Iyengar Teacher Training

In the Lineage of B.K.S. Iyengar

This teacher training program is an opportunity for dedicated students of the Iyengar method to deepen their practice, to establish themselves on the noble path of teaching and to study directly with Patricia Walden, one of the senior-most teachers of the Iyengar method in the United States.

The program will provide a comprehensive foundation for students who wish to prepare for the Introductory assessment in the Iyengar system.

In the Lineage of B.K.S. Iyengar

This teacher training program is an opportunity for dedicated students of the Iyengar method to deepen their practice, to establish themselves on the noble path of teaching and to study directly with Patricia Walden, one of the senior-most teachers of the Iyengar method in the United States.

The program will provide a comprehensive foundation for students who wish to prepare for the Introductory assessment in the Iyengar system.

Iyengar Teacher
Training

Yogānuśāsanam refers to the reverential practice of yoga as a sacred art — the art of integrating body, mind, and breath—uniting the individual soul with the universal spirit.

The training will meet for two weekends per semester in the fall, winter, and spring, with summers off. In addition to our regular meetings, we will also host guest teachers who will offer workshops on yoga philosophy and special topics. These will be part of our program and are mandatory for all Teacher Training students. Students will also be responsible for homework assignments and projects to be completed at home. These will include ongoing study, practice, and written assignments.

The goals of this Teacher Training Program are to give you a thorough immersion in the Iyengar method through an in-depth study of the required knowledge and foundational poses of the introductory syllabi

and to develop and refine your teaching skills. However, please note that completion of this Teacher Training Program is only the first step in preparation for certification in the Iyengar system; students will typically apprentice with a mentoring Iyengar yoga teacher for at least one year following completion of teacher training before applying for assessment.

The Teacher Training Program is a comprehensive one, and the better prepared you are, the more rewarding the experience and outcome will be. Becoming an Iyengar yoga teacher takes hard work and tremendous commitment, but it is ultimately transformative and rewarding.

“Do not aim low, you will miss the mark.
Aim high and you will be on the threshold of bliss.”

– B.K.S. Iyengar

Iyengar Teacher
Training Details

Check back for dates.

Program Requirements

  • You must have a clear commitment to the Iyengar method.

  • You must have two years of study in the Iyengar method and have been taking a weekly class with an Iyengar teacher these two years (exceptions to the weekly class requirement will be made for those who don’t have regular access to an Iyengar teacher).

  • Patricia recommends you have a daily practice that includes inversions (sirsasana, sarvangasana, halasana, setu bandha sarvangasana). We also recommend that you study and learn the complete names of all basic poses in both Sanskrit and English.

Recommendations

While you are in the Teacher Training Program and for this year preceding it, you are strongly encouraged to immerse yourself in the Iyengar method and to study only with Iyengar teachers (exceptions include meditation retreats and anatomy classes).

We recommend that you buy and study these following references:

  • Yoga in Action: Preliminary Course, by Geeta Iyengar

  • Light on Yoga, by BKS Iyengar

  • Yoga: A Gem for Women, by Geeta Iyengar

  • Light on the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, by BKS Iyengar

All four texts are available for purchase from the IYNAUS store. 

Patricia Walden

Patricia Walden is respected throughout the world as one of B.K.S Iyengar's most capable students and teachers. She helped create the National Certification Committee, co-authored The Women’s Book of Yoga and Health and other books; and is cited by Yoga Journal as one of “25 American yoga originals who are shaping yoga today". Patricia's DVDs, including Yoga for Beginners, were tremendously influential in the popularization of yoga worldwide, and she teaches Master Classes, workshops, and teacher training internationally.

Patricia came to yoga in her early 20s, as a spiritual calling.

In 1976, she met B.K.S Iyengar and was immediately struck by his light, energy, insight, and genius, as well as by his joy in yoga and delightful humor.

She became his devoted student and has traveled to Pune, India, to study with him (and his daughter Geeta) every year since.

Under Guruji’s guidance, she has developed her own methodical and inspirational approach to practice and teaching. Patricia has been a prominent figure in the evolution of yoga in the United States and has played an active role in the Iyengar Yoga community since the mid-1980s.

She co-founded the B.K.S Iyengar Center of Cambridge, served as president of the B.K.S Iyengar Association of Massachusetts, and co-chaired the 1987 B.K.S Iyengar Yoga Convention. She helped start the National Certification Committee and has served on it for more than 23 years. Currently, she is vice president of the B.K.S. Iyengar Regional Association of New England.

What is next?

We will not just teach you how to teach yoga, but we will also build your relationship with your personal practice. The journey of a teacher never ends, and the best yoga teachers are the most dedicated students. You graduate as a certified yoga teacher with a solid foundation and the tools you need to support your ongoing evolution towards excellence.

With our Continuing Education courses, Art of Assisting program, 300-Hour Teacher Training, and Boston Ayurveda School– we provide a space for your studies towards mastery of your craft. 

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