Yoga Alliance Certification
AYTT-RYS 300 offers the complete set of courses required for getting your RYT-500 (Registered Yoga Teacher at the 500-hour level) certification from Yoga Alliance. To be eligible for certification you must have taught at least 100 hours and should complete and additional 300 hours of Ananda Institute of Living Yoga training from the course list below:
- Meditation Teacher Training * 65
- Bhagavad Gita and Advanced Asanas *55
- Spiritual Counseling *55
- Yoga Sutra and Advanced Asanas *55
- Advanced Pranayama *55
- Energize Your Life in Depth Training *30
- Healing with Prana *35
If you have graduated from the 200 hour Ananda Yoga Teacher training, then AYTT-2 builds on that experience through advanced asanas, a deeper examination of Yoga Sutras and the Bhagavad Gita, Ayurveda, and the core teachings of Hatha Yoga. If you are new to Ananda Yoga and your 200-level certification is from a different school, you will find the Ananda Yoga approach to be very inward, strong but calming, and with an equal emphasis on body, mind, and energy.
Elegibility & Prerequisites
Ananda Yoga Teacher Training Level 2 (AYTT-2) is open to anyone who has graduated from a 200-level Yoga Teacher Training program. You can either be an active teacher or you might just want to delve deeper and learn advanced yogic practices. It is recommended that you have an active yoga practice, since we will be examining several advanced asanas (yoga postures), pranayamas (breathing exercises meant for energy control), mudras and bandhas (gestures and locks).
If you are an RYT-200 but are new to Ananda Yoga, you should also take the Raja Intensive workshop. This is a 12-week workshop which introduces you to the basics of Ananda Yoga and Meditation. It is offered every winter (Jan –April) and Fall (September – November) in both Seattle and Bothell. Class times are Tuesdays (Seattle) and Thursdays (in Bothell), from 6:00 – 9:00 PM.
In addition to completing your coursework, you should have 100 hours of teaching experience before you can apply for RYT-500 certificate (this is a Yoga Alliance requirement).
Location
All courses are offered at the Ananda Meditation Temple, located at 23305 Bothell Everett Highway, Bothell, WA 98021.
Course Catalog
Meditation Teacher Training
Hours: 65
Next Scheduled: Begins September 6. 2025
Whether you train to teach meditation, or simply to deepen your understanding and experience of meditation, this power-packed course is for you! This in-depth study of the stages of meditation, the techniques and attitudes for focusing the mind, relaxing the body and calming the emotions, will give you valuable tools to assist others with their meditation.
The Healing Power of Prana
Hours: 35
Next Scheduled: Coming Soon in 2025
Paramhansa Yogananda introduced the practice of “self-healing with prana (Life Force)” through a series of exercises that enable us to tap into the limitless source of cosmic energy and guide it where needed. By fostering a harmonious and strong flow of prana, we can revitalize any part of the body, achieve mental clarity and peace, and enhance the dynamism and richness of all aspects of our lives.
In this course, we delve into a simple yet profound truth: when the Life Force is properly stimulated and directed, it becomes a powerful tool for all forms of self-healing, and success.
Energize Your Life
Energization Exercises Teacher Training
Hours: 30
Next Scheduled: Coming Soon!
“Yogoda” (the Energization Exercises) teaches how to surround each body cell with a ring of super-charged electrical vital energy and thus keep them free from decay or bacterial invasion. It keeps not only the muscles, but all the tissues of the body, bones, marrow, brain, and cells in perfect health.” – P. Yogananda
Spiritual Counseling
Hours: 55
Next Scheduled: September 19, 2026
Though this course is designed to be accredited with the Yoga Alliance for 55 hours in Level 2, and it is also a certification course in the Ananda Institute of Living Yoga, it is available to all. It is valuable for all who seek a deeper understanding of their own, or others’ human natures, and how to integrate our inner lives with the world around us. Whether you find yourself needing to assist friends, students, co-workers, family members or clients (if you are a therapist), or simply to understand yourself better, this course will provide you with tools and techniques to bringing one’s physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual natures into balance.
Yoga Sutras and Advanced Asanas
Hours: 55
Next Scheduled: To be determined
Nayaswami Hriman presents an in-depth course on the famous Yoga Sutras for those wishing to deepen their experience and understanding of meditation and states of higher awareness. For those practicing or teaching hatha yoga (postures), the Sutras offer guidelines of attitude, consciousness and techniques through which to understand the higher purpose of asana practice. Each week includes guided meditations taken from or inspired by the sutras
themselves.
Bhagavad Gita and Advanced Asanas
Hours: 55
Next Scheduled: To be determined
Nayaswami Hriman presents an in-depth course on the most beloved text of India, which Swami Kriyananda called “the world’s greatest scripture.” The Bhagavad Gita contains timeless insights into right action, right attitude, meditation, yoga, and the underlying reality of creation. While it is a truth-teaching for the ages, it has found an
Fees
All courses: $750 each
Installment payments. Course tuition for Bothell classes may be paid in equal installments for every four weeks of the course beginning on or before the first class. There is a $5 installment fee with each payment.
Refund Policy
Course fees are refundable in full if withdrawn prior to commencement of the first class. It is pro-rated thereafter (less a $50 administrative fee).
Frequently Asked Qs
Q: What is Yoga Alliance (YA)?
A: Yoga Alliance is a non-profit organization representing the Yoga Community. It is composed of teachers from a diverse group of yoga schools, and has established voluntary national standards for yoga teacher training. These standards help Yoga Schools maintain high academic quality and promote safe Yoga instruction.
Ananda helped found Yoga Alliance, and has been involved in developing these standards. Gyandev McCord, Director of Ananda Yoga Worldwide, is a co-founder and serves on the board of Yoga Alliance.
Q: How is Ananda Institute of Living Yoga relate to Yoga Alliance?
A: Yoga schools can go through an accreditation process with the YA by submitting their teacher credentials, teaching methods, and syllabus. Graduates of accredited schools are recognized by YA as Registered Yoga Teachers. Ananda Institute of Living Yoga is a YA accredited school. The Institute meets and exceeds the requirements of both the beginner program (called RYS 200) and the advanced program (called RYS 300).
Q: What is RYT 200 and RYT 500?
A: Graduates of Ananda Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) can register with YA as RYT 200. RYT stands for “Registered Yoga Teacher”, and 200 is a reference to “200 hours”, which is the minimum number of hours required by YA for this program.
After graduating Ananda Level 2 Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT-2), and teaching for at least 100 hours, one can register with YA as an RYT-500.
Q: I have an RYT 200 certification, but not from Ananda. Can I take these courses?
A: Yes. The certification program is open to any RYT-200, regardless of where you did your 200 level program. To get the most out of these courses, you will need to understand Ananda’s approach to Yoga; so if you are new to Ananda Yoga, you will be required to take the Raja Intensive workshop. Please see the section “Certification” for more details.
Q: I practice yoga semi-regularly. I have some physical limitations. Will I be able to get much out of the advanced asanas?
A: In general, the answer is Yes. As the name indicates, some of the asanas are physically demanding. But there is enough diversity in the asanas that we teach that, even though you may be limited in your ability to practice some of them, you will likely get a lot out of the others. Where appropriate, we will also teach variations that stay true to the spirit of the asana while making it more accessible.
Q: I practice Yoga postures, but I am not a regular meditator. Is it appropriate for me to take these courses?
A: In general, the answer is Yes. If you are not a regular meditator, you will learn the basics of meditation as part of these courses. Most of the courses don’t require you to meditate for long periods of time (although it’s certainly beneficial to do so).
Yoga postures awaken inner energies and interiorize these energies, so that the body is in a state of dynamic stillness – and thus ready for meditation. Thus the higher purpose of Yoga postures is to prepare the body and mind for meditation. At Ananda, we approach Yoga postures with this goal in mind, and thus meditation is integral to how we teach and practice Yoga.