Teacher Training Programs

200 Hour Program specifics:

River Rock Yoga offers an extensive, comprehensive, and enriching Yoga training program tailored to both aspiring teachers and serious students of all levels. Whether you seek to deepen your individual practice or learn the art of teaching with integrity and grace, this program and its teachers provide the sacred space, wisdom, and support necessary for you to blossom and grow along your own unique Yogic path.

Throughout the year, each student expands his or her Yogic knowledge through intensive personal study, hands-on experience, and practical application. The curriculum was developed to explore Yoga’s vast richness, including: applied anatomy and physiology as related to asana study and teaching methodology, philosophy, lifestyle, ethics, and principles of becoming and living as a Yoga teacher and lifelong student.

Dedicated participation in this teacher training program establishes a solid Yoga foundation which allows students to identify their innate teaching awareness and abilities. Our teachers guide and nourish each student to discover their inner wisdom, develop their own teaching style, and blossom into a teacher as unique as a fingerprint.

Just as a precious metal is refined through heat and filtering, this training program transforms student into teacher through inspection and clarification. Expect change and growth! We are excited to be part of your unique Yogic journey. Namasté!

Upon graduation, you will qualify for the Yoga Alliance YA200 registration.

Requirements for Admission
1. Two letters of reference (one yoga related letter) are required before
training begins.
2. Each application will be evaluated on an individual basis.
3. Knowledge of the poses, and average physical stamina necessary for
integration of information.
4. A minimum of 18 months of regular practice and public study is needed.
5. It is not required that you desire to become a teacher through this
program. Any student looking for a deeper motivation to learn and grow in
their practice is a welcome addition to the group.
6. Upon entering the program, you must participate in a weekly asana
class with Laura or Moira. There are no exceptions here, unless you live outside the
county. If you do, you must take a weekly class with a qualified instructor.
7. You must attend all dates and trainings.

Reference Letter Guide
Requirements for Reference Letter should include the following information.

1. Number of years acquainted with applicant.
2. Relationship to applicant.
3. Yoga related background of writer.
4. Brief statement of why this applicant would be an asset to the program
and its participants.

Practice Requirements
You will be encouraged to practice yoga on a daily basis. Your Asana,
Pranayama, and attention to the Yamas and Niyamas will be a pivotal part of
your ability to assimilate this information on a kinetic level.

Along with a daily practice, and a weekly public class, you will observe or
assist a class once a month with a qualified teacher.

Homework and Reading Assignments

Homework assignments will be provided and must be turned in at the following
month’s training. It will need to be neatly typed (or handwritten) on blank
white paper. Included with each assignment will be a page with a heading
outline containing School Name, Program, Lesson Number, and Your Name. Any
additional pages will need to be headed with the same information. Staple
all multiple pages together. Reading Assignments will take place at your
leisure, outside of the class time frame.

Please retain your own copy of each assignment, before you turn in your
papers. These homework assignments are a large part of your qualifications
for certification and proof of your involvement in the RRY Teacher Training
Program. Any missed homework will be considered incomplete and may delay
your final paperwork.

Requirements for Certification
1. Attendance of all dates and trainings
2. Attendance of weekly public classes
3. Observation or assistance in a public class, once a month (with
permission from your instructor)
4. Completion of all homework assignments in a timely manner
5. Completion of final evaluation at the end of the program year
Documentation of all participation as a student and teacher is very helpful
to YA in determining your individual commitment. Keeping a clear record of
any classes, workshops, retreats, etc, will strongly help your evaluation
process.

Cost and Enrollment of Program
Please include a non-refundable $200 deposit with your application. Formal
registration will be accepted after August 1, 2010. This deposit will be
applied to your tuition. This deposit will be waived for tuition paid in
full by November 30, 2010 ($2300). Total cost for the program after November 30,
2010 ($2500). Tuition paid in 3 installments with deposit is $2600. No
penalty for early payment. Installment schedule is on an eight-week
rotation.

Installment one $850 Due First Day of Training in January

Installment two $775 Due March 1st mail in

Installment three $775 Due May 1st mail in

The reading material cost is not a part of tuition. Plan the purchase of one
(occasionally two) books per month. These are standard yoga texts that you
may already own and will serve as reference guides for the training. You
will need to bring your yoga mat and manual at every training.

This will be a fun and intense day and a half! Adequate rest and methodical
study throughout the month prove to be the best practices for internalizing
the information…..i.e.: no cramming homework in at the last minute.

Cancellation and Penalty Fee

Installments:

Your entrance into the program is received as your commitment to complete
the program in full. Your tuition must be paid in a timely manner, with
respect to the deadline given. There will be a $100 weekly penalty for any
payment not received on the deadline date, unless prior arrangements have
been formally discussed and agreed upon.

Refunds are available, less the $200 non-refundable deposit, for any
cancellation made 30 days prior to the start date.

Schedule
The following schedule is designed to complete an 15-hour weekend training
per visit. Each training will commence

Saturdays at 1pm – 7pm (6 hours) and

Sundays at 8am – 3pm (7 hours)

*Trainings will include a one-hour on-site lunch discussion.

There will be a 3-day intensive weekend among the dates TBA. Schedule of the
intensive will be 6am –6pm daily. Additional costs will not exceed $200.

Arrival
All students must arrive and be settled in and ready to go at the indicated
start times. Come rested and bring fluids and light snacks if necessary.

Lunches
There will be a one-hour on-site lunch discussion each day. Students are
encouraged to bring a lunch. A pot luck lunch can develop and the days to
provide food are split between the participants.

500 Hour Training Specifics:

JJ Gormley, Laura Tyree and Moira Anderson, co-directors

This program is for students working with Laura Tyree at Dragonfly Yoga Studies or Moira Miller at River Rock Yoga. Students accepted in this program will complete 300 hours of coursework beyond an RYT200 certification with the Yoga Alliance (or equivalent), through JJ Gormley’s Surya Chandra Healing Yoga School.

Pre-Requisites and Application Process for 500 Hour program
500-Hour pre-requisites include successful completion of the 200-Hour (or comparable) Program, or a RYT200, a strong background of five years or more in yoga, a strong daily practice of one hour or more which includes at least 20 minutes of pranayama and meditation.

Hours for this program will be met through the following schedule.
Surya Chandra Healing Yoga Teacher Training Program 2011
Dates: Opens Jan 28, 2011/ Closes April 22, 2012
Location: Dragonfly Yoga (DYI)
River Rock Yoga (RRY)
Choose the studio most local to you.
Information Website: www.suryachandrahealingyoga.com
Contact: yoginijj@yahoo.com


Hours with JJ 150 Hours (100hr YTT weekends see ‘A’ below) 50 Hours in retreats or off-site workshops with JJ (see ‘B’ below)

Hours with Laura or Moira 120 Hours with Laura – 32hr TT weekends (see ‘C’ below) 88 Hours Classroom or Retreat (see ‘D’ below) Additional Hours required (non-contact) To be complete by the student on their own (see ‘E’ below) 20 Hours Practicum Lab hours 10 Hours Elective prior approval necessary A - Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) Workshops offered approximately once per quarter (except in summer months). YTT workshops are required. Absentee policy: Students may miss one workshop with an excused absence and make up missed hours as elective hours. Student is responsible for materials missed. Students who miss two weekend workshops must make up hours missed with JJ, at a Retreat such as Feathered Pipe Ranch, MT, Gray Bear Retreat Center, TN, Mexico, Bali, etc. Students missing three or more workshops must switch status to correspondence enrolled (additional admin fee required--see JJ for details).
B - Additional Hours with JJ - Obtain 50 hours in Retreats or other Workshop with JJ. Do not worry about the category of what might be taught during the retreat as JJ usually mixes categories when she teaches. See JJ's schedule on her website for Retreats such as Gray Bear, Feathered Pipe, Mexico trip, Bali trip, etc.
C - Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) Workshops with Laura/Moira – Two 16 hours weekend workshops are mandatory.
D - Additional Hours with Laura/Moira - 88 Hours may be obtained by attending weekly classes and/or assisting in a 200-hr YTT or a combination of both--see Laura/Moira for help in calculating these hours.
E - Additional Hours by Student - 20 Practicum Lab hours are hours the Student obtains from teaching, on their own, in the classroom, or assisting another (senior) teacher in their classroom. 10 Elective Hours are any approved hours (pre-approval by Laura/Moira) You have up to five years to complete all non-classroom requirements.

Fees:

There are three types of fees due for this program.

1. A non- refundable registration fee of $300 is payable to your local studio with your application (Dragonfly Yoga or River Rock Yoga) Application due December 1st, 2010. Late fee of $50 assessed for applications received after December 1st, 2010.

2. An administrative fee of $900 payable to Surya Chandra Healing Yoga School. Payable in two installments: $450 due on or before January 10th, 2011 and $450 due on or before September 10th, 2011.

3. Tuition: Fees for each YTT weekend workshop due and payable to your local studio. 25 hour weekend workshop $300, 16 hour weekend workshop $190. Tuition due 30 days prior, when registering for each workshop.

Application:

Please complete the application questions and submit 4 references (2 personal and 2 from yoga teachers) along with $300 deposit.

Mail completed application, with your 4 references and the $300 registration fee to your local studio:

Dragonfly Yoga
Po Box 2322
Ft Walton Beach, Florida 32549

Contact Laura by email: laura@dragonflyyoga.com or phone: 850-244-0184

River Rock Yoga

2429 Commerce St #C

Ocean Springs, MS 39564

 

Contact Moira by email: riverrockyoga@bellsouth.net or phone: 228-818-4522

Application Questions

The application questions should be answered openly and honestly. Use as many words as you would like to answer the questions fully. We would like to get a good picture of you as a person on as many levels as possible: physical, emotional, mental, spiritual. Questions on your religious background and spiritual practices are a way to get to know you better and will in no way prejudice our decision about your suitability for this program.

Please be sure to include your name on each page of your typed responses to the questions and on the top page please give us your complete name, address, phones, email, and fax.

1. How long have you been practicing yoga?

2. What teachers (or styles of yoga) have you studied?

3. Describe your current practice (include asana, pranayama, meditation, prayer or other)

4. For what reason(s) are you interested in the teacher certification program at Sun & Moon?

5. What other certification programs have you looked into?

6. What is your work/life situation like? Are the people in your environment supportive of your yoga practice and your interest in teaching yoga?

7. What impediments to your commitment to this program do you foresee?

8. Describe your strengths and areas for improvement.

9. What effort are you making towards self-improvement?

10. Are you currently teaching yoga?

11. Why do you think you are/would be a good yoga teacher?

12. What is your occupation?

13. In what religion were you raised/reared, what is your present religious affiliation and/or do you believe in God or a divine intelligence?

14. What are your chief interests and activities?

15. What is your main ambition in life?

16. What effort are you making towards that ambition?

17. What are your present spiritual practices?

18. What books/teachers have been most helpful to you and why?

Reading List

http://suryachandrahealingyoga.com/teachertrainings/readinglist.html

Yoga Alliance & Registered Yoga School

This 500-Hour Program is a Registered Yoga School (RYS) with the Yoga Alliance.

Upon graduation each Certified Yoga Teacher (CYT), may apply to the Yoga Alliance to become a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT).

JJ Gormley

     JJ Gormley-Etchells, Registered Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500), Yoga Educator and Yoga Therapist, began practicing yoga in 1979. She studied from many different traditions.  Most of the yoga taught in the US at that time was simply called Hatha Yoga, later JJ discovered more detail about what "style" these teachers were teaching.  Her first yoga experience was at the local recreation center, her teacher, Gerta Goldberg taught "Hatha Yoga" in a style that was a blend of Iyengar (known for their attention to alignment) and other types as well as Feldenkrais (gentle healing movements) that Gerta was learning. 
    Over the decade of the 80s JJ took classes in other traditions (including: Kripalu, Sivananda, and Kundalini yoga). She received her first yoga certification from the White Lotus Yoga Center in Santa Barbara, CA under Ganga White.  In 1989 she began teaching yoga and began studying Iyengar yoga more seriously.  She studied from the Iyengar center in Maryland (Unity Woods) under Carol Cavanaugh and John Schumacher and took many Teacher Trainings in the Iyengar tradition.  She also studied a great deal from Patricia Walden and other "senior" Iyengar yoga teachers. 
In the mid-1990s she began to branch out of Iyengar Yoga and studied with Rodney Yee, John Friend and Erich Schiffmann.   In 1994 JJ moved her small household studio in Arlington, VA, and changed the name to Sun & Moon Yoga Studio and began teaching teachers.  She herself continued her studies and underwent John Friend's Anusara training and was among the first few individuals to receive Anusara certification. 
    In 2002 she met Kausthub Desikachar and fell in love with the teachings from "The Heart of Yoga" by TKV Desikachar as taught by his son, Kausthub.  She went to Chennai, India to study from Kausthub and the tradition of yoga teaching commonly called "Vini Yoga," and also known as KYM teachings (the institute in Chennai is known as KYM (Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram).  In the U.S. this tradition is also called KHYF or HYF for Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation (an international organization) or the Healing Yoga Foundation (located in San Francisco).  In 2007 she entered into a 4-year training program for Yoga Therapists with the KHYF. 
    She continues her studies of yoga and knows that she will always be a student of yoga.  She loves her diverse background and calls her yoga education "eclectic and well-rounded."  She draws from each tradition she has studied, seeing the good in all and uses what she loves and what resonates with her heart.  As Director of these Teacher Training Programs she corresponds with and coordinates over 100 students in her training programs. JJ teaches yoga poses from the perspective of the energetic body and staying connected to the earth energetically (being well-grounded). She'll look at the structure of the body and what is happening with the bones at and around each of the main energy centers (Chakras). She Teaches how the bones move at each of these Chakras to create more space at the joints so one can move with better freedom and release stuck energy.
    JJ has produced many yoga training manuals and handouts, yoga videos/DVDs, and a chanting CD which can be purchased on this website. She also continually makes chakra jewelry (selling her pieces at her workshops when she travels) or will make a piece to order--just ask. She has compiled a Study Guide for Yoga Teacher Trainees for use with the training programs. You may obtain the Study Guide from the store on this site. She is in the process of writing a book, "Yoga Therapy Through the Chakras" with Megan Sullivan and illustrations by Terry Strayer. Stay tuned for details of the book release.