Om Teacher Training Refresher Weekend Certificate
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I’ve practiced yoga since 1994. Upon my graduation from OM Yoga Center's teacher training program, I became a Registered Yoga Teacher (R.Y.T.) with the Yoga Alliance in July 2003.  

My training to teach yoga began in 2002.  After some initial training with Theresa Rowland of Studio Yoga in New Jersey, when Om Yoga Center accepted my application I decided I couldn't complete both concurrently. So the bulk of my teacher training was done through OM Yoga in lower Manhattan where I completed three training programs, as well as a refresher course in 2005.

• Summer Intensive (June 2002)
• Weekend Warrior Program (October 2002 to June 2003)
• Relax & Renew Restorative Yoga with Judith Lasater (May 2003)
• Teaching Training Refresher Weekend (June 2005)

OM Yoga Center Training
(including both Summer Intensive and Weekend Warrior)

I completed all the requirements and was awarded OMs Teacher Training certificate in July 2003. This enabled me to meet the standards and qualified me to be registered with the Yoga Alliance at the 200 hour level.

Specifically OM’s teaching training syllabus encompassed 3 parts:
1. instruction, 2. home and group study, and 3. yoga practice and actual teaching.

1. Instruction
A hundred and forty hours of instruction focused on technique, teaching methodology and practice with feedback, use of voice and language, assistance to and adjustments on students, sequence of poses and class, creation of classroom mandala through music, sound and space, Buddhist meditation instruction and practice, how to integrate Buddhist philosophy into yoga instruction, Sanskrit language and terms, the Yoga Sutras and yogic literature.  This component comprised a total of 140 hours of the 200 hours required.

2. Home and Group Study
The group and home study was invaluable in my training.  I met with other yogis and yoginis in a small group of 5 to review concepts and poses.  In addition, I completed extensive written homework assignments some of which were presented to the entire group and others to my training supervisors for review.  The following comprised all of the other out of class assignments but I did not keep track of how many hours were spent. It was all fun.

I had to -

• Observe all class levels and submission of 1-2 page written comment;
• Meet weekly with study group meetings to review material and practice adjustments;
• Present on a concept from the yoga sutras;
• Research and present in depth anatomy analysis of a pose including action and position of joints and muscles, effects to the organ systems and energy (charkas) systems and a review of common issues. Urdhva Dhanurasana also known as Wheel or Backbend was my assignment. Others presented on Headstand, Triangle Pose among others;
• Color pages from The Anatomy Coloring Book by Wynn Kapit and Lawrence Elson to master terms of position, direction and movement, the skeletal and muscular structure and systems of the body;
• Complete 3 Take Home Tests on anatomy, Sanskrit terms, yoga and meditation terms, pose elements, yoga literature, yoga history;
• Write essays to address questions on assigned texts including Shambhala Guide to Yoga by Georg Feuerstien, Wisdom of No Escape by Pema Chodron, Science of Breath by Swami Rama. Also excerpt from Inner Bridges: A Guide to Energy Movement and Body Structure by Fritz Frederick Smith, MD;
• Develop Basic Class plan in writing to submit for review and comment;
• Develop Advanced Class plan in writing to submit for review and comment and to teach;
• Complete successfully an in class final exam which covered elements and structure of a class, the 8 limbs of yoga, yamas and niyamas, benefits of poses, parts of asana, methodology and sequencing.

3. Yoga Practice and Actual Teaching:
To supplement the intellectual knowledge, I also had to do yoga.  A lot of it.  It's only through practicing yoga that the knowledge I learned started to make sense as I witnessed the changes in my awareness and in my body.  I also had to assist in teaching, perform adjustments and finally, for my final exam - teach an advance class.  My trainers evaluated that class to determine the successful completion of the year course.  And though, thrilling and exciting, teaching that class was the hardest thing I've ever done - including anything I'd done in law school or graduate school.

Speficially, in the arena of experiential knowlege, the training course required me to -

• Complete 100 hours of asana practice at OM;
• Do 2 weekly meditation sessions at home;
• Enjoy 1 personal practice a week (minimum);
• Maintain a written diary with entries on each practice class, mediation session and personal practice;
• Assist with in class adjustments (while another teaches class, trainee adjusts one person throughout the class). 6 total required – 3 fellow trainees, one teacher, one basic student, one special case;
• Lead opening presentation of OM;
• Assist teacher trainers in conducting a class;
• Teach advance class to teacher trainers and colleagues.

Acknowledgements
Jennifer Brilliant (summer only), Christie Clark, Jason Ray Brown and Joe Miller conducted the instruction, reviewed and supervised my study and provided constructive feedback. I am grateful to each of them for their time and support. Christie, Jason and Joe are outstanding and dedicated instructors, and they inspire and challenge me still. Other OM teachers Margi Young, Mary Lemmon and Lippy Orem offered encouragement, motivation and stimulation. I’m indebted to them as well. Susan Braham taught anatomy and Karen Safire taught Sanskrit; both kept difficult subjects interesting.

My fellow teacher trainees were absolutely integral to my development as a teacher. They each were and remain invaluable companions on this journey to bring the benefits of yoga to others. All that I am able to bring to you is due to each of them.

Finally, I thank Cyndi Lee and David Nichtern. Their retreat changed my life and started me on this path. As Founder and Director of OM Yoga Center, Cyndi created a special place – physical and spiritual. OM will always be a part of my psychic home. I urge you to visit OM for a class, workshop or retreat.

Relax & Renew Training
Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D and physical therapist Roger Cole, Ph.D. taught this restorative yoga teacher training.   I spent 20 hours over 5 days in training and learned a lot.  

Day 1
Roger Cole instructed on the physiology of stress and relaxation. The ancient yogis developed ingenious ways to produce profound quiescence of the body and the mind. With slide presentation, demonstrations, discussions and handouts taught the biological basis of stress and relaxation and the processes that make restorative asanas so effective.

Day 2
Judith Lasater set forth principles of Restorative Yoga from how to sequence restorative poses, what are the dynamics of healing and the student-teacher relationship.

Day 3
Judith Lasater showed how to address the special challenges of women including menstruation, pregnancy and menopause.

Day 4
Judith Lasater focused on special populations such as those dealing with immunological disease, heart disease. Also reviewed how to take a basic history and learned how to trust our intuition.

Day 5
Judith Lasater continued to attend to special problems such as insomnia, headaches and back pain.

Home Study
After the week, the training required to evaluate 3 students, develop a sequence of 3 poses for each of them, teach and support them through our curriculum, submit photos and reasoning for my poses and set up. thorough review by Judith Lasater thoroughly reviewed this notebook and made comments and presented me with a certificate that entitled me to say I am a Relax and Renew Teacher.

Teacher Training Refresher Weekend

Day 1 (June 25th, 2005)
2 hours
Physical - Review Surya Namaskar and a few selected standing poses.  Philosophy - how to incorporate mindfulness practice into asana (verbal cues, asking questions, partnering, etc.) 
 
2.5 hours
Physical - Review Backward Bending poses and "neutralizers."  Philosophy -  how to sequence 

Day 2 (June 26th, 2005)
2 hours
Physical - Review arm inversions and arm balances. 
Philosophy - how we as teachers can manifest the bodhisattva vow (teaching as a practice, not as a job; working with the subtext "how can I be helpful")

2.5 hours
Physical - Review forward bends and twists
Philosophy - balancing sthira (steady, calm, stable) and sukha (happiness, ease)

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