teacher's training

Deepen Your Practice
Advanced Studies Program
Yoga Teacher's Training
with Brigitte Snyder, Martin Doluz and Heidi Hopkins
Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School - RYS 200hrs
Receive Yoga Alliance RYT - 200 Status
June to August 2010

Mission Statement

The Yoga Teacher’s Training/Advanced Studies Program, which when completed makes the student eligible to receive Yoga Alliance RYT-200 Status, is a 3 month intensive course for a small group of students who wish to make yoga an integral part of daily life. The program is designed for the committed yoga practitioner who is looking to deepen all aspects of their personal practice as well as completely preparing and supporting those who wish to teach yoga.

Sharing over 20 years of combined experience, this transformational Yoga Teacher's Training will take you deep into the heart of yoga. This Advanced Studies program includes an immersion into the principles of technique and alignment, pranayama, meditation, physical and energetic anatomy and physiology, teaching methodology, yoga philosophy including Patanjali's yoga sutras, hands on adjustments and more.

Yoga is a path of self realization and this program is guaranteed to take your practice to a new level and nurture all aspects of the yogic life. Brigitte, Martin, and Heidi consider this training to be a mentorship and are committed to helping each student with their individual path. The program will provide you with the skills that allow you to be the most effective teacher and to share yoga from the experience of it's true essence.

Guest teachers will be participating in the sharing of Anatomy, Physiology and other specific focus areas.

Feedback from Graduates

Program Curriculum:

100 hours of Techniques of Yoga:

Includes exploration of all standing and seated poses, twists, backbends, forward bends, balancing poses and inversions with a strong emphasis on alignment. Understanding and teaching yoga for all levels, connecting the poses into a rhythmic flow, restorative yoga and use of props. Pranayama, centering and meditation techniques. Principals of sequencing and developing class themes.

30 hours of Yoga Teaching Methodology:

Principles of demonstration and observation, including hands on and verbal skills in assisting and making adjustments, oral presentation skills, how to create a sacred yoga space through the use of music and lighting. Teaching styles, developing the qualities of a teacher, understanding the student’s process of learning and business aspects of teaching yoga.

20 hours of Yoga Anatomy & Physiology:

Both human physical anatomy and physiology (bodily systems, organs, glands, etc.) and energy anatomy and physiology (chakras, nadis, prana, bhandas, etc.). Includes both the study of the subject and the application of its principles to yoga practice (benefits, contraindications, healthy movement patterns, ect.).

30 hours of Yoga Philosophy, Ethics & Lifestyle:

Basic Philosophy of yoga, history of yoga, principles of Ayurveda, the study of the sutras of Patanjali (including the 8 limbs of yoga). Ethics for Yoga teachers, living the life of a yogi, how to run a yoga business.

20 hours of Yoga Practicum:

Practice teaching, developing oral presentation skills, hearing/giving feedback, as wells as observing and assisting classes taught by others.

Courses, Dates and Times:

10 day yoga intensive-

•Friday, June 4th to Sunday, June 13th, 2010
•8:00am - 6:30pm each day

3 weekend yoga workshops-

•July 2nd, 3rd and 4th
•July 23rd, 24th and 25th
•August 13th, 14th and 15th
•Session times:

◦Friday 5:30 - 10:00pm
◦Saturday, 8:00am - 6:30pm
◦Sunday, 8:00am - 6:30pm

Tuition & Payment Options:

Course fee: $2,900.00 (total) due by May 25th, 2010
Nonrefundable deposit of $200.00 (applied toward course fee)

Required Reading:

•"Light on Yoga” by B.K.S. Iyengar
•“Yoga: The Iyengar Way” by Silva, Myras and Shyam Mehta;
•"Yoga, Power, and Spirit – Patanjali the Shaman” by Alberto Villoldo.
•"Moving Toward Balance, 8 Weeks of Yoga with Rodney Yee” by Rodney Yee and Nina Zolotow
•"How to Know God, The Yoga Aphorisms of Patanjali" by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood
•"Yoga Body: Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Asana” by Judith Hanson Lasater, PH.D, P.T.
•“Scientific Keys Volume I: The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga.” by Ray Long MD FRCSC

Required reading books not included in tuition cost.

Feedback from Graduates

M.L, Yoga Instructor (Yoga Hawaii, Open Space Yoga), ESL Instructor

Taking this training was undeniably one of the best and most important decisions I have made in my life. The training was seamlessly put together and allowed us to transition from the role of students to teachers with grace. Most importantly however, Brigitte and Martin took the training deeper-- they did not just teach, they connected with us, their students, through their compassion, love, and sense of humor, in a way that allowed us to trust completely and to open up to the essence of yoga. I now feel confident and well qualified to teach, adjust, and share the knowledge that I have gained with my students. I also know that in the process I have gained many dear lifelong friends, Brigitte, Martin, and all of the other students who took this journey with me.

P.B., Yoga Instructor, Resort Property Manager

One goal I had for my life was to take a yoga teacher training program, simply to deepen my own practice. When Brigitte offered the course, I knew it was meant to be. She embodies yoga. Her love and passion for a yogic lifestyle pours from her soul! The course was complete, encompassing and a new path for my life. Martin and Brigitte are a wonderful duo, balancing each other and bringing their own essence to the curriculum. Additional teachers were leaders in their respective areas of expertise and added informative perspectives to our knowledge. I never planned to teach yoga, but feel that I do now, in my life as a yogi. I credit Brigitte and Martin in bringing me along this amazing journey in my life. I thank them and honor them as my teachers.

H.H., Yoga Instructor, ERYT 200hr (Open Space Yoga, Yoga Hawaii)

The AYK Teaching Training was incredibly transformational. I walked in as a part time yoga teacher looking for some more technique to take my teaching to the next level. Little did I know that I would leave the training a completely transformed yogini. I fell in love with yoga again, I became curious about the body and how it assimilated the asanas. I became still again. I was given the key to yoga, the key to myself.

I went from teaching one class a week to teaching 13 classes a week. Truly transformational. The training gave me the confidence to teach more, to explore different ways of sequencing, to listen more, and to adjust students with finesse.

I can't express my gratitude enough for the experience of a lifetime! Thank you to everyone who participated and shared in the experience.

C.J., Yoga Instructor, Massage Therapist

My experience left me overwhelmed with love and gratitude. I felt so fully supported in my own experience and at the same time deeply connected to the group. It was such a joy to learn from instructors who are so deeply in love with yoga. The instructors have a tremendous body of knowledge that spans from the most crucial fundamentals to valuable subtle nuances and refinements.

R.F., Yoga Instructor, Jazz Singer, Ecstatic Dance Leader

The training deepened my practice and my meditation in so many ways. Brigitte and Martin are both highly experienced, dedicated teachers who are committed to training teachers in both the breadth and the nuance of Yoga.

I have more awareness of my physical alignment, of my body moving through space, of breath and how it affects my experience of life, and a heightened awareness of my body's responses.

Through this expanded experience of my own Yoga practice, I can now confidently lead others to explore the benefits of Yoga for mind, body, and spirit. I am truly grateful for this training.

K.V., Yoga Instructor (Honolulu Club, Open Space Yoga, Yoga Hawaii)

I consider my time at the Kula to be the gift that keeps on giving. It was really a training on how to live my best life, and my life has changed dramatically as a result. It was wonderful nourishment for my mind, body, and soul, and the information and friendships that came out of the program have been invaluable. I recommend this training for everyone. Get ready to work hard and broaden your horizons. Many thanks to Brigitte and Martin and all of my fellow yogis.

M.C., Yoga Instructor (Honolulu Club, Open Space Yoga, Yoga Hawaii), Hula Instructor

Aloha Yoga Kula Teacher Training gave me many different levels of yoga. We touched upon such aspects as asana, alignment, anatomy, meditation, yoga philosophy, teaching methodology, etc. The setting of our classes, whether at the yoga studio or Kailua beach, helped to create a feeling of ‘ohana (family) and serenity. Through our 4 month of training we developed friendships and a better understanding of each other.

Personally I really enjoyed the enrichment we received due to the many guest speakers who introduced us to various areas of yoga which I had never previously been aware of. I now have a better understanding of how diverse the art of yoga is. I feel very grateful at this time to start actually teaching, which would not have been possible without the good foundation I received at Aloha Yoga Kula through Brigitte and Martin.

J.G., Yoga Instructor, Tattoo Artist

Upon my first footsteps into the Aloha Yoga Kula Studio, I have felt a comforting sense of home. For the many months to follow and through the growth within my practice I knew I was ready for the next step. “Teacher Training July 2008” flyer posted on the bulletin and in that very moment I knew where my path was headed.

It attested to be one of the most incredible experiences I have ever had. I now feel confident in my foundation as a teacher with a balanced blend of technique and a true understanding of the essence of yoga. The symbiotic teaching of Martin and Brigitte provided a space for inner personal growth as well as a solid underpinning for each asana.

R.W., Yoga Instructor, Massage Therapist, Thai Massage Therapist, Thai Yoga Instructor

The teacher training/advanced studies program with Brigitte and Martin left an imprint in my life that will be with me always. I have grown in every aspect of my life from nurturing my asana practice to dealing and communicating with people to just finding joy. Whether or not you intend to teach yoga, this program is an incredible experience that will feed your mind, body and soul.

T.P., Yoga Instructor, Food and Wellness Coaching, PHD

I am so deeply touched by this experience, which I carry with me in my daily life and teaching in our community. The Aloha Yoga Kula Advanced Studies Program was so much more than a teacher training or certification process. Our mentors went above and beyond any expectations I might have had. Practically speaking, they did a superb job of covering proper alignment, yoga philosophy, diverse yoga styles, and yoga teacher business savvy. They prepared us to teach with a profound level of thoroughness, lovingly instilling uncompromising standards while evoking individual expressions of creativity and joy through yoga. Most importantly, they helped us truly deepen our practice and explore the depth and vibrancy of the true essence of yoga.