certification questions

YogaBetsy Teacher Training Certification
Frequently Asked Questions

Primary Questions:

Cost: $400 per Session (includes materials and food)
There are 10 sessions.

Where: We have moved!
2275 Dugan Rd
(See Street Map on Home Page for directions)
Olean, NY 14760

Dates: See Bulletin or Call 716-372-5850

General Questions:

Can the workshops be taken in any order?
Yes, as long as all ten different workshops are attended.

How are students evaluated?
By a combination of class participation and student teaching demonstration to the instructor's satisfaction that material has been thoroughly assimilated.

What's a typical workshop schedule?
Fri. 5:00 -10:00 PM Instruction Lecture
Sat. 8:00 AM-Noon Lecture/Demo and Yoga Class
        12:00-1:00 PM Lunch
          1:00-5:00 PM Lecture
          5:00-7:00 PM Dinner Break
          7:00-10:00 PM Lecture/Meditation
Sun. 8:00 AM-Noon Lecture/Demo
         12:00-1:00 PM Lunch
           1:00-3:00 PM Evaluations

Can people already certified take these workshops?
Of course! And then they can apply the hours towards their RYT 200 or RYT 500 National Certification.

Can you take these workshops just for your own education, just
one or two classes as suits your interest with no intention of becoming certified?
Absolutely! These workshops are a terrific way to deepen and improve your individual yoga practice in addition to meeting and spending significant time with other serious and dedicated yoga students.

Do you provide any further support for students
National Yoga Certification RYT 200 and RYT 500?
Yes, you can arrange to pick up your practicum (student teaching) with us here at the yoga center. We can also sit down with you and help you assemble your data to submit to the Yoga Alliance for these national certification levels.

How long will it take to be certified?
We offer the workshops approximately once a month, so it could take about a year if all are taken consecutively.

What do the workshops cover?

Workshops 1-7: Cover postures, breathing, cleansing techniques, chanting,meditation, ayurveda, setting up a yoga business, and making your own DVD.

Workshop 8: Teaching methodology, including principles of demonstration, observation, assisting/correcting, instruction, teaching styles, qualities of a teacher and the student's process of learning.

Workshop 9: Anatomy and Physiology. Includes physical anatomy and physiology (body systems, organs etc.) and energy anatomy (chakras, nadis, etc.)

Workship 10: Yoga Philosophy/ethics/lifestyle. Study of classic yoga scriptures (Yoga sutras, Bhagavad Gita, etc. ), ethics for yoga teachers, living the life of a yoga practitioner, how to apply your yoga "off the mat."

What are Betsy Afton's educational background and credentials?

Betsy has a BA in English from the University of Rochester and a Ms.Ed in English instruction from St. Bonaventure University. She has her Hatha Yoga Teacher's Certification 200 hour + 500 hour from the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, Pa.,as well as her ERYT 500 through the Yoga Alliance.

She has taught a wide variety of age and ability groups over the last 30 years and has been the founder and director of the YogaBetsy Yoga Center in Olean since 2000, teaching over 20,000 hours of yoga including classes and seminars at area colleges, universities and secondary schools and businesses.

In addition to promoting yoga and being instrumental in establishing and providing ongoing support for a lively and vibrant yoga community in Western New York's beautiful and breathtaking Southern Tier Enchanted Mountain area, she has co-starred and co-produced her own commercially available series of instructional hatha yoga DVDs.

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