Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training
A Spiritual Approach to Yoga
- Mar 29 – Apr 26, 2020
- Jul 5 – Aug 2, 2020
- Oct 25 – Nov 22, 2020
Faculty Maitri Jones, Melody Hansen, Nayaswami Gyandev McCord, Nayaswami Diksha, Barbara Bingham, Vahini, Michele Tsihlas and Sam McMillen
Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training is a month long transformational experience, not just a teacher training. Students dive deep within and experience the power of yoga postures and meditation. Through participation in this program, you will experience spiritual growth and expansion on all levels.
Immerse Yourself in Yoga as a Way of Life
Our yoga teacher training is located in the beautiful foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Here you will have the opportunity to develop a personal sadhana (spiritual practice). This opportunity allows an experience of life enriched by a connection to higher consciousness. Students will find joy, spiritual friendship and dedication to yoga teachings with Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training. Join us for a transformative experience to expand and share your inner light. Ananda Yoga® is a spiritual approach to yoga.
Nursing CEU Eligible: 86 hours
Become a
Certified Yoga Teacher
200-hr certification in one month
You can split the course into 2 two-week segments
You'll learn to teach—and practice more effectively—a broad spectrum of yoga techniques, including:
- 30 asanas, including how to draw their spiritual benefits
- Specific affirmations for each asana
- Asana mechanics, safety cautions, and how to adapt asanas for student limitations
- How to work directly with the body's subtle energy, including the chakras and kundalini
- Classical pranayama (yoga breathing techniques)
In addition, you'll learn and practice traditional yoga meditation techniques and Yogananda's renowned Energization Exercises. As in any ashram environment, you'll also have the option to participate regularly in chanting and prayer.
A Spiritually Dynamic Certificate Training
For more than 40 years, Ananda School of Yoga & Meditation® has been training teachers in the full range of the yoga tradition as taught by Paramhansa Yogananda—from asana, pranayama, and meditation, to health and yoga philosophy. This course experience is a dynamic blend of professional training and personal growth.
Go Beyond Techniques
This comprehensive curriculum includes:
- Yoga philosophy, including Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, and more
- Yoga lifestyle, including yogic diet and magnetic living
- Anatomy and physiology for yoga teachers
Become a Magnetic Teacher
- Practice teaching for groups and one-to-one
- How to assist and adjust students in the asanas
- Guidance on how to refine your teaching, including a video recording session and personal teaching reviews
- How to plan a class: structure and sequence; your own teaching style; marketing
“At my first class after the yoga teacher training retreat, one of my students said, ‘You are different. I want what you have.’ To me that is the best testimonial of my Ananda experience.”
– C. S., Fresno, California
Additional Personal Benefits
- Create a new direction in your life
- Become much more personally empowered
- Connect with your own highest self
What was the most helpful advice an Ananda Yoga Teacher offered to you to help you succeed?
Receive Post-graduation Support
- Newsletters, question and answer forum, student referrals, discounts on courses for 500-hour yoga teacher certification, and more
Register with Yoga Alliance
Graduates of this yoga teacher training in California can become Registered Yoga Teachers (RYTs) with Yoga Alliance, the national yoga teacher certification standard in the United States.
This designation will enhance your credibility as a teacher.
“My experience at The Expanding Light Retreat was ecstatic.… My personal practice has deepened, and I can confidently share my knowledge, feelings and practices with my students. ”
– L. J., Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
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Maitri Jones
AnandaYoga®Therapist,Certified with International Association of Yoga Therapy, C-IAYT. Level 2 Ananda Yoga®Teacher, E-RYT-500, Ananda Minister, Counselor
Maitri’s name means “Friend” in Sanskrit and well describes her extraordinarily kind and supportive nature. She directs our Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training Assistantship program, where she helps YTT grads take their teaching to the next level. She also helped pioneer our Ananda Yoga Therapy Training and is one of the primary instructors in that program. Maitri, brings great wisdom and experience to her many programs. Maitri is a certified Ananda Meditation and Yoga Teacher, as well as a registered nurse.
Melody Hansen
Director of Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training, Director of Restorative Yoga Teacher Training, Level 2 Ananda Yoga Teacher, E-RYT 500, Ananda Meditation® Teacher
Melody is an extraordinary yoga teacher, who conveys her great knowledge of yoga asanas—from physical mechanics to spiritual upliftment—with a blend of graciousness, authority, and fun. One of Melody's greatest strengths is the purity of her transmission of Yoga. She has very little egotism to block the clear flow of inspiration she shares. Her inner life is committed and deep, and she's able to help students experience that depth in their yoga practice.
Nayaswami Gyandev McCord
Co-Director of the Ananda Meditation® Teacher Training, Director of Ananda Yoga®, Level 2 Ananda Yoga teacher, E-RYT 500, Raja Yoga Teacher, Spiritual Travel Host, Writer and Lecturer, Ananda Minister
What is a nayaswami?
Combining a fun-loving spirit, keen insight into the spiritual life, and genuine warmth, Nayaswami Gyandev makes the inner quest seem both natural and doable. Since 1983 he has taught Ananda Yoga to thousands of students and trained hundreds of teachers around the world, often forging deep and lasting bonds of friendship and inspiration.
Nayaswami Diksha
A popular Expanding Light teacher since 1997, Diksha McCord is the Director of the Ananda Meditation Teacher Training program in person and the Ananda Meditation Teacher Training Online. Nayaswami Diksha, a native Israeli who came to the U.S. in 1990, is a powerful and dynamic woman who has shared yoga postures and yogic teachings across the United States, in Canada and Europe. What is a Nayaswami?
Barbara Bingham
Level 2 Ananda Yoga® Teacher, E-RYT 500, Ananda Yoga® Therapist
Barbara is a Hatha Yoga teacher, a Registered Physical Therapist and a former gymnast. She brings all of her training together in her yoga teaching and helps people enjoy using their bodies in the healthiest way possible.
Vahini
Vahini has been practicing yoga and meditation for over 10 years, and has lived in Ananda centers since 2009, mostly in Assisi, Italy. She is a contributing teacher in the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training, trained prenatal instructor, and in the past 7 years she has been teaching yoga with the emphasis on the subjects of deep relaxation and creating a deeper connection with nature. She is eternally thankful to be able to share these teachings, which have powerfully transformed her life.
Michele Tsihlas
Michele Tsihlas is passionate about, and dedicated to, the pursuit of wellness, health, and fitness from the inside out. Knowing that no single approach is right for every individual, she has been trained in a range of modalities including Yoga, Yoga Therapy, Personal Fitness Training, Group Fitness, and Wellness Coaching. Michele is currently teaching the Asana portion of the Yoga Teacher Training Program and assisting in higher level yoga programs.
Sam McMillen
AnandaYoga® Therapist,Certified with International Association of Yoga Therapy, C-IAYT, and Ananda Yoga® Teacher, E-RYT-500, Weekend Retreat Facilitator, Instructor for 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training
Sam initially took Ananda Yoga Teacher Training to deepen his own practice of yoga, but by the end of the course he felt inspired to begin teaching yoga classes. Sam found profound joy in teaching professionally. Wanting to expand his inner joy and depth of knowledge, Sam became an Ananda Yoga Therapist. He now lives near Ananda Village where he works, as an instructor for the Ananda Yoga Teacher Training Program, and leads weekend retreats along with providing private Yoga Therapy Sessions.
or e-mail or call us at 1-800-346-5350
Yes, you can split the course into 2 two-week segments
Costs (YTT)
Costs are on a per person basis.
- Mar 29 – Apr 26, 2020
- Jul 5 – Aug 2, 2020
- Oct 25 – Nov 22, 2020
| Tent RV |
Standard Shared |
Standard Private |
Deluxe Shared |
Deluxe Private |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2856 | $3948 | $5740 | $5208 | $7616 |
Prices are all-inclusive and cover accommodations, meals, classes or activities, and course materials.
Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training starts the afternoon of the first date listed and ends with lunch on the last date. Please see:
You can add extra personal retreat days before and/or after your program. Check availability and costs for the days and accommodations that you require.
Ananda Yoga® Teacher Training starts the afternoon of the first date listed. It’s ideal to arrive before 4 pm, if you are able to. That way, you can join in the afternoon session of yoga and meditation, which begins at 4:45 pm. Dinner is at 6:30. The first real gathering of your group is at 7:30 pm. If you need to arrive here after 5 pm, that’s fine, but it helps us if you let us know at 800-346-5350. We can also put aside a dinner for you if you need to arrive after 7 pm. The program ends with lunch on the last date. Please see our Daily Schedule.
See Transportation and Directions whether you are coming by plane, car, bus or train. Our Frequent Questions page answers many of the questions you might have about How to Go on Retreat.
The Dr. Dean Ornish Program for Reversing Heart Disease is currently looking for yoga teachers/stress management specialists trained by Ananda. Read more...
“This was the best month of my life – truly a life-transforming experience…”
– C. S., Fresno, California
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Yoga Teacher Training Program
“My 4 weeks of Ananda Yoga Teacher Training was one of the most fulfilling and spiritually transforming periods in my life. All of the instructors, along with the entire Ananda community, were very supportive and nurturing.”
– R. F., Lake Bluff, Illinois
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