Experience Authentic Yoga in our RYS 200 & RYS 300 Professional Trainings
Ananda Yoga Teacher Training is a comprehensive program that expands your understanding of yoga poses, yoga philosophy (Yoga Sutras and The Bhagavad Gita), anatomy, and the subtle body (chakras and nadis). You will deepen your asana practice through the use of affirmations, dynamic relaxation, and awakening your vital energy (prana).
Ananda Yoga was developed by Swami Kriyananda, based on the teachings he received from his guru (spiritual teacher) Paramhansa Yogananda. In this program, you will learn how to practice, modify, deepen, teach, and use props for 38 yoga poses. You will also learn powerful techniques that go beyond poses: pranayama (breathing techniques), mudras, bandhas, Yogananda’s Energization Exercises (a unique system for developing health and vitality), practices for stimulating the chakras, and meditation. The program is offered both in-person at the Ananda Blue Lotus Temple near Seattle (in Bothell), and online via Zoom.
Next Session Begins: January 22, 2026
An Authentic Tradition
Discover the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda and his direct disciple Swami Kriyananda, founder of Ananda Yoga based on the thousand-year-old science of hatha yoga.
A Yogic Environment
Immerse yourself in a place of peace and spiritual depth supported by a community of yogis.
A Professional Training
The School is certified with Yoga Alliance® RYS™ 350 hours and RYS™ 500 hours. We offer you high quality, safe, accessible teaching.
If you have yet to experience Ananda Yoga and would like to take a class, or, if you have any questions about your personal practice or how this program can serve you, please contact the registrar of Yoga Teacher Training, Christina at 425-806-3700 or christina@anandawashington.org.
Meet the Instructors
Murali Venkatrao PhD
PhD, E-RYT 500, YACEP. Director of Ananda Yoga Teacher Training and Lightbearer of Ananda. Murali has been teaching yoga teacher since 2002, and is an active researcher studying Yoga’s impact on diabetes, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and other metabolic disorders. He is currently the Director of yoga teacher programs at the Ananda Institute of Living Yoga in Bothell, WA, and a Professor of Yogic Physiology at Vivekananda Yoga University in Norwalk, CA.
Murali also serves as a Minister at Ananda Washington where he teaches various courses on Vedanta, Hatha Yoga, Yoga philosophy, yoga therapy, beginner and advanced teacher trainings, and more.
Murali earned his PhD in Yoga from S-VYASA Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana University in Bangalore, India where his research focused on diabetes risk reduction and glycemic control through yoga techniques.
Lynne Steele
E-RYT 500, YACEP, Co-Director of Ananda Yoga Teacher Training. Lynne’s energetic, enthusiastic and caring approach helps beginning and experienced yoga students find their own personal expressions of joy, harmony and balance in body, mind and spirit. She has taught Ananda Yoga for more than 10 years, is co-director of the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training program, and is a certified Ananda meditation teacher.
Christina Riegel
E-RYT 200 | RYT-500 | YACEP. Christina discovered yoga a couple of years after moving to Seattle in 1998. After almost 16 years of trying different yoga styles, and always feeling like something was missing, she finally found her yogic home at Ananda. The yoga community at Ananda a living example of what yoga is all about. Christina finds inspiration through Ananda Yoga’s firm roots in the ancient art and science of yoga. Now a certified Ananda Yoga teacher, Christina is honored to guide students to experience for themselves the amazing benefits of yoga for the body, mind, and spirit.
In addition to teaching yoga, Christina is a member of the temple staff, taking charge of many departments.
Debra Clark
Debra, E-RYT 200 | RYT 500, has been practicing yoga for 30+ years. She’s taught Ananda yoga and meditation for more than 10 years. She’s a lead teacher in the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training program. Debra is a certified health & wellness coach who uses holistic tools including aromatherapy, yoga, meditation, and ayurveda to help clients set, achieve, and exceed their personal and career goals. Debra earned E-RYT 200 and RYT-500 certifications from Yoga Alliance with over 1,000 hours of teaching.
Lorie Gail
C-IAYT | E-RYT 500. Lorie had been practicing yoga for many years on her own until she found her true “Yoga Home” at the Ananda Lynnwood Community in the late 90s. She became a graduate of the 200 level Ananda Yoga Teacher training in 2011. She has since continued on with her studies becoming certified as a specialist in each of the following fields – restorative, yoga nidra, meditation, adaptive yoga teacher, yoga for cancer and a yoga therapy. One her greatest joys is helping others find the peace and joy she feels by creating a welcoming environment where everyone feels acknowledged, supported, with a sense of well-being and awareness of the inner radiance that exists within all of us.
Nancy Callan
Nancy Callan is a Meditation and Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 200, YACEP. She discovered hatha yoga through pre-natal yoga classes in 2002. Later, after experiencing the joy and benefits of Ananda Yoga, she went on to complete her teacher training through the Ananda Institute of Living Yoga, and has been teaching at Ananda Bothell since 2014. She is inspired to help others use the practice of asana (yoga poses) to support not only physical health and wellness, but also an awareness of the connection between the body and the breath to inner qualities such as peace, calmness and joy.
Kevin Hart
Kevin, RYT-200, discovered there are many ways to practice yoga postures. In Ananda Yoga, focusing our energy inward and upward during and after a yoga pose is a kind of moving meditation that opens up many hidden potentials and realizations about ourselves. Kevin’s curiosity and joy for the art and science of yoga provides a great window into the art of teaching yoga!
The schedule has two components:
- 13 consecutive Thursday evenings beginning January 22 through April 16, 2026 from 6 – 9:15 PM pacific time. This portion of the course can be attended online via zoom.
- 9 weekends, Sat 9-5:30p PM and Sun 1-6 PM (*unless otherwise noted below)
- 3 day retreat Friday thru Sunday. Our retreat will be near Lake Stevens, WA. Please plan on clearing your schedule for this entire duration of the retreat. Overnight lodging and food is included.
Full Schedule for 2026:
o Weekend #1 Jan 24 & 25
o Weekend #2 Feb 7 & 8
o Weekend #3 *Friday evening Feb 20 from 6-9p Plus Feb 21 & 22 from 9a – 8p
o Weekend #4 March 14 & 15
o Weekend #5 March 28 & 29
o Weekend #6 *Friday April 10th afternoon arrive in Lake Stevens by 1p, departing on Sunday, April 12th at 5p (2 nights accommodations and vegetarian meals are included in this retreat)
o Weekend #7 *Friday evening April 24 from 6-9p Plus April 25 & 26 from 9a – 8p
o Weekend #8 May 2 & 3
o Weekend #9 May 9 & 10 – Final Exam and Graduation!
• Tuition is $3,150. Ask us about payment plan options!
• Plus a One-time, lifetime non-refundable application fee $50 (some students will have already paid this)
• Cost of textbooks is additional. Students are responsible for the purchase of texts. See required texts under the heading “Books and Materials”.
Tuition Includes:
- Free Ananda Yoga drop-in classes once $500 deposit is made through the end of the course!
- Ananda Yoga Teacher Training Manual (printed)
- Supplemental handouts (offered online)
- Yoga Strap with buckle
- (2) Large foam blocks (24”x12”x2”)
- (1) Small foam block
- Ananda Yoga Asana Flash Cards
- Private guidance with a Yoga Teacher Trainer
An initial meeting will be arranged prior to the start of the program to discuss your personal practices (sadhana) and to provide you with any guidance you might need in order that you may begin the program with confidence in your own practices. Follow-up meetings can be arranged to provide further support. A mid-program meeting will be scheduled with each student.
PAYMENT AND INSTALLMENT OPTIONS
• Ananda Institute of Living Yoga Application Fee of $50. Due at the time of application submission (if not previously paid).
• Tuition due date: All tuition is due in full by December 20, 2025.
• Installment payments plans are available. There is a 3.0% service on the deferred portion of tuition. Please ask us about options!
• To create the most dynamic and supportive training experience enrollment is limited to 20 students. Once accepted into the program a deposit of $500 will secure your place in the Yoga Teacher Training program.
REFUND POLICY
Prepaid tuition is refundable in full prior to the start date of the program, excluding a $200.00 Administrative fee.
We will deeply explore all the major asanas including: standing poses, forward bends, balance poses, backward bends, side bends, twists, core strengthening poses, inversions, seated and meditative poses. We will also experience Surya Namasakar (Sun Salutations). For each pose, we will discuss alignment, safety, use of breath, beginner and advanced variations, benefits and contraindications.
An effective yoga teacher needs both awareness and knowledge. Awareness comes from intent, focus, and experience. AYTT provides the relevant knowledge needed for teaching including:
“Mind over body” is well known; however “body over mind” is equally true. Specifically, a bodily position engenders a corresponding state of consciousness. Thus we feel uplifted simply by making the spine straight; by the same token, the mind cannot help but feel heavy when the shoulders and back are slumped. This
simple observation is the basis for all asanas – the postures uplift our level of consciousness. This upward movement of prana is the primary reason for the great healing power of yoga. When practiced properly, the body naturally assumes the pose using its innate intelligence. Ultimately, the job of a yoga instructor is to teach
the art and science of how to achieve this inner experience.
We will discuss the principles of energy movement in the body, and the state of consciousness — joy, peace, strength, etc. — fostered by an asana. We will introduce many techniques, including affirmations, breathing, neutral poses, etc., whereby students can have this experience.
Yoga is a subtle practice. Thus there is frequent need to “fine-tune” an expression of an asana by adjusting. We will teach the general concepts behind adjustments and also discuss adjustments specific to each asana.
In addition to asanas (physical postures), Hatha yoga has three other equally important aspects which we will explore in some detail:
Knowledge of the physical body is essential for a deep understanding of yoga and is important for teaching it safely and effectively. We will study the anatomy of the musculoskeletal system and the science of movement. We will also discuss circulatory, respiratory, digestive, elimination, endocrine, nervous, and immune systems. During AYTT, we approach anatomy not merely as a corpus of knowledge to be accessed intellectually, but as practical, experiential, living science with immediate applicability to the practice of yoga. For example, the spine is the central post around which the limbs move; using the fundamentals of anatomy we will discuss spinal alignment and proper articulation at the joints to ensure safe expressions of complex poses such as Trikonasana (Triangle pose). The classes are profound for both the
newcomer to anatomy and those already possessing a working knowledge.
Practice makes perfect. In the context of AYTT, “practice” means teaching, assisting, and adjusting. We augment the comprehensive curriculum described above with teaching sessions where you will have the opportunity to practice the techniques that you have learned. Practice sessions begin early on and occur periodically throughout the duration of the course.
Classically, Raja Yoga (Royal Yoga) is considered the supreme path with meditation as its central “yoga”; all other branches and practices of yoga are simply preparations or support for this central practice. We will explore the history and paths of yoga, Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga (8-limbed yoga of the sage Patanjali), basics of Yama (literally means “control”, refers to moral restraints) and Niyama (literally means “rules”, refers to practices or observances), the importance of a Guru (teacher), and the Yogic scheme of life.
pieces of esoteric literature.
Ananda Yoga was developed by Swami Kriyananda to recapture the essential purpose of Yoga postures: to harmonize the body and refine the mind. He learned yoga postures from his guru, Paramhansa Yogananda, who was the first great yoga master to make his home permanently in the West, and is the author of the spiritual classic, Autobiography of a Yogi.
A successful completion of AYTT entitles the student to be certified as Ananda Yoga Teacher Level 1. This automatically entitles you to register with the Yoga Alliance as a “Registered Yoga Teacher” at the 200-hour level (or simply, RYT 200). See “Frequently Asked Questions” in the Detail Information Packet for an explanation of what this means. Simply put, you will become a “card carrying” yoga teacher and can start teaching yoga (Yes, there is an actual
card stating this when you register with the Yoga Alliance!). To receive certification, you must:
• Participate fully in all classes. Due to the nature of the program we encourage 100% attendance from the students. Due to illness or other life emergency a student may miss up to 8 hours of class. Student is responsible for all material
missed. Missed classes exceeding 8 hours can be made up in a future YTT program.
• Satisfactorily complete all reading and writing assignments.
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the asanas as reflected through your own practice. This includes but is not limited to proper alignment and energetics as well as safety precautions as appropriate for each individual.
Evaluation Method:
Mid-program evaluations are offered each student with suggested refinements to their asana practice. Students needing additional assistance in the practice of the asanas will be asked to attend additional classes to receive focused guidance.
• Receive 80% or higher as a passing grade on all quizzes and exams.
• Demonstrate skills and attitudes of an Ananda Yoga Teacher. This includes satisfactory performance in the student practice teaching sessions.
• Agree to follow the Ananda Yoga Teacher Code of Ethics (These are simple, common-sense guidelines, a copy of which will be given to you as part of the course material.) A mid-program oral interview is conducted with each student to assess the student’s current standing and address any issues of concern.
AYTT may be taken by anyone interested in teaching yoga or deepening their personal yoga practice. However, because of the nature of AYTT, some additional criteria are considered to determine the feasibility of the student’s participation:
- Overall health: AYTT requires consistent physical effort over a period of several months. We will accommodate special physical conditions whenever
circumstances permit and so long as the overall safety of the student is not in jeopardy. - Background and intention: A consistent personal asana practice is a prerequisite and personal meditation practice is a plus. Above all, the desire to learn and an open mind are most important.
- Personal Practices: To receive the maximum benefit from the program, attendees are asked to have a consistent personal asana practice for at least 6 months. A “consistent practice” means a practice spanning at least 4 days/week (more is even better). Your practice should focus on the set of asanas listed at the end of this document. These asanas form the basis of the training. The deeper your understanding of these asanas prior to the program (alignment, energetics, inner awareness, etc.), the more you will take away from the program.
- It is recommended that you attend at least one Ananda Yoga class per week prior to the commencemt of the training as well as during the program to assist you in your exploration of these asanas. Working with a teacher will support you in a way that working (practicing) alone simply cannot. Early enrollees into the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) have the added benefit of starting the Sadhana Practicum immediately.
- Meditation is an integral part of Ananda Yoga. While it is not required that you have a regular meditation practice before taking AYTT, such a practice will vastly deepen your experience of the program. Regular meditation is included in the course, so chances are that you will have a consistent meditation practice at the end of the program anyway.
Ready to Apply? Please read the information packet carefully, then click on the Apply Now button. If you have questions please contact us!
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