Roots of Yoga is a 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program registered with Yoga Alliance International Registry.

Graduates of our program qualify to become a member of Yoga Alliance with internationally recognised certification to teach yoga worldwide.

We believe Roots of Yoga is a unique offering for those who wish to undertake a foundational Yoga Teacher Training program.

It offers incredible scope through the exploration of multiple yoga traditions and styles; and it offers incredible depth by connecting these varied threads via the study of yoga’s history of cross-pollination, innovation, development, and adaptation between the traditions and religions of the Indian sub-continent across several millennia.

With this as our basis we present the teachings through a multi-layered method of learning that speaks to the fact that we all learn in different ways; and that multiple forms of presentation - ie, guided yoga practices, analysis of practice, discussion and conversation forums, lectures, workshops, practical teaching breakouts, and in-depth two-way feedback sessions - greatly enhance our ability to absorb what we learn.

To reinforce our approach to engaged learning we provide incredible material resources summarising our learnings so that you don’t have to constantly write notes or memorise vast swathes of information.

The information will always be with you when you leave the course, in the form of four course manuals totalling around 800 pages of theory, history, concepts, anatomy, physiology, teaching methodology, and more; as well as detailed instructions (including hundreds of photographs and illustrations) that you can return to time and again to refresh your learning and inspire your teaching.

Module Based Learning

The program is taught across four learning modules to give you a comprehensive view and understanding of the major yoga movements taught today.

This approach has several advantages including:

• Dedicated learning of one major topic at a time - allows you to explore a subject /theme more deeply, rather than jumping from one thing to another and back again.

• Time for absorption. Having time between modules allows you the space to absorb the learning into your own practice. In fact many of our modules provide you with set practices you can explore beyond each course to truly embody what we have learnt.

• Progressive learning. Our method leads you step by step to further progress by taking what we have learned in one module and building upon it in the next, and so on. This helps you build confidence as well as reinforce past learnings so that you don’t forget them.

• The ability to choose your own pace. With module based learning you can choose to complete your full program more quickly, or take your time - even spreading your course out over more than one year.

Details of each course module are presented in the sections below (as well as across our website). You can also email us to arrange a one-to-one phone chat if you have any questions about the program and prefer to have a personal conversation to learn more.

Below offers a brief summary of Module 1. For a full synopsis on How To Know Bliss click here to visit the page for this course.

We recommend studying the modules in their suggested order, however some exceptions may be allowable. Email us to enquire.

Key material covered in How To Know Bliss:

• Yoga history: We take a journey of discovery through the ancient past of the Indian sub-continent, meeting the peoples who contributed towards the development of yoga’s ideas about the universe and our place in it. We meet the long lost inhabitants of the Indus Valley Civilisation with their sophisticated irrigations systems and urban architecture; the Vedic, Sanskrit speaking peoples that entered the sub-continent from central Asia, bringing with them elaborate rituals of sacrifice and spoken word; and finally the inhabitants of the central and eastern Gangetic plain - the people of the city-states of Greater Magadha - a region of fertile religious development and birthplace of the Buddha. We discuss the inputs that these groups had on the development of yoga and even dispel some common misconceptions about yoga’s history.

• Yoga philosophy: We discuss what ideas are foundational to yoga and explore where they came from. This includes ideas of a permanent “self” and the journey each person takes through the wheel of saṃsāra - the cycle of birth, death, and re-birth - until one can realise liberation into eternal bliss.

• The Yoga Sūtras: We introduce you to the key text of classical yoga - The Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali - and discover why this ancient work holds such influence over what comes later in yoga, all the way down to today. We analyse the ideas of this short text, laying out the key features one needs to know in order to find liberation from saṃsāra; and we outline the methods Patañjali provides to do this. Amongst these methods are the famous “8 limbs of yoga”, but there’s so much more than that to discover.

• Introduction to Sanskrit: Vedic Sanskrit is the language of yoga, brought to the subcontinent by the Āryans (= “noble ones”). Students of yoga will be somewhat familiar with it because it is the language of the names of the yoga postures. To better under the Sūtras (and the construction of the yoga posture names) we introduce you to this language; focusing especially on how to pronounce the letters and language, including what those little dots and dashes over the letters mean and how they guide us in pronunciation.

We reinforce all of the above with daily yoga practices designed to allow you to feel into and embody what we are learning.

How To Know Bliss is a three-day course and counts as 30 hours credit towards completing Roots of Yoga.

Below offers a brief summary of Module 2. For a full synopsis on Yin Yoga click here to visit the page for this course.

We recommend studying the modules in their suggested order, however some exceptions may be allowable. Email us to enquire.

Key material covered inYin Yoga:

• Overview of Yin Yoga: Yin Yoga is the most recent, great innovation in yoga’s history, having only been developed in our lifetime, against the 2,000-3,000 year history of yoga. We look at how this unique form of practice came to be through the introduction of key figures involved in its development. And we explore what makes it different from all other yoga’s.

• Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM): We introduce you to a view of the universe as developed millennia ago in the Far East (now modern China), through the concepts of yin, yang and qi. We then take this broad, conceptual view and apply it to the health and harmony of our bodies by investigating the key functional aspects of our wellness - our organ systems - and see how TCM developed a sophisticated map of how the functions of our organs are interrelated through a body-wide network of “channels”. Taking the equally ancient “5 Elements” model as a framework we show you where the channels are in our bodies, and how to influence the flow of energy and communication through them - via yin yoga postures (and other means) - to bring about balance to our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

• Functional Anatomy & Movement: One of the groundbreaking influences Yin Yoga has had on yoga in general is the idea that whilst we are all “normal”, none of us are “average.” What this means is that there is a reason that some yoga postures seem easier for you than others; and why some people naturally are able to “go further” in their physical practice than others, regardless of how much yoga they have done (or not). In Yin Yoga we show you why this is so - in a practical way that will give you huge “Aha!” moments of realisation. Understanding the principles behind this will give you the tools you need to teach effective yoga postures (all styles, not just yin) for every single and unique individual in your class. This subject is fundamental to reading bodies and offering postural variations. It’s incredibly eye-opening; and it sets us up for all our other yoga practices that we learn in later modules.

• Anatomy & Physiology: We dive into how Yin Yoga affects our bodies from a physical and energetic / communicative aspect, by investigating the key system of the body that Yin Yoga influences - the connective tissues, or, “fascia.” This body-wide network of fibres and the waters contained within are key to our overall health. Our investigation isn’t dry or boring, because we lace it with both Western medical ideas as well as with how TCM sees the same problems but through a different lens, giving you deep insight into your own wellness and how you can make practical changes to bring balance and harmony to your health.

• How To Teach Yin Yoga: We break down all of the yin yoga postures in detail, and we workshop these amongst ourselves; learning to teach them to one another, along with how to use props and variations to suit all bodies. Learning to teach is more than just about knowing the postures of course, so we also spend time investigating key inputs into creating an engaging and nourishing Yin Yoga class. By the end of the module you will be able to confidently create and teach a full Yin Yoga class.

As with all our modules we will set up our learning each day with a guided practice, allowing you to absorb the key learnings of the day in an embodied way.

Yin Yoga is a six-day course conducted over two consecutive three-day weekends. This module counts as 50 hours credit towards completing Roots of Yoga.

Below offers a brief summary of Module 3. For a full synopsis on Energy & The Yogic Body click here to visit the page for this course.

We recommend studying the modules in their suggested order, however some exceptions may be allowable. Email us to enquire.

Key material covered in Energy & The Yogic Body:

• Theory & Concepts: There is not just “one” yoga. By this we don’t just mean that there are lots of different yoga styles to practice - eg, Powerflow, Bikram, Aṣṭāṅga, Vinyāsa, Yin, etc. What we mean is that over the centuries yoga has drawn from a wide range of cultural and religious inputs, developing more than one scheme for how the universe is seen and where we fit within it. The practices are just responses to these schemes of reality. In Energy & The Yogic Body we enter into one of the more esoteric views of the cosmos and how this view led to a revolution in yoga practice from deep, still meditation techniques to strong physical practices of the body. This is the revolution of Haṭha Yoga.

• Haṭha Yoga & Tantra: Haṭha Yoga draws its view of reality from a wide range of sources including ancient Vedic ideas and practices of extreme austerities; along with a view of the universe that was influenced by esoteric branches of Buddhism, and the sacrificial rituals of Tantra. The result of these influences (plus later developments through time) have led to the postural yoga styles most of us are familiar with in a Western yoga studio today. But in Energy & The Yogic Body we take you back to Haṭha’s roots, to a cosmos filled with primal energy and consciousness; and we show you how the ancients envisaged their bodies as a microcosm of the entire birth of the universe; and developed practices to resolve the eternal split between “self” and “universal Self.” If that sounds intriguing then you’re in for a wild ride!

• Cakras, Nāḍīs, Granthis, Vāyus, Prāṇa, Bindu, Śiva, Śakti, and more: Welcome to your “yogic” or “subtle energy” body - a place of visualised wonderment; of powerful energy vortices and vital substances that are to be purified, balanced and manipulated through an intricate network of body-wide channels, to realise the very essence of cosmic creation, and how to re-absorb yourself back into that beginning-less eternal, formless state of bliss - leaving behind the worries of embodied existence. Where we take you in Energy & The Yogic Body is far beyond the modern interpretation of the subtle body where cakras (pronounced “chakras”) are mere centres of emotion connected to worldly problems. No, we take you back to the root of these concepts, because this framework provides the reason and purpose behind physical yoga practices.

• Mantra, Mudrā, Bandha, Vedha, Āsana, and more: Learn how to practice and teach the earliest and most powerful physical techniques of yoga - the precursors of modern postural yoga. Discover how these techniques manipulate our internal vital substances to open up new realities. This is the heart of Energy & The Yogic Body - learning to embody and then teach these powerful practices. It will have a profound effect on you and is what will elevate your yoga teaching to a level beyond what is experienced in the vast majority of yoga classes taught in modern studios.

As with all our modules we will set up our learning each day with a guided practice, allowing you to absorb the key learnings of the day in an embodied way.

Note: the practices and techniques taught in this module range from the sublime to very vigorous physical experiences. Whilst you don’t need to have a strong regular yoga practice, you will need a reasonable level of fitness to participate.

Energy & The Yogic Body is a six-day course conducted over two consecutive three-day weekends. This module counts as 50 hours credit towards completing Roots of Yoga.

Below offers a brief summary of Module 4. This module is only available to students undertaking the full Roots of Yoga Teacher Training program. Students must complete Modules 1-3 to be eligible for Module 4 participation.

Key material covered in the Final Immersion & Graduation:

• Theory & Concepts: Review of theory and concepts taught in Modules 1-3.

• Haṭha Āsana & Vinyāsa: In module 4 we complete our exploration of yoga āsana by analysing and learning key foundational postures, along with connecting sequences of postures to create “flows” (vinyāsa). This subject, along with teaching practice, makes up the bulk of Module 4 and completes our foundational knowledge of āsana (the most commonly taught practices in modern yoga studios.

• Review of Energy Practices: Review and daily practice of energy practices learned in Modules 1-3 - mantra, prāṇāyāma, kriyā mudrā, bandha, vedha, etc.

• Review and Application of Functional Anatomy: In our final module we apply the concepts and principles of Functional Anatomy that we learned in Module 2 (Yin Yoga) to “yang” styles of yoga practice - principally Haṭha Yoga, so that we will be skilled enough to be able to offer all of our future students the variations they require to modify yoga postures to suit their unique anatomy. This ensures we will be teaching our students in a safe manner, but also in a manner that allows them to explore their full range of motion.

• Teaching Methodology & Practice: In Module 4 we prepare you to be able to teach upon graduation. This means learning the “art” of constructing and presenting effective and engaging yoga classes. To fast-track your path towards teaching we spend part of each day in teaching practice. You will be surprised at how, by this stage of your training, you will be able to create mini-classes each day to teach to your fellow classmates. Because we teach everyday, you will quickly grow in confidence so that creating sequences and teaching them becomes second nature.

As with all our modules we set up our learning each day with a guided practice, allowing you to absorb the key learnings of the day in an embodied way. As this module is the culmination of all our learning, practice is a strong element throughout our time in the Immersion.

Final Immersion & Graduation comprises one full week (seven consecutive days) plus one weekend (Saturday-Sunday). Refer to course dates below in Final Course Details, or view options in the Shop. This module counts as 80 hours credit towards completing Roots of Yoga.

Our courses encompass various elements to maximise your enjoyment, engagement and learning… because we all learn in different ways.

Our key pillars include:

✅ Face to face learning. In our opinion there is nothing to rival face to face learning. So all our courses are conducted this way, in small groups, to optimise your experience. Face to face courses offer many benefits compared with online learning, including:

• Enriched communication. Communication is more than just verbal. It’s also gestural and “energetic.” The best communication also happens in real time.

• Direct feedback. This applies to our conversations as well as to our yoga practices. It’s not optimal to give meaningful corrections or assistance through a screen.

• Spontaneous moments of insight. Sometimes our little breakthroughs come not in the main lectures and discussions but in small moments during breaks, i.e. asking a question as we meet each other coming or going, or passing in the hall.

✅ Daily yoga practices. Our practices are designed to suit the nature and content of each course, so will vary in type, techniques shared, as well as level of intensity. For more introspective courses the techniques are gentler and more contemplative; whilst other courses offer more vigorous and energetic practices. Refer to each Course Features section to get a feel for what is on offer. Daily practices also provide the opportunity to be introduced to new techniques whilst absorbing and embodying the learnings.

✅ Analysis and reflection. We always allow time for discussion and reflection of the practices so that you can share your experience, get direct feedback from our trainer/s, and hear the experiences of your fellow students. These rich discussions offer so much insight, as well as ensuring that you understand the techniques being taught.

✅ Lectures and conversation. Each course is rich in theory and methods, but with ample opportunity for group conversation. Students are encouraged to share their points of view in a supported learning environment. Through this method each course evolves its own unique insights as our students flavour the learnings with what they bring from their own life experience. It’s why no two courses are ever the same. Students can also approach the trainer/s one-on-one at appropriate moments during the course if they wish.

✅ Immersive learning. Our courses are designed as immersive experiences, usually running over several consecutive days or longer.

✅ Teaching Practice. There is a high emphasis on teaching practice in our courses (depending on the subject matter). This is conducted through analysis, conversation and personal practice to begin with - so that you understand what you will be teaching. Then from understanding comes execution; in other words, teaching practice. We gradually increase your exposure to teaching practice, taking small steps to help you build confidence and discover your unique “voice”, until you don’t even think twice about standing up and delivering your teachings in front of others. By the end of the course teaching will be second nature to you, dispelling your fears and building your skill set so that you are ready to teach upon graduation.

When attending a course we encourage you to treat it as a retreat away from your usual routine and activities. Freedom from distractions allows you the mental space to absorb what you learn. Of course we all have different life situations, so we run each day on time to allow you the structure to get things done outside of course hours.

A further feature of our courses are the amazing books and manuals we create for you - that are available nowhere else. These range from 100-200+ pages each, depending on the course length and its nature. The course books include a summary of all we learn, instructions for any techniques taught; and many are rich with images and photos to inspire and guide you.

Knowing you have a resource that you can always refer back to really allows you to engage with the trainer/s and group in real time, without the distraction of constant note taking - leading to a truly immersive learning experience.

Certification:

Students that successfully complete all four course modules will graduate Roots of Yoga with certification for 200 hours of Yoga Teacher Training. The certification is internationally recognised through our membership as a Registered Yoga School (RYS) with Yoga Alliance.

With your certification you can apply to be a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT 200) with Yoga Alliance, giving you an internationally recognised standard of learning.

Assessment:

To gain your certificate of graduation you must attend all sessions of all courses. This is a requirement set down by Yoga Alliance as part of the criteria for being recognised as a training school.

Our approach to assessment varies compared to some other yoga schools in that there is no formal written exam with any of our modules. We firmly believe that embodied learning creates longer lasting imprints than cramming for a written test.

To this end we are constantly assessing you for: your attention and “presence” in the sessions; your participation in conversations and discussion; submission of short homework assignments; and your understanding of the concepts and practices being taught to you.

Our training program includes many opportunities for teaching practice and this is where we can truly assess your progress. However, the assessment process includes constant two-way feedback between you and your trainers, as well as within the student group. We find this an incredibly rewarding and successful method of fast tracking your teaching skills and confidence.

To date no student has not qualified to receive their graduation certificate, such are the methods of the course and your engagement in the assessment of your progress.