Jivamukti Yoga

The Jivamukti Yoga 300-Hour Teacher Training is a month-long residential program held at different locations around the world. This rigorous program taught by Sharon Gannon, David Life and other senior Jivamukti Yoga teachers is considered by many to be the most comprehensive yoga teacher training available. It attracts students from around the world and produces empowered, knowledgeable and confident yoga teachers.

Jivamukti Yoga, developed by Sharon Gannon and David Life in 1984, offers the contemporary yogi a creative approach to living in the world today. Grounded in the ancient scriptures and ethical practices of yoga, Jivamukti, a Sanskrit word which means “living liberated,” is a practical philosophy that teaches how spiritual values can help us work with the challenges of everyday life with more joy, compassion and positive effectiveness.

By means of asana and other traditional yogic practices, Jivamukti Yoga provides a path to enlightenment for the sincere seeker. Its five foundational elements are:

Ahimsa (nonviolence and compassion towards all beings—by being kind to others you create an atmosphere of peace within and around yourself which extends into the greater world)
Bhakti (devotion—offering everything you do to something greater than your ego/small self— acknowledgment that Self or God realization is the goal of all yoga practices)
Dhyana (meditation—connecting to that unchanging reality of eternal joy within)
Nada (through sacred music and sonic techniques learn how to enhance the development of a sound body and mind through deep listening)
Shastra (the study of Sanskrit scriptures and how they apply to the here and now)

The month-long training program covers yoga philosophy and scriptures, history of yoga, introduction to Sanskrit, introduction to anatomy, practice teaching sessions, study groups, mentor guidance, quizzes, midterm and final tests, and all aspects of Jivamukti Yoga. The training focuses not only on the physical postures, but also on how the postures evolved. We explore yoga’s ancient sacred texts and five-thousand-year-old traditions, as well as the psychotherapeutic benefits that develop with a steady practice and the spiritual power that is set free when energy flows throughout the heart, body and mind.