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Teaching Skills
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Design a cueing script for a foundational posture that demonstrates entry guidance, refinement cues, breath integration, and an experiential invitation.
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Analyze the distinction between knowledge, understanding, and wisdom as applied to yoga teaching, and explain why embodied experience and personal practice are essential to authentic and effective instruction.
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Apply hands-on assisting skills during a supervised teaching practice, demonstrating consent-based protocols, anatomically informed touch, and the ability to offer support without imposing correction or disrupting student experience.
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Analyze a class sequence for logical progression, anatomical safety, stylistic coherence, and alignment with the intended student experience, identifying opportunities to improve pacing, preparation, or transition quality.
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Describe the principles of effective theming, including how to choose themes that are authentic, broadly relatable, grounded in yogic philosophy, and woven subtly through the class without overwhelming the physical practice.
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Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics
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Apply knowledge of joint mechanics and connective tissue to offer appropriate modifications, prop support, and alignment cues for students with structural variation, hypermobility, or connective tissue vulnerability.
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Apply knowledge of muscular anatomy and nervous system function to develop movement cues that promote balanced activation, reduce compensatory patterns, and support safe range of motion across posture categories.
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Apply knowledge of breath anatomy to offer accurate, supportive breath cues in asana and pranayama instruction, helping students connect movement to breath in a way that deepens both physical and meditative experience.
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Practice Skills
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Describe the physiological and energetic basis of pranayama, including the anatomy of breathing, the relationship between breath and the nervous system, and the distinction between Puraka, Kumbhaka, and Rechaka.
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Describe the physiological and energetic effects of each bandha, the conditions under which they are practiced, and the cautions associated with each, including those related to pregnancy, menstruation, and hypertension.
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Describe the relationship between meditation and the Yoga Sutras, including how Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi represent progressive stages of inner absorption, and explain the common obstacles practitioners encounter.
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Identify the types and purposes of mantra used in yoga—including bija mantras, mantras from sacred texts, and personalized mantras—and recognize commonly chanted mantras such as Om, the Gayatri, and the Sahana Vavatu.
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Design a posture-focused class that demonstrates fluency across multiple asana categories, integrating intelligent preparation, peak pose sequencing, and a clear understanding of how each pose contributes to the overall arc.
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Design a complete Vinyasa class that integrates sun salutations as a warm-up, builds progressively toward a peak pose, and uses intelligent threading and transitions to create a safe and energetically cohesive flow.
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Yoga History & Theory
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Describe the philosophical and energetic function of each chakra within the subtle body system and explain how the chakras serve as organizing centers for physical, emotional, and spiritual experience.
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Identify the four main periods of yoga's historical development—Pre-Classical, Classical, Post-Classical, and Modern—and recognize the key texts, figures, and practices associated with each era.
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Describe the foundational concepts of the Yoga Sutras, including Chitta Vritti Nirodha, the five types of mental modifications, the Kleshas, and the Eight-Limbed Path of Ashtanga Yoga.
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Identify the five koshas—Annamaya, Pranamaya, Manomaya, Vijnanamaya, and Anandamaya—the three primary nadis—Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna—and their general locations, functions, and relationships.
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Lifestyle & Ethics
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Describe the practical applications of the Yamas and Niyamas in daily life and teaching, and explain how the Kleshas—Avidya, Asmita, Raga, Dvesha, and Abhinivesha—create the conditions for suffering.
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Identify the ethical commitments of a yoga teacher—including scope of practice guidelines, professional boundaries, community responsibility, and the principles outlined in the program's teacher training commitment.
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Identify the principles of culturally humble yoga teaching and recognize how race, class, body type, gender, and ability shape who feels welcome in yoga spaces and who has historically been excluded.
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Business Skills
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Apply professional development principles to clarify a personal teaching mission, define a target student population, identify a preferred teaching style and setting, and develop an initial strategy for building a teaching community.
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Identify the primary channels through which yoga teachers build professional visibility and community, including social media, studio partnerships, workshops, community events, and word-of-mouth referrals.
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Identify the continuing education pathways, mentorship structures, and professional development resources relevant to yoga teachers following Level 1 certification.
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