About Our Training Program

Did You Know?

Yoga IS NOT a religion. It is a philosophy of life; it maps out what the purpose life is and how to navigate the unavoidable challenges of living life. The teachings of yoga are a blueprint for a joyful and compassionate life.
The physical poses of yoga (asanas)are only ONE out of EIGHT limbs of yoga philosophy? According to Patanjali, there are eight main categories, branches, of yoga.
To truly embody the power of yoga, we must practice on AND off the mat, in AND out of class.

Liberation’s Mission:
To teach kids how to move and breathe through stress, so they can learn to be calm on the inside when it’s chaotic on the outside.

Liberation’s Core Values:
Satya (authenticity), Samadhi (contentment), and Svadhyaya (curiosity), are all parts of the 8 Limbs of Yoga as codified by Patanjali. (ca 200 BCE)

Liberation Youth Yoga Teacher Training

If you work with kids & are authentically interested in living a joyful life (and who isn't?), you need this training. You will learn:

WHY yoga should be taught to ALL children.
HOW to teach yoga to children.

Our 95-hour Yoga Alliance Approved Training Program is divided into three separate modules which can be applied towards Yoga Alliance Continuing Education credits OR complete all three modules to be eligible for your RCYT credential.

Into: Foundations Module 30/36 hours
Through: Apprenticeship 59 hours
Beyond: 30 hours as required by the Yoga Alliance

This is a fairly rigorous course in that you will be asked to think and respond to some deep issues regarding our world today.

Join us on Patanjali’s path to health and happiness!

INTO: Before we begin our journey, we pay respect and honor the roots of yoga. We do this by learning the history of yoga as well as appreciating the cultural contributions from this robust and magical framework for living.

THROUGH: Our proprietary curriculum was created using best practices from both academia and yoga. In yoga, one isn’t either a teacher or a student, they are both at different times, in different circumstances. Our program uses the Into, Through, and Beyond integrative framework. Throughout the program, you will be introduced to various teaching strategies that support all kinds of learners. Our curriculum is robust and in-depth providing you with extensive background knowledge of yoga, child development theories, current brain research, as well as how to apply this background knowledge through the lens of social emotional learning, mental health, and cultural responsiveness in your teachings.

BEYOND: We prepare you academically and experientially to be an educated and authentic teacher of children’s yoga.

Into: Foundations Module 36 hours

Into: Background Knowledge
- What is Yoga
- Western Philosophy
- Social Justice
Through: Being the Student
- Personal Yoga Practice
- Why Yoga Works
- Why Kids Need Yoga
Beyond: Being the Teacher
- Ethics
- Methods
- Management
Launch: Ahimsa Unit

Educational Categories	Hours
General Background Knowledge	6/12
Techniques, Training and Practice	8/20
Teaching Methodology	6/15
Anatomy/Physiology	4/10
Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics	12/12
Practicum: 18 Hours	0
Elective 8 Hours	0
Total:	36

Through: Apprenticeship 59 hours

In-Person - observe, assist, and teach alongside us in real time, in our afterschool program located in Bellingham, WA.
ONline option - view our real and unedited teachings in our local schools.

Educational Categories	Hours
General Background	6/12
Techniques, Training and Practice	12/20
Teaching Methodology	9/15
Anatomy/Physiology	6/10
Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics	0/12
Practicum	18/18
Elective	8
Total:	59

Beyond: On Your Own

30 hours teaching
YA requirement
Done independently of LYY
Signed off by LYY

Teachers can register as a RCYT if they have successfully completed both a 200-hour yoga teacher training and a 95-hour children's yoga teacher training—in either order—that are registered with Yoga Alliance. Applicants must submit 30 teaching hours in children’s yoga which must be performed after completing a training with a RCYS (Registered Children’s Yoga School). (Yoga Alliance)

Topics Covered

General Background in the Specialty Area: 12 Hours - Includes the study of childhood developmental stages and how the issues of each stage impact what is appropriate for teaching them. Also includes the understanding of the yoga teacher’s relationships with parents/guardians and developmental specialists and basic communication skills for conducting those relationships.

Techniques, Training and Practice: 20 Hours - Child focused asanas, asana-based movement, yoga-based games and activities, breathing techniques and chanting.

Teaching Methodology: 15 Hours - Includes classroom methodology, classroom management, and lesson planning. Includes incorporating Cultural Appreciation into each lesson, respecting and honoring yoga’s origins, India.

Anatomy and Physiology: 10 Hours - Includes human physical anatomy and physiology and energy anatomy and physiology.

Yoga Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics for Yoga Teachers: 12 Hours - Awareness of ethical behavior and state and local legal requirements as related children. Specific training in parameters and techniques of ethical touch with regard to teaching children. Basics of ethical language and behavior, both when parents or guardians are present and when they are not.

Practicum: 18 Hours - Hours are spent observing and teaching a children's yoga class.

Elective Hours: 8 Hours - Book Club

Total Hours: 95 Hours

Liberation Youth Yoga’s
95 Hour Registered Children’s Yoga School
Yoga Alliance Category Breakdown

	Into: Foundations	Through: Apprenticeship	Beyond:On Your Own
General Background: 12 hours	6	6	0
Techniques, Training and Practice: 20 Hours	8	12	0
Teaching Methodology: 15 Hours	6	9	0
Anatomy/Physiology: 10 Hours	4	6	0
Philosophy, Lifestyle and Ethics: 12 Hours	12	0	0
Practicum: 18 Hours	0	18	0
Elective: 8 Hours	0	8	0
Total:	36	59	0