You need to have an established regular Hatha Yoga asana practice (3 days per week) for 6 months prior to the program. If you have other qualifications which makes this program suitable and would like for us to consider, please explain on the application form. Without an established personal practice, it would be premature to consider teaching. Although the program’s asanas are not overly demanding, you will be doing a lot of them and combined with a full schedule, it’s important to be prepared physically.

This is a professional-level online training, therefore you need to be an organized self-starter and able to make the time commitment outlined below. You need to be very comfortable with computers or mobile devices. (Note: we recommend that you have a laptop or desktop for this program, not an ipad or cell phone.) Although not difficult, the course is delivered through an online platform course page and you will be participating in a virtual learning experience (zoom webinars, online discussion forums, creating and submitting video clips, etc). You will also need to have access to a reliable internet connection for several livestream class assignments.

The course begins on Sunday, January 9th at 9:00-10:30 am PT, and concludes on Sunday, May 29th at 11:30 am PT.

All live classes will be held entirely on weekends: 3 Saturdays each month (9 AM-12 PM and 2-5:30 PM PST) and 2 Sundays each month (9 AM-12 PM PST). This allows for one full weekend off each month from live classes, however there will be assignments to complete.

You’re expected to participate online throughout the week at times convenient for you as well as attend live classes. This means you’ll need to make time for approximately 9-12 hours of each week which includes live and pre-recorded classes, self quizzes, video assignments, reading, practice time and participation in discussion forums.

Live Class Times:
Saturday 9:00 am – 12:00/12:30 pm PST   
Saturday 2:00 – 5:30 pm PST 
Sunday 9:00 am – 12:00/12:30 pm PST

Live Class Dates:
January 9 (Introductory Webinar – 9:00 to 10:30 AM PST)
January 15, 16, 22, 29, 30
February 5, 12, 13, 19, 26, 27
March 5, 12, 13, 19, 26*, 27*
April 9*, 10*, 16, 23*, 24*
May 7*, 8*, 14*, 21*, 22*, 28*, 29* 
*Required Classes – See more schedule details here.

The program cost is $3350 USD. If you complete the registration process prior to Dec. 9, 2021 you will receive the Early Bird Rate of $2995 and receive the Early Bird Benefits*.

1. Required: develop a regular Hatha Yoga practice.
2. Required: Purchase The Art and Science of Raja Yoga by Swami Kriyananda, and get started on the pre-course reading assignments. Note: Even if you’re unable to complete the pre-program reading, you’re still welcome to attend, but the training will be much easier and beneficial for you if you do this reading in advance.
3. We also recommend that you begin the process of setting up your “online studio” such as something as simple as a corner of your room with a yoga mat, props, good lighting and a stand for mobile device/laptop. More details with recommendations will be covered in the pre-course assignment and orientation.
4. Mark your calendar: The course web page will open for enrollees 2 weeks prior (Dec.26) to the start date of the course, and we will send a notice to enrolled students at that time. Take this opportunity to complete the pre-course assignments and familiarize yourself with the site.
5. Save the date: The course officially begins with a Zoom webinar on Sunday, January 9, 9:00-10:30 AM PT. This will be an opportunity to meet your instructors and introduce yourself to your classmates. We will review the requirements for certification, course guidelines and respond to any questions.

Absolutely! One of the highlights of this professional training program is having instructors spend quality time giving you personalized feedback both in live sessions and in writing. We will be closely watching your progress within the course so that you can take the appropriate steps you need—as an individual—to become a confident, knowledgeable, and conscientious yoga instructor.

Our Level 1 and Level 2 programs are registered with Yoga Alliance and 200 and 500 hours. Every Ananda graduate can register with the Alliance as “Registered Yoga Teacher.” We believe that, in time, this Registry will lead to more yoga teaching opportunities for you.

More important, Ananda’s is the only training in the highly regarded yoga tradition of Paramhansa Yogananda. We’ve spent more than 25 years making our YTT into a first-rate expression of that tradition – a dynamic blend of professional training and personal growth.

Ananda Yoga is about adapting the asana to the person, not forcing the person to do something inappropriate for his or her body. In this spirit, you need to be able to do the asanas covered in this course in ways that are appropriate for your own body and health conditions.

This may mean modifying some of the asanas, perhaps significantly in some cases, but only rarely does it mean not doing any version of the asana at all. However, you will need to know how to teach all the asanas covered in this course.

Coursework that takes place during the week is self-directed learning and can be completed at times that are convenient for you. You are free to do this coursework at whatever times of day suit your schedule. We do expect you to log in and complete your weekly video assignments, quizzes, and reading assignments before live class, be ready to apply what you’ve learned and discuss any questions you may have.

You’ll need a device (desktop or laptop) to access the course web page on a regular basis. Although it is possible, we don’t recommend completing assignments from a mobile phone because it doesn’t allow for an ideal user experience. For live webinar classes, you’ll need a device with a camera such as a laptop with a built-in camera, a webcam that you can attach to your computer, an ipad, or a mobile phone with a built-in camera so that you can be seen by your instructors and classmates. Your internet connection needs to be reliable.

When filming yourself for special assignments, your device will need to have enough space to record a maximum of 30 minutes. You will also need to upload recordings to a video platform provided within the course or YouTube, Vimeo, Dropbox, Google Drive. If you’re concerned about some of the technological elements of the course, or if you’ve never done an online course, used Zoom, or made a video and posted it online, you can still be successful in this course!

The course web page is easy to use, intuitive and offers many “how to” instructions to help you. The pre-course assignment includes a special video “tour of the course”. These days, everyone knows someone who can help them with such basic technological tasks as making videos and uploading them to the web. If you think you will need such help, we recommend that you find a helper early in the course, rather than waiting until an assignment is due. All in all, please know that many “tech-challenged” people have done very well in all of our online courses.