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Burnout Recovery-based Yoga to Help Leaders Live Better!

 

200hr Non-performative Yoga® Teacher Training

Cohort 6: Sept 2024 – Feb 2025
Self-paced Online Training

Go at your own speed!

Welcome to iya! Our Black-founded, 200hr Non-performative Yoga® Teacher Training is for service providers, wellness professionals and yoga practitioners looking to learn yoga for nervous system regulation to better service their clients, grow their businesses and support their own emotional care.

Although our program is rooted in the Indian origins of yoga, we offer modern approaches to the practice. Including post-traumatic growth strategies, stress management techniques, modern psychology and more to support the social and emotional wellbeing of our trainees working in high-trauma, high-stress environments.

Here we de-prioritize perfecting poses, and educate practitioners on evidence-based yoga practices that will guide their bodies out of fight/flight and into their rest/digest center to live better.

Here you’ll receive a vetted toolkit for emotional regulation, leadership and self actualization to lead and live better on and off your mat.

What is Non-performative Yoga?

Non-performative Yoga® is recovery-based yoga for occupational stress management, burnout and nervous system regulation. This form of yoga promotes the social and emotional wellbeing of modern practitioners living and working through fight or flight response patterns.

While commercial yoga focuses on fitness-based poses, we provide education on the practice beyond the poses so clients can experience the benefits from multiple entry points, free of performance.

Learn how to practice and lead service-based yoga classes for nervous system support with expert educators with over 3 decades of experience!

This training is ideal for service providers, wellness professionals and yoga practitioners looking to deepen their personal practice and support their clients with treatment-based yoga that aligns with their core values!

Already 200hr certified but want to learn Non-performative Yoga®? Choose any of our YTT modules a-la-carte to continue your education with us.

Our curriculum

tuition: $2999

learn

learn as students to grow as practitioners

Origins & Evolution of Yoga
+ Kemetic Yoga origins
Philosophy
The Gita for Modern Times
Sanskrit 101
8 Limbs of Personal Development
Intuitive Sequencing Infrastructure 
+more

live

live out the practice in our physical & emotional bodies

Non-performative Yoga® Elements + Posture Clinics
Kinesiology
Pranayama & the Nervous System
Buddhism Meditation 101
Intro to Restoratives & Yin for Parasympathetic States
+more

teach

create the container for our teachings

Post-Traumatic Growth Strategies
Nervous System + Patterns of Engagement
Business of Yoga for Generational Wellbeing
Wellness Frameworks for Orgs.
+more

2.5 month live immersive

This ytt is a 2.5 month journey and commitment. All modules are delivered LIVE alongside additional pre-recorded lectures and practices, weekly homework and study. This program is fully virtual.

attendance

Yoga training requires a deep commitment, and optimal attendance is required. On the rare occasion we must miss a module, recordings are offered at a rate of $99 per module. This fee is to encourage showing up to your commitment unless an absence cannot be avoided. Recordings are not offered for late arrivals. Please provide prior notice of absences and/or tardies. The maximum time missed can be no more than 10 hours. If you miss more than 10 hours of this training you will be subject to ineligibility for your 200 hour certification.

office hours

Weekly online office hours will be offered with our iyaKIN advisor as a support for trainees to ask any questions that arise.

live classes

Enjoy live weekly classes with your facilitators to explore different teaching styles and practices!

This training may be an emotional and mental undertaking, which is why we suggest taking time to reflect and read this page in its entirety before you apply. 

As a result, this program will bump up against your identity to potentially uncover what holds it together and keeps you in patterns of fight/flight. If that does not resonate, we invite you to continue your search. No hard feelings.

testimonials:

hear from our graduates

“While the training certainly honed in on the physical yoga practice, we were able to have critical and reflective conversations across yoga philosophy and our lived experiences. Those conversations affirmed my reason for why I practice yoga in the first place.”

-Taylor Thomas (she/her/hers), Education Research Associate

 

“This training gave me a proper and detailed introduction to yoga philosophy, yoga practice, yoga history, human anatomy and trauma informed teaching techniques…I have witnessed beautiful changes in my relationships with others, how I create as an artist, how I love as a mother and in my ability to also receive life’s joy. This was worth every single ounce of me!”

-Thea Stewart, Teacher & Creative Artist

 

“I’ve been practicing yoga for about 8 years and wanted to deepen my personal practice but wasn’t sure where to start. I also believed that someone like me with a larger body couldn’t be a yoga teacher as I didn’t fit the idea of a normal teacher. This program empowered me and brought me home to myself. I was taught so much about not only the practice of yoga, but the principles and foundations of yoga. I feel confident in my skills as a teacher and that I can teach any BODY.”

-Amber Wright, DEI Professional

“When I found iyaKIN ytt, I applied because of the group of teachers listed, who have a wealth of knowledge and experience in multiple disciplines, all supported by an alliance that stands for something. I didn’t realize that what I had been looking for was myself and I had no idea that what I would find was a community that embodies everything they said they would. To have compassion for self in the learning process is a challenge and iyaKIN truly embraced  the mind, body and soul of me as a student. I relearned anatomy I didn’t realize I forgot and that coming to the mat in any form is the first step to cultivating an environment of self acceptance. As a white-bodied person, I was able to be honest about topics I had been ignorant to before my iyaKIN journey. My honesty was met with acceptance, education, respect, encouragement and guidance.”

-Caitlynn A. Crouch, Mother & Assistant Rowing Coach at Southern Methodist University

who you are

A wellness professional or practitioner with a desire to learn yoga for nervous system regulation for your personal practice and/or to support your clients. You are a humble student and learner, ready to steep yourself in the historical and modern practices of yoga.

We welcome professionals, service providers, therapists, educators, nurses, artists and more looking to incorporate Non-performative Yoga® into their lives to take radical responsibility for their emotional regulation and care.

While this is a trauma-informed YTT, it is not a “trauma-healing” space. We recommend seeking trained professionals to support you in healing through trauma if you’re experiencing unrest that could be triggered through this program.

This is not for students looking to perpetuate narratives of trauma or oppression brought on by being in modes of survival or fight/flight but for those looking to feel empowered in their bodies through practices that allow them to thrive. If you’re just venturing into yoga and don’t wish to steep yourself in the practice beyond the poses, this may not be the training for you.  

Instead, we encourage you to start your practice via our online studio library!

requirements:

  • Minimal yoga practice
  • A completed YTT application
  • Satisfactory YTT interview and acceptance into program
  • Responsive to emails and able to complete homework and pre-recordings on time
  • Participate in all asana curriculum
  • Engage and contribute to group discussions 
  • Fulfill tuition payment
  • Attend all sessions
  • Completion of required readings, weekly pre-recordings, homework and practicum
  • Complete final exam
  • Complete non-contact observation and practice hours
  • Uphold brave space agreements
  • Display safe teaching and space holding skills during final practicum

you will receive:

  • Receive a thorough education of the origins, philosophies, practices and how they connect to your lived experience
  • Deepen your understanding of your energetic body and identity
  • Uphold equitable practices within the yoga space
  • Develop skills that advocate for the well-being of different bodies
  • Learn intuitive asana in the form of Vinyasa, Hatha, and other styles of yoga
  • Develop a beginner knowledge of the human anatomy via kinesiology 
  • Cultivate a strong personal practice while defining your teaching style
  • Lead inclusive yoga classes with clarity, confidence and skill
  • Join a lifelong yoga collective committed to agency, education and self study

a note from our Director:

Hey! My name is Abiola Akanni. I’m the Director of the iyaKIN ytt and founder of iya. I’m an e-ryt certified yoga instructor with 7+ years of experience. I’ve created yoga programs and retreats such as Trap Flow (previously known as Trap Vinyasa) and the Divine Feminine Yoga Workshop, as well as taught as an Alo Moves coach and built programs for several institutions, including the Institute of Functional Medicine, Stanford, Hulu, Nordstrom Corporate, Boeing, and Nike. 

Over the years I’ve noticed how teacher training standards have decreased. Offering a performative perspective that focuses solely on asana and Eurocentric values. This provides a mediocre understanding of the practice that results in biased instructors unable to support different bodies.

This inspired me to create a Non-performative yoga space that taught the facets of yoga beyond asana. Participants in this training are breaking the mold of performative yoga with critical thinking, adaptability, and deep self study.

FAQ

How do I know if I’m ready to become a yoga teacher?

Take our free quiz HERE to find out! It takes less than 2 minutes.

What is non-performative yoga?

While performative or fitness-based yoga focuses on postures, non-performative yoga extends beyond just asana (poses), which lends itself to learning the other facets of the practice, including yoga philosophy, pranayama, meditation, chanting and more. Here, we also approach the practice from an inclusive lens so students never have to abandon their body to experience this practice. This style focuses on compassion, education beyond the poses, non-hierarchical language, adaptability, representation of different bodies, self inquiry, and enlightenment.

Is this a trauma healing yoga teacher training?

While it is expected that we will personally process elements of trauma through the deeper studies of yoga held within this training, it is not a trauma-healing focused ytt. 

Our facilitators utilize trauma-sensitive language although we are not trauma-informed and recommend that you integrate support systems in place during the training to help you process what arises within the container we create.

As a 200hr yoga teacher training we will be teaching you the foundational skills necessary to facilitate non-performative yoga classes while deepening your personal study. We highly recommend you pursue trauma-informed trainings to further bolster your wellness practice after you graduate from this ytt.

I’m new to yoga and have only practiced a few YouTube videos, should I take this training?

This teacher training is geared towards seasoned yoga students and wellness professionals with at least 1 year of consistent yoga experience beyond online practices.

If you have no to minimal experience and aren’t sure about applying, we encourage you to expand your practice via our online studio library, your local yoga community or with our facilitators to meet our requirements.

Can I take this training if I’m pregnant?

Although prenatal yoga is taught in this training, we also teach several other styles of yoga that are intensive and not recommended for individuals who are pregnant. 

We recommend keeping up with your personal practice and joining us in the future.

Is iyaKIN affiliated with Yoga Alliance?

We have chosen not to be affiliated with Yoga Alliance. Upon completion of our program students will receive a 200hr yoga certification from iyaKIN.

What does YTT mean?

YTT stands for Yoga Teacher Training. It is a certification that students must complete in order to safely teach the practice of yoga to others as a certified yoga instructor.

How do I become a yoga teacher?

Before you become a yoga teacher it’s important that you have a personal practice for at least a year to begin to experience the practice within your body while becoming acquainted with the different styles of yoga. It’s within your personal practice that your yoga journey begins. 

Our focus is non-performative yoga, which explores the facets of yoga beyond just the postures. This approach welcomes different bodies and lived experience. Once you’ve committed to a personal practice and chosen your path, you will be led to complete a Yoga Teacher Training program like the iyaKIN 200hr ytt to formally teach.

Are their payment plans available?

Yes, payment plans are offered once you are accepted into our program.

Are scholarships available?

Yes, we offer a select number of scholarships for each yoga teacher training cohort. Please note scholarship deadlines.

What can I do after my training?

After graduating from iyaKIN you can teach and facilitate yoga classes for your community in the style of your choosing.