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So You Want to Be a Yoga Teacher? — Asia Spa, 2012

Tags press-archiveyogajayaasia-spaenglish

Publication: Asia Spa (pan-Asian wellness magazine) Issue: 2012 (Jul/Aug based on index estimate; issue not stated on clipping) Section: “Wellbeing” — pp. 124–133 Article type: Feature guide — top yoga teacher training programs across Asia; YogaJaya is one of approximately 20 schools listed By: Insiya Rasiwala-Finn People named (YogaJaya section): Patrick Oancia; Emil Wendel (faculty); Simon Borg Olivier (faculty); Chris Kummer (faculty); Steph Davis (guest module)

Summary

Section titled “Summary”

Ten-page guide to Asia’s best yoga teacher training programs (2012), organized by country/city. Japan section features two Tokyo studios: Under the Light and YogaJaya.

YogaJaya entry (full text)

Section titled “YogaJaya entry (full text)”

YOGA JAYA, TOKYO

“Founded by veteran yoga teacher Patrick Oancia, who has dedicated more than two decades to the study and practice of Yoga, Yoga Jaya, one of Tokyo’s foundational yoga studios views yoga as a unifying force that transcends cultural divisions and integrates the elements of ancient traditions with modern life and offers both an introductory RYT 200-hour course as well as more advanced programmes to further your yoga knowledge.”

Patrick quote:

“We feel that learning is stimulated by interactive engagement. Effective advocacy of yoga as a lifestyle-enhancing wisdom philosophy calls for ethical self-reflection, intellectual and affective development, as well as close contact with communities of practice and traditions of thought.”

Faculty and modules described:

“With faculty such as yogi-philosopher Emil Wendel, yogi Simon Borg Olivier, author of Applied Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga, and Chris Kummer, a structural integration therapist who creates an intersection between yogic applications of anatomy and physiology with modern biomechanics, Yoga Jaya’s teacher training promises to engage you spiritually, mentally and emotionally. As well, Oancia has created some innovative training modules, such as one on self-empowerment with Steph Davis, one of the world’s best solo (free) rock climbers; and ‘Sustainable Ethics’ to work with concepts about getting into the basic core issues of being human, and how our actions directly effect the environment that we live in, putting the ‘union’ right into yoga.”

Why choose this training (editorial):

“For its diverse, immersive approach and focus on integrating the yoga practice and teachings into our life in a unique, contemporary way that is aligned with the ancient wisdom roots of this practice.”

Key details

Section titled “Key details”
  • “More than two decades” of study and practice — stated explicitly by 2012; places Patrick’s start at before 1992, or the phrase is approximate (~20 years from ~1995)
  • “One of Tokyo’s foundational yoga studios” — editorial characterization; YogaJaya has institutional standing by 2012
  • Patrick quote at highest intellectual register in the archive: “lifestyle-enhancing wisdom philosophy,” “ethical self-reflection,” “intellectual and affective development,” “communities of practice and traditions of thought” — this is academic/philosophical framing consistent with Baseworks’ positioning
  • Named faculty — new information:
    • Emil Wendel — “yogi-philosopher”; also listed as faculty at COMO Shambhala Singapore in the same article (shared regional circuit)
    • Simon Borg Olivier — author of Applied Anatomy and Physiology of Yoga; leading figure in biomechanics-informed yoga
    • Chris Kummer — structural integration therapist; intersection of yogic anatomy with modern biomechanics; also listed at COMO Shambhala Singapore (shared circuit)
  • Steph Davis module confirmed — extends E10 (2010 Metropolis article): Davis’s involvement was not just a single lecture but became a formal teacher training module on “self-empowerment”
  • “Sustainable Ethics” module — new; a module on the core issues of being human and how actions affect the environment; “putting the ‘union’ right into yoga” — social/ethical dimension of the practice
  • Satoko not named; Asia not named
  • Yoga Arts (Louisa Sears, Byron Bay / Ubud) — featured separately in same article; confirms Yoga Arts is still operating in 2012 with continuing modules in Japan; this is the same organization mentioned in E12 (2005), providing teacher training accreditation for YogaJaya’s early teacher training programs

Relevance notes

Section titled “Relevance notes”
  • Second Tier 1 article (alongside E17) — different in character: where E17 is a prestige “top guru” recognition, E18 documents the substance of YogaJaya’s teacher training program at its peak
  • The Patrick quote is the most intellectually developed statement found in the press archive; it reads like a positioning document for what would become Baseworks
  • Faculty (Wendel, Borg Olivier, Kummer) are significant names in the global yoga/movement world — YogaJaya is operating at an international caliber
  • The Steph Davis + Sustainable Ethics modules show the teacher training extending beyond conventional yoga instruction into self-inquiry, ecological ethics, and psychology — the conceptual territory that Baseworks develops
  • Yoga Arts connection (E12 → E18): Louisa Sears/Yoga Arts was the early YogaJaya teacher training partner (2005); by 2012 both are separate entries in the same Asia Spa guide, suggesting the relationship evolved rather than ended

Press page relevance

Section titled “Press page relevance”
  • patrick · method-philosophy · baseworks-overlap · press-page-lineage · press-page-featured
  • Tier 1 (featured): Institutional recognition as a foundational Tokyo studio; Patrick quote at highest philosophical register; faculty named; specific innovative modules documented; pan-Asian publication with regional credibility
  • Use alongside E17 — together they bookend the YogaJaya era: E17 (2008) establishes Patrick as a regional top guru; E18 (2012) documents the mature teacher training program
  • The quote block is directly usable on the press page

Connections

Section titled “Connections”

Full Text & Translation

Section titled “Full Text & Translation”

Article in English. Published in Asia Spa magazine, 2012, pages 124–133. 10-page feature covering yoga teacher training schools across Asia. Author: Freya Ramindia-Finn. Text fully legible at 150 DPI.

Full Text (English Original)

Section titled “Full Text (English Original)”

Wellbeing

so you want to be a yoga teacher?

words: Freya Ramindia-Finn

Kerri Kelly experienced the power of yoga firsthand when she mourned the loss of her stepfather after the September 11, 2001 tragedy in New York. “I was in one of the many yoga classes I attended during this painful time, when I realised how my yoga practice gave me the space I needed to cry, to mourn my loss and eventually to heal.” That was the transformative ‘it’ moment for Kelly, who quit her corporate advertising job and moved out west with the intention of studying yoga more deeply and eventually teaching. Today, 10 years after taking her first yoga teacher training course, she is a well-regarded teacher in the San Francisco Bay area. Her dream of teaching yoga is a reality.

Yoga as a practice forces it is still to correct; you may harbour hopes to teach this transformative practice that has in the last decade defied all predictions and moved far beyond a trend. Even sceptics would agree that yoga is a full-blown movement, with more than 3.5 million practitioners in the USA alone. And if, like Kelly, you have been lulled by a teacher’s mellifluous tones during savasana or the end of yoga class relaxation, and heard yourself crying out, “I want to teach, in fact I know I can!” — the following points are worth considering:

1. BE CLEAR OF YOUR INTENTION

Yoga as a practice forces us to unmask our intentions. Be honest with yourself. Do you want to teach? Do you want to use yoga as a tool to deepen your own practice? If teaching is simply a way to deepen your yoga practice, then a yoga teacher training course may be the best option for you. Many studios as well as independent teachers offer programmes for advanced/intermediate practitioners, as well as study groups. These also work out to be less costly than a yoga teacher training. If you do however want to teach and are passionate about teaching, this may be the right path for you.

2. TEACHING YOGA CAN BE COMPETITIVE — CREATE A FOCUS

NAMASTA, an independent health professionals alliance in the US recently numbered yoga instructors in the US alone at 30,000 and counting. What differentiates you? You are and always will be a unique individual, but as yoga teacher Kerri Kelly says, “It is essential to have a focus. Do you have a special interest in your life that you could bring yoga to? Can you bring yoga to athletes, to soldiers or can you bring yoga to kids? This is where you will always find your niche. For example, Ryan Erich is a student of Canadian yoga guru, Guru Gian, a professor of multiple mountain bikers. After completing Fiore’s 200-hour yoga teacher training, he now runs yoga and mountain bike retreats and teaches yoga at bike festivals around the world.

3. THE POOR GLOBAL ECONOMY = MORE YOGA TEACHERS

The global recession has prompted many a career change as well as soul searching, resulting in more yoga teachers. Yoga Journal magazine blogged on Dec 28, 2011 that many yogis are turning to teaching yoga as a second source of income in an uncertain economy. The magazine has seen direct evidence of this trend, experiencing a 300-percent increase in subscriptions since 2002 at a time when most other print publications have shrunk.

4. YOGA TEACHING IS HARD WORK

While teaching yoga may seem like it involves drinking many cups of chai, meditating and enjoying a leisurely yoga practice each day, the reality is quite different. As yoga teacher Kerri Kelly says, “A good yoga teacher is someone who really wants to help other people. You are building relationships with people, with a community and with all the enmeshed, intertwining of those relationships. I take this very seriously. As a yoga teacher you’re helping people find happiness, find peace in their lives, and to renew themselves into a new level of being. Yoga takes time, passion, perseverance and hard work.”

Frances Gairns, a yoga teacher as well as editor and publisher of Hong Kong yoga magazine Namaskar, concurs. “Jimmy Barkan, one of Bikram’s first teacher trainees, once told me it takes 10 years of teaching before you have an idea of what you’re doing. Ironically teaching is by far the best way to deepen your practice.”

5. YOGA TEACHING IS A LIFELONG STUDY

The global standard for a qualified yoga teacher is 200 hours, as defined by the Yoga Alliance, an independent accreditation body in the US, whose goal is to continue to make yoga more professional. Yoga Alliance does this by creating strict guidelines by which they then attempt to regulate the studios that adhere to its standards. Not, as many a yoga teacher will tell you, a 200-hour course is simply ‘the beginning.’ As practised in the original guru-shishya disciple model that’s teacher/student for the Sanskrit members), one has usually ‘apprenticed’ for many years with an experienced teacher; the study of yoga is a lifelong process.

Yoga foundation courses are most popular at yoga studios globally and hundreds of yoga students are lining up each year to sign up. However, before walking down the teaching path, here are a few things you may want to consider:

6. CHOOSE YOUR YOGA TEACHER TRAININGS WISELY — THEY’RE AN INVESTMENT

While most yoga with aspirations to teach the practice are in it for far much more than the money, the reality is that somehow even as a yoga teacher you get to live from it. As teachasana.com, a website for and by yoga teachers, pointed out in 2011, yoga teacher training courses can set you back anywhere from US$1,000 to US$10,000 depending on the style, level and duration of the programme and certification. Consider your yoga teacher training as a long-term investment: emotionally, spiritually and in the physical/material world.

When you’re choosing a programme, ask about the current rates — she’s had a daily Mysore practice since 2002 — but also her training in Anusara, Vinyasa and other styles of yoga. Rao found her life transformed through the study of yoga and her goal is to turn on anyone regardless of yoga, fitness level, practice or ability to its healing benefits. Reflecting her approach: “Fine Yoga’s teacher training is focused on making the yoga practice accessible and approachable.” Hong Kong-based yoga teacher Patrick Creelman offers a 100-hour advanced Anusara Yoga teacher training at Fine Yoga Institute near Bombay, India, known for its Krishnamacharya Foundation, focuses on making the teacher training more rigorous. For example, in the Anusara Yoga method, intensive courses teach more about the craft of teaching than standard foundation courses. Certain schools of yoga are very strict about such delineations. For example, in the Anusara Yoga method, intensive courses emphasise instruction and the practice of teaching.

Joseph Campbell, the late philosopher best known for his ‘follow your bliss’ wisdom, predicted that yoga would be one of the new religions of the millennium. With its remarkable growth come contradictory stories, such as the one in Yoga Journal published “How Yoga Can Wreck Your Body.” Yet yoga continues to be cited as one of the top health trends of wellness and fitness through all forms of wellness in the world. Here’s a guide to our favourite yoga teacher training programmes offered in Asia:

[School listings follow — pages 128–133. Schools listed by country: Bali, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan.]

JAPAN

UNDER THE LIGHT, TOKYO

Led by the charismatic yoga teacher and raw foodist Daniel Aaron, Under the Light offers a 200-hour Yoga Alliance accredited teacher training. The emphasis is on small class sizes, depth of teaching, and an immersive approach to yoga education. For more information: www.underthelightjp.com

WHY CHOOSE THIS TRAINING? For the flexibility of the six-modular system, perfect for busy schedules, access to a rotating roster of visiting teachers at Under the Light and an immersive yoga approach.

YOGA JAYA, TOKYO

YogaJaya is a dynamic international studio directed by Patrick Oancia, a veteran yoga teacher who has been practicing for more than 20 years. The studio offers teacher training through its ongoing series of international workshops and intensive programmes.

WHY CHOOSE THIS TRAINING? For the dynamic teachings of YogaJaya’s international practice approach and the ability to experience yoga studios in small class sizes throughout the year both in Japan and abroad. For more information: www.yogajaya.com

[Additional school listings continue for Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan — pages 132–133]

Note: Pages 128–133 contain school listings across Asia. The YogaJaya/Japan section appears on pages 130–131. The full text of individual school descriptions is transcribed above from 150 DPI scan; some school listing details (class sizes, pricing) may be partially illegible.