You can train in India or America to become a certified hatha yoga instructor. "Hatha," which translates to "sun and moon," is supposed to unite opposites, which makes sense, since the word "yoga" is translated as "harmony." Hatha yoga, a system of yoga created by Yogi Swatmarama in the 15th century, is the most popular system of yoga. It is sometimes called the "mother" of other forms of yoga, such as bikram.
Hatha Yoga
Hatha yoga has been called meditation in flow. It is focused on particular yoga poses, known as asanas, and breathing control, which is known as pranayama. Yoga in the early 21st century is often taught on two levels. There is a modern method of teaching yoga, stated by the Yoga Vidya school in India as a "practical philosophy to live a dynamic life with a peaceful heart." There is also a more deeply spiritual aspect of yoga that is intended to bring harmony to the mind, body and soul and lead you in the direction of enlightenment through devout meditation.
Curriculum
All hatha-yoga training programs thoroughly cover the two basic tenets of hatha yoga. The curriculum varies somewhat from school to school. At Yogaville in Virginia, for example, you will learn about deep relaxation, meditation and chanting. In addition, Yogaville teaches advanced classes to train you to work with cancer patients, cardiac patients, women who are pregnant, or children with special needs. The Yoga Vidya retreat in India teaches the classical and practical philosophy of hatha yoga, and supplements the basics with classes in meditation, Chakra, ayurveda, detox and Sanskrit. This institution will also craft an individual curriculum to meet the specific needs of each student.
Training in America
Yogaville, which was started by a yogi from India, is an example of the type of hatha-yoga training you might get in America. The school offers a month-long curriculum designed to help you learn to pass your knowledge on to yoga beginners. You can take intermediate and advanced classes.
Training in India
There are a number of places in India where you can study to teach hatha yoga. For example, you can study at Yoga Vidya in either the Himalayas in North India or at Vaskala Beach in South India on the edge of the Arabian Sea. A 30-day and 200-hour teacher-training course will enable you to be certified by the Yoga Alliance as a teacher of hatha yoga. The course is taught by young yogis who are passionate about spiritual and cultural exchanges between East and West.
Considerations
If you want to delve deeper into hatha yoga, there are 500-hour programs to train teachers. Teachers are certified by the Yoga Alliance and the American Council for Exercise. If you want to become a teacher of a more pragmatic form of hatha yoga, you could study at YogaFit to become a teacher. YogaFit training combines hatha yoga with more traditional fitness training to appeal to a wider audience. If you want to teach YogaFit, you can become a registered yoga trainer after 200 hours of coursework or an experienced registered yoga trainer after teaching for two years and more than 1,000 hours.
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