300-Hour Teacher Training

Our student body will be a diverse, virtual, global community of yogis with a wide range of experience. Participants will range from newer yoga practitioners to experienced teachers. Students with stiffness, challenges with yoga or meditation, injuries, and health issues are all welcome. If you are interested in a deeper understanding of yourself and your body, and if you want to develop tools that nourish your body, mind, and personal gifts, this training is for you and we encourage you to attend.

This training follows the Mazé Method of yoga education, a step-by-step approach to becoming a skillful, confident teacher. The curriculum combines detailed alignment knowledge and intelligent sequencing with vinyasa theory to provide you with sound skills for teaching safe and effective yoga classes. Your teachers have spent over 50 years collectively investigating nearly every style of yoga, its practices, and associated philosophies. Their knowledge, combined with their approach to experiential education, creates a learning environment that is rich and multi-faceted.

Students will learn to apply healthy critical thinking through an inquisitive approach to yoga studies. They’ll practice innovative teaching drills, gain clarity about how scientific principles substantiate training techniques, explore the deeper dimensions of yoga practice, and leave with a cutting-edge understanding of human movement and physiology. In all, students can expect to complete this training with new perspectives on yoga study, a greater understanding of biomechanical alignment principles, and expanded general knowledge.

We will study and deconstruct asana (yoga poses), pranayama(breathwork), meditation, yoga theory, yoga practice, yoga history and philosophy, basic Sanskrit, and ethics. Each day will be a treasure trove of learning about anatomy, kinesiology, applied biomechanics, and how to use this knowledge to optimize your yoga and movement practice and teaching.

In addition to the pre-recorded lessons and classes, Nichol and Noah will offer regular live sessions to facilitate community and collaboration, conduct teaching practicum, answer emerging collective questions, and further clarify lessons and topics as needed. Upon completion and graduation, students may choose to register with Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour RYT level.

Procedural:

• LIVE PARTICIPATION IS ENCOURAGED BUT NOT REQUIRED.
• All modules include ZOOM sessions where Noah interacts with students and moderates small group work for at least 2 hours daily.
• All live sessions are recorded, archived, and available to you within 2-6 hours.
• In addition to our 200 Hour YTT Manual, written materials include workbooks, worksheets, articles, and more, which you may download and print directly from an easy to use training folder.
• Additional resources and videos, including past webinars and related videos.
• Pre-recorded classes and live-streamed classes, which are part of the training, are available to students to work with and use on students' own time.

Core areas of study:

• Teaching alignment
• Anatomy & kinesiology
• Vinyasa flow
• Sequencing strategies
• Therapeutics & adjustments
• Yoga philosophy
• Yoga and Body Image
• Psychology of teaching
• Yoga ethics
• Leadership & facilitation skills
• Communication & group dynamics
• Pranayama, mantra & meditation
• The business of yoga

As a graduate of this program, you will:

• Receive individual teaching guidance
• Expand your knowledge of alignment
• Expand your personal asana knowledge
• Be dexterous with yoga sequencing
• Be an effective class planner
• Master fundamental teaching skills
• Be a more confident teacher
• Understand your individual strengths
• Key into your leadership abilities
• Work with different areas for improvement
• Overcome and move past challenges
• Plan next steps in your yoga career
• Navigate success without compromising integrity
• Possess community building skills
• Possess conflict resolution skills
• Be an effective communicator

You may complete this program via independent study entirely remotely if you wish. In such case, enrollment is rolling and you may begin anytime.

If you wish to start with us from the beginning with live participation, which we prefer if possible, we suggest working with the live module schedule below, anticipated live meeting times between 9 am to 5 pm PST (if you are in a different time zone you can participate in real time in your waking hours and communicate via community channels to have questions answered and dialogue with us), sequenced with pre-recorded videos.

• Module 1 (Essential Skills): April 30-May 2 & May 7-9, 2024
• Module 2 (Anatomy): July 9-11 & 16-18, 2024
• Module 3 (Philosophy): September 17-19 & 24-26, 2024
• Module 4 (Sequencing): November 12-14 & 19-21, 2024
• Module 5 (Vinyasa): January 14-16 & 21-23, 2025
• Module 6 (Ethics, Leadership & Facilitation): March 4-6 & 25-27, 2025 (This module is best attended live as much as possible. Hours will be adjusted closer to delivery date to maximize group participation based upon group makeup.)

• Exact daily schedule to be announced in this course’s online learning portal and community SLACK CHANNEL; however, a typical schedule for learning is day begins at 9 am PST and ends at 5 pm PST
• You may attend live sessions partially and catch up with recordings at your own pace
• If these times are not convenient, a recorded version of this course is available now and may be replaced with the February version as soon as it has been recorded
• Students MAY begin any time with recordings and switch into the live course as/if desired
• Students maintain access to the material without expiration and are able to revisit and repeat classes and lessons without limitation

THIS TRAINING IS TAUGHT ENTIRELY BY NOAH MAZÉ

Module 1: ESSENTIAL TEACHING SKILLS TUNE-UP.
Welcome to advanced teacher training! In this module, we will lay the groundwork and re-establish the essential knowledge and tune-up the skills for progressive teaching, starting from where you are at as a person and a teacher. This module’s focus will center around clear and effective verbal instructions, full spectrum sequencing, pose knowledge, pose regressions and progressions, clear and potent postural demonstrations, skillful observation, and presence. We will encourage you to think about yourself holistically, and what you currently offer to your students as a teacher.

• Opening and closing class rituals
• Verbal instruction focus – type of instructions
• Pose analysis
• Experiential education
• Sequencing strategies overview
• Full Spectrum class planning and sequencing
• Ethics of teaching
• Assessment of applied anatomy & physiology
• Understanding & mitigating misalignments
• Clarification of classical form and when to modify
• When and why to use props
• How to better use yoga books & resources
• Yoga Business Topics: Money & Contracts

Module 2: ASANATOMY; THE WONDER OF YOUR BODY.
Continuing on with progressive teaching, we will dive deeper within the body to further solidify your understanding of kinesiology, anatomy and applied biomechanics within postures.  From major muscle groups to skeletal regions, we will examine how the body functions to allow the body to enter and sustain various asanas, as well as common injuries and modifications. We will focus on creating and teaching anatomical body region classes, facilitating muscular activations, with best practices for demonstration within class.

• Anatomy of poses
• Skeletal and muscular anatomy
• How to facilitate muscular activations
• Advanced lessons in muscular function, biomechanics & kinesiology
• Yoga related skills and drills to incorporate into class
• Anatomically accurate and precise verbal instructions
• Sequencing strategies for anatomy-focused classes
• Science based strategies for training mobility and stability
• Expanded use of props
• Demonstrating anatomical terms and concepts in teaching
• Effective feedback
• Ethics of teaching
• Yoga Business Topics: Marketing

Module 3: SVADHYAYA; TAKING THE TEACHINGS TO HEART.
How to teach to a theme can be difficult. It can also be overbearing and can feel “preachy” to students. Our discussions will include background in storytelling, folklore and oral and aural traditions of memory, recitation, interpretation and commentary. We examine how yoga has come to be associated with posture, asana, and the dissemination of yoga to the west and subsequent proliferation of modern postural yoga.  We will examine how to properly teach to alignment of postures, and how to best set up your class sequence geared towards inter-weaving themes with postures. 

• History and culture of the traditions of yoga
• Yoga Philosophy: from Veda to Modern Yoga
• Mythology and story telling
• Symbolism and interpretation
• Esoteric yogic practices; mantra, mudra, yantra, subtle body
• Sequencing for feeling-based themes
• Sequencing for philosophical themes and teachings
• Sequencing for mythic narratives and story telling
• Ethics
• Yoga Business Topics: Developing Business Avatars

Module 4: SEQUENCING; SKILL IN ACTION
Sequencing can be challenging. Sequencing with proper alignment and to a theme can be even more challenging. In this module, we will examine how to properly teach to alignment of postures, how to create and teach focus pose classes, and how to best set up your class sequence geared towards a peak posture. 

• Sequencing for alignment-focused classes
• Focus pose class construction
• Peak pose class planning
• Sequencing for every level of yogi
• Teaching beginners
• Regression and progression strategies
• Alignment classes vs vinyasa classes
• Sequencing to your objectives and learning outcomes
• Yoga Business Topics: Content

Module 5: VINYASA KRAMA; FORM, FUNCTION, FLOW.
What is vinyasa…really? With many broad definitions out there, we will look at modern vinyasa in its current form today and identify elements of vinyasa together to better understand this style. Progressions and regressions of asanas will be evaluated to accommodate mixed-level classes.

• Analysis of primary vinyasa methods (Ashtanga Vinyasa)
• What is vinyasa, historical and contemporary perspectives
• Organizing principles and strategies of vinyasa
• Keys to teaching an effective vinyasa flow class
• Skillful transitions and linked sequencing
• Pairing breath and movement
• Instructing breath
• Tempo, timing, pacing, rhythm (1 breath per pose, 5 breaths per pose)
• Intelligent use of props in vinyasa
• Pose regressions and progressions in vinyasa
• Asana: comparative analysis and vinyasa strategies to layer in alignment
• Exploration of yoga specialty areas
• Business of Yoga: The Art of Skillful Business Relationships

Module 6: LEADERSHIP, FACILITATION AND PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER.
The culmination of this course will build your current toolbox that you carry around as a teacher. There are many that we may possess, but either do not utilize them, underutilize them, or do know how to utilize. This module will focus on how to maximize tools like teaching skills, understanding your class as a whole, and how to communicate effectively. 

• Ethics in the yoga traditions (and beyond)
• “Seat of the teacher”
• Effective communication, healthy boundaries
• Group facilitation and feedback
• Experiential eduction
• Presentation design
• Presenting yoga philosophy topics, anatomy topics
• Facilitation of ethical topics and case studies
• Overt / Direct skills of teaching
• Subtle / Indirect skills of teaching
• Group dynamics and stages of group development
• Training arcs and curriculum development
• Leadership & studentship
• Establishing trust and connecting to your audience with “buy in”
• Professional Direction – “Taking this back to your business”

1. Can I complete the modules and online 300 hour training at my own pace or am I required to be present during every live session? Each of us is a unique learner. This training has been carefully designed for students to absorb, study and. participate at your own pace. Participation is encouraged not just for individuals but for our community as a whole; however  live attendance is not required and recordings of all live session will be made available to students immediately following each live session. While not mandatory, we have noticed that many students who are engaged more fully may finish the course with added confidence.  Additionally, when fewer students attend live sessions, the breadth/depth/variation of learning and conversation may be  limited. On the other hand, smaller and more intimate discussions can also be worthwhile.  It all works.  Please do not feel guilty if live times do not work, but join if you can.  When scheduling live sessions we do our best to take student needs and requests into account. Our live ONLINE dates are listed on this page (see the program dates description above) for your planning. We will also remind students of what’s upcoming and post about live sessions in our community SLACK  channel.
2. When is the deadline to sign up for the online course? I know you mentioned that this is one of the last ones you will be offering. Sooner is better. That said — longer answer — no deadline but Yoga Alliance wants programs to be finished by 1-2022. So we want you to have the time to work through the material in a way that will be most oriented to retention. YA might extend the deadline too — however the program can be finished but we are willing to allow you extra time to complete if you are well into learning.
3. I read in the details that the course is Yoga Alliance Certified and meets all of the requirements. What is the deadline for course completion in order to register it under Yoga Alliance as an online training? End of the calendar year is the timeline although IF you don’t make the completion deadline not to worry so long as you’ve put in a good deal of study time prior to year end. We’ll be able to make it work. We vet our students. So you'll do your best and if we go into next year we will find a way to make it work so long as we close up at a good pace.
4. I will be on summer holidays in two weeks and want to start diving into the program right away if possible since I will have lots of free time the next two months. Is this an option? Yes.
5. Will I be ok working on my own? How isolating will it be? There IS a certain lack of feedback due to the lack of interaction That the upside of self study brings. There are some ways around it – but we won't pretend -- self study in this program will be somewhat isolated. Part of the goal of the training is to give you your own measure of how to assess your work. We have various techniques for doing this but we like to lay out teaching objectives - or help you to lay them out (what I like to call “SWABATS” and we define that in the training) but sometimes – most often - it’s not about anyone else’s feedback so much as how to learn to measure your own judgment, desires, improvement and confirm your consistency with your teaching goals on your own. ALSO, we try to foster community and dialogue so you're not stranded and alone. Here’s what we do to make things more interactive:(1) There’s a community slack channel and it gets busy when we are in session. We interact and feedback there (2) There are peer review groups you can decide to participate with/in (3) There’s also a peer review channel in the slack group. (4) We answer questions in slack too (I tend to be there only when we are in session) and i will interact with you there. There you can pose questions and we use it. We are a little inconsistent about how often we check but I do try to look at it once a week and it definitely look at it daily when we are in session. (5) Most of our practicums happen via zoom during online sessions. You’ll have a chance to see these sessions via recording and many people have indicated that they feel as if they are in the room watching the recording - And often students have questions in common and feedback can be applied to you even if it’s not you getting the feedback -if that makes sense (6) If you find you want more interaction/dialogue and or feedback, you can possibly work it out to join us for some zooms and we can speak to YOU and give you specific time frames when those zooms will be. (An hour or two in a given day is not the same as an eight hour day). Certainly you don’t have to join for all of the live modules to participate in the discussion receive feedback etc.
6. How do I keep track of my progress? This is adult learning, so there’s no need to report into teachers about your progress.  To that end, we will assume you are tracking your study and  encourage you to keep thorough notes of where you come and go, etc.. At the end of the program we will audit your time spent logged into the training to confirm you have met the hours requirement to graduate— but otherwise you get to unpack the material entirely in your own way with your own accountability.

• 200 RYT (minimum) with Noah OR
• 200 RYT through a comparable school OR
• 200 RYT through a bridging program
• Willingness to participate in a group process
• Ablility to give and receive feedback skillfully
• Dedication, motivation and self directed studentship

“I would wholeheartedly recommend this training. A lot of 300 hour trainings will teach you aspects of yoga. The The Mazé Method training is singularly focused on teaching you how to teach those aspects, and that’s a critical distinction. You get the content, but more than that you get the skills to deliver that content to your students.” –Taylor Trussell

“This is the hardest and the most rewarding training I’ve ever done. I really loved it. I love the non-dogmatic approach and the openness to other points of view. The content is solid. The instructors are all knowledgeable. I felt inspired and supported. Noah is a bad-ass teacher and amazing human being. I loved everyone on this team – thank you all!” –Aria Morga

• We are big believers in getting to know our students personally. We prefer in person communication and respond quickly and comprehensively by phone, and Tracy Mazé may be reached at (310) 871-8808 anytime via call or text.
• Alternatively, please email themazemethod@icloud.com and include the best phone number to reach you.
• If you prefer communication solely via email, please email themazemethod@icloud.com and allow us up to a week for us to respond to your inquiry.