of Lulu Bandha's Recommended Teacher Training Programs and Schools. (To be posted soon). |
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Patricia and Kelly, Spring 09 |
| "I have heard Kira say that yoga will ruin my life. Is that true?" |
Yes. Deepening your connection to what is True will cause all that is false to dissolve. Your life as you know it will fade and a new life that you never imagined possible will blossom.
Life does not get easier because we start practicing and teaching yoga, in fact sometimes it can feel harder as we begin to participate more fully, but ultimately our experience becomes smoother and richer, more relaxed and magical. We promise. |
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We do not rely on one particular style. Our method of practicing and teaching yoga is inspired by the desire to connect. We emphasize the skills of feeling, seeing, trusting, compassion, truth and clarity of communication.
But our techniques are standing on the shoulders of the yogis before us. So one can taste the flavors of Krishnamacharya's lineage through the rivers of Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois and Desikachar. We call Erich Schiffmann our Papa Bear and Patricia Sullivan our Matriarch. Paul Grilley's insight into the connective tissue and subtle anatomy runs deep through our understanding of how things work. And we are continually learning from who shows up.
As teachers, our personal journeys are the ground from which we share. And our efforts are towards alignment with our Selves. |
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Erich Schiffmann at the Ojai Yoga Crib '09, photo by Timothy Teague |
| "Will this training prepare me to teach?" |
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Molly, Summer 2007 |
We believe that the best way to learn how to teach yoga is to start teaching yoga. The authentic and heart felt inspiration to share and connect with others will naturally guide you.
This training will help deepen our personal understanding of the practice. It will remove some of the mystery of how the techniques work and why they are so.
Through practice and discussion, we aim to develop and or refine our techniques of teaching. We cover the usual subjects of safe sequencing, ideas of alignment, language and touch, but with an emphasis on holding the space and cultivating the soil for the "a-ha." Because until the insight comes from within, very little can happen.
You do not graduate with a script. This makes teaching initially more difficult, but possibly more open for the expression of You. Together we are hoping to uncover your connection to your Yoga and foster It's sharing. |
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| "I really love yoga and I think I want to teach it, but I am not that good and I don't look like a yoga teacher." |
The more yoga teachers the better!
The intimate connection between a student and his/her first teacher is mysterious and amazing. The more different people teaching, the more likely someone new is to connect.
It is true that the yoga teachers on the covers of magazines are usually young, female, beautiful and flexy. But most people on the planet don't look like that and need a teacher they can relate too. Again, it is your purity of heart that is doing the teaching anyway. |
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Lulu Bandha's, photo by Timothy Teague |
| "How long will the training take me?" |
Know that you will be a teacher in training the rest of your life. The learning never stops.
In the beginning, the process can seem like we are simply accumulating knowledge to share. But eventually, we begin to pay attention to what is showing up at each moment and allowing that to draw us forward.
"The student in front of you is the object of the teacher's meditation. The teachings are behind you." Sonia Nelson
That said, the fastest you can complete the Teacher Training in is a year. We track your hours up to three. |
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Winifred, June 2008, A Side |
| "What Books should I start reading?" |
| We are continually offering gigantic lists of books to read. One member of our community recently stated that she wants a shorter list. So below is a shorter list. But the books you are drawn to depend on the questions you are asking, so let us know if we can help guide you. |
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Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving into Stillness, Erich Schiffmann |
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The Heart of Yoga, T.K.V Desikachar |
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The Wisdom of Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, Ravi Ravindra |
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The Spiritual Teaching of Ramana Maharshi, Shambhala Classics |
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Love Poems from God, Daniel Ladinsky |
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A Gradual Awakening, Stephen Levine |
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A General Theory of Love, Thomas Lews, M.D., Fari Amini, M.D., Richard Lannon, M.D. |
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Innerwork, Robert A. Johnson |
| Many of these books are available next to Lulu's at Bhavantu and at Quest Bookshop at Krotona. |
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Kira and Patricia, Spring 08 |
"What yoga videos should I start watching?" |
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Paul Grilley's Anatomy for Yoga, and Chakra Theory and Meditation. Both Available at Pranayama. |
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Erich Schiffmann's, "The Wave and the Ocean" Talk. |
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| "What should I start listening to?" |
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Ravi Ravindra's Sutra Study Course, recorded at Krotona, February 2008. You can order a set directly from Shelly. shelly@krotonaschool.org |
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Erich Schiffmann has free downloads of his talks and classes on his site. |
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Alan Watts. You can download some of his talks for free on itunes. You can purchase talks from this site. |
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Ojai Yoga Crib 09, photo by Timothy Teague |
| "How do I get started?" |
| 1. |
Let us know that you are interested. If you are currently practicing at the studio, tell us live. Or send us a note. |
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Fill out the application. |
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Jump in. The primary module is "Teaching Yoga, Side A" in June, but you can start taking certain workshops now. See the scheudle. |
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Start a YogaBlog. Begin recording the sequences you do in class. Write about your yoga practice, your insights, your struggles, your questions. Become mindful about your relationship with the practice. |
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Start making an effort towards a personal practice if you don't already have one. |
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Start teaching now. Teach a friend a few of the things you already know. A simple hip stretch, an easy hamstring stretch, a breathing technique or guided relaxation. Start to give birth to your voice. |
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Lisa West, Winter 2009 |
| "Does Certification really matter?" |
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Certification is a confusing topic. Right now the Yoga Alliance is the most ubiquitous standard of Certification offering 200 and 500 RYT Certificates.
Lulu Bandha's is a Registered Yoga School (RYS) with Yoga Alliance. There are other national certification boards in existence and development.
When you first start teaching and are applying for jobs with institutions that do not know you like Fitness Clubs, Spas, Cruise Ships, and Resorts, you will most likely be asked for proof of certification. Once people know you, and you have established a trusting relationship and demonstrated yourself as a competent teacher, you will not be asked for your credentials.
Upon completion of Lulu Bandha's 200 Hour Program, you are qualified to apply with the Yoga Alliance as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT). |
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| "What if I cannot afford the training?" |
| Connect in and lets start a conversation. |
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Have questions that we have not been able to address here? Connect with us directly here. Or call us at 805.640.7868. |
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