The Kula Curriculum

Our Yoga Teacher Training is a holistic program based on the understanding that to understand Yoga you must first understand Self...

body, mind, and spirit.

Useful links:   All Offerings  -   200 HR YTT   -   300 HR YTT   -   Kula Retreats   -  Continuing Education  -  Locations  -   Discounts & Grants

The Chakana, or Andean Cross, acts as the guide and foundational structure for our courses, encompassing the Lower, Middle, and Upper Worlds, each focusing on different types of movement, diet, meditation and intention. The levels allow us to move up through the layers of our self-understanding, to reveal the wise, light-filled beings that we are.

We bring to life the ancient teachings of Yoga through accessible spiritual lessons, a solid foundation in Yogic philosophy, and a daily Holistic Yoga practice.

Every day our teachings flow through each of the four following arts...

Elements of the Yoga Teacher Training Program

The Yoga Alliance has set a widely-accepted international standard for Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) programs which includes a minimum hour requirements across five areas of teaching: techniques, philosophy/lifestyle/ethics, teaching methodology, anatomy, and a teaching practicum. Find out how Kula Collective explores these teaching areas in our Yoga Teacher Training programs...

The Kula Flow

The Kula Flow is a slow vinyasa based sequence with an emphasis on mindfulness, breath, meditation, and alignment. 

Useful Links: Curriculum  -  200 HR Syllabus  -  300 HR Syllabus 

Vinyasa means to intellectually place or arrange in a special way. We make sure our students have a solid foundation and understanding of the poses with equal importance on the transition from one posture to another.

We understand that the physical practice is a vehicle to the mental and emotional work that comes up and helps us to reflect on how we move through our lives; encouraging fluidity and awareness. When we align the body, we can easily access the alignment of the mind and spirit. 

Since vinyasa is not derived from any one lineage, as a collective we have come up with a creative sequence rooted in multiple traditions. The Kula Flow is has roots in Ashtanga, Sivananda, Kundalini, Hatha, and Iyengar. The intention of the flow is to give students an opportunity to access the stillness of the mind, preparing the body for meditation; the foundation of Yoga. 

It is important to us that the practice has an intention based on yogic philosophy that can be weaved throughout the class while still giving students space in their practice to explore any resistance that may surface so that they can ultimately find lightness in their bodies and their mind.

We dive deep into the 4 traditional paths of Yoga, which are… 

1. Bhakti - Devotion

We open with a chant in order to center our selves and invoke energy to assist us as we flow through our practice. 

2. Jnana - Knowledge

We utilize relevent themes to help lift the veil of who we are not, in order to reveal who we are… our truest, highest Self.

3. Raja - eight Fold Path

A systematic approach to Yoga that emphasizes the benefits of meditation for spiritual self-realization and the purposeful evolution of consciousness.

4. Karma - Selfless Service

Offering a dedication to that which is greater than you so you may be guided to flow into harmony with the Oneness of being.

The Kula Flow is a philosophical journey through the Eight limbs of yoga inspired by the teachings of the ancient sage Patanjali. Sutra literally means to thread, so you will experience this weaving of these important concepts throughout the class, leaving you with a better sense of your Self. 

The eight limbs include ... 

1. Yamas - Social ethics and guidelines (external)

2. Niyamas - Observances (internal)

3. Asana - sitting comfortably with Self

4. Pranayama - letting the breath flow with intention and ease 

5. Pratyahara - Withdrawal of senses 

6. Dharana - Concentration

7. Dhyana - Meditation

8. Samadhi - Transcendance

The Kula Flow provides an experience to look inward and fulfill our Soul’s purpose. It encourages us to find contentment in the present moment. When in the flow we recognize that there is nowhere we need to be, there is nowhere we need to go. This moment is entirely perfect, exactly as it is. We invite you to come practice with us, so that we can begin the process of stilling the mind in order to remember who we are and why we are here. 

200 Hour YTT Syllabus

Useful Links: Curriculum  - Kula Flow -  300 HR Syllabus  

Techniques:

Asana, pranayama, meditation and kriya techniques will be taught and practiced. Trainees will then practice teaching them to their peers, both one on one, and in a group setting. There will be time to develop one’s own asanas, learn about anatomical alignment, benefits, checkpoints and contraindications, as well as to teach and assist peers during group teaching sessions. 

Contact Hours: 100
 

Asanas:

A variety of asanas from the following groups of asanas will be taught including gentle beginner and intermediate variations. The trainees will be taught how to enter and exit a pose, how to use the breath in the asana, checkpoints for alignment, benefits and contraindications for the asana, and how to assist students in the pose.

Categories of Asanas: 

Standing and balancing asanas, forward bends, back bends, side bends, twisting poses, crouching and seated poses, poses on the abdomen, poses on the back, inverted poses and meditation poses. Trainees will also learn how to adapt the techniques for specific ages, levels, some ailments, and in the case of pregnancy. They will learn warm-up techniques and relaxation poses including the importance of deep breathing in relaxation to prevent muscle fatigue and the build-up of lactic acid in the muscles.

Pranayama:

Teacher trainees will learn the form, benefits and contraindications of the following pranayama techniques, as well as when to incorporate them into the class and how to introduce pranayama techniques. Abdominal breathing, the three-part breath, ujjai pranayama, brahmari pranayama, anuloma viloma, and kapalabhati pranayama. They will learn how to perform these pranayamas with the bandhas and with relatively short breath retention (Kumbhaka) when appropriate.

Bandhas:

In order to perform the retention in the above breathing techniques, it is necessary to teach and learn Mula bandha, Jalandhara bandha and Uddiyana bandha, the latter also being instrumental to kriyas such as nauli. The purpose of the bandhas will be discussed in its relation to the uniting of prana and apana to channel them into the shushumna nadi.

Kriyas:

Trainees will learn the following kriyas, their benefits, primarily for their own practice, and later how to introduce the kriya to a class: Jal neti, jal kapalabhati, agni sara, and tratak.

Meditation:

In the theory section, the goal and paths of yoga will be discussed, thereby leading to the concept and techniques of meditation. Guided meditation will be explored, including creative visualization, meditation using yantra, mantra, ideation, ishta chakra and the withdrawal of the senses from external objects. Students will be guided in choosing a mantra for meditation.

Mantra:

We will explore the idea of mantra as a mystical energy encased in a sound structure in relation to mantras such as Om. Trainees will learn to chant and present yogic mantras for the beginning and/or ending of yoga classes (such as the the Shanti mantra or the Jyothi mantra). Bija mantras for purifying the chakras will also be explored including the timing and procedure for using these mantras in meditation.

Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics:

Our program attributes emphasis to this section, as we believe that Western students of yoga tend to focus more thoroughly on the physical aspects of yoga: alignment, health benefits etc. than on the philosophical base and framework of yoga, including the practice of yoga off the mat. This section will introduce yoga psychology and philosophy through discussions on Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, primarily Chapters One and Two.

Facilitators will present sutras, and also use pairwork and group work discussions to give trainees the opportunity to explore how these sutras relate to their practice, and how they live their lives. Patanjali’s eight-fold path is the climax of chapter two, and the trainers will offer concrete examples of how to implement Yamas and Niyamas in our daily lives. Trainees will have the opportunity to discuss their understanding and experience with these yogic guidelines. They will also be guided to see the interrelationship of all of the ten principles, as well as the interrelationship of the different paths of yoga. The paths (Bhakti, Karma, Raja and Jnana) will also be introduced in both a philosophical and practical light.

Contact Hours: 30

Transformational Experiences:

During the transformational experiences evening program, students will delve into the practice of both nama and abstract kirtan, as well as Vedic mantras such as: the Gayatri mantra, the Mahamrityunjaya (healing) mantra, the Shanti mantra, the Loving-kindness mantra, and the Akhanda mantra. Students will experience Yoga Nidra and Sacred Ceremony. Transformational experiences will also include some rituals, group sharing, healing circles and creative movement.

Lifestyle:

We will present and compare Yogic and Ayurvedic concepts of nutrition, as well as those of daily cleansing rituals, self massage, and other practices.

Ethics:

As a natural extension to the ten principles (Yamas and Niyamas), as well as the discussions on Teaching Methodology, we will flow into a discussion of professionalism and ethics in the teaching profession in general and the yoga profession in particular. We will present our Statement of Professional Standards, and discuss as a group the importance of having and maintaining codes of professional standards.

Teaching Methodology:

Practical teaching methodology includes how to demonstrate, observe, cue and assist students. This will be integrated with the Techniques class. We will also model the importance of language used to describe entry, maintaining and exiting poses. For example, in the forward bend, the image of “surrendering the body to the force of gravity” is a useful, and gentle image, as is “inhale release slightly, exhale and sink in to the pose – feel the pulse of the pose”, as opposed to “pull” or “push”-style language.

Theoretical discussions of methodology (pedagogy) aim to explore how to become a transformational facilitator, or teacher rather than just an instructor. This includes such topics as: the art of sequencing, creating a safe space, establishing a student-centered class, managing group dynamics, language and cuing, the ethics of assisting, and creating a yogic environment for learning, (including the dress of the teacher, yogic colours, the direction of the class etc). Trainees will also discuss qualities that will be instrumental to them as teachers.

Contact Hours: 25

Anatomy and Physiology:

In the 20 hours of anatomy and physiology class, students will be learning both about the physical system and the subtle body.

Physical Anatomy:

This class aims to teach trainees about anatomy and how it relates to yoga. Teachers and students will be guided by resources such as Anatomy and Asana, and The Anatomy of Movement. Subjects will include the study of the skeleton, muscles and joints, the cardio-vascular system, the respiratory system and the endocrine system and how they are benefited by yoga.

Subtle Anatomy:

Subtle anatomy is the yogic teaching regarding the three bodies, the physical body, the astral body and the causal body, as well as the five corresponding sheaths, and the yogic techniques that purify each sheath. Further, the concept of nadis, and chakras will be explored. The shape, location, associated glands, and characteristics of each chakra will be explored. This subject will be complemented by the practical meditation sessions and chanting sessions which will explore meditating and chanting to purify the chakras. It will also complement the discussion of the ida, pingala and shushumna nadis that is intrinsic to any discussion of pranayama and the bandhas.

Practicum:

In the first half of the program, trainees will be gradually introduced to teaching by teaching peers each pose or mini sequence in the Techniques class. This will progress towards teaching one pose or mini sequence to the whole group ‘Group Teaching’. In second half of the course, the trainees will each teach two classes to a peer. Each class will be 90 minutes long. They will then get 15 minutes of feedback from their peers and from the trainer. 

The first round will be a set KULA FLOW sequence; the second round will be the Unique Creative Flow: a beginners or intermediate level class where students are required to create and sequence their own class holistically around a theme and peak pose of their choice.

Contact Hours: 22 (Including 5 hours of teaching a partner, small group and classes)

300 Hour YTT Syllabus

Useful Links: Curriculum  -  Kula Flow  -   200 HR Syllabus   

The 300 hour Kula Collective training strategically builds upon the 200-hour Kula curriculum, but is also a good fit for those who have completed a non-Kula 200-hour program or those who have a good deal of experience teaching and/or holding sacred space.

At the 200-hour level, our focus as Kula facilitators is to guide students to understand how to teach a safe and effective yoga class. Students are given the foundation for teaching yoga asana, pranayama and meditation, as well as the principles for understanding the application of topics such as anatomy, Ayurveda, yogic cleansing and yoga philosophy.

At the 300-hour level, the Kula facilitators guide students into a deeper understanding of the essence of who they are as yoga teachers. Students are given opportunities to expand their teaching by incorporating themes and spiritual intentions that speak to their deeper message as a yoga teacher and their greater purpose as a healing practitioner on this planet. 

A safe container is created for self-exploration that encourages students to step beyond their previous ways of teaching and engage in a practice that expresses their authenticity and passions in service to the whole. The 300-hour curriculum is designed to move students from the level of “teaching a yoga class” to the level of “guiding an inspirational experience.”

Kula Collective is Yoga Alliance Certified!

Yoga Alliance® is the largest registering body for yoga teachers, studios and schools within the US and the largest nonprofit association representing the yoga community (see website here). Yoga Alliance provides a set of educational standards for yoga schools that specify hours or study in certain Educational Categories, to ensure schools provide adequate training to yoga teachers, enabling them to teach safely and competently. 

To register with Yoga Alliance and use the title and Registry Mark of Registered Yoga School (RYS®), yoga schools must submit their training syllabus for review and agree to maintain a curriculum that meets Yoga Alliance Standards. Yoga teachers who complete a RYS teacher training are generally eligible to apply to register as a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT®).

The Kula Collective exceeds the minimum standards required for yoga teacher preparation as set out by Yoga Alliance.  All our facilitators are registered with Yoga Alliance at an RYT-500 or ERYT-500 level, and come from a variety of lineages and traditions. Check out our Yoga Alliance Profile.

After completion of our program you will be able to register with Yoga Alliance as a certified teacher and you will be able to teach anywhere in the world.  A yoga teacher who registers with the Yoga Alliance Registry earns the title of Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) and may publish his or her online profile on the Yoga Alliance Directory.

Information borrowed from the Yoga Alliance website: www.YogaAlliance.org