300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Portland, Oregon

Sept 4 to Nov 4, 2024


The teacher training was a fantastic journey where the owners and teachers are truly dedicated to bringing knowledge and their experience to their students. Not only is one challenged but the rewards of improved self awareness, vast knowledge of yoga, anatomy, energetics, its history, and the amazing connections formed, will leave one with utmost gratitude and appreciation.
— Yoga Alliance Review, 2014

Start Your Yoga Teaching Journey with a 300-Hour Training




LEARN TO TEACH SKILLFUL AND INTELLIGENT HATHA AND VINYASA YOGA CLASSES

While Yoga Alliance curriculum requires only 200 hours for a Yoga Teacher’s certification, our experience has been that the leap from a practitioner to a teacher cannot be bridged with such a short course. As a result, we start off with this 300-hour curriculum. This gives our trainees much needed time to incorporate absorb, practice, and master the many facets of what constitutes teaching. The evidence is visible. Yoga for Life graduates find a teaching position immediately upon pursuing at studios nationwide and internationally.

In our 300-hour program, you'll learn two full-class sequences: (1) a static strengthening and stretching sequence (Hatha), consisting of 35 poses and eight different pranayama, and (2) a dynamic strengthening and stretching sequence (Vinyasa). Both classes are accessible and challenging for students of all practice levels. You'll have a dedicated course on 30+ continuous hours of yoga anatomy, taught by a medical doctor and yoga teacher. And, you’ll walk away with a solid understanding of what yoga is, as a result of the philosophical lecture series (see topics below). Many, if not most, of the graduates from this program, are well-positioned to teach at local and national yoga studios right after graduation.

This program is taught by YFL Co-founders Raj Patra and Kelly Suttell.

A Comprehensive Syllabus

Refined over years, this coursework provides a you with a stable platform for learning, absorbing, and transitioning into confident, assured yoga teachers in your own right.

Adhering to the rich, expansive content and teachings of traditional yoga, you will integrate with society in a modern context through extensive lecture series, office hours, q&a, and interactions.

Our program includes: 

  • Proficiency in teaching two full sequences (Hatha and Vinyasa Yoga) to students of all skill levels, based upon the systematic and scientific Universal Yoga principles in ranges of mobility, orientation in space and levels of complexity

  • How to access and deepen static yoga poses and dynamic vinyasa.

  • How to safely instruct and align poses, while offering simplifications and intensifications using verbal and physical adjustments.

  • Major yoga philosophy and history texts (reading list provided upon acceptance to the program).

  • The history and journey of yoga from the East to the West, and the significance of present-day stalwarts.

  • Public-speaking, voice projection, leadership skills and classroom safety skills.

  • How to work with and accommodate students of all skill levels.

  • Classifications of yoga lineages, styles, sub-styles, and practices in Hindu and Buddhist yoga.

  • Subtle body anatomy, including the chakra and nadi systems, and their significance in an 8-limb practice.

  • Overview of various styles of yoga, including Raja, Karma, Bhakti, Jnana yoga, and the breadth and depth of Universal Yoga.

  • How to become a yoga professional or entrepreneur in a competitive market; short- and long-term impact of yoga industry post-COVID world; tools one needs for teaching online and in-person classes; successful interviews and audition demos at yoga studios.

  • How to embody the principles of yoga to continue to further your own external and internal practices.

  • Yoga Philosophy lectures cover topics such as: Tantrik yoga, History of yoga, impacts of Karma, finding your Dharma, Nature of Chitta in Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, Samskaras, Major styles of yoga in modern times, Role of music and Rasa in yoga, essential differences between Hinduism and Buddhism, pursuit of yogic freedom and happiness, etc.

  • And much more!




2024 PROGRAM DATES & SCHEDULE:

Week 1: Sept 4, 6, 7, 8

Week 2: Sept 11, 13, 14, 15

Week 3: Sept 18, 20, 21, 22

Week 4: Sept 25, 27, 28, 29

One week break for integration and practice

Week 5: Oct 9, 11, 12, 13

Week 6: Oct 16, 18, 19, 20

Week 7: Oct 23, 25, 26, 27

Week 8: Oct 30, Nov 1, 2, 3 (Exam and graduation)

Wednesdays and Fridays: 5 PM to 8 PM

Saturdays and Sundays: 9 AM to 5 PM (with breaks)

Wednesdays are reserved for lectures on yoga history and philosophy. On Fridays, we cover pranayama, bandha, and the lesser-known topics and practices of yoga. Weekends typically start with yoga classes, followed by posture break-downs, sequence analysis, anatomy and posture alignments, and dialog practice in small groups and one-on-one. Above dates may vary due to program necessities and unforeseen circumstances.

TUITION & APPLICATION PROCESS

Program tuition: $3,800 ($500 deposit upon acceptance, and $3,300 due by Aug 15)

Payment plan: $3,900 (six consecutive monthly payments of $650 from application acceptance)

Application deadline: Aug 15, 2024

The application process is simple: Fill out the application form thoughtfully. We will notify you if you are accepted to the program within 10 days. Once accepted, sign a registration form and pay a $500 non-refundable deposit to reserve your spot. We’ll start sending you communications and reading lists thereafter to start your journey ahead.

LOCATION:

SW Portland, near St. Vincent Hospital at a yoga home.


 

A YOGA ALLIANCE CERTIFIED EDUCATION CENTER

We offer training programs that continuously surpass all standards set by Yoga Alliance. The curriculum ensures our yoga practitioners and teachers grow to understand an authentic yoga lineage, while learning about anatomy, alignment and complex sequencing theories. Our advanced training programs also offer life skills and health information grounded in the yogic tradition.

You will receive a Certificate of Completion upon successfully completing your 300 Hours of Foundations coursework, once you pass your written and practical exams.

Raj and Kelly are intentional, organized, and conscientious with how they plan every second of training to grant their students the knowledge essential for carrying on the torch of yoga. I recommend this training program for those deeply curious about the tradition of yoga, serious about their practice, and with an understanding of the responsibility a yoga teacher brings to her students.
— Yoga Alliance Review, 2023
Kelly and Raj always make themselves available to fully and generously answer all questions - they value the “why” behind every piece of information they provided; no stone is ever left unturned. A medical doctor (who is also a yoga teacher) provides further support with in-depth detail on anatomy. Be prepared to work incredibly hard, learn a ton, improve your personal practice, build a lifelong community, walk away with amazing sequence information and for your whole life view and style to change - it’s so worth it!
— Yoga Alliance Review, 2023

Its focus of yoga theory, anatomy, and facilitation of asanas, alignment, and pranayamas is exceptional.
— Yoga Alliance Review, 2018
It was a life changing experience. I learned a lot about myself, yoga, and emotions that I didn’t quite understand at the the time.
— Yoga Alliance Review, 2016
I got a lot more out of it than I originally expected; I thought I would come out a Yoga Instructor, but instead I also came out a Yogi. It was truly an eye-opening and life-changing experience.
— Yoga Alliance Review, 2016
I was very impressed with the level of training I received at YFL. The program was well put together and encompassed a well rounded mix of theory and practical. The teachers are dedicated and very knowledgeable. I would recommend this program to anyone looking to deepen their own practice, satisfy curiosity or broaden their understanding of what yoga is.
— Yoga Alliance Review, 2017
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... YFL is truly committed to their trainees and are willing to help along the way. In times I felt overwhelmed, but very supported by the instructors and leaders. I love that I have made YFL my home! I would highly recommend anyone in the Portland area to look into this teacher training!
— Yoga Alliance Review, 2017

YOUR EDUCATORS

 

Raj Patra (YFL Co-Founder)

Over the past four decades, Raj has studied in the lineages and inspirations of Yogananda, Sri Anandamayi Ma, Swami Vivekananda, Bishnu Ghosh, Dr. A. G. Mohan, Zhander Remete, 17th Gyalwa Karmapa of Kagyu Lineage, venerable Chöje Lama Phuntsok Rinpoche, and most importantly, Guruji Andrey Lappa, founder of Universal Yoga and teacher of Tantrika. Raj is well-versed in systems of Hatha yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga and its western derivations, Bikram yoga, Power yoga, Yin yoga, Shadow yoga, and the extensive system of Universal Yoga and Shiva Nata (Dance of Shiva), and has spent time in Ramakrishna Mission, Dakshineshwar Temple, Belur Matth Vivekananda Institute in Kolkata, and Karma Lekshey Ling monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal to deepen his practices and teachings of Yoga. Read More.


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Kelly Suttell (YFL Co-Founder)

Creator of Kinetik Yoga (TM), and a Reiki Master, Kelly started practicing yoga in 2003, after she started experiencing more chronic and acute neck and back pain due to the combination of congenital spondylolisthesis and a more sedentary professional life. After countless MRIs, physical therapy, acupuncture, and other rehabilitative modalities, Kelly turned to yoga. Since then, a holistic and complete yoga practice and life philosophy has been a key contributor towards preventing her chronic pain.

Kelly is incredibly grateful to her teachers. She credits Ali Valdez, Yoga Master, Guruji Andrey Lappa, Erika Ebbeson, and Marie Manuchehri for their inspirational influence on her teaching style, creativity, and overall outlook on life.

When not in the studio, Kelly is constantly reading about yoga and attending workshops, classes, and lectures from leading teachers, including A.G. Mohan, Ana Forrest, Rod Stryker, and Zander Remete. Kelly has practiced a variety of styles and systems of yoga, including Ashtanga, Hatha, Iyengar, Mysore, Vinyasa, Universal, Yoga Nidra, and Yin/Tha yoga, but primarily teaches Vinyasa, Universal, and Yin/Tha. She aims for a teaching style that is heart-felt, compassionate, a caring, yet focused on anatomy, rehabilitative, and meditative. Read more.

 
 

Dr. Patti Shelton

Dr. Shelton deeply immersed in the study of the human body. Her background is in Neuroscience and Medicine. She studied for many years at the University of Washington, receiving a Bachelor's in Neurobiology and then a Doctor of Medicine (MD) degree.

She did her first yoga teacher training with former Buddhist monk Seongyoon Lee of Yoon's Yoga Bliss, and then became certified to teach yoga with Ali Valdez of Sattva Yoga. She has also become certified to teach yoga to kids with Liz Doyle of Little Friends Yoga, and to pregnant women and new mothers with Anne Phyfe Palmer of 8 Limbs Yoga. She has spent several years studying meditation (including techniques for teaching meditation classes, small groups, and private meditation coaching sessions) with Dr. Lorin Roche and Camille Maurine, both celebrated authors and meditation guides, and have been certified for this as well. Through all of these practices, she unites body, mind, and spirit into the unified flow of life.

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