Frequently Asked Questions

1. Will I be a certified yoga teacher after completing the course?

Yes. After completing the requirements of the training; online course work, live calls, and 5-day immersion, you will be a certified yoga teacher at the 200-hour level if you've never done a training. And 300-hour level if you've already completed a 200-hour. 

2. How is this is both a 200-hour and 300-hour training?  I already have my 200-hour teacher training, is the content the same for everyone?

 A good yoga teacher knows that one training will not give you everything you need to know. Learning is lifelong and the best education is in the teaching itself. 

The heart of the course is rooted in moving from theory to practice. And because we are progressing the yoga teacher training model, the bulk of the content is applied anatomy, movement and how to put that into practice in real life, real bodies. 

This is content that most 200 and 300-hour trainings don’t cover, or go into as much detail and yet is what yoga teachers need to know to be effective teachers. 

The way we teach the applied anatomy and movement is that you are learning the movement “building blocks” creating a framework in which you learn how the body moves, and how to apply that to yoga (and virtually everything else) instead of the usual yoga teacher anatomy- memorizing muscles and joints. Understanding the foundation of human movement allows you to be more creative and adaptable as a teacher. 

In this way everyone, no matter their experience learns new concepts, refines old ones and walks away feeling more empowered and clear. The leadership and mindfulness parts of the course serve to enhance that educational experience. 

And because of the online component, we are able to make the material more streamlined and concise so that there isn’t the same kind of “filler” hours that you find in other trainings. You get lifetime access to the course and after certifying, you can go through the course, live calls and/or immersions each year, with the new cohorts to stay connected and engaged. 

In our opinion, it doesn’t matter about the total number of hours, it’s more about the quality of the training over quantity. If you complete the requirements of the certification, we are happy to give a certification (200 or 300h) that the yoga world understands... but to us, that’s just a piece of paper. You get a progressive training that is different, relevant and applicable to who you are as a teacher.

3. Are you Yoga Alliance registered? 

Nope. 

Our yoga teacher training course is proudly different than the traditional training model. Quality over quantity is at the heart of this program. With over 70 + hours just in applied anatomy and movement education alone; we are able to offer our students the opportunity to learn information that can be immediately applied to real-life, different yoga styles, movement modalities and most importantly, to the diverse people that come to your classes. 

Creating content to fit into a narrow box of outdated standards would be a disserve to what we know what yoga teachers need to feel confident in what they do. Augmenting the movement education with teaching tools and strategies, supported by leadership while integrated through mindfulness, yoga philosophy and history in a modern context and accessibility and social justice allows us to build a rich and well-rounded educational experience. 

Our students choose this course because of the high quality of the content and understand the immense benefits of this approach to yoga, both for their own growth and those they work with.

Yoga Alliance is simply a registry. There is no actual governing body in yoga. (Which is a whole other interesting discussion!) At the end of the training you will be a certified yoga teacher, but not Yoga Alliance registered unless you already have a Yoga Alliance registration from a previous training. 

In most countries like Canada, the US, UK, you don't need Yoga Alliance registration to get insured as a teacher. Many yoga schools are forgoing Yoga Alliance affiliation as it's been shown to be not effective or relevant for them. There are many interesting articles out there if you want to do a google search and read more about it. 

4. How much time will the course take to finish?

Because this is an out-of-the-box training, we know that our participants are here for more than just a piece of paper. How much you put into the course will be reflective of how much you get out of it. 

Learning isn't linear, it doesn't have an end date because cultivating knowledge is life-long and exploratory. In this training, we aim to disrupt the old models of test and measure, memorizing facts for the sake of a grade, and performative learning.  We offer the course for you to move through it in ways that are supportive of who you are and how you learn. We believe there are no mistakes, only opportunities for more learning. This allows you to move through the learning process on a deeper and more integrated level. No pressure, no overwhelm, just space for exploration, questions and growth.

Once you sign up for the training, you get immediate access to the entire course. This allows everyone to work at their own pace and adapt to different life circumstances as they arise. And because we know learning is life-long, you have lifetime access to the course along with future updates and additions.

As a group, we go through live calls twice a month that are 1.5 hours and are based around a different module in the course. 

We've designed the online content so that most of the video lessons are no longer than 30 minutes, keeping the lectures streamlined and clear. You can do the course in manageable bite-sized chunks throughout your week. 

People have easily completed the course while still having a full-time job, kids and other responsibilities. We are here to help you move through the training and learning and fit it all in with steadiness and ease. For many people, they've found the course to be a supportive and inspiring course that enhanced their life, rather than feeling overwhelmed and pressured. 

5. Is there a schedule for where we should be at throughout the course? 

The beauty of online learning is that it allows people from all over the world to have access to learning and to go at their own pace. 

Yes, sometimes life gets busy. We know some people will struggle with self-directed learning and others will thrive. To work effectively with both types of people, we have a suggested schedule of where you should be in the course throughout the training. 

The feeling of pressure, of falling behind or not doing enough is a trap. We do our best to mitigate those perceptions and help you focus on what really matters, which is the learning process. 

There may be times throughout the year that you have more space and want to really dig into the work and go through more parts of the course. Other times you may have to take a break and attend to different responsibilities, vacations or duties. The length of the course offers you ample opportunity to get it all done without the extra addition of stress and pressure. 

We also connect those in the training who are interested in study groups. This allows small groups to be accountable to each other and their individual progress. As well as an opportunity to discuss and collaborate with each other throughout the group (and even afterwards as life-long friendships inevitably form!) 

6. What are the live calls like? What if I miss one? 

Live calls are held twice a month from October to April. They are the bridge between the online coursework and your community and teachers. It's the place to get your questions answered in real-time, expand on what you are learning and hear it in a different context. 

We meet on Zoom video calls where you get to see Kat and Brea in person as well as your fellow classmates. You can have the option to attend without video, but we've found it's quite powerful to be able to see each other all attending from the various parts of the world and knowing that you are all journeying together. 

New this year, we will do mini break-out sessions where we divide the group up into smaller private groups in the live call and explore a course topic with each other in a more personal setting. 

The power of technology is huge and it's amazing to see how effective online learning can be. 

If you can't attend live, the calls are recorded and added to the course a couple of days afterwards.

7. How long do I have access to the course after I'm certified?

Access to education, learning and utilizing the internet for the powers of good are part of the Heart + Bones philosophy. Because we know learning is lifelong and one certificate is not going to be what defines you as a yoga teacher, we happily provide the opportunity to keep learning and growing to all of our graduates. Which means you can revisit the content as many times as you wish.

You have lifetime access to the course which includes joining the live calls with subsequent cohorts. 

8. Why leadership?

It takes courage to think differently, to teach in a way that is not part of the mainstream. We know many people struggle with imposter syndrome and feeling like they will never know enough. The leadership work you do in the training helps to give you the confidence and clarity to be the teacher and person you know you are. 

We view leadership, not as something authoritative, but simply a way of living in the world. A lens in which we view our service to others and the path of our own hearts. 

If the word leadership scares you or you question, who am I to be a leader? Then this aspect of the course will be especially powerful for you as we dig into those inner beliefs and reframe them into a deeper sense of purpose and clarity about who you are and what you have to offer. Leadership ultimately shows up as being ourselves and offering that to others in your classes, your community and your family. 

9. Is there a test at the end?

Yes. But... The test and measurement system of education does a disservice to the learning experience because we spend our time looking for the right answer or memorizing facts. This takes us away from the powerful experience of making mistakes, exploring new ideas, reexamining old ones. 

A foundational principle in our approach is that there are no mistakes. Only opportunities for deeper learning and understanding. 

For the movement portion of the training, we aren't interested if you've memorized the names of muscles and bones. We want to make sure you understand the building blocks of human movement and how to apply that in an organic way to the people in your classes.  

We have a test at the end, not as a pass or fail or reflection of who you are as a teacher or person. We simply use it to see where there are gaps in understanding which then makes it easy to direct your focus as you continue the learning process.

10. I don't want to teach yoga, but I love your approach and want to learn more for myself. Can I still take the course?

Absolutely. We have many people who take the course for their own experience and get a lot out of exploring with a community of people from around the world and the focused time for their own learning and inner growth.

11. I don't have a lot of yoga experience, but I do other movement modalities, can I still take the course?

Absolutely. Because the content of the training is rooted in building a strong foundation of movement knowledge, that foundation can be applied to any style of yoga, movement modality and most importantly, everyday life. These are the building blocks that allow you to apply and create a practice that is best for you.

12. Why are there no live immersions this year?

The course normally has 5-day immersions in various locations around the world as part of the certification requirements. Because of the international locations of our course participants and the continued uncertainty around travel and the pandemic, we've decided that the training is 100% online this year. 

We're grateful that we've already run a mostly online teacher training for the last couple of years because we've learned a LOT about what works and what doesn't work with online education. This experience and continued success for those who have taken the training means that we've easily adapted the course to continue to support community engagement and collaboration. (See the next question below!) And we love that the 100% online offering means that the course is now even more accessible to people no matter where they are in the world. 

13. How do you build community and collaboration if part of the course is online and everyone is spread out across the world?

This is the magic of technology! It never ceases to amaze us at how powerful online learning can be. We build community through the monthly live calls, private Facebook group and comment sections in each lesson. And those who want to join accountability or study groups with each other to stay on track, we help to organize that.

14. Who is this course NOT for?

• Someone who is looking for just a yoga teacher certification.
• People who aren't comfortable with uncertainty.
• Those who want easy answers.
• Who wants a system already laid out for them and teachers to tell them exactly what to do. 

We attract people to the course who know that to grow and evolve takes courage and commitment. Who recognize the value of asking questions and not getting black and white answers. Who know that uncertainty can bring discomfort, but in that discomfort is the magic because that's where your authentic path is and where you grow the most. 

Ready to join us on that path?