Onsite Yoga Teacher Training Course at Sivananda Yoga Farm

The Onsite Yoga Teacher Training Course at Sivananda Yoga Farm is a four-week residential yoga teacher training in the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta tradition, held at the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley, California. It is for people who want to learn to teach yoga and also to study its spiritual side, through repeated practice and lessons given by senior teachers of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. It is led by Acharya Swami Sitaramananda, Swami Adiparashaktiananda, Swami Sivasankariananda and Swami Divyananda.

Graduates receive the Certificate of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers, entitled Yoga Siromani. The training is registered toward the 200-hour certification, and graduates are invited to register for it. The International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center has trained over 45,000 yoga teachers since 1969.

What to Expect

Days are full and follow a steady rhythm. Wake-up is at 5:30 am, and morning satsang (meditation, chanting and a lecture) runs from 6:00 to 7:30. Asana and pranayama class follows from 8:00 to 10:00, then a vegetarian brunch. The late morning is given to karma yoga, or selfless service. Midday brings either kirtan or a Bhagavad Gita class, and the afternoon holds a two-hour main philosophy lecture and a two-hour class on how to teach yoga. After the vegetarian dinner there is an hour for homework, then a second satsang from 8:00 to 9:45 pm. One day a week is free, though satsang is still attended.

The curriculum covers:

- Hatha yoga: the Sun Salutation, the 12 basic postures, advanced variations, deep relaxation, the nadis and chakras, and pranayama including Kapalabhati and alternate nostril breathing.
- Meditation: techniques, the mechanics of the mind, and mantra initiation if requested.
- Yoga philosophy: the law of karma, Vedanta, the paths of Karma, Bhakti, Raja and Jnana Yoga, and the eight limbs.
- Anatomy and physiology: the effects of hatha yoga on the major body systems, and yogic diet and nutrition.
- Bhagavad Gita: a commentary study.
- Kirtan: the effects of chanting, pronunciation, mantra and sound healing, and opening the heart.

Past participants describe a supportive staff and teachers, a holistic approach to living well, and a clearer sense of purpose.

About the Teachers

Acharya Swami Sitaramananda is a senior acharya of the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. She directs the Sivananda Ashram Vedanta Yoga Farm in California and the Sivananda Yoga Resort and Training Center in Vietnam, and she is also acharya of China, Taiwan and Japan. She organizes and teaches the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training.

Swami Adiparashaktiananda is a dedicated sadhak and an experienced Sivananda yoga teacher and trainer. He has taught in international teacher trainings in the USA, Vietnam, Japan and China for more than 16 years. He mainly serves as assistant to Acharya Swami Sitaramananda at the Yoga Farm in Grass Valley.

Swami Sivasankariananda directs the Los Angeles Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center. She completed her teacher training at the Yoga Farm and later her advanced training there. She has travelled on yatra in north and south India and to Mount Kailas, and she loves to teach.

Swami Divyananda is a yoga teacher from Vietnam and a sannyasin in the Sivananda tradition. She began practicing yoga at 20 and has completed the teacher training, the Sivananda Yoga Health Educator Training and the advanced teacher training. She has also completed five Sadhana Intensive courses.

The Setting

The course takes place on the grounds of the Sivananda Ashram Yoga Farm in Grass Valley. Accommodation is chosen at registration: bring your own tent, or stay in an Om, Krishna, Siva or Deluxe Shanti cabin, each offered as a double or a private room. Vegetarian brunch and dinner are served daily.

Plan to arrive by Friday. Registration opens at 11:00 am on the Saturday the course begins, and the course starts that afternoon. The graduation ceremony is held on the evening of the final Saturday, and most people leave the following day.

Before You Go

The course is taught in English. No formal prerequisites are listed, but the schedule is intensive, so applicants are asked to request the brochure and application form before enrolling. Tuition covers accommodation in the chosen tier, classes, satsangs, lectures, kirtan, teaching instruction, meals and the certificate.

Not included are travel to Grass Valley and the course texts. The required books are the Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga by Swami Vishnudevananda and the Bhagavad Gita commentary by Swami Sivananda. Recommended reading includes Essentials of Yoga Practice and Philosophy by Swami Sitaramananda and Yoga: Your Home Companion. All are sold in the ashram boutique. Pack slip-on shoes, loose comfortable clothing, writing materials, a meditation shawl or blanket, a yoga mat and a flashlight.