Home Study Certification Courses? Aura Wellness Center, etc

Yoga Teacher Training
#1

  1. What are some of the best places for online or home study Yoga certification courses?

  2. Are certified Instructors generally viewed as legit getting certified in that manner, or some people would say it is entirely bogus and you are basically just paying for a certificate?

Regarding 1 above I looked at Aura Wellness Center (just search or it is dot com after name).

If you look at products first one teacher training in a box, then on page 2 basic version as examples. Which seem to be very comprehensive and cover a lot including marketing and promotion aspects.

Has anyone here been certified by Aura Welness Center and is now teaching Yoga? Or certified in any other home study or online course?

For me paying thousands for courses (most brand names Barkan Hot Yoga, Birkan, Iyengar, etc) is simply not feasible, not to mention travel and accomodation costs to add to that.

#2

[QUOTE=MindNinja;54652]1) What are some of the best places for online or home study Yoga certification courses?[/QUOTE]
There aren’t any.

[QUOTE=MindNinja;54652]2) Are certified Instructors generally viewed as legit getting certified in that manner[/QUOTE]
No.

#3

[QUOTE=David;54725]There aren’t any.

No.[/QUOTE]

Regarding the first, you think there are no places that offer good courses for home study? This is simply not true. Forgetting about those that offer certification, of course there are courses good for home study. Even without specific courses for home study , you could buy a series of DVD’s e.g. all Yoga Journal titles and learn from them at home, just as you would a specific home study course.

For people like myself, there are no teacher training places nearby, there are not even any good Yoga classes I’ve heard of, most are done by people that teach all manner of other things & it is just a sideline, nor are they very advanced or knowledgable on Yoga. Thus to do teacher training with any well known branch of Yoga would cost thousands, add to that travel and accomodation, time off work, etc. Many people simply cannot afford it financially or even time wise to take so long off work to do it.

Regarding the latter, you could be right and home study certification is viewed as a bit of a joke, that’s why I asked. Though if you look at testimonials on Aura Wellness site there are hundreds from people now teaching and many with links to their sites or easy to look them up. So [B]‘There is no truth, only your perception of truth’[/B] - whilst many may view it as a joke, of course others do not as evident from testimonials on there (none of them made up) and from people that have done other home study courses.

You can do a University degree through legit and recognised places like the Open University, that is certainly not regarded as a joke; that is home study, so why not the same with Yoga? I’m not advocating only doing home study and teaching but for those whom it is the only option for to do so, then attend workshops or seminars with really good Yoga people to keep learning more and to correct anything.

#4

Can you please also link me to a series of DVDs so I can learn to be a doctor from home?

If Aura Wellness is offering home-based yoga certification, I will state that, in my opinion, Aura Wellness either has no idea what yoga might be, is run by shady people after little more than a quick buck, or both.

The art, wisdom, and knowledge of a TRUE yoga teacher cannot be learned from home via some DVDs or online courses in 300 odd hours. It’s absolutely absurd and shameless.

Make no mistake, if you learned to be a yoga teacher via a home course and spent 200-500 hours on it, you are [B]NOT[/B] a yoga teacher and I hope your ass gets sued to hell and back when you start hurting people. And I’ll be the first expert witness in line to testify against you.

It’s time for us to start building a real foundation for yoga in the west. Home based courses do nothing more than crumble what is already a foundation made of balsa wood. Wake up and take some personal responsibility people. Go earn yourself some ethics.

edit Good god.

#5

David for those people who simply cannot afford Teacher Training courses costing thousands, or the time needed to take of work to do so; or also like me have no good Yoga classes anywhere near them then home study of course is a good option. Will it be as good as doingTeachers Training in person with an organisation, very probably not.

Regarding getting sued it can happen in any profession, not heard of any of the thousands that have done home study in Yoga getting sued yet. Many people that teach martial arts, etc do a lot of stretching; I know a great many that have been teaching for years and have no clue on stretching theory or exact alignments and postures, many even do stretches regarded as bad for you (e.g. hurdler stretch - one leg out in front straight one behind like hurdling, head to knee; even box splits feet paralell sideways split is bad for knees, etc) not met any that have been sued. Virtually all stretches in martial arts and other sports can be traced back to Yoga or a variation of them.

[B]Forgetting about certification in home study, what exactly would you advise for those that cannot afford courses costing thousands (Bikram, Iyengar, etc, etc) or the time off work to undertake them; and those who don’t even have a good Yoga class at all near them? Without getting certified just home study course like the link above you would say is a bad idea?[/B] To do such a course then continue learning and improving by attending seminars or workshops with the best when opportunities arise, as well as more home study.

Every Yoga teacher on Earth has done some home study - have you met one that does not own a single book or DVD on Yoga, or does not buy magazines on Yoga? Many have had hands on training but they also learnt a lot on their own, no Teachers Training can cover everything to the point you won’t learn anything more after it.

With home study people can learn a great deal, and more importantly decide if a career as a Yoga teacher is for them. At very inexpensive cost compared to Teachers Training with top branded Yoga companies, it means not investing thousands in something that you may decide is not for you after all to pursue, or worse go on a poor course and blow thousands on it.

#6

A couple of things about training by DVD or home study.

I have some DVDs that I have used in the past to keep me going but I had prior training in Yoga, admittedly not much, but at least a little. I later got more training from a yoga teacher in private lessons and discovered that there was a whole lot missing in my yoga that one simply cannot get from a DVD, distance learning, the internet or home study. And I would never teach anything I learned nor would I claim any certification or at thsi point even try and get one. I am simply not trained all that much or well enough for that

I really do not have a problem with anyone picking up a DVD or checking out postures on the television or internet. Although I do fully believe that if you try to do this with some of the more complicated postures, which I never did, you can hurt yourself.

But I do have a problem with someone training in this manner, getting certified and going off to teach. There is WAY too much you miss without having a real live teacher who is also well trained, you will not be able to correect postures or give any one you call a student any depth of study and there WILL be questions they ask that you cannot answer.

My view of distance learning and certification is basically this

  1. It is a great way for someone to make a whole lot of money off of people, do little for it and spread very bad yoga around

  2. DVD, Home training, distance learning, is at BEST a supplement for training with a real live teacher.

#7

David,

Check what is in the Yoga in a box, see if you think it is comprehensive and covers a lot?

http://www.aurawellnesscenter.com/ this is the place mentioned. If you look at products you can see what is contained in the Teachers Training box :

That is a LOT of material! Will it make you a Yoga Master or be as good as doing Teachers Training in person probably not, will it teach you a lot - YES!
Look at testimonials on the site hundreds (not made up) of people teaching Yoga after doing their home study courses.

#8

Yulaw,

‘‘2) DVD, Home training, distance learning, is at BEST a supplement for training with a real live teacher.’’

I’d agree but again for those who cannot afford thousands for courses, or taking the time off work, not to mention accomodation and travel costs; or who don’t even have any good Yoga teachers near them then it has to be considered as a viable option for them.

Check above link to see exactly what is in the Yoga in a Box home study course, in my opinion that is a LOT of material and very comprehensive. Training in person under a good Instructor is the best option no question or doing a Teachers Training course in that manner but for those that can’t or have no Yoga teachers near them, then home study is probably worth considering.

#9

Any company that engages in online yoga certification is running little more than a Yoga Teacher Puppy Mill. Their “yoga teachers” are going to graduate with yoga hip dysplasia and pass the same on to their students.

It’s shameful.

People that accept those as valid reasons not to become a yoga teacher are not yet ready to be yoga teachers. “Yoga In A Box” will not change that despite what your inexpensive piece of paper at the end of the course tells you.

#10

David,

If I do decide to do the Yoga Home Study course then teach , how about you and I have - Yoga Showdown? In person or posting videos. According to yourself - people can’t teach or shouldn’t be able to after doing it, nor can they reach a high level. I am high level athlete already very flexible and strong, learning Yoga won’t be that challenging physically to me but it will be learning the language, terminology, exact alignments and positions, etc.

You must have years of experience in Yoga, so in just a few months if I decide to do the home study course and get certified; I’d be more than happy to post videos of me doing your choice of sequences or poses, etc; and you post yours. Or in person.

#11

Home Study Lesson 1

[LEFT]There are eight limbs of yoga, only one of which is asana (yoga poses).

End of lesson (that’ll be $29.95)

Based upon today’s lesson, if you’re wanting to have a “yoga showdown” – while you’re doing a whole bunch of amazing looking poses, I could sit there breathing, potentially be experiencing yoga, and therefore, “win”.

With that said, I’m not interested. I’ve shared my (admittedly crass) opinion and that’s about as far as I want to take it. I do sincerely wish you all the best.
[/LEFT]

#12

[QUOTE=MindNinja;54817]David,

If I do decide to do the Yoga Home Study course then teach , how about you and I have - Yoga Showdown? In person or posting videos. According to yourself - people can’t teach or shouldn’t be able to after doing it, nor can they reach a high level. I am high level athlete already very flexible and strong, learning Yoga won’t be that challenging physically to me but it will be learning the language, terminology, exact alignments and positions, etc.

You must have years of experience in Yoga, so in just a few months if I decide to do the home study course and get certified; I’d be more than happy to post videos of me doing your choice of sequences or poses, etc; and you post yours. Or in person.[/QUOTE]

It is’nt something that can be learned in a weekend or even a few months.Just keep on practicing and learning is your best bet.The emphasis is on Practice.

If you want to post a video feel free.

#13

[QUOTE=MindNinja;54755]Yulaw,

‘‘2) DVD, Home training, distance learning, is at BEST a supplement for training with a real live teacher.’’

I’d agree but again for those who cannot afford thousands for courses, or taking the time off work, not to mention accomodation and travel costs; or who don’t even have any good Yoga teachers near them then it has to be considered as a viable option for them.

Check above link to see exactly what is in the Yoga in a Box home study course, in my opinion that is a LOT of material and very comprehensive. Training in person under a good Instructor is the best option no question or doing a Teachers Training course in that manner but for those that can’t or have no Yoga teachers near them, then home study is probably worth considering.[/QUOTE]

If you have little time or can’t afford thousands of courses then getting a couple of DVDs and training is an option but then training and getting certified is not the same thing. But no matter how many DVDs you watch or how many books you read you will still not get the same thing as you would get by studying with a good teacher. There are just too many postures and too many ways to do those postures incorrectly and to many ways to hurt yourself, or others, if you have never been shown those postures properly. I trained with a teacher briefly and thought I had it and I had little time or desire to continue going so I stopped, I later had a friend show me some more stuff but he was not a certified teacher. I later got DVDs and worked with those and thought I had it down, but to be honest some things just did not feel right. I then worked with another friend of mine that is very well trained and certified and she corrected many of my problems and taught me that if anything, I did not and I do not have it down. I have a lot to learn and I am now of the belief that you need a teacher right there with you if you truly want to understand yoga.

However I still do not see anything wrong with DVDs as a supplement to training with a teacher, they are just not a substitute for a real live teacher.

But then maybe I am looking at this form the wrong perspective. Let me ask this;

What is your reason for wanting to get certified?

#14

Thank you for allowing different opinions. If you read the Aura site, they recommend having a teacher on the ground. If I can take 50 online courses for at the University of Oxford, why is Yoga so different? Every university has online and correspondence courses. Many have degree programs. Are they all bogus and looking for a quick buck?

Not saying in person is bad, but the year is 2011 and online education is taking off.

#15

[QUOTE=Kushvinder;58702]Why is Yoga so different? Every university has online and correspondence courses. Many have degree programs. Are they all bogus and looking for a quick buck?[/QUOTE]
Why is yoga so different? That’s the problem, until a practitioner is advanced enough, they might not know the answer to that question which is what these online certification courses prey upon: ignorance.

Would we certify a doctor online? Of course not. Would we certify a physical therapist online? Of course not. Would we certify a psychologist online? Of course not. All require human interaction. Yet a good yoga teacher plays each of roles in part, and more. And that’s not taking into account the importance of a master teacher evaluating the prospective student in person and countless other variables.

If you want to certify a history major online, I won’t say a word. If you want to certify a yoga teacher online, I’m going to call you out.

In my opinion, anyone certified by an online yoga certification program should be boycotted. Everyone should ask where their teachers are certified and if their only certification is online, they should find another teacher. That’s the best way to put these predatory yoga teacher training puppy mills out of business.

#16

Dear David,

Again, salutations to you for this wonderful forum. Thank you for your opinion. Why do you attack new ideas with such passion? Yoga is an open book with many new chapters to be written.

I’m very sorry to admit, I have only been practicing Bhakti and Hatha Yoga for only 39 years and I was born in Mumbai before moving to the States. Admittedly, you may be more qualified to offer your opinion of Patanjali’s eight limbs than I.

However, a Yoga teacher is not a medical doctor. Yoga teachers should not give medical advice at all. To do so would be harmful to our students. Yet, medical doctors do take online courses and many professionals do. This Aura Wellness Center offers training at their facility if somone desires to do so.

#17

Hi Kushvinder,

Please note I am not attacking you, just this idea. Please do not take any of my words personally.

[QUOTE=Kushvinder;58714] Why do you attack new ideas with such passion? Yoga is an open book with many new chapters to be written.[/QUOTE]
Because I know a terrible idea when I see it.

[QUOTE=Kushvinder;58714]However, a Yoga teacher is not a medical doctor. Yoga teachers should not give medical advice at all. To do so would be harmful to our students. Yet, medical doctors do take online courses and many professionals do. This Aura Wellness Center offers training at their facility if somone desires to do so.[/QUOTE]
No, a yoga teacher is not a medical doctor. But as this forum shows, countless people are asking for more holistic approaches to everything from erectile dysfunction to costochondritis. A yoga teacher needs to have an advanced understanding of anatomy, physiology, diet, and many other areas a medical doctor would be trained in. They need to do “rounds” and be shown student after student and asked, “What do you see?”

I’m fine with online training for some aspects of yoga. If it was done in conjunction with in person training, then I’d be fine with it. But to make that an OPTION and still call anyone who only did coursework online a teacher is working to ensure this beautiful novel devout yogis have been writing for thousands of years will be turning into a horror story.

#18

Dear David,

Thank you for your kind reply. I agree that teaching Yoga is an intricate art form. I trained for more than 20 years before considering the idea of teaching, but long apprenticeships seem to be a thing of the past. Now, there are teachers with 30 to 500 hours of training, which makes me think “when is one ready to teach?”

Today, many students who seek to teach, have been practicing for years or decades. Should they wait, like I did, for an appointment by his or her guru? Should they undergo a rite like: Pancha Samskara? Truly, for one to become a competent teacher, he or she must continue the journey of continuing education. If one studies for one thousand hours, but refuses to learn anything new about the art of teaching, then the teacher becomes stagnant.

With that said, I can remember when chiropractors were cursed by orthopedic doctors. Times are changing with education and technology. How long will it be before we have holographic gurus? I hope you are laughing, but my point is the combination of education and technology has changed most universities around the world.

Hari Om - My Friend

#19

Hi David,

This is interesting because I’m very familiar with Aura wellness center in downtown Attleboro. They have a great reputation locally, help local charities, teach yoga at homeless shelters during this economy, and help other yoga studios to stay afloat. Guest teachers from everywhere, including Rishikesh, drop in to say “hello,” visit, or take classes with Paul and Marie.

This thread seems like a horse was in the barn and left. Now that you know there is a horse, you want to call it out, shoot it in the legs, and pray for it to fail. You might want to visit with Paul to know he is the genuine article, he would never say a malicious word about you, and you might learn about ahimsa and satya. You’ve attacked without provocation without knowing what kind of people they really are.

Learning online isn’t going to hide in the closet. It’s what people do who are lucky enough to have a job and a family. God knows we aren’t all living independently wealthy lives where we can travel to India, forget our kids, and leave our jobs on hold.

Peace

#20

[QUOTE=Faye;58841]This is interesting because I’m very familiar with Aura wellness center in downtown Attleboro.[/QUOTE]
They didn’t happen to ask you to respond, did they? Or did you just happen to find this thread? :slight_smile:

[QUOTE=Faye;58841]They have a great reputation locally, help local charities, teach yoga at homeless shelters during this economy, and help other yoga studios to stay afloat. Guest teachers from everywhere, including Rishikesh, drop in to say “hello,” visit, or take classes with Paul and Marie.[/QUOTE]
That’s absolutely wonderful that they do positive things in their community and give back and I commend them for that. My issue is that they run an online yoga certification program which is nothing short of a terrible idea, in my opinion.

[QUOTE=Faye;58841]This thread seems like a horse was in the barn and left. Now that you know there is a horse, you want to call it out, shoot it in the legs, and pray for it to fail. You might want to visit with Paul to know he is the genuine article, he would never say a malicious word about you, and you might learn about ahimsa and satya. You’ve attacked without provocation without knowing what kind of people they really are.[/QUOTE]
They’re the kind of people who would start an online yoga certification program.

[QUOTE=Faye;58841]Learning online isn’t going to hide in the closet. It’s what people do who are lucky enough to have a job and a family. God knows we aren’t all living independently wealthy lives where we can travel to India, forget our kids, and leave our jobs on hold. [/QUOTE]
Online certification is NOT the answer to this. We here in the west want everything NOW and EASY, neither of which a yoga teacher training should be. It’s shameful.