200 Hour Yoga Essentials for New Teachers
January 4-December 27, 2025
Yoga East has been training teachers since 1974. Laura Spaulding, our lead trainer, has practiced yoga since 1967, and been teaching since 1994. She has trained hundreds of teachers. We recommend that you have 1-2 years of experience in yoga classes before entering teacher training. The Course is meant to take students who have yoga experience to the level of teachers. This means that we will bump up your practice level and give you easy familiarity with yoga techniques and wisdom that include practice of the postures, pranayama and meditation. You will learn the history of yoga, and the philosophy of yoga that has kept students coming for over 2000 years and that brings everyone strength, peace, mental calm, and emotional stability. You will learn Yoga anatomy that empowers you be in control of your own health and well-being.
Yoga was developed in India during times of war, famine, conquest by hostile invaders, epidemics, and social upheaval. The practice of yoga enabled yogis - TO THRIVE and live the best life possible, not just survive. Imagine what deepening your knowledge and practice of yoga can do for you. Yoga East teachers have studied with great masters in India and here in the U.S. We believe in the healing and liberating power of yoga. We invite you to join us so we can share this with you. This will be the most amazing year of your life. We promise you.
"My initial 200-hour yoga teacher training with Laura Spaulding at Yoga East was the best investment I ever made in my wellbeing—and, unbeknownst to me at the time—in my career. When I signed up for the training, I simply wanted to learn more about the poses, but Laura’s passion and depth of knowledge ignited something in me that caused me to pursue teaching yoga, and eventually open my own yoga studio. There is no one in the city as experienced, knowledgeable, and compassionate as Laura. Training with her laid the foundation for my life as a yoga student and teacher."
--Cat Crawford, Owner & CEO, 502 Power Yoga
"... a note to say thanks for the great impact you have had through teaching yoga. I have indirectly taken hundreds of classes from you because of your influence and teaching of others. Nearly every instructor references you - some way of teaching, some anecdote about you, with respect and sometime awe... But that metaphor about the drop of a pebble having a huge ripple effect? That certainly applies to your life here in Louisville."
--CHN, by email to Laura Spaulding, October 2023
2025 Course Information
2025 Course Begins with Orientation on January 4, 2025.
To begin - register as a student and sign up for Orientation on January 4, 2025.
Take classes in Part I of the training.
If you missed orientation, you can still participate in teacher training.
Phone Laura Spaulding at 502-585-2070.
2025 Course Information
The 2025 Course will be in five parts, and everything will be explained in Orientation.
Orientation & Course Requirements: January 4, 2025 1:30-4:00 pm $25
Professional Ethics: originally scheduled June 21, 2025, new date will be announced: 1:30-4:00 pm $25
Part I: January 1-June 30, 2025: Students who want to be certified by Yoga East must pre-qualify by attending at least 48 asana classes at Yoga East during this period in Hatha Yoga, Gentle Yoga, Chair Yoga, Sivananda Yoga, Ashtanga Yoga, or Mysore Ashtanga Yoga, plus 15 Meditation, Chanting or Yoga Sutras classes.
Part II: July 1-December 20, 2025: Students who want to be certified by Yoga East must attend an additional 48 asana classes during this period, and another 15 Meditation, Chanting or Yoga Sutras classes.
Part III: July 12-December 20, 2025: Core Training Curriculum sessions for students who have pre-qualified. Classes are a combination of in-person, livestream and recorded. Teaching Methodology, Professional Development, and Anatomy & Physiology: In person classes meet: January 4 (Orientation), July 12,19, 26; August 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; September 6, 14, 27; October 4, 11, 18, 25; November 1, 8, 15, 22, 29; December 6, 13, 20, 27; Times 10:00-11:30 and 12:00-1:15 pm
Part IV: July 12-December 20, 2025: Practice Teaching under supervision: Dates and Times will be announced.
Part V: Research Project: Write a short research paper relating to an aspect of yoga. Outline is due July 12. First draft is due October 4; Final draft is due December 6.
Commencement: December 27, 2025, 3:00-4:30 pm: for students who have successfully completed the above requirements.
Tuition for Classes
Parts I, II & III: pay by a Yoga East subscription or class passes.
Part IV: $200 Supervision fee.
In-person class dates are subject to change depending on weather conditions and teacher availability. Please note that all fee options are subject to 6% Kentucky Sales tax.
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Notice of Nondiscriminatory Policy As To Students
Yoga East, Inc. Is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization and admits students without discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, gender, age, religion or sexual orientation. Donations to Yoga East are tax-deductible charitable donations and support our scholarships and community programs.
Yoga East, Inc. admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school-administered programs.
What is Yoga Teacher Certification?
Is Yoga Certification like a License?
Certification is not a "license". Many professions have licenses that are regulated by local, state or federal agencies. Barbers and hairdressers, tattoo artists, physicians, nurses, chiropractors, lawyers, psychotherapists, social workers, and many other professionals who provide professional services to the public must pass exams and meet professional standards in order to do business. There is no such requirement for yoga instructors. There are no laws or regulations that apply to the training, licensing or certification of yoga teachers because yoga is considered to be mostly a hobby or personal pastime.
So What is "Certification" in Yoga?
Certificates are given by yoga schools or yoga teachers. It states that the student has completed a course of instruction. There are non-profit yoga organizations that establish certain standards for yoga teachers, and membership in these organizations by yoga schools and yoga teachers is voluntary. Yoga Alliance and The International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) are two such organizations. Some yoga systems have their own methods of training and authorizing teachers. Anusara Yoga, Iyengar Yoga and Ashtanga Yoga are three yoga systems which maintain their own teacher training standards. You will learn about these in our training.
Who is Qualified to Teach Yoga?
In the yoga tradition, one could only become a teacher after years of dedicated study with a guru. A guru is a specially-qualified teacher who has thorough knowledge of the methods and teachings of yoga and whose years of experience and dedication to yoga enable the teacher to awaken the student’s abilities and open the student’s heart. In the past, a student would learn the teacher’s qualifications by simply asking, “Who was your teacher?” This tradition has never changed. If you want to know your yoga teacher’s qualifications, simply ask your teacher about their teachers. Our lead trainers have studied and continue to study with acknowledged masters in yoga.
Can You Learn to Teach Yoga Quickly?
Yoga’s new popularity has created a whole teacher training industry. Many fitness businesses have jumped on the yoga bandwagon to offer yoga teacher training that “certifies” you to teach yoga in a weekend or month-long workshop. Yoga cannot be learned in a weekend or a month. Yoga is a skill and requires years of dedicated practice and study to master. This is why we ask our trainees to have at least two years of yoga study before entering teacher training. You need to have some prior experience, and the more you have, the better you will do in the training.
Why Become Certified?
Yoga is not as easy as it looks, and teaching yoga is very challenging. Many students come to yoga classes after having exhausted conventional medical treatment for chronic illnesses or injuries. Many students are elderly and have arthritis, osteoporosis, back injuries and other disabilities. Like the population in general, yoga students are aging and it is not uncommon to have students in class with hip, knee and shoulder replacements. Many younger students are the victims of chronic stress, trauma, or have emotional problems. A poorly-trained teacher cannot help such students and may even cause more harm or serious physical injury, and be subject to legal liability. At Yoga East, we train you to be able to safely and confidently teach all kinds of students, and also teach you about waivers, insurance and class safety.