RootEd Teacher Training: Education from the Root
2012 Apprenticeship and 200-hour YogaTeacher Training Program
I am so honored to announce the blossoming of RootEd, the educational branch of my business. As the name suggests, RootEd is rooted in the embodied experience of yoga, recognizing this as the foundation for any growth or expansion that a training promises. The RootEd Apprenticeship and Teacher Training Program is an intensive 6-month training that fosters a deeply-rooted and authentic experience of yoga that can then be safely and effectively shared with others as a yoga teacher. Over the course of the program, apprentices will explore and gain greater fluency in asana, pranayama, meditation, and chanting; the subtle anatomy (chakras, nadis) as well as the physical anatomy/physiology of yoga; Sanskrit; historical context of yoga, the yogic scriptures (Yoga Sutra, Bhagavad Gita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and more); the kriyas and karma; Traditions of Yoga (including various styles from Kundalini to Baptiste Power and from pre-natal to Therapeutic); assisting and modifying; sequencing and designing; The Yoga of Nutrition; regular hands-on practice, and so much more. Apprentices will gain over 230 hours of direct instruction and be eligible for mentoring/assisting opportunities with the Director in regular classes, workshops, and retreats throughout the world. Graduates will be eligible to register with Yoga Alliance as 200-hour Registered Yoga Teachers.
This apprentice-style training is founded in the belief that the true teacher within each of us will emerge, organically, when we remember to embody--fully and completely—what it is we study, practice, experience, and integrate. We do not don “the teacher” like some costume, but learn to trust that the teacher arises when we are firmly established in our own authentic yoga. Thus, students of the RootEd program are first encouraged to know themselves, and to know yoga intimately in their own lived experience, so that what and how they might share it as teachers is authentic and grounded. We must root down deeply and receive yoga as our own lives before we seek to guide others. Anything less is the mere repetition of information—and anyone can share information. But the job of a teacher is to shine light where and when called upon—and this requires the living, breathing, irreplaceable expression of the individual as much as it requires study and practice. Let your desire to move forward in a training first be ignited by a passion and reverence for Self Study, and let that kindle the fire that will guide you. When you are called upon to teach—in whatever form or forum you can best serve—you will heed the call and reply with the true voice that is yours alone.
As Sri Patanjali instructs us, “Abhyasa (the practice) is the effort to remain firmly established in one’s own Self; It is cultivated over a long time, through earnest and reverent energy, and great love.” Thus we know that, though there are many many ways to get certified to teach, our task is first and foremost to remain rooted in the Self—the true Self—and that is takes time, reverence, dedication, and love. This is the foundation of RootEd and informs the curriculum, criteria, and methodologies.
Because this program has sprouted from that spirit, applicants are selected ONLY if the fit is right. If you are seeking simply to be called a “yoga teacher” in as little time as possible with as little disruption to your lived life as possible, this is not the program for you. The further you invite these practices in to your consciousness, the more you can expect things will shift—learning to navigate and integrate the shifts is how you reveal the inner light that is the teacher. And this is what it means to embody the teachings, which is our goal. We go deep down so that what sprouts and blossoms is supported and integrated by the real experiences of your life. This embodiment of the teachings is what characterizes the great teachers who inspire us.
Unlike most TT programs, RootEd is not about "super-size" or "express" teach. Group size is intentionally very small, to foster the intimate dynamic that this training demands. Likewise, as Sri Patanjali said, we are dedicated to long-term study that goes far deeper than the bare minimum. We meet weekly and have weekend immersions every month for 2-3 days. Apprentices have weekly homework, regular hands-on practice, and a myriad of uinque opportunities to realize (make real) the true teacher within. This is an apprenticeship, so the depth and breadth are unparalleled and the intimacy of direct relationship is magical.
As this is so much more than “just” a yoga teacher training, it will not necessarily be the right program for everyone. If RootEd cannot serve the applicant’s needs or interests honorably, s/he will be encouraged to seek an alternative training.
Winter/Spring 2012 RootEd Apprenticeship & Teacher Training Program Opening Weekend is Jan 27-29. REGISTRATION CLOSED.
The next round will be Fall 2012 will be OCTOBER 2012-APRIL 2013. Space is VERY limited, so apply early.
Please contact Jessica directly if you have any questions or would like to apply for the FALL 2012 Program.
Blessings.
