Yamas & Niyamas Teacher Training Vancouver

Yoga Principles: An Experiential Journey

Living Your Yoga

If you are a teacher, this is a great refresher and structured program to revisit the studies from your original 200hr yoga training. If you are new to yoga, this is an excellent approach to learning about practicing yoga when you can’t make it to class or if you are considering a 200 hour training in the future.

We had to learn to crawl before walking, and there are 2 limbs of yoga that come before the postures on the mat. These are the ethical principles of yoga and how we embody it not as a religion, concept or philosophy, but as a lifestyle, a way of living.

It offers us a way of connecting with our Self on many levels and encouraging a gentle way of learning to look through a new lens of how we treat ourselves and others, but also to see what Life has to offer us and how we observe it.

These principles have been around since the beginning of Yoga and born in Hinduism. These are offered to study, but not often offered to practice or deepen the journey. It’s important to understand and honour the roots of this system.

Karma Teachers is not the primary source of this wisdom. You can find many resources anywhere. Through this course, you may discover how you already have many of these principles embodied in your life naturally. Maybe you already have a default lens of compassion, or practice of surrender, but wish to deepen your relationship with non-attachments or contentment. It also opens up the possibility to apply them to larger things in life.

Through this course you will find how they weave in and out from one another to shape our view and sense our heart. These could be treated as the gateway, or stepping stones to a yoga teacher training. Often, the physical practice has led students to a teacher training to deepen the understanding of what is happening in these poses and how to build on them. Becoming a teacher might not be a goal. Studying these principles are a gentle way of Being part of the yoga in your daily life that contributes to more harmony in Life whether it be relationships, friendships, society or workplace environments.

“Yamas and Niyamas are terms basically classified acts of Hinduism. And it exists today as well. Only people are not that much aware of these basic fundamentals of Hinduism on which whole science was built on”

— Akarsh Sinha

A FOREWORD

Since ethics are fundamentally subjective, it is difficult to compel large groups to accept any particular set. Principles like 'enlightened self-interest' can help, but being subjective, ethics have no universal footing. In contrast, morals are formed to define right and wrong willed conduct based on a person’s (and individual) values.

Values are personal beliefs (bundles of thoughts) that come from within, our ability to judge what’s right and wrong (the body is a great way of measuring). A regular meditation practice can bring balance to this. Principles are more or less guidelines we can follow out of self-interest with the intent of personal growth. Ethics are more focused and rigid it seems, they aren’t flexible. Whereas morals are rules that define right & wrong, which is, in the bigger picture, outlined by our culture and/or society. A system of beliefs, which, in the big picture, creates division. Not to suggest we should all believe in the same systems. But there is one universal absolute I think we can all agree on, and that is Love.

In life, our differences can be a source of stress, so before engaging in any debates with any person, this needs to be understood.

So why choose Yogic principles over any other? Well, what other principles can we follow that have the one purpose to guide us inward? To achieve Wholeness, health, and self-realization. What other principles are going to encourage and support us through our backward journey into who we came into this world as? We will most likely encounter many different belief systems throughout our life, and it’s our job to feel what works and what is false, to us as individuals. Nevertheless, any alternative belief system that provides structured ways of living has served us in a way that has got us through our lives until we have eventually been met with the moment and questioned ourselves, feeling in that moment of clarity before we are called to make a shift.

Yamas Niyamas on tree leaves diagram- Karman Teachers

COURSE DETAILS

Course is available upon request and offered in-person or online.

Private: Sliding scale $300-$600 per individual

Groups of 4: $999

Yamas and Niyamas

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CANCELLATION POLICY

$150 deposit is non-refundable but transferable to future dates.

Up to two weeks prior to training, any payments (excluding the $150 non-refundable deposit) may be returned to you.

If you need to withdraw two weeks prior to course start date up to the end of training, there will be no refunds. Exceptions may be made, at the discretion of the Board and Executive Director.

The 5 Yamas & the 5 Niyamas

Ahimsa - Compassion, Non-violence
Satya - Truthfulness
Asteya - Non-Stealing
Bramacharya - Moderation, celibacy,
Aparigraha - Non-attachment
Saucha - Cleanliness
Santosha - Contentment
Tapas - Discipline, inner-fire
Svadhyaya - Self Study
Ishvara pranidhana - Surrender

What You Can Expect From This Course:

Connect with like-minded individuals where we are able to see ourselves in others.
Daily exercises to practice throughout the day themed to specific principles.
Journal prompts as homework about your intention with this work.
Meditations oriented towards your goals.
Access to one hour weekly 1-on-1 coaching to discuss integration of each principle.
Access to one 2 hour weekly sessions for group discussions.
In-person exercises to witness consciousness, peaceful moments, meditation and cold dips (weather permitting)
Weekly discussions in group or 1-on-1 to discuss each principle and how it exists in our Life
Tools and practices to integrate the principles on a small scale to build strength before approaching larger tasks.
Support in creating a post-program plan on sustaining the embodiment of these principles.

About Your Instructor

Andrew Fredericks Karma Teachers Faculty

Andrew Fredericks is inspired to follow the yogic path of development and sharing of knowledge. Yoga found Andrew first in 2012 through adversity. Through his leadership at Karma Teachers from 2017 to 2020, participating in 14 teacher trainings with over 300 students, this accelerated experience contributed to the growth personally and professionally. Learning through hardship was a theme since youth and continues to serve as a primary source of learning. He brings authenticity and humbleness to his teachings. Consciousness is a primary practice when teaching and learning. Andrew strives to show up as a student that is learning to teach and is not afraid to grow from mistakes. Andrew is dedicated to Karma Yoga and is service oriented. He hopes to bring more emphasis on our karmas in today’s world through self inquiry and discussion. He teaches Yin, Hatha, Restorative, Yoga Nidra and Philosophy. Andrew has backgrounds in experience of business, yoga, consciousness, life coaching, and the justice system. He currently volunteers a part of his life to work with incarcerated people and parolees as they transition into society. His favorite teachings come from authors such as Michael A. Singer, Eckhart Tolle, Robert Greene, Steven Pressfield and Anthony De Mello.

In the Media

Podcast: A Yogi’s Guide to Health and Wellness

The Pulse on CFRO: Karma Teachers and the DTES

The Other Press: A Spiritual Approach to Health

“With that being said, it is part of our work to not use spirituality as a way of bypassing our unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds or unfinished developmental tasks. Instead, before Asana, we were provided the practices of yamas & niyamas which can allow us to ‘fail our way to success’ through loving kindness to our Self.”

— Andrew Fredericks