200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training

Established 2010

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Three Sisters Yoga

545 8th Ave, New York, NY 10018, USA

New York, NY

Program Instances

Hybrid

Dates: TBD

200 hours • TBD

New York, NY, US

Led by

Jennifer Whinnen

CYT-L3

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Purpose

TSY is a yoga teacher training school focused on creating, thoughtful, open-minded inclusive teachers.

What to expect

The TSY 200-hour program immerses you in history, philosophy, postures, anatomy as it relates to yoga, and subtle physiology from a yogic perspective.

We will give you the tools to grow your personal practice and begin your yoga teaching career. You will learn how to bring your personal flair, unique perspective, life experiences and personality to your work, how to find your authentic voice, develop vibrant and creative classes, teach private clients and build a business.

TSY is a community of friends. We celebrate you. When you join us, you will connect with like-minded, independent people and create a supportive, loving network of friends and co-teachers to sustain you.

Our training is intimate, personalized, popular, and registered with the Yoga Alliance. All in-person/hybrid programs are “intensives."

Style/Lineage

From an asana perspective, we are a vinyasa studio and will teach you how to construct and teach vinyasa style classes. However, we also teach you how to break away from vinyasa when necessary and how to modify your classes so that you are well equipped to teach.

From a lineage perspective, we are “egalitarian” and aim to present a broad range of yogic thought for our students. All of our teachers have additional training in either a style or lineage (Kundalini, Hatha, Iyengar, Bhakti, etc.) that will greatly further your understanding of the history, philosophy and practice of yoga.

Additional Information

An extensive yoga background is not required to join the TSY 200-hour community because your ability to perform asana is not an indication of your teaching potential.

To be a great teacher, you must first be a wise and conscientious student. Therefore, the 200-hour program is perfect if you want to teach or if you want to study yoga in-depth.

Core competencies

By the end of this program, graduates will be able to…

Teaching Skills	Use a consistent teaching format while actively observing students, pausing to refine instruction based on what is happening in the room. Demonstrate layered cueing for a pose that moves from basic shape through refinement, imagery, and affirmation, delivering each cue with a clear and confident voice. Create an original vinyasa class built around a peak pose, integrating progressive flows, counterposes, and a calming closing sequence. Apply consent-based hands-on assists with clear intention and secure technique, ensuring safety of student practice, and checking in with the student throughout. Explain how practice pace, props, and pose choice can be adapted for each special population, describing the reasoning behind common recommendations.
Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics	Explain how joint structure determines range of motion, describing why gains in mobility often come at the cost of stability. Develop a strength and flexibility sequence that balances opposing muscle groups, ensuring each region is both mobilized and stabilized. Explain the spinal actions and their typical ranges in each region, describing how core muscles and breath mechanics support spinal stability. Name the key structures and muscles of the hip, knee, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and foot, identifying the primary actions of each joint. Explain how hypermobility and repetitive loading contribute to injury in yoga, describing why medical clearance comes before resuming practice. Define prana, the nadis, and the chakras, identifying ida, pingala, and sushumna and the location and qualities of each chakra. Use a dosha self-assessment to reflect on one's current constitution, applying the findings to personal practice choices.
Practice Skills	Practice a consistent home practice, maintaining awareness of alignment and personal limits. Design a personal breath practice that sequences pranayama, bandha, and rest with a clear energetic rationale, using breath control and energetic locks to influence prana and the nervous system. Compare the experience of different meditation techniques, analyzing which techniques best support focus, calm, or insight for oneself, evaluating the effects of a sustained meditation practice, citing personal journal observations as evidence.
Yoga History & Theory	Identify the major periods of yoga's history and the key figures who brought yoga to the West, recognizing the influence of Krishnamacharya and his students. Identify the structure of the Yoga Sutras and their key concepts, including the limbs of yoga, the kleshas, the gunas, and the obstacles to practice. Assess the Gita's relevance to contemporary ethical questions, justifying interpretations with reference to its core teachings.
Business Skills	Develop a personal business plan that articulates one's purpose, offerings, and next steps, ensuring it is realistic and actionable. Identify the financial responsibilities of a yoga teacher, including income tracking, deductible expenses, and tax obligations, and savings goals and compare pricing models such as drop-in, packages, and donation-based classes, analyzing their effects on accessibility and income. Identify professional tools such as liability insurance, waivers, intake forms, and scheduling software, recognizing the purpose of each, explaining how they protect both teacher and student, and describe how to prepare professionally when seeking teaching work.
Lifestyle & Ethics	Design a meaningful service project that applies one's skills to a community need, ensuring it is respectful, sustainable, and collaborative. List the core ethical commitments of a yoga teacher, such as confidentiality, inclusivity, honesty, and avoiding exploitation, and formulate a personal ethical commitment for teaching, that articulates clear boundaries around scope, claims, and relationships with students. Explain how yoga's journey to the West changed its context and transmission, describing debates about yoga's connection to historical traditions, defining cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation, recognizing examples of each in contemporary yoga, and applying respectful practices such as accurate attribution, careful use of Sanskrit, and care for sacred texts, honoring yoga's origins.

AYC allows each school to state and evaluate the competencies each student acquires. Students rate how well the program delivered them.

Program Emphasis

Evaluation methods

Program evaluations

Oral Exam
Solo Project Or Presentation
Written Exam
Written Submission
Direct Observation
Graded Skill Demonstration

Students will be evaluated through a combination of written/oral submissions, solo projects, direct observation, and skills demonstration.

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Program Faculty

Featured Faculty

Jennifer Whinnen

I have been practicing yoga, teaching and training teachers, for over 30 years. A lover of philosophy, people and pets; I am constantly humbled by yoga. This practice is here to support you, so use it.

threesistersyoga.com

New York, NY, US