Level 1 Yoga and Ayurveda YTT

Established 2024

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Yogadana

Program Instances

Hybrid

Dates: TBD

200 hours • TBD

Led by

Dana Ashley

CYT-L2

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Purpose

To prepare knowledgeable, confident, and compassionate yoga teachers who can safely and intentionally guide students through asana, pranayama, meditation, and yogic practices while understanding the philosophy, anatomy, energetics, and ethical foundations that support the practice of yoga.

What to expect

Students can expect an approach to yoga teacher education that combines personal practice, academic study, discussion, observation, and hands-on teaching experience. Training includes asana practice and labs, anatomy and biomechanics, sequencing, cueing, pranayama, meditation, yoga philosophy, the subtle and energetic body, Ayurveda, ethics, teaching methodology, and the business and professional responsibilities of teaching yoga.

Throughout the training, students are encouraged to become thoughtful observers of yoga teaching as well as active practitioners. Students are asked to explore different teachers, classes, and studios and maintain a practice log documenting what they experienced—what felt effective, what did not, what they questioned, what they did not understand, and what they may want to incorporate into their own teaching. These observations become part of open group discussions designed to develop discernment and help students discover their own authentic approach to teaching.

A strong emphasis is placed on intelligent and intentional sequencing. Students learn that a sequence should have a clear purpose and that each component of the practice should support that purpose. For example, when building a class toward a peak posture, students learn to identify the mobility, strength, stability, actions, and awareness required for that posture and intentionally prepare the body throughout the sequence rather than simply placing poses together.

Teaching competency is developed through practice, observation, discussion, and real-world experience. Before graduation, each student is required to teach five Karma Classes with a minimum of three students in attendance, allowing them to apply what they have learned with actual students and refine their ability to lead a safe, purposeful, and cohesive yoga practice.

Style/Lineage

Our 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training is an integrative program rooted in the traditional teachings and philosophy of yoga while preparing students to teach in a modern, accessible, and inclusive way. The program draws primarily from Hatha and Vinyasa yoga, with additional study of Yin Yoga, pranayama, meditation, subtle body practices, Ayurveda, and yogic philosophy.

Students explore foundational teachings including the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, the Bhagavad Gita, the Eight Limbs of Yoga, the Yamas and Niyamas, and concepts such as sadhana, karma, dharma, and self-study. Rather than training students to replicate one prescribed style or sequence, we teach them to understand the principles behind asana, sequencing, breath, energetics, and philosophy so they can develop an authentic and intentional teaching voice.

We define yoga as a practice of cultivating greater awareness, steadiness, discernment, and connection between body, breath, mind, and the deeper Self. Asana is taught as one part of a much broader system of yoga rather than the entirety of the practice.

Additional Information

Core competencies

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

Lifestyle & Ethics	Describe the foundational principles of ayurveda and its relationship to yoga by explaining how yoga and ayurveda function as complementary practices supporting awareness, balance, and living in relationship with one’s individual nature and environment. Identify the three doshas—vata, pitta, and kapha—and their primary qualities by describing the elements, characteristics, tendencies, and common expressions associated with each dosha. Explore individual constitution and current tendencies through the lens of the doshas by completing a dosha assessment and reflecting on how ayurvedic qualities may appear in personal habits, energy, routines, and yoga practice. Explain basic concepts of balance and imbalance within the doshas by identifying how lifestyle, season, environment, stress, food, movement, and daily habits may increase or decrease particular qualities. Describe the principles and purpose of dinacharya by identifying foundational daily practices and explaining how consistent routines can support living in greater rhythm with natural cycles. Discuss the relationship between personal rhythms and the rhythms of nature by examining how time of day, season, environment, and life circumstances can influence energy and inform choices around yoga practice and daily routine. Discuss concepts presented in sun, moon & earth by mas vidal through facilitated oral assessment and group discussion demonstrating comprehension, personal reflection, critical thinking, and practical application.
Practice Skills	Demonstrate safe and consent-based hands-on assists through supervised practice that demonstrates appropriate positioning, communication, consent, boundaries, intention, and respect for individual anatomy and student autonomy. Demonstrate foundational asana families including standing poses, forward folds, backbends, twists, balances, inversions, and restorative postures by safely exploring their primary actions, transitions, variations, and appropriate modifications. Demonstrate pranayama techniques introduced throughout the curriculum by demonstrating appropriate technique, posture, breath awareness, and an understanding of the intended energetic or physiological effect of each practice.
Anatomy, Physiology, Biomechanics	Describe foundational anatomical structures and terminology relevant to yoga, including bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, and major regions of the body by accurately discussing their basic structure, function, and relationship to movement during asana. Explain how individual anatomical variation influences a student’s experience of an asana by discussing how differences in skeletal structure, mobility, strength, proportion, and range of motion may change the expression of a posture from one student to another. Apply anatomical knowledge to the teaching and adaptation of yoga postures by making informed decisions about alignment, variations, props, transitions, and cueing based upon the needs and abilities of the students being taught. Develop intelligent and intentional asana sequences using anatomical principles by selecting preparatory postures, movements, transitions, and counterposes that progressively support the physical demands and purpose of the class or peak posture. Discuss anatomical concepts presented through assigned metaanatomy readings by participating in facilitated oral assessment and group discussion that demonstrates comprehension, critical thinking, and the ability to translate anatomical information into practical teaching decisions.
Teaching Skills	Lead five required karma classes for three or more students by independently applying sequencing, cueing, observation, modifications, class management, breath, and other skills developed throughout training in a real teaching environment prior to graduation. Apply pranayama as both a personal and energetic practice through experiential study of breath awareness and techniques including nadi shodhana and other pranayama introduced throughout the curriculum, while observing their differing effects on body, mind, and energy. Practice a consistent personal sadhana by participating in practices that integrate asana, pranayama, meditation, self-study, and reflection and exploring how personal practice informs their development as a teacher. Demonstrate asana through focused asana labs by breaking down posture families, alignment principles, anatomical actions, transitions, modifications, props, and individual variations through experiential practice. Demonstrate intelligent progression toward a peak pose or class intention by identifying what the body needs in terms of mobility, strength, stability, awareness, and preparation and demonstrating movements and postures that progressively support that goal.
Yoga History & Theory	Discuss influential teachers who shaped the development and transmission of modern yoga, including swami vivekananda, t. krishnamacharya, paramahansa yogananda, and b.k.s. iyengar by identifying each teacher’s major contributions, teachings, and influence and discussing how their work contributed to the evolution and transmission of yoga into contemporary practice. Discuss foundational teachings from patanjali’s yoga sutras using the path of the yoga sutras by explaining concepts including citta, nirodha, purusha, practice, discernment, and the eight limbs and relating them to personal practice, daily life, and teaching. Discuss the yamas and niyamas as living ethical practices by examining ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya, aparigraha, saucha, santosha, tapas, svadhyaya, and ishvara pranidhana through personal reflection, group discussion, and real-world teaching situations. Discuss the teachings of the bhagavad gita through study of the living gita by exploring concepts including dharma, karma, selfless action, wisdom, attachment, and the different paths of yoga and connecting them to contemporary life and the role of a yoga teacher.

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
Direct Observation
Case Study
Group Project Or Presentation
Written Submission

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Program Faculty

Featured Faculty

Dana Ashley

My yoga journey began in 2012 during my second pregnancy when I came to the practice seeking relief from sciatica and restless legs. What began as physical support soon became a deeper path of self-discovery. Through a class that wove yoga philosophy into movement, I...

Farmersville, TX, US

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