200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training

Next session starts January 14, 2011

Application Form

Name (last) __________________________ (first)__________________________

Date of birth _________________________________________________________

Address _____________________________________________________________

City ____________________________ State ________________ Zip ___________

Phone numbers- home ____________ cell ______________ work _____________

E-mail ______________________________________________________________

Emergency contact person____________________, phone ____________________

Current occupation ____________________________________________________

How did you find out about the Yoga Teacher Training Program? _______________

____________________________________________________________________

Instructions for Applying:
Read the entire application document. Print the application and fill in all sections that apply.
Send the application and a $25 non-refundable application fee to Infinite Light Yoga.
Mail the application to Infinite Light Yoga, 111 Ferris Avenue, Syracuse, New York 13224.
(The $25 application fee will be applied to the full cost of the program.)

Please submit your application as soon as possible to reserve your place in the program.

Within two weeks of receiving your application, ILY Director Tony Riposo will contact you to review your application before making a final admissions decision.

Prerequisite Information

Do you currently practice Yoga? Yes / No

How long have you practiced Yoga?

Have you had a daily practice of asana for at least 6 months? Yes / No

How long is your daily practice?

What style do you practice?

Do you or have you studied under a specific teacher? Yes / No

Have you taken any specific training and if so with whom?

Do you have a high school diploma or GED? (required) Yes / No

Teaching Experience

Are you currently teaching yoga? Yes / No

If yes, for how long?

What tradition/style?

How many classes per week?

Health Information

If you answer yes to any of the following questions, please describe fully on a separate page.

Are you under medical treatment for any physical or psychological condition? Yes / No

Are you currently pregnant or trying to get pregnant? Yes / No

Have you ever been hospitalized for a psychiatric condition? Yes / No

Do you have any chronic pain, physical limitations, or disabilities? Yes / No

Have you had a serious illness or major surgery within the last five years? Yes / No

Do you have a communicable disease? Yes / No

Are you in recovery from an addiction? Yes / No
If yes, how long have you been in recovery?

Describe your weekly alcohol consumption.

Please answer the following questions regarding your relationship to yoga and becoming a teacher. (Use additional paper if needed.)

(1) Please provide a detailed description of your daily yoga practice. Which postures do you practice during a typical session? Do you meditate? Do you practice pranayama?

(2) What does yoga mean to you? How has your involvement in yoga changed and developed over time?

(3) Why do you want to take the 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training at this time in your life?

(4) What are your goals as a yoga teacher once you become certified?

Tuition and Fees

Total tuition is $3,000 or $2,850 if paid in full by November 14, 2010, which includes the $25 application processing fee, a training manual, and weekly yoga classes at any ILY location. Students are responsible for the cost of all meals, weekly yoga classes not taken at any ILY location (outside of the training), housing if needed and additional materials including required reading. See tuition and additional costs for payment schedule.

Cancellation Policy

Refunds (less a $25 application processing fee) will be given according to the following schedule: for cancellations two weeks prior to start of program, 100% of deposit will be refunded. Less than two weeks prior to and up to completion of 25% of program, 25% of monies paid will be refunded. No other refunds or credits are available.

Full Disclosure and Acceptance of Terms

In order to make informed decisions, Infinite Light Yoga School must be able to rely on the accuracy and completeness of information provided by applicants. Information provided is treated as confidential and disclosed only to those with a legitimate need to know in administering or delivering the training. Therefore, applicants are required to answer all questions fully and honestly. By signing below, I affirm that the information provided in this application is, to the best of my knowledge, true and complete.

I understand that providing inaccurate, incomplete, or misleading information is grounds for rejecting this application, being required to leave the program after I have commenced participation, or the revocation of my certification after completing the program.

If I am forced to leave a program because of a health consideration, continuing in another session is at the discretion of the Director.

I have carefully read the Criteria for Certification and accept the requirements, conditions, and agreements expressed therein. I understand that my failure to meet the criteria will result in my not being certified. Please initial here ____

I have carefully read the Responsibility Agreement and understand that Infinite Light Yoga School is not responsible for my physical and psychological safety during this training program. Please initial here ____

I have carefully read the Code of Ethics and understand that any violation of this agreement during the training could result in my not being certified and that any future violation could result in the revocation of my certification. Please initial here ____

Infinite Light Yoga School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, marital status, disability, or sexual preference. The information in this application will be treated as confidential.

Criteria for Certification

This program is intended to result in your certification as a 200-hour Infinite Light Yoga teacher. Certified yoga teachers must possess the skills and abilities necessary to safely and competently teach yoga as well as a certain level of emotional and mental stability. We reserve the right to withhold certification from any student who fails to develop and demonstrate the necessary skills.

Every attempt will be made throughout the program to provide input about teaching challenges that might impede certification. If it is determined that you have not successfully met the certification requirements, you will meet with the teacher trainer(s) who will determine the appropriate steps needed to complete certification. This process may include the need to work with a certified yoga teacher or mentor at additional expense. In most cases, this process takes from three to six months but may take up to a year to complete. If you are not able to complete the additional requirements within a year from the end date of the program, it will be necessary to repeat the training in order to be certified.

Full participation in and completion of all course components is mandatory for certification. It is not required that you make every program session, but you will need to meet the minimum contact requirements (180 hrs.) in order to graduate.

Attendance

Infinite Light Yoga School requires the minimum 180 contact hours according to the standards set by Yoga Alliance®. You are responsible for marking the attendance roster each day. To be considered present, you must arrive on time and stay for the duration of the session or you must talk to staff before leaving a session. The training staff will note tardiness, and excessive tardiness will result in not receiving certification. If you need to miss any session, you must speak to the Director prior to the session. You are responsible for any course material missed.

There are 210 actual contact hours scheduled in this training (besides the homework and home practice), so 100% attendance is not required. You will, however, benefit from making up any missed sessions both in material covered and practice time. Compare the 210 contact hours with other training programs and you will see why this one is a must for the serious student.

All applicants are encouraged to take at least one weekly yoga class at any ILY location during the training. These classes will reinforce the teaching methodologies used in the program.

Reading List

All participants will be given a training manual. In addition, the following books are required reading:

• Richard Faulds, Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat (Bantam Books).
• Susi Hately Aldous, Anatomy and Asana: Preventing Yoga Injuries (Eastland Press).

The following materials are suggested but not required:

• Steven Cope, The Wisdom of Yoga (Bantam Books)
• The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (many options, the best one is by Alistair Shearer)
• Juan Mascaro, The Bhagavad Gita (Penguin Classics)

Practice Teaching

Participation in all practice teaching sessions is mandatory for certification. During these sessions, you must demonstrate the ability to teach yoga using the methodology presented in this training. Yoga Alliance® requires a total of 10 hours of practice teaching. This training exceeds these requirements to include a total of 28 hours of practice teaching time.

Professional Behavior and Ethical Conduct

All students in the training program are required to adhere to the program guidelines as stated in this agreement, the Code of Ethics, and the Responsibility Agreement. These requirements are designed to create safety while maintaining a professional atmosphere. Failure to adhere could result in denial of certification.

Program Guidelines

We request that you:
• Complete the reading assignments given during the program.
• Continue a daily yoga practice.
• Take weekly yoga classes with a certified yoga teacher.
• Dress appropriately during training sessions.
• Refrain from wearing scented products out of respect for those with sensitivities.
• Be on time for every scheduled session.

Course Fees

All program fees must be paid in full prior to receiving certification. Certification will be withheld until all payments have been fully received by Infinite Light Yoga School. Students may, however, request a letter of completion indicating that certification will be forthcoming when all financial requirements are met.

Continuing Education

Successful yoga teaching requires continual learning and renewal. Graduates from Infinite Light Yoga School 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training will be eligible to become a member of Yoga Alliance® (see www.yogaalliance.org) and earn the right to display the title “200-hour RYT” (200-hour registered yoga teacher). As a yoga teacher registered with Yoga Alliance, you are required to complete a minimum of 30 CEUs (continuing education credits) of yoga-specific training every three years after certification in order to maintain your registration. Infinite Light Yoga School offers CEUs that comply with YA’s standards and criteria.

Responsibility Agreement

I am responsible for my experience at Infinite Light Yoga School. I understand that the study and practice of yoga is designed to integrate unresolved physical and psychological issues.

I understand the practice of yoga often produces non-ordinary states of awareness. Infinite Light Yoga School, the program director and staff cannot possibly know every student’s personal needs. In addition, I understand the curriculum has been designed to create the optimal yoga education for the majority of students and that each specific experience may have content that does not work for me.

During this program, I am responsible for monitoring what is safe for me, and I can stop my participation in any experience at any time. Although my attendance is required in each session for me to become certified as a yoga teacher, my participation is never required if I feel unsafe in any way. It is my responsibility to speak up or take myself out of an experience if I feel unsafe. I do not expect Infinite Light Yoga School to take care of my needs. I do not, and will not, hold Infinite Light Yoga School responsible for my physical and psychological well-being. Infinite Light Yoga School will not pay for, or reimburse me for, physical or psychological care during or after this program.

I understand that during this demanding educational program, I will be challenged physically and psychologically and encouraged to take personal risks. I acknowledge that only I can know what my boundaries and limits are, and it is up to me to uphold these boundaries for myself. I understand that practicing yoga is often about exploring new boundaries and limitations and that Infinite Light Yoga School is not responsible for any physical and psychological risk I choose to take in my education, exploration, and inquiry.

I understand that the study of yoga involves exploring and discussing different belief systems. These belief systems may be different from my own. I understand that Infinite Light Yoga School is not requiring me to change my beliefs in any way. I understand that any beliefs presented are not necessarily the view of Infinite Light Yoga School. I alone choose what I want to believe.

I understand that Infinite Light Yoga School offers the following suggestions to support my physical and psychological well-being.

Sharing: Time is provided in almost every session to share relevant thoughts, questions, feelings, and insights. Please realize there may be time limitations set by the session leader out of respect for the overall process.

Staff: Instructors and assistants are available outside of class for one-on-one meetings.

Sadhana: The regular practice of yoga asana and the philosophical principles of yoga are designed to stimulate profound growth on every level. These experiences and the ability to integrate them are the foundation for yoga teacher education.

I have read this document in its entirety, understand it, and agree to honor it. I also understand that by signing the application I am entering into a legal contract that incorporates all aspects of this agreement.

Code of Conduct (Ethics)

As a graduate of the Infinite Light Yoga School 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training, I agree to uphold the ethical goals set forth in the following Code of Conduct:

1. Uphold the integrity of my vocation by conducting myself in a professional and
    conscientious manner.
2. Acknowledge the limitations of my skills and scope of practice and where appropriate,
    refer students to seek alternative instruction, advice, treatment, or direction.
3. Create and maintain a safe, clean, and comfortable environment for the practice of
    yoga.
4. Encourage diversity actively by respecting all students regardless of age, physical
    limitations, race, creed, gender, ethnicity, religion affiliation, or sexual orientation.
5. Respect the rights, dignity, and privacy of all students.
6. Avoid words and actions that constitute sexual harassment.
7. Adhere to the traditional yoga principles as written in the Yamas and Niyamas.
8. Follow all local government and national laws that pertain to my yoga teaching and
   business.

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