200HR Vinyasa
Yoga Teacher Training

October 19, 2024 – March 16, 2025

with Michael Dynie, Allison Tomotsugo, Janice DeFilippi

+ Special Guest Teachers to Cover:

Neuroscience of Yoga  •  Business of Yoga  •  Yoga and Social Justice
•  Gender Diversity and Inclusion  •  Trauma Informed Yoga  •  Cultural Appropriation

This course offers a rare opportunity to transform your own personal yoga practice, get grounded in the philosophical roots of the yoga tradition, and discover your own unique approach to teaching others.

Our Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training (YTT) is designed to take you deep into the heart of yoga. We want to empower you with the tools required to skillfully teach yoga to the unique needs of your students – be it gentle, strong, or somewhere in the middle. 

Your growth will be supported by in-depth studies of yoga philosophy, the anatomy of movement, teaching yoga postures to different levels of ability, creative and purposeful class sequencing, the energetics of yoga, breathing techniques (pranayama), lifestyle and ethics discussions.

 

Develop your Personal Practice

Our aim is to help you to take your own practice to a much deeper level, so you can confidently transmit your own understanding of yoga to others from a place of personal experience.

STYLES OF PRACTICE YOU’LL STUDY

Hatha Yoga, Flow, Vinyasa, Power, Gentle, Ashtanga, Chair Yoga — you’ll be able to teach them all.

 

THE ART OF SEQUENCING: 

Creative and purposeful class sequencing will help you grow into a confident guide, and allow your own unique style to take shape. Learn how to draw from your experience, movement studies, and intuition to adapt yoga to your diverse needs and those of your students through creative and intelligent sequencing.

BREATH + MOVEMENT FUNDAMENTALS: 

Meditation in Movement — an intelligently structured sequence where each breath is taken with intention. Practice starts with flowing sun salutations and standing poses, and gradually progresses towards a seated postures, backbends and inversions.

HATHA YOGA: 

Breathing techniques (pranayama and bandha) and philosophies of tantra yoga, moving our internal energies to more easily ground ourselves in the present moment, both on and off the mat.

Our goal is to set you up on the path of deep study, to fuel your explorations into who you are, and what kind of teacher you want to become.

 

 PROGRAM SCHEDULE

11 Weekends

SATURDAYS & SUNDAYS
9:30 am – 5:30 pm

OCT 19-20  •  NOV 2-3, 16-17, 30-31

DEC 14-15  •  JAN 4-5, 18-19

FEB 1-2, 15-16  •  MARCH 1-2, 15-16

YOUR INVESTMENT

EARLYBIRD DISCOUNT: $3,000

Register by July 15th to save $400 off the full tuition cost

FULL TUITION: $3,400 (+hst)

  • Register any pay $500 deposit (non-refundable) by July 15th
  • Tuition must be paid in full by January 31st, 2025
  • Monthly Payment plans are available! Contact Janice by email, astangaottawa@yahoo.ca 

* Cancellation policy, refunds and professional ethics.

FULL STUDIO MEMBERSHIP
included with Tuition

From the moment you sign up, through the duration of the training, inspire your practice and teaching with a combination of in person and videos you can practice anywhere!

  • Attend daily classes in studio with Astanga Yoga Ottawa
  • Access videos on demand classes with Michael Dynie Yoga

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

PHILOSOPHY & MINDFULNESS

Study the most influential source texts to inspire a fresh perspective on life, yoga and relationships: Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra / Bhagavad Gita  /  Hatha Yoga Pradipika / and other philosophies

POSTURE WORKSHOPS (ASANA) + HANDS-ON ADJUSTMENTS

Safety and injury prevention, modern perspectives and alignment in motion.

ANATOMY OF YOGA

Functional anatomy of yoga and the physiology of meditative states.

CREATIVE & THEMATIC SEQUENCING

Sequence classes with purpose. Learn to integrate themes (movement families, philosophy, etc); adapt yoga to diverse needs.

MEDITATION

Various practical approaches will be explored drawing from Patanjali’s Yoga and Buddhism.

BREATHING TECHNIQUES (PRANAYAMA, BANDHA)

Practices that can focus the mind, and calm or stimulate the nervous system to experience deep states of tranquility and awareness. These pranayama exercises are drawn from traditional texts, while modern day breathing science also offers us additional tools to practice ourselves and teach.

TEACHING SKILLS

Language skills to balance the flow with the form; humility and strength: mental focus and acceptance; tools for putting yourself and your students at ease. Grounding and holding the seat of the teacher.

CULTURAL APPRECIATION VS APPROPRIATION

How can we honour Yoga’s vast roots as a Southeast Asian tradition? We will begin to untangle the colonial gaze with which yoga has developed, and cultivate an approach to social justice that aligns with the yoga principles of ahimsa (non-violence) and satya (pursuit of the truth).

TEACHING THROUGH A TRAUMA INFORMED LENS

Gain an understanding of the basic impact trauma can have on the brain and body, and cultivate compassion.

Your YTT Facilitators:

MICHAEL DYNIE

Michael has been a student of Yoga since 1998, seeking relief from back pain related to scoliosis, and something like enlightenment. His teaching blends anatomy studies with Hatha Yoga, and over a decade practising Ashtanga and more free-form Vinyasa rooted in the breath. He invites you to compassionately explore your boundaries in search of the middle-path between meditative awareness and postural stability. 

JANICE DEFILIPPI

Janice is a long-time practitioner of Astanga who made many trips to Mysore, India to study at a time when the practice existed in relative obscurity and class sizes were below a dozen. Janice holds Richard Freeman’s advanced teaching certificate. She continues to honour one of her first teachers, John Scott.

ALLISON TOMOTSUGO

Allison became a lifetime student of Ashtanga Yoga in 2001. Staying committed to her practice as a busy mom of 2 has been her greatest teacher. Her teachings are a blend of her ever evolving self practice combined with a deep understanding of Biomechanics and Physiology. Her approach to teaching invites you to thoughtfully rewire the way we think about moving and breathing, and how interconnected it is to everything we do. 

 

APPLY FOR TEACHER TRAINING

Please tell us a little about yourself:

1 – Why do you practice yoga?

2 – What do you hope to gain from this course?

    AYO’s Teacher Training is registered with the Yoga Alliance (RYS).

    Upon graduation, students who fulfill all the course requirements will receive a 200-hour certificate of yoga teacher training which is recognized by the Yoga Alliance and studios around the world.

    Testimonials:

    “Signing up for this YTT with Janice and Mike has literally forever changed my life. Having just completed their 200HR Hatha Vinyasa YTT, I can say with 111% truth, I’m floored with the physical, emotional, spiritual and psychological benefits I have received from going within and committing to the practice and study of yoga (Ashtanga), 8 limbs, mindfulness, meditation, and so much more…”

    — Jessica Clifford,
    Life Coach (Earth Woman)

    “I adored my teacher training experience at AYO. Michael Dynie and Janice DeFilippi are extremely knowledgeable, experienced teachers and excellent course facilitators. The training was intimate, extensive and well-catered to our individual needs as practitioners and future educators. I was able to deepen my own practice enormously through the guidance of these wonderful teachers. The training inspired me to explore the philosophy of yoga more deeply and gave me the confidence to begin to share the knowledge I received and my own passion for the practice in a respectful and accessible way with my own students…”

    — Alison Gowan
    Yoga Teacher, Studio owner