Howdy ya’ll. I’m a Buddhist priest and meditation teacher in the Zen tradition and I started practicing hatha yoga a couple of years ago. I’d really like to do a residential teacher training this summer, but I’m having a hard time deciding between Ananda (Expanding Light in Nevada City, Ca) and the Sivananda 200hr Teacher Trainings.
Both are about $2400 which sound like it’s as cheap as it gets in the U.S. for a month long residential training. Both seem like somewhat classical styles which have maintained emphasis on meditation, philosophy, and prana work.
The plus side of the Ananda style is that it seems a bit more well rounded in terms of asanas, as the Sivananda style has a strong emphasis on their 12 basic asanas. I’d like to be a bit more versatile than that.
The downside of Ananda is that I just get a kind of bad feeling from the place. I don’t like their blue outfits, I don’t like the starry looks in their eyes. I don’t like their lack of accountability around Swami Kriyananda’s sexual and financial escapades and that I’d have to study texts by that charlatan when it seems like he made it up as he went.
On the other hand, Sivananda to my knowledge doesn’t have any past scandals, the culture of their communities seem very balanced, inclusive, and sane. I just don’t want to come out the other end only being able to instruct people in 12 asanas.
Anyone wanna weigh in? Or have any other suggestions on residential 200hr teacher trainings in traditional Hatha?
