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Teaching Skills
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Build a complete, timed Prana Yoga class with a clearly identified peak, logical posture progression, appropriate counterpose placement, and a coherent arc from centering through Savasana.
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Demonstrate the ability to cue a posture using verbal instruction only, applying precise anatomical language, body-affirming phrasing, and breath integration cues without singling out individual students.
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Demonstrate a range of appropriate, consent-based hands-on assists for foundational postures and communicate clear verbal adjustments that beginners can understand and self-apply.
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Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics
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Explain how spinal anatomy—including flexion, extension, rotation, and lateral flexion—informs the alignment principles and contraindications for backbends, forward folds, twists, and inversions.
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Apply muscular anatomy to create alignment cues that activate appropriate stabilizing muscles, reduce compensatory patterns, and support safe deepening of postures.
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Explain how stress activates the sympathetic nervous system and how yoga practices—including breath regulation, movement, and meditation—support parasympathetic recovery and long-term health.
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Identify common contraindications and misalignments for each major posture category—seated, standing, arm balances, backbends, inversions, and twists—and describe the associated injury risks.
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Practice Skills
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Demonstrate Sun Salutations A and B and at least ten standing or balance postures with correct breath integration, anatomically informed alignment, and at least two modifications per pose.
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Demonstrate a progressive approach to teaching arm balances, backbends, and inversions that includes accessible entry points, preparatory poses, and clear exit strategies for all ability levels.
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Identify the foundational principles, target tissues, hold times, and prop requirements that distinguish Yin yoga, Restorative yoga, Sculpt, and Gentle yoga from active Vinyasa formats.
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Identify the pranayama techniques, chakras, and mudras covered in the Prana Yoga curriculum, including the Sanskrit names, physiological effects, and traditional purposes of each.
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Identify the types and styles of meditation taught in the Prana Yoga curriculum—including breath awareness, body scan, visualization, affirmation, and mantra—and describe the purpose and application of each.
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Yoga History & Theory
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Identify the major periods of yoga's historical development and name the foundational texts—including the Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, Upanishads, and Hatha Yoga Pradipika—and their primary contributions.
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Identify each of the eight limbs of Patanjali's Ashtanga Yoga—Yamas, Niyamas, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, and Samadhi—and describe the function of each.
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Name and define each of the five Yamas and five Niyamas and describe how each ethical principle and personal observance applies to the conduct of a yoga teacher and the design of a class.
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Identify the major styles of yoga referenced in the Prana Yoga curriculum—including and introduction to sanskrit, Vinyasa, Power Flow, Yin, Restorative, Sculpt, and Gentle —and describe the distinguishing features of each.
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Identify the seven primary chakras, their Sanskrit names, anatomical locations, elemental associations, and the psychological and spiritual qualities traditionally attributed to each.
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Lifestyle & Ethics
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Identify the key ethical responsibilities of a yoga teacher as defined by the Prana Yoga, including scope of practice, professional boundaries, mandatory reporting, and cultural appropriation awareness.
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Integrate a consistent personal practice schedule and self-care protocol into your teaching life that attends to physical recovery, nervous system regulation, and ongoing philosophical study aligned with the training you received at Prana Yoga, and continue post graduation.
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Identify the foundational principles of trauma-informed yoga teaching—including choice-based language, predictability, opt-in touch, student autonomy, and a regulated teacher presence—and describe how each principle supports a safer yoga environment for all students.
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Business Skills
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Identify the essential professional and legal requirements for yoga teachers, including liability insurance, waivers of liability, resume development, and the distinction between employee and independent contractor status.
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Teach a complete yoga class in a practice teaching setting that demonstrates competency in sequencing, cueing, anatomical accuracy, modification offerings, and student-centered facilitation.
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Identify the full range of professional pathways available to a Prana Yoga graduate, including studio employment, independent classes, workshops, private sessions, corporate wellness, online content, and specialty offerings that draw on the breadth of this training.
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