Ananda Meditation®
Teacher Training Online

Online: Jan 24 - Apr 6, 2024

Ananda Meditation® Teacher Training Online

Energization Teacher Training Online

Online: Jan 31 - Mar 10, 2024

energization-meditationtechnique

Take Charge of Your Life

Online: Jan 10 - Mar 10, 2024

Ananda Yoga for
Self-Healing

Online: Fridays - 8:15 AM PT
(Nov 3 - Dec 1, 2023)

The Ananda School of Yoga & Meditation® offers high-quality, spiritually-focused professional teacher trainings that empower individuals to deepen their own lives and to support others in an expansive way.

Learn to practice and teach a broad spectrum of meditation and yoga techniques that address all levels of being: body, mind and soul.

2024 - 2025 Trainings

Keys to The Bhagavad Gita

Online: Feb 22 – May 17, 2023

with Nayaswamis Gyandev & Diksha

The Gita is a treasure trove of practical tools for the spiritual life. This course will help you apply those tools to your own life, aided by Paramhansa Yogananda’s powerful Gita insights.

living-the-bhagavad-gita

Ananda Spiritual Counseling Training Online

Online: Apr 5 - May 17, 2023

with Nayaswami Diksha

This training will enhance your interpersonal skills as you learn to listen actively, respond with clarity, open the doorway for superconscious understanding and solutions, and help you guide others to find their own solutions.

Living the Yoga Sutras

Online: Oct 4 – Nov 18, 2023

with Nayaswami Gyandev & Nayaswami Diksha

Experience the very essence of Yoga with Ananda’s unique approach to the Yoga Sutras. You’ll go beyond philosophy to understand more deeply how to access the higher realms of consciousness—and begin to do it. Paramhansa Yogananda’s action-oriented teachings will give you the practical tools to get there.

2023-Yoga-Sutras-banner_v1
Play Video

Ananda Yoga for
Self-Healing

Online: Fridays - 8:15 AM PT
(Nov 3 - Dec 1, 2023)

with Arya Cheng

Whether you are a beginner or experienced yogi, each class in this 5-week yoga series will focus on helping you strengthen a positive quality in yourself with guidance from Swami Kriyananda’s book Affirmations for Self-Healing.

Arya-Half Spinal Twist

Empower Yourself for the New Year

Online: Dec 30, 2023 – Jan 1, 2024

with Nayaswami Gyandev & Nayaswami Diksha

Let Nayaswami Diksha and Nayaswami Gyandev lead you through an experience that’s insightful, inspiring, and completely practical. Gain from your experiences of the past year, and empower yourself to achieve your goals in the coming year, all in a relaxed, supportive environment of other spiritual seekers.

Empower Yourself For The New Year (2024)

Take Charge of Your Life

Online: Jan 10 - Mar 10, 2024

with Nayaswami Gyandev &  Nayaswami Diksha, Darshana Moore & Bhawani Isaacson

Do you want specific things you can do—not mere philosophy—to make positive shifts in your life? This course will give you an entire toolbox of simple, yet powerful, techniques for working directly with subtle energy, for self-mastery.

Ananda Meditation® Teacher Training Online

Online: Jan 24 - Apr 6, 2024

with Nayaswami Gyandev & Nayaswami Diksha

Dive deep into classical meditation in the tradition of great master, Paramhansa Yogananda. Join our dynamic and diverse learning community, where you’ll discover new dimensions of your own meditation practice as you help others build theirs.

Meditation at EL
Play Video

Energization Teacher Training

Online: Jan 31 – Mar 10, 2024

with Arya Cheng & Nayaswami Gyandev 

In this 5-week training, you will study and practice the principles and correct mechanics of Energization, and learn to teach them effectively to anyone. There is a Teachers Track for those who want to go deep into their teaching, and a Regular Track for those who want less of an immersion.

meditation-technique-energization

Ananda Yoga Weekly Classes

Online: Fridays: 8:00-9:15 AM PST

with Melody Hansen, Arya Cheng & Darshana Moore

Starting March 29, 2024, Ananda Yoga classes will be offered weekly online! Our team of experienced yoga instructors will alternate each week, offering a shared-structure of Ananda Yoga postures to awaken energy, calming techniques to center and uplift consciousness.

Asana Intensive for Yoga Teachers

Online: Mar 10 – Apr 27, 2024

with Melody Hansen & faculty

In this engaging, hands-on course, you’ll broaden and refine your understanding of Ananda Yoga as you explore the 25 Level 2 Ananda Yoga postures, which include both advanced asanas and basic asanas not covered in the Level 1 YTT.

Restorative Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training

In Person (California): May 15 – 18, 2024

with Melody Hansen

As stress and tension are released, healing and upliftment are promoted in body, mind, and spirit. Whether you plan to offer one or a series of restorative poses, this Restorative Yoga Teacher Training can help you work more effectively with your existing students as well as attract new students.

Seniors and Bone Strength Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training

In Person (California): May 19 – 22, 2024

with Nayaswami Mangala & faculty

 

Yoga teachers have an opportunity to provide a much-needed service by learning to help older adults. In this program, you will learn how to help seniors practice yoga safely using research-based practices to optimize bone density, build muscle strength and increase flexibility.

Ananda Holistic Health
Retreat

In Person (California): June 2 – 8, 2024

with Nayaswami Mangala & faculty

Join us for a rejuvenating and educational week that will change your life for the better! This program brings Paramhansa Yogananda’s teachings together in a unified way and trains you in techniques that will help you get to the core of who you really are and awaken within you your own innate healing energy.

Ananda Yoga®
Teacher Training

In Person (California): July 5 – Aug 4, 2024

with Melody Hansen & faculty

Located in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at Ananda Village, our month long teacher training program offers you an opportunity to live in spiritual community, dive deep into Ananda Yoga, and develop a deep connection with your Higher self.

AYTT Graduation
Play Video

Bridge to Ananda Yoga®

In Person (California): July 5 – July 19, 2024

with Melody Hansen and faculty

If you’re looking for something deeper in your own practice and would like to offer more than just a physical experience to your students, transferring to Ananda Yoga may be the right step for you.

Bridge-2022-banner_v2_1500x800px

Ananda Yoga®
Assistantship

In Person (California): July 5 – 19, 2024

with Michele Tsihlas & Melody Hansen

A 13-day residential course of lecture, discussion, and daily opportunities to practice verbal, visual, and touch assists. Help your students deepen their asana practice by better understanding their body mechanics so that they can self-adjust, relax more consciously, and deepen their awareness of subtle energy.

Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training Online

Online: Sept 8, 2024 - Feb 23, 2025

with Melody Hansen and faculty

A transformative 20-week online experience to expand and share your light with Ananda Yoga. Join an international community of fellow truth seekers to practice, live and share yoga. 

Play Video

Bridge to Ananda Yoga® Online

Online: Sept 8 – Nov 24, 2024

with Melody Hansen and faculty

If you’re looking for something deeper in your own practice and would like to offer more than just a physical experience to your students, transferring to Ananda Yoga may be the right step for you.

OWA ASYM Bridge

The Bhagavad Gita: Bring Its Power into Daily Living

Online: Oct 9 – Nov 23, 2024

with Nayaswami Gyandev & Nayaswami Diksha

The Gita is a treasure trove of practical tools for the spiritual life. This in-depth course, will help you apply those tools to your own life, aided by Paramhansa Yogananda’s powerful Gita insights.

Living-the-Bhagavad-Gita-ASYM
Play Video

Advanced Pranayama

Online & In Person: Coming 2025

with Melody Hansen and Darshana Moore

A powerful week encompassing extensive practice of advanced breathing techniques, bandhas, mudras, and hybrid techniques. 

Advanced Pranayama ASYM Banner

Restorative Ananda Yoga® Online

Online: Oct 18 - Nov 22, 2023

with Melody Hansen

Whether you plan to deepen your understanding of restorative yoga or teach it to your students, this comprehensive online course will help you gain the knowledge–through experience—of the healing power of restorative yoga!

Restorative Yoga Teacher Training Thumbanil for ASYM

Meet Our Faculty

ASYM_teacher_Gyandev

Nayaswami Gyandev McCord is the Director of the Ananda School of Yoga & Meditation. Gyandev has an advanced certificate in online teaching methodology, is the Director of Ananda Yoga worldwide, and is a co-founder of Yoga Alliance.

A member of the teaching staff at the Expanding Light Retreat for more than 30 years he is well known internationally for his profound ability to share the teachings of yoga asana, meditation, yoga philosophy, and the joy that comes from living a yogic lifestyle.

ASYM_teacher_Diksha_v2

Nayaswami Diksha McCord is a senior faculty member of the Ananda School of Yoga & Meditation in Northern California, serving as the Director of the Spiritual Counseling Training, and as co-director of the Ananda Meditation Teacher Training program online. She has been meditating for more than 30 years, and training meditation teachers for more than 20 years.

A powerful and dynamic woman of great warmth and humor, she is gifted in both intelligence and intuition. Diksha brings a broad background to her teaching—from physical wellness to Ayurveda to profound spiritual understanding. Above all, she awakens in her students their own inner wisdom and the will to make positive changes in their lives.

ASYM_teacher_Melody

Melody, E-RYT 500, directs the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training and Restorative Yoga Teacher Training online programs. She is a Certified Ananda Yoga Therapist, C-IAYT and a trained Prenatal Yoga Instructor.

Melody has been practicing the teachings of yoga since the age of 14, and began teaching at age 17. She loves to help her students experience the depth of Ananda Yoga and Meditation.

She will be the main asana instructor for this course and will support you every step of the way in becoming a confident yoga teacher. It is her joy to serve you!

Headshot of Mangala

Mangala has a background in a variety of healing modalities including Nursing, Ayurveda, Yoga teaching and Yoga Therapy practice and teaching.

She currently serves as the Director of the Ananda Yoga Therapy Training program. She has been a RN, Nurse Practitioner for many decades and has been involved in assisting residents of Ananda Village for over 30 years with health and illness-related situations, and also with the process of dying.

She also serves as a teacher, spiritual counselor and minister. She enjoys helping people to find positive ways to cope with and even thrive with challenges presented by illness and dying. Mangala is an Ananda minister.

Online-YTT_teacher_Maitri

Maitri, E-RYT 500, directs the Online Ananda Yoga Assistantship program, Holistic Health Retreats and teaches in the Yoga Teacher and Ananda Yoga Therapy Trainings. She is a Registered Nurse, Yoga Therapist, C-IAYT and an Ananda Minister.

Maitri first started practicing yoga and meditation as a teenager and has continued as a disciple of Paramhansa Yogananda for many decades. She is enthusiastic about sharing these techniques with people of all abilities. 

Darshana Moore

Darshana, E-RYT 200, RYT 500 and C-IAYT, became interested in meditation and found the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda and Swami Kriyananda in 2009. Since then, she has been applying them in her own life and sharing them with others.

Darshana has been a certified Ananda Yoga and Meditation instructor since 2012. She is an Ananda Yoga therapist and a minister.  She serves with Ananda School of Yoga and Meditation as manager and certification programs coordinator. She also teaches asana, meditation and yoga philosophy online and in person at The Expanding Light Retreat.

Arya Staff Photo

Arya Cheng, RYT-200, is passionate about sharing yoga as a tool for managing stress, transformation and healing in body, mind and soul. 

Her journey as a yogi started at age 14, when she attended Ananda’s Living With Spirit Program and experienced first hand the transformative effects of yoga and meditation. 

Arya currently lives at Ananda Village and serves as an Ananda Yoga Instructor for the Ananda School of Yoga and Meditation. She is a lead asana instructor for Ananda Yoga Teacher Training and here to encourage you to shine your light!

ASYM_teacher_Michele_v1

Michele, E-RYT 500, is a Certified Ananda Yoga Therapist, C-IAYT, Personal Trainer and author. She is passionate about the pursuit of wellness from the inside out and dedicated to helping people achieve a higher quality of life. She enjoys inspiring students to find their unique gifts and talents, not only to bring fulfillment and wellness into their own lives, but to also share the healing aspects of yoga in the classroom and beyond.

Michele will be leading sadhanas and teaching classes for Professional Essentials.

Online-YTT_teacher_Tracy-1

Tracy, E-RYT 500 and C-IAYT, received her yoga and meditation training certifications from Ananda beginning in 1993, and soon after completed massage therapy (LMT, BCTMB), personal training, and Pilates certifications.

She enjoys teaching and sharing therapy at YMCAs, schools, hospitals, and a home studio. She helps lead an Ananda Midwest Meditation Group and yearly retreats and is an Ananda minister. It was her blessing to help teach the first AYTT in India, and now assist with AYTTO.

She looks forward to infusing your study of anatomy with energy and joy, experiential learning, and its many practical applications!

Online-YTT_teacher_Alba

Alba, RYT-200, recently graduated from AYTTO and is passionate about sharing the transformative approach of Ananda Yoga. She has been practicing yoga since the age of 21 and is a trained Ananda meditation teacher and restorative yoga instructor. Currently based in France, she is working on developing Ananda Francophone to help spread the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda in French-speaking countries. In this course, Alba will be an asana instructor and lead a weekly sadhana. She is inspired to help students integrate the healing potential of yoga into their own lives, so that they can share it with others.

What We Offer

What Our Graduates Say

Rebecca F.
Online Meditation Teacher Training Graduate
Read More
I have practiced yoga for 14 years, and taken many yoga teacher trainings in the past few years, some local, and some from very well-known teachers. I have taught a few classes. And now I choose this extended time of learning as a personal seeking, immersing myself, at this point in my life. Ananda Meditation Teacher Training (and Ananda Restorative Training) have exceeded my expectations. Ananda is extremely organized, thorough, and comprehensive. Even though the trainings were completely online, the instructors (Gyandev and Diksha) were very accessible. No detail is left out. I learned a lot about online technology as well. I highly recommend Ananda OMTT.
Jesse
Ananda Yoga Teacher Training (In-Person) Graduate
Read More
I knew that my time in the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training (AYTT) course would be life-changing...The people in the course were amazing, and all of The Expanding Light facilitators were incredible...My testimonial to this is that I am going to pass it on. I am so inspired to give back, because what I have received here is too much for me to keep locked inside of me. I leave here with open eyes and an open heart, and with overflowing joy.
Chantelle H.
Ananda Yoga Teacher Training (Online) Graduate
Read More
I give the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training a 5 star rating because I got so much more out of it than I was expecting from a teacher training course. This course was put together so thoroughly and thoughtfully. It was laid out in an easy to use manner and the content went above and beyond what was required. I feel confident to go out and teach safely and effectively now. This was a life changing experience that I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life.
Brooke W.
Online Spiritual Counseling Graduate
Read More
As usual, this course was presented with a high vibration. Deep aspects of Yogic mysticism are made relevant and useful with Diksha’s practical suggestions. Energy tools, affirmations, meditation, inspiring reading and resources to support anyone with questions about life have been curated to meet any need, including those delicate passages of illness, dying and death. I will be able to accompany my long-term client through her dying process with more cosmic light and comfort as a result of this course. Thank you!
Andreas S.
Bridge to Ananda Yoga Graduate
Read More
I am very thankful, that I have found this course. I gained all the knowledge that I need to confidently teach Yoga and I absolutely love the Ananda-Way of teaching it. The Teachers are super nice and very skilled. The atmosphere was uplifting and great, and I really enjoyed being in the group. Although the course was Online, it almost felt I was there in person. I already started teaching a small group of friends, and they also love Ananda Yoga. I always wanted to learn yoga, not just to have a healthy body, but also to grow spiritually. Here I learned how to use Yoga for my spiritual growth. I thank everybody from Ananda Yoga for the great service and the wonderful knowledge they share.
Bhakti R.
Restorative Ananda Yoga Teacher Training Online Graduate
Read More
Online restorative yoga training met and exceeded my expectations. I was impressed with how well the course flowed, and now I feel competent to be able to offer restorative yoga to students. Also as a mother of a young child this was an excellent opportunity to study because I could work at my own pace throughout the weeks around my time with my child and because I would probably not have been able to do the training if it was in person.
Latha G.
Living the Yoga Sutras Graduate
Read More
This course, ‘Living The Sutras’ , true to its title, goes way beyond a study of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras and inspires you to examine your life and make practical shifts that uplift your consciousness. The curriculum is comprehensive; the faculty are deep into the teachings over several decades. Their wisdom shines through in how they present the instructions, guide the students and inspire you to go deeper into these timeless teachings. Additionally, you are enriched through several peer learning opportunities with an international cohort and thoughtfully designed intensive discussion boards and in-class small group interactions. A transformative journey with the Sutras!
Previous
Next

Contact Us