Sometimes life responsibilities make it difficult to get away for three weeks for an immersion YTT, yet you long for a live, hands-on yoga experience to make deep connections, have the time and space to ask questions, and test your developing skillset with feedback and in-the-flesh mentoring. The Heartwood Hybrid 300 program combines yoga teacher training online through intimate, personal online learning with an 8-day live immersion to offer students the best of both worlds. Students study at their own pace at home with Zoom meetings every other week to practice and apply the material, after which they join us for an 8-day retreat to meet and connect as a group, experience the beautiful, inspirational grounds of Heartwood, engage in those training activities that transfer best in person and experience a deeply inspirational yoga experience, completing all hours to adhere to YA defined in-person guidelines.
With rolling enrollment, small class sizes, and lots of individual attention, the Heartwood Hybrid program provides convenience, flexibility, and affordable quality yoga education.
Students are required to complete the prerecorded lectures and assignments in the two weeks between meetings to prepare for each online session and to be prepared to get the most out of the immersion retreat.
Fall/Winter Session 2024
Online: Saturdays 1-6pm 11/2, 11/16, 12/7, 12/21,
After Retreat 1/18, 1/25, OPTIONAL: 2/1, 2/15, 3/1
In-Person Retreat: Jan. 5th - 12th, 2025
Tuition: $3,595.00 (payment plans available)
The online portion of the training offers prerecorded lectures and readings to be done as your schedule allows, followed by regularly scheduled Zoom meetings every other week where we review what you learned, answer questions, host discussions and do practicums to be sure you are processing and understanding the material. Having assigned online work to do between each session and a defined online class schedule assures everyone keeps pace and completes the work in a way that leaves them confident and competent as an advanced teacher. The in-person component not only supports experiential learning but is inspirational and vital to one's personal development as a yogi. This format makes it possible to get a powerful yoga teacher training education while spending only one week away from home. Our low student-to-teacher ratio and abundant mentoring hours not only exceed the required interaction defined by Yoga Alliance's upgraded standards but also provide a learning environment that simulates live training and creates an embodied YTT experience.
With rolling enrollment, you can start your studies anytime. You must register for a specific session to hold space in the in-person retreat, but you can pick up and begin the online Zoom sessions anytime and continue attending until all units are complete.
* This program completes all requirements to be RYS-500 but also serves as the foundational material (300 hours) for anyone wishing to continue their education to become an 800-hour IAYT certified yoga therapist.
Online learning has become a wonderful tool for those who can’t manage to take time away from real life the responsibilities to attend a lengthy immersion training program. But . . .
These questions were what drove us to consider what a program that took advantage of the benefits of online learning without losing the value of in-person studies could look like.
During Covid, Heartwood offered online 300 programs in its best effort to continue sharing our work with others during difficult times. Our programs included many hours of Zoom meetings to simulate a live training experience and we trained some wonderful teachers with distance one-on-one learning. But still, we missed the intimacy and opportunity to work closely with students to make them the best yoga teacher they could be.
This is why, as safety and travel opportunities restabilized, we developed the Hybrid 300. Experience taught us how distance learning can be delivered authentically, but we also became aware of what was sorely missing in that platform, and we brainstormed a way to combine the best of both worlds.
Yoga Alliance requires all online learning formats to include a minimum of 15% (45 hours) of live interactive sessions with mentors with a 12 to one student-teacher ratio. The Heartwood program includes 45 hours of online Zoom meetings and includes a 7-day retreat that includes 63 more live educational in-person Zoom hours. Students are invited to repeat any or all of the online Zoom sessions to reinforce learning if this is helpful.
Please reach us at ginnyeast@rocketmail.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.
Heartwood has very comfortable dorm housing options with a few private spaces which you book separately (for a very low cost) if needed. Those who choose alternate places to stay, or who don't need housing, can come and go each day (and you will still feel a part of everything happening.) Do know that we study for long, inspirational days during the immersion, so if your housing situation involves very long drives daily, you may wish to consider closer options so you are not too drained to enjoy our special time together.
We understand that sometimes life throws us a curveball and things stand in the way of our plans. If you can't join us for the immersion, you can do all of the work online (our Zoom sessions meet Yoga Alliance Standards for distance learning) or choose to join us for the next in-person retreat. Those who know in advance that they want to take the full program online can register for this option.
You will have completed all requirements in an RYS-300 school to qualify for your Yoga Alliance 500, however, the association now requires everyone to teach 100 hours before registering to have enough experience to qualify as an advanced yoga teacher. So, after the program you simply begin sharing your yoga with others and, in no time, you can formally register for the certification. We address career planning and YA and IAYT rules and requirements in our business of yoga lecture.
Online learning doesn't mean "easier", only that you study from a distance. Each session should merit your full attention as if you were attending a live training event. Therefore, we do have some expectations for our students. You must have a device with a camera turned on, and you must prepare a space for our Zoom sessions with room to roll out a mat, good lighting, and your device placed so we can see your full body. We do not allow students to eat during sessions or multitask in distracting ways. In other words, you can't be watching from a hammock eating a sub sandwich while we are doing asana, or taking your dog for a walk, driving, or folding laundry. (Sounds funny, but we've experienced all those situations, which is why we now have rules.) We want everyone to get the most out of this training and to honor and respect fellow participant's time and commitment to personal growth, so let's plan ahead to be fully present for a truly engaging learning experience.
We understand that people often can't be with us in real time, and sometimes must miss the scheduled sessions. We encourage students to be there as much as possible because the online practicum is important to getting the most out of the course. But, if you miss sessions, the recordings are posted 24 hours later on our Facebook group for you to review. We ask students to fill out a questionnaire to show us they did indeed watch each missed session, so you get credit for that time. This keeps everyone progressing and up to date in the coursework. We offer rolling enrollment to this program, so each Zoom session will be offered again a few months later, and students are invited to make up work or join us for a refresher the next time the course is presented if this is more helpful for processing and understanding of the material.
300 hours of prerecorded content with lifetime access for ongoing reference. This is where you will learn theory, anatomy, philosophy, restorative, yin, trauma-informed yoga, and more to develop a strong intellectual understanding of therapeutic yoga techniques.
10 three-hour in-person Zoom sessions meeting practicum requirements to build skills, gain practicum awareness, and discuss and share insights about the material. 30 hours of in-person mentorship. In between sessions, we continue to connect with a private Facebook group, e-mails, and motivation reminders to be sure everyone stays on track.
8 days of live training at beautiful Heartwood Yoga Institute. Here is where we address those elements that are best learned and practiced in person with hands-on mentorship. providing another 75 contact in-person hours. Also, a great way to honor your yoga journey with ceremony and, connection to nature and each other through inspiring yoga experiences.
Students will have a comprehensive downloadable manual and will receive a variety of yoga gifts and art materials at the live retreat for our exploratory exercises. We also plan for a special graduation ceremony to honor your hard work.
After this program students can register with Yoga Alliance as an RYT-500 (after teaching 100 hours as per their new rules). This program also serves as the foundation program for a formal 800-hour IAYT Yoga Therapy Certification, so students who chose this path are well on their way to attaining this esteemed certification.
Heartwood doesn't only work with you during our appointed class hours. We try to support you as your career develops as needed with advice, support, and references as needed. We also do a 3-hour photo shoot at the retreat to provide our teachers with hundreds of images they can use for marketing, website, bios, and social media as they build their careers. We believe in the need for great yoga teachers in our complex world. Your success is very important to us.
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