Upcoming Training Opportunities!  



200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training

Next Training Begins JANUARY 11, 2025!

Ananda Yoga Teacher Training is a transformative experience for anyone who wants to teach yoga or deepen their existing practice, or both. Join Murali Venkatrao PhD and a team of experienced yoga teachers for a 4 month journey into your Higher Self. For those willing to concentrate deeply on their personal practices and to commit to the intensive study, the fruits are boundless.

  • Classes are in person in Bothell, WA
  • 200-hour Yoga Alliance certified program
  • Self-paced online content combined with over 200 in person hours of instruction help you absorb the material effectively
  • Classes are on Thursday evenings (online optional) and Weekends (in person required)
  • Teaching practicum includes both teaching in person and in a virtual world!

CURRICULUM INCLUDES

  • Asana Techniques
  • Teaching Techniques
  • Inner Experience of Asana
  • Assisting & Adjusting
  • Pranayama, Bandhas & Mudras
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Energization Exercises
  • Specialty Yoga
  • Raja Yoga, Yoga Philosophy & Astral Anatomy
  • Teaching Practicum
  • Sadhana Practicum

WHY ANANDA YOGA?

Ananda yoga encompasses the physical, energetic, mental/emotional and spiritual aspects of the practice of yoga. You will learn the classic Hatha Yoga postures (asanas) with a focus on safe physical practice and the more subtle aspects such as breath and energy awareness. We will also study anatomy, individual modifications, teaching techniques, use of affirmations, pranayama, mudras, bandhas, Patajali’s 8-Fold path, yoga sutras, chakras, spiritual awakening, and much more! 

Practicing an asana with this level of intention and mindfulness requires both an inward poise and outward strength. Real strength is the ability to calmly and efficiently concentrate energy and will power upon the asana, without unnecessarily engaging muscles or strength not needed for the task at hand. This concept of “relaxation in the midst of effort” vastly enhances the physical benefits of Hatha yoga practice.

The result is a greater sense of ease, well-being, connectedness, vitality, and inner joy that work their way into our daily lives. Thus, yoga transcends the classroom and becomes a way of living.

DATES

13 Thursdays

6 – 9:15p pacific time
attend Online or In Person
8 Weekends

Saturdays 9a-5:30p / Sundays 1-6p pacific time
IN PERSON REQUIRED

Art and Science of Raja Yoga
Jan 16 thru April 10, 2025
January 11 – 12, 2025 – Weekend 1
January 25 – 26, 2025 – Weekend 2
February 8 – 9, 2025 – Weekend 3
February 20 – 23, 2025 – Weekend 4*

*4 day retreat at the Ananda Community in Lynnwood, WA. In Person attendance is required. Meals are included. Overnight lodging is not required or included. This is a day retreat only but you will need to clear your calendar for all 4 days for this deep and nurturing retreat.
March 15 – 16, 2025 – Weekend 5
April 5 – 6, 2025 – Weekend 6
April 12 – 13, 2025 – Weekend 7
April 19, 2025 Saturday Only 10:30a – 5p
May 3 – 4, 2025 – Weekend 8 – GRADUATION!

PRICING

Tuition = $3,000 early bird price if paid in full by November 1, 2024. Ask us about payment plans!

Tuition Includes the following:

  • Free Ananda Yoga drop-in classes during this course
  • Ananda Yoga Teacher Training Manual
  • Supplemental handouts
  • 1 Yoga Strap with buckle
  • 2 Large foam blocks (24”x12”x2”)
  • 1 Small foam block
  • Asana Flash Cards
  • Private guidance with an Ananda 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.

Additional Costs:

  • Required Text books (see info packet for details)

Ready to Enroll?

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Email us at friends@anandawa.org or call us at 425-806-3700

Payment plans are available!


Yoga Teacher Training – Level 2 (300 Hour)

Ananda Yoga Teacher Training Level 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.

If you have graduated from the 200 hour Ananda Yoga Teacher training, then Level 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.

If you have any questions about your personal practice or how this program can serve you, please contact us 425-806-3700.

Certification

The Ananda Institute of Living Yoga offers a 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 need to complete the following:

Ananda Yoga Assistantship course (80 hour training)

And any four of these courses (55 hours each)

  1. Meditation Teacher Training – Begins January 2025!
  2. Bhagavad Gita and Advanced Asanas
  3. Spiritual Counseling – Begins September 2024!
  4. Yoga Sutra and Advanced Asanas
  5. Advanced Pranayama

Meditation Teacher Training


Meditation Teacher Training is an Ananda Teacher Training (AYYT) level 2 accredited course.

This course will be offered again beginning February 2025:

8 Saturdays : Feb 1, Feb 15, Mar 1, Mar 15, Mar 29, Apr 12, Apr 26 & May 10

Hours: 9 am to 5:30 pm each day for Yoga Alliance level 2 teacher training credit. (10:30 am – 5:30 pm if you are not taking the course for Yoga Alliance credit.)

Location: Both IN-PERSON at the Blue Lotus Temple and ONLINE on Zoom.

Course Description

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.

There are two core texts: “How to Meditate” by John Novak; and, “Awaken to Superconsciousness” by Swami Kriyananda. Students will also need the “Art and Science of Raja Yoga” but that comes with the prerequisite foundation course, Raja Yoga Intensive discussed below.

Course Topics

This in-depth exploration of meditation includes practice and study of:

  • 3-phases of meditation: relaxation, concentration, and expansion of awareness
  • Core pranayams (breathing exercises), why and how to use them?
  • The power of creative visualizations
  • The effect and importance of chanting and mantra
  • Art and science of observing the breath
  • How to shift from “doing” to “being” in meditation
  • What is the most important aspect of meditation?
  • Eightfold path of meditation
  • Quieting the mind
  • Are beliefs necessary?
  • Meditation for all reasons: from health to heaven!
  • How to deal with the G-word?
  • Review and practice of floor sitting and chair sitting positions
  • Overcoming resistance, sleepiness, & other common challenges
  • Art of interpreting meditative experiences
  • How to awaken devotion?
  • Counseling students
  • Use of audio and visual aids in teaching
  • How to lead a guided meditation
  • Step by step meditation routines
  • Places to teach
  • Speaking techniques
  • How to speak from inspiration
  • How to teach meditation on Zoom
  • Dealing with problem students

Application Forms to download:

Application in Word

Application in PDF

To enroll or for more information contact Hriman McGilloway at 425-806-3700, or send us an email.

Prerequisites and Eligibility

To be eligible to take Meditation Teacher Training you must be practicing meditation on a regular basis for at least one year.

The training and discussions in the teacher training will focus on the breath awareness style taught by Ananda. In general however the topics are applicable to all core meditation styles.

The completion of the Raja Yoga Intensive is required prior to the Meditation Teacher Training program.

Prior graduates of the Raja segment of the Raja Intensive may be eligible for a price adjustment according to the re-take policy in effect at time of enrolling in Meditation Teacher Training.

Students MUST ENROLL in the Institute for LIVING YOGA BY PAYMENT OF pay a one-time ENROLLMENT FEE OF $50 AND A documentation fee of $45 FOR THE RAJA YOGA INTENSIVE. Tuition $750 + TEXTS. 

Excused absences may be excepted on a case-by-case basis though we reserve the right to charge a small fee for our effort in creating make-up assignments.

Out of class commitments include reading of the texts, written homework, personal practice, auditing of (and reporting on) Ananda meditation classes. There is a written final exam. No admission after the first class.

STUDENTS WILL NEED TO HAVE THE EQUIPMENT AND SKILLS TO PARTICIPATE IN SOME SESSIONS ON ZOOM; TO WATCH PRE-RECORDED VIDEOS AS PART OF CLASS INSTRUCTION; AND PARTICIPATE IN ONLINE INSTRUCTION USING THE INSTITUTE’S LEARNING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM. THE IN-PERSON OPTION ONLY APPLIES TO A PORTION OF THE COURSE.

For more information on Raja Yoga, visit the Raja Yoga Intensive page.

Graduation

Successful completion requires attendance at all sessions. Excused absences may be excepted on a case-by-case basis though we reserve the right to charge a small fee for our effort. Inquire if you have a schedule conflict. (This course is offered only once a year and thus make-up sessions are an impractical but possible solution.)  Class presentations of sample meditation classes are required.

Out of class commitments include reading of the texts, written homework, personal practice, auditing of (and reporting on) Ananda meditation classes. There is a written final exam. No admission after the first class.