* * * Bija Yoga * * *

Download PDF Application >>

Bija Yoga is pleased to present a three year comprehensive Yoga Training Program created with direct input and continuous guidance from Sri Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar and Geeta Iyengar.

Established in 1992 in Southern California and now extending to San Francisco, this unique program is designed to meet the needs of yoga students who wish to deepen their experience and comprehension of Iyengar Yoga, as well as for those who envision teaching and for those who already teach yoga. Serious students and teachers work together sharing their experiences, fostering a friendly and inclusive yoga community.

The program offers studies with some of the world's best teachers, along with a complete curriculum encompassing over 500 hours of training. There are over 700 certified Iyengar Yoga teachers in the U.S.A. who go through years of training before presentation for certification. This program provides the student with a strong base for this process.

Curriculum

Ongoing personal yoga practice program
The fundamentals of asanas and pranayamas (posture and breath)

Anatomy and physiology, including as it pertains to yoga
Practice and principles of teaching asanas and pranayamas
Yoga history, Yoga Sutras, philosophy and ethics

Basic asana modifications, adjustments and use of props
Introduction to Ayurveda and yoga

Bija Yoga: 6 weekend sessions a year with Gloria Goldberg
Annual week long Teacher’s Training Intensive with Manouso Manos, October 2012; 2013, 2014 dates to be announced.
Yoga Retreat with Manouso Manos attended by participants from this program and the Southern California programs.

Dates, 2012 Program

Gloria Goldberg : Weekend Sessions at Bija Yoga: March 2-4, May 4-6, July 7-8, Sept. 7-9, Dec. 16-18

Manouso Manos: Lake Arrowhead Weekend Retreat : June 22-24

Manouso Manos: Weeklong Teachers Intensive, San Francisco: October 1-7

3rd Year Retreat, La Mesa: November 9-11

Bija Yoga is a state-of-the-art facility, containing all yoga props for the students' use, while providing a clean and comfortable yoga practice environment.

Students should have practiced Iyengar Yoga for at least three years with a certified Iyengar Yoga teacher. Students with less than three years who feel they are ready for this program should contact the program coordinator. Applicants should have a home practice.

We are now accepting applications for the 2012 Teachers training program. All applications need to be received by mail or dropped off at Bija Yoga no later than December 10, 2011. Acceptance into the program is based on your application information, a two hour group yoga practice session and an interview which is intended to explore your personal and program goals. You can download a PDF application using the red link at the top of this page , or pick up an application and register at:

Sri Yogacharya B.K.S. Iyengar pioneered the art of teaching yoga through his practice of over sixty years. The most renowned yoga master of our time, he has popularized yoga both in the east and west through his innovative teachings and his definitive classical books, Light on Yoga, Light on Pranayama and Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and other works. The Iyengar method, an inspired and motivated approach to teaching, is clear and precise, guiding the student on a sure path of practice. Special focus is placed on correcting alignment, developing strength, flexibility, balance, coordination, and stamina. Poses are individualized to each person's body type and special needs through the expert instruction or use of props designed by B.K.S. Iyengar. Iyengar Yoga is meditation in action. The self is explored through discovery and release of tensions. As practice continues a student's ability to relax and concentrate improves markedly and inner awareness is enhanced.

The faculty of the program is a talented, popular and experienced group of Ceritified Iyengar Yoga teachers with high-level certification. All maintain strong personal practices and developed teaching skills. They are active in the yoga community and continue their ongoing studies in yoga with B.K.S. Iyengar and his family on a regular basis in Pune, India.

Manouso Manos, one of the world's outstanding exponents of Iyengar Yoga, provides an overview for the program. Based in San Francisco at the Abode of Iyengar Yoga, he is one of the most capable and experienced of the senior Iyengar Yoga teachers in the U.S. Since 1976, he has made numerous trips to India to study with Sri B.K.S. Iyengar. After twenty-five plus years of personal practice, his understanding and insights of Iyengar Yoga are transmitted with authenticity and precision. His humor, compassion and sensitivity shine through as his dynamic and challenging teaching style moves you beyond your perceived limits.

Gloria Goldberg has taught Iyengar Yoga since 1980 and has been a Certified Iyengar Yoga teacher since 1987. While director of the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Institute in Los Angeles, she recognized the need for a formal teacher training program. With the approval and guidance of B.K.S. Iyengar, she founded the program in 1992. Gloria is director and co-curriculum coordinator of the program. She is the owner and director and teaches at the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Center of La Mesa. She has served on the Iynaus board and certification center , ethics center and events committee.