When I started my business as a yoga teacher in 2004 I was surprised by the overwhelming response I had to my classes. Being unique in what I now call “The Gentle Way Of Hatha” students came to me as beginners, some as returning to the practice, and others with injuries or limitations who were happy to find a form of yoga they could enjoy and comfortably participate in.
It did not take me long to realize there was an opportunity here for other potential teachers, and when I reflected upon my own 200 hour yoga teacher training I realized one of my deepest learnings of gentle yoga was personal, it did not stem from my training and yet it seemed to be what was drawing in students.
From this realization I started to design a 200 hour teacher training with an emphasis on the emotional, energetic, spiritual, and even healing aspects of yoga. My hope was to certify teachers with a similar vision.
The training became “The Gentle Way Of Hatha” and by taking what I learned from my teacher training along with my personal experience, I created a suitable certification registered with the Yoga Alliance.
The small training filled and the seven of us stepped onto a path and journey of yoga that none of us knew would be so powerful. Our one weekend a month together became our time of learning, nurturing and solace. Every weekend brought challenges and learning that delved far beyond anything we would expect and our yoga created a solid foundation for us to work upon.
Here is some feedback from the first graduates of The Gentle Way Of Hatha:
- 200 amazing hours
- Priceless experience
- Valuable investment
- Awakening
- Inspiring
- Challenging
- Spiritual
- Passion
- Balance
- Faith
- Humbling
- Enlightening
- Refocusing
All teachers described this training as life-changing. They all felt their learning type was covered whether they were audio, visual or kinesthetic. They all seemed surprised by how much they learned about themselves, others and their abilities as both students and teachers.
Each weekend covers a variety of topics and discussion that help deepen our personal experience of yoga, as well as our knowledge as teachers.
We cover the physical postures, the anatomy and physiology of the physical body and the relationship to postures. We cover the emotional and spiritual experiences that can arise in relationship to our (and our students) yoga practice. We read and discuss the Yoga Sutras and the philosophy of yoga. There is hands-on teaching and you learn how to plan and design yoga classes and programs.
There are 180 contact hours (in class learning with Teacher Trainer) and over 20 hours of non-contact hours (homework and teaching outside of the training).
The unique part of this training is the small and intimate size of the group which creates an atmosphere very different to that of other larger trainings. There is a great sense of comfort and safety in a group where we are given the opportunity to get to know and trust one another so closely.
The next training is in the works for September 2012!
Gentle Hatha Yoga | Jenni Burke 