Yoga Teacher Training at The Yoga Barn

With Mark Whitwell

2019 Dates:

• February 12 - 23
• March 17 - 30
• September 16 - 28

Location:  The Yoga Barn, Ubud, Bali
ccreditation: This is a Yoga Alliance-accredited 200 hour teacher training.

"The only reason we choose to do yoga is for the pleasure — the literal pleasure — of our systems relaxing and filling with energy. It is not some struggle to enjoy a future result." — Mark Whitwell

In a world full of commodified "yoga" and the proliferation of brands and styles, how do we make sure we keep the heart in Yoga? How do we practice and teach in ways that respect and recognize each individual as the unique expression of life that they are? What are the practical tools that can help us feel our own intrinsic joy, freedom, and authority, and share this?

Investigate these questions in this two-week immersion with a Master Teacher. In the exquisite surroundings of Yoga Barn, located in the heart of Ubud, Bali, we will explore how Yoga is not just a physical workout, a collection of information, or a "spiritual" workout towards a future, better version of ourselves. It is each person's direct participation in the nurturing force of reality, as it is appearing as you and everything else. This Yoga Alliance-approved training is not in any particular "style" of Yoga: it is the essential principles of the Great Tradition, as brought forth from the Indian tradition by the "teacher of the teachers," Tirumalai Krishnamacharya, and made uniquely relevant to us as modern people by Mark. You will therefore be able to apply these principles to any style or level of Yoga you wish to practice or teach, to make all Yoga individualized, effective, enjoyable, and safe. All bodies and backgrounds are welcome.

In the company of Mark, we will: 

• Learn Krishnamacharya's basic principles of practice, restoring receptivity and sensitivity to asana (and life);
• Demystify asana, pranayama, bandha, meditation, and chanting as practical tools for each person's participation in reality;
• Explore how asana, pranayama, meditation, and life are a seamless process;
• Study Yoga history and philosophy, including the Yoga Sutras — but philosophy in the deepest sense of 'loving wisdom,' rather than just as dry theory;
• Learn the essential principle of "strength receiving" and how Yoga enables a person to feel and enjoy the union of all opposites; 
• Unravel the "social dynamic of disempowerment" that can exist in teaching situations, and learn how to care and teach as a friend and equal;
• Connect with other genuine practitioners from around the world who want something more than a cookie-cutter teacher training;
• Learn about Vinyasa Krama, the art of appropriate sequencing;
• Master how to shape Yoga to the individual, not the individual to Yoga;
• Learn the skills through Yoga to get your life right for you, and to help others do the same;
• Understand subtle anatomy and how breath and bandha are engaged to create correct alignment naturally;
• Deeply relax and feel the intrinsic beauty of our own nature, as nature.

Price includes:

• Full tuition — Two weeks of immersive study and practice, with time built in to relax and enjoy Ubud, and day off/optional group activity on the middle Sunday
• 200-hour Yoga Alliance recognised certification
• In-depth teacher training manual
• Support establishing an individually-tailored daily practice
• Ongoing support via Heart of Yoga online teacher's community
• Direct discussion with renowned international teacher(s)
• One-on-one discussion with Mark, mentors and/or assistant teachers if required
• Part One of the Heart of Yoga Online Teacher Training
• A practicum period post-training followed by a final follow up Skype discussion of your teaching experience, leading to certification (please note this is optional for those not wishing for certification)

Accomodation and daily meals are not included in the price, but there is a wide variety of affordable, beautiful, and delicious options both within and within walking distance of Yoga Barn.

If you have any questions at all, please get in touch with our program coordinator at programs@heartofyoga.com

About Mark:

Mark Whitwell is interested in nurturing the Heart of Yoga in every person, and has spent a lifetime dedicated to studying and communicating the Great Tradition. He spent over twenty years with his teachers Krishnamacharya, the "teacher of the teachers" (who taught B.K.S. Iyengar, Pattbhi Jois, Indra Devi, and others), and his son, T.K.V. Desikachar. After first meeting these two great teachers in 1973, Mark realized the importance of their scholarship and committed his life to furthering the communication, in the process studying with many known and unknown masters, including both J and UG Krishnamurti. Mark has taught Yoga for many years throughout the world, adapting the principles of the Great Tradition to the needs of people from many cultures and countries with compassion and humour. He was the editor of and contributor to T.K.V. Desikachar’s classic, The Heart of Yoga: Developing a Personal Practice, and is the author of Yoga of Heart and The Promise. You can read more about Mark here.

About our venue, the stunning Yoga Barn:

As a center dedicated to healing and renewal, The Yoga Barn provides a lush and inspiring environment for the nourishment of body, mind and soul right in the center of Ubud, Bali. Filled with mossy sculptures and the sound of flowing water, Yoga Barn is such a green, peaceful, and nurturing environment, it is impossible not to relax and feel the wonder of nature all around.

Launched in 2007, The Yoga Barn was created by its founders for the sole purpose of bringing together community and giving back to the island of Bali, The Yoga Barn is open 360 days a year from 7am – 9pm with over 15 classes & workshops a day, and retreats and yoga teacher trainings with visiting faculty on a regular basis.

Located in downtown Ubud, The Yoga Barn provides peaceful respite from the traffic of Ubud’s main streets. Conveniently accessible from two entrances – one entrance is located on Jln Pengosekan, (a short wander down Jln Hanoman past Coco Supermarket) and the second entrance is located on Jln Tebeseya, just outside the Yoga Barn Guest House and includes a parking lot. 

The Yoga Barn includes a 10-room Guest House, a Healing Center with cleansing and colonics, an Ayurvedic Massage & Treatment Center, a branch of the Bali Yoga Shop, and an outdoor amphitheater with a Juice Bar, as well as the garden branch of Ubud’s local restaurant gem, Kafe.

About Accreditation:

Heart of Yoga is a registered teacher training school with Yoga Alliance, and so on full completion of this programme and submission of your certificate to Yoga Alliance, you will be a fully qualified 200-hr teacher. We teach that the main requirements for a teacher are: 

1. That you have your own daily yoga practice
2. That you have a good teacher
3. That you care about others

This training will give you the tools to meet all these requirements, in addition to the "official" certification. Please note that to receive certification you must complete the post-training practicum, followed by a final Skype discussion of your teaching experience (all included in tuition).

Prerequisites:

Prior to the course beginning, students are required to read: 

1. Heart of Yoga (T.K.V. Desikachar),
2. Yoga of Heart: The Healing Power of Intimate Connection,
3. The Promise (note that there are two versions of this. The more recent one is: The Promise: You Can Have What You Really Want, but either is fine)

Find them all on Amazon by clicking here: www.amazon.com

Students may also optionally wish to prepare through the Heart of Yoga online teacher training, available at www.heartofyogatraining.org (note that Part One is included on sign-up)