8509 N. 29th Street, Tampa, FL 33604 Phone: (813) 932-5456

The 500-hour Professional Yoga Teacher curriculum includes the following:

Yoga Techniques - 150 hours Teaching Methodology - 40 hours Anatomy and Physiology - 35 hours Philosophy, Ethics and Yogic Lifestyle - 50 hours Internship/Practicum - 50 hours Electives from the above categories - 175 hours Contact Hours - 350 hours

Note that these hours are totals and not in addition to the requirements of the Basic Yoga Teacher Program.

Everyone applying to the Professional Yoga Teacher Program will need to meet with the faculty to design your program. The intention is to help you meet professional standards as easily as possible without having to repeat what you already know.

To enter the Professional Yoga Teacher Program you need to hold a yoga certification of 200 hours or have at least 100 hours of teaching experience and be able to document that you have received a minimum of 100 hours of teacher training within the last 10 years. These hours may have been accrued in a recognized teacher training program or in workshops taught by nationally recognized teachers and attended primarily by yoga teachers.

Examples of such training would include weekend workshops sponsored by yoga teachers associations or yoga studios and residential programs designed for yoga teachers. College level courses in anatomy, physiology, eastern religions, Indian philosophy and the like may also be included. Weekly classes may not be included unless a class was specifically labeled a teacher training class and taught by a recognized, highly qualified teacher.

Once you have completed your documentation for your application, you will confer with the faculty. Together you will work out your individual Learning Agreement so that you know exactly how much credit you will transfer and in which categories the hours will be applied. Together you will decide whether there are sections of certain packets that you may omit because of previous training.

Generally your program will include:

  documentation of the training hours required for your
  Individual Learning Agreement

  documentation of your daily practice

  completion of the six packets

  documentation of the classes you teach

  lesson plans for your practicum classes

  a videotape of a class which demonstrates your professional
  competence as a yoga teacher

Regardless of the number of hours of previous training, people in the Professional Program must complete a minimum of 100 contact hours in the FIFIYS program. During the time that you are in the Professional Program, you will also need to document 100 hours of teaching. These 100 hours may include your 50 hours of practicum.

If you have some teacher training and some teaching experience, but do not meet the requirements for entering the Professional Program, you may choose to take workshops in order to be eligible for the Professional Program or to meet the Yoga Alliance standards on your own.