Just wanted to post to say I did the Sivananda Yoga TTC about 6 years ago. It is very poor as a teacher training course. Too intense and didn’t come away feeling equipped to teach. There are classes every afternoon but most of the daily schedule consists of chanting and brain washing about how amazing the (deceased) gurus are. Only 2 meals a day (part of the brainwashing technique?) and so little sleep! They wake you at 5.30 (every day of the course without fail) and they keep you awake until about 10.30. My advice is go to the Wheel of Yoga or a more modern school. Definately avoid cultish, religious groups. They are more concerned about taking your money than making capable teachers.
Most of the Sivananda TTC courses will accepet anyone on to the TTC and all will leave with a certificate (if attended all classes).
The major problem I have with these TTCs is that someone who has NEVER done yoga before can pass and be a yoga teacher in 4 weeks…
I think it takes much MUCH more than that to be a yoga teacher.
Having inexperienced people walking away with a teaching certificate totally devalues the cert.
Totally agree with you. I had been practicing for years before and felt ready but felt less impressed when some I met had literally done 2 or 3 classes period.
Rubber Ritchie, I too am considering Sivananda TT. In Oct. might be at the Yoga Show in London; so will get chance to ask them direct as Sivananda centre will be there, as will lot of other groups offering TT.
My reservations for Sivananda are :-
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Only 12 Asanas taught (with variations) done in a set sequence; this might bore students when you start teaching if you stick to that, or some may think after a while I can do all this already why should I keep paying for classes. The Advanced TT teaches more but of course that means more money and long course again.
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The ‘Cultish’ aspects you mentioned minimum eating 2 meals a day, can handle that but also long hours 5.30am-10.30pm must leave you really tired after a month of that! Long periods of chanting, meditation, etc. Reverence to the Gurus.
[B]How did you find the actual teaching of Yoga - physiology, alignment, postures, etc? [/B]
It seems very holistic approach to Yoga, which is great but for myself & I’m sure many people wanting to teach - long periods of chanting, etc would be better served detailing stuff such as postures, alignment, business marketing, etc. Chanting, etc you can do on your own or add to classes if you like. The time spent on chanting, meditation, service, etc must mean less time spent on postures & teaching, etc; less than many other TT courses offer.
Know someone that attended Sivananda TT in India, awakening at 5.30am everyday , the teacher leading the chanting kept bottom burping throughout, and even during silent group meditation periods he would bottom burp violently in a sustained manner. He said though he would do it as if nothing had happened, he would look up at the teacher after he had dropped one and he would just continue doing what he was doing. He said too with the bottom burping the smell was fierce with the heat in India, so after first few days he soon learned to position himself near the back of the group taking TT to be further away from the teacher and avoid the rude smells.
If there are takers for the level that’s been offered the givers will keep offering the same quality without much thought on improvement. As it can be noticed there are more than 100 students registered to each course offered at Sivananda and its pricing is also not very low!
Hi Mindninja,
I really would not reccomend the course especially if you are thinking to become a serious teacher. The actual teaching instruction is only a couple of hours in the afternoon. Most of the day is taken up with chanting and other pseudo-religuous practice. It seems like they are trying to immerse you in guru worship while on the side showing you how to teach.
"How did you find the actual teaching of Yoga - physiology, alignment, postures, etc? "
I found it very poor. Very little on physiology. I came away knowing very little. Correction of the limited postures they teach was ok. I do like their 12 pose sequence and we did do lots of other asanas in the daily 2 hr class every morning. That was the best part of the course.
That’s horrible about the farts but quite funny! Doesn’t suprise me. These people are so cut off from normal society I can imagine after years there they would stop caring about such etiquette. The full time staff live by the Sivananda regime 365 days a year. One poor women who led the meditation kept falling asleep during. The staff who are unpaid are practically slaves. I spoke to one in the London centre. “How’s your Yoga?” He replied, “Oh, I haven’t done any for weeks. I don’t have time.” They live in, working from the minute they wake until when they go to bed. It’s called ‘Service’ and helps you ‘spiritually’. Good way of getting free work out of people hey?
Namaste,
While this thread may be an accurate portrayal of some persons experiences, it would be misleading at best (ignorant would be a more accurate word) to say that it represents all Sivananda YTT.
I did a YTT with a sivananda affiliated outfit in Kerala (not at the ashram) and it was the best experience of my life.
The schedule was
06.00 – 06.15 am: Neti (Nasal Cleansing)
06.15 – 06.30 am: Hot Lemon Ginger Drink
06.30 – 07.00 am: Meditation Techniques
07.00 - 09.30 am: Yoga & Pranayamas
09.30 – 11.00 am: Brunch & Free time
11.00 – 12.45 pm: Yoga History, Evolution, Paths, Practices/ Yoga Anatomy
12.45 – 02.30 pm: Free time
02.30 – 03.45 pm: Philosophy/YogaSutras
04.00 – 06.30 pm: Techniques & Teaching Methodology / Teaching Practice last two weeks
06.30 – 07.30 pm: Dinner
08.00 – 09.00 pm: Ayurveda / Video Shows
I also think that anyone expecting to go from beginner to teacher in 1 month is irrational. I would suggest a realistic goal is to have the skills and knowledge to form a foundation that would help you in becoming an assistant to someone with some years of experience. Expect to have enough information to confidently continue your studies on your own… but do not expect more.
Vairagya. Look it up if you have to, and then choose your YTT wisely.
HOWEVER… regarding the farting. That’s unreal! I would not have tolerated that… being tempted to start burping & farting myself, encouraging others in the class to do the same… and see what the teacher(s) think of that.
Yogasiam,
Thanks for posting your experience of Sivananda TT.
The daily schedule you undertook is different to the standard one you see on their site detailling TTC :
Teachers Training course (scroll down page for times average day) :
?5:30 am: Wake up
?6:00 am: Satsang (Meditation, chanting, lecture)
?8:00 am: Asanas
?9:00 am: Anatomy and physiology
?10:00 am: Wake up
?11:00 am: Karma Yoga (helping out with chores)
?12:00 pm: Bhagavad Gita or Kirtan
?2:00 pm: Main lecture in philosophy or anatomy
?4:00 pm: Asanas and pranayama
?6:00 pm: Dinner
?7:30 pm: Satsang (Meditation, chanting, lecture)
?10:00 pm: Lights out
Above is around 4 hours of Yoga a day, and a heck of a lot of chanting. meditation, karma yoga (helping out with chores), etc. As an overall Holistic experience of Yoga it looks great no question but as I mentioned before if you are planning to teach Yoga , other TTC cut out long meditation, karma yoga (chores), chanting, meditation, etc = which means more time spent on the practical stuff - learning asanas, how to teach direct a class, physiology & alignment, business & marketing, etc.
Definitely it depends on your perspective what you want to learn or teach but chanting, karma yoga (chores), meditation etc for long periods - I can do and learn on my own. And if you are going to add meditation or chanting to a Yoga class, you can easily do so, you don’t need to go study those elements a lot to be able to incorporate them in a class.
If I had the money to do few TTC courses, I don’t Sivananda and see what the experience is like but like many I don’t have money to do a few expensive TTC’s; so have to choose a TTC very carefully - if I am to do another after initial one in future it won’t be for a very long time.
I’m going to The Yoga Show in London , Sivananda will be there , so I’ll get a chance to meet with them and ask more about it; there will of course be many other places that do TTC’s there also.
I need to look into also where exactly are pure Sivananda teachers still registered with the organisation teaching (not who did Sivananda in past then went off and did other things or their own thing) , what sort of places etc - as say a modern gym , teaching only 12 asanas done in a set sequence with some variations and at set tempo, might not be the ideal for some, in fact some may find it boring or very repetitive or too slow paced.
With Sivananda TTC & Advanced TTC - the Advanced one adds virtually all Asanas or it is very selected also? Is Sivananda style a complete body of knowledge of Yoga, or actually very selective (as first TTC appears to be 12 Asanas taught in set sequence).