We call this retreat “The Heart” because the heart is the physical location of our energy and our true Self. Through the heart, we open ourselves to devotion and liberation. After having explored and realigned the body and mind with the breath, we will be ready to introduce the more subtle body and mind practices.

The philosophical practice will be based on the Bhagavad Gita. You will be practicing more advanced yoga methods that will help you to de-code, uncover and break down the walls that keep you from being aware of your true wisdom nature. The practices will work on the nervous system and change the patterns of energy flow in the body.

You will learn how energy flows in body and mind work. The energy body is composed of energy pathways called nadis and areas of focused life energy called chakras. When these channels are clear, our awareness becomes clear like the sky.

During this part of the training we will investigate the mind, the most subtle level in our systems. The philosophical practice will be based on non-dual practices such as Buddhism and Tantra. From your foundation on mindfulness practices, you will go deeper into meditation techniques that will firmly establish you in your awareness and presence. Here lies the root of seeing the greater purpose that guides your life.

You will become aware that your life as yoga teacher is a gift of service towards others. This goes beyond your own self-interest. Deep seated unconscious emotional patterns and areas of unclarity in the mind must be illuminated and purified to reach the next level of awakening.

Clearing the energy body to open the mind will create the conditions for deep self-inquiry in this level of the Advanced Studies. So this period is for ripening and going deeper. All levels before this are merely a preparation, a cleaning of the temple of body and mind to make space for the opening of our true nature. Here the true yogi is being born.

The twin disciplines Yoga & Ayurveda are impossible to bring apart. The union of these two disciplines brings forth a system of healing for physical, mental and spiritual health and happiness. The best way of learning and integrating anything into our life is through direct experience.

In this module on Yoga & Ayurveda you will experience how we are all made up out of the nature's five great elements, the pancha maha bhutas (either, air, fire water and earth). By learning how to live according to those laws of nature, you will be able to meet your individual fullest potential.

Though we are all made up out of the exact same elements, we each contain different amounts of each element. Thereby each one of us is a unique expression of nature. Due to this fact we all need different foods, herbs, healing remedies, lifestyles and yoga practices.

The focus of this module is on how to apply the tools offered by Ayurveda for both preventative and healing purposes for body, heart and mind through yoga asana, meditation, pranayama, mudra, mantra and marma.

Yoga & Healing offers a series of practices synthesized from Tibetan Yoga, Chinese Qi Gong, Hatha Yoga, Tibetan medicine and Ayurveda, drawing from the belief that the source of healing is within us as a natural spontaneous expression of connection and balance (the meaning of the Sanskrit word "sahaja").

Kevin Sahaj has spent his life studying various systems of healing and yoga and has compiled, sequenced and created these practices based on his understanding of how they integrate and balance each other. The practices are simple and easy to learn, anyone regardless of age and experience can benefit by following these methods.

Essentially, healing yoga works more on the energetic level, so it is more subtle. To access healing we need to work with the energies in the body in relation to our life in the external world. If we can facilitate the harmonious flow of energy in our body, we start to heal physical, emotional and mental disturbances and find a meaningful and creative outer and inner life.

This module will be a journey of awakening and a deepening our awareness of ourselves on an experiential level.

Rather than performing each asana as an independent pose, Vinyasa Krama mirrors the flowing energy of the universe, creating connections between the poses. Krama means the stages or steps within a Vinyasa sequence, based on the principle of progression over time. Vinyasa Krama uses variations of each asana to open the mind and body.

This advanced 7-day training for yoga teachers is given by Moena de Jong and Fleur van Zonneveld who are both experienced Vinyasa teachers. You will deepen your own practice as well as your teaching skills based on the fluid method of Vinyasa Krama. You will learn how to create and keep the flow going in your classes while holding space for your students so they can experience their own journey within the safety of a well designed class. You will learn how to teach a Vinyasa class for different levels and how to modify the Asanas in the sequence, and become familiar with the art of sequencing for different levels and interweaving themes in your classes.

Participation in a 10-day meditation silent retreat Yoga is in essence about training the mind. Letting go of old mental patterns and seeing the nature of the mind uncovered by the layers of conditioning requires more than just a daily asana practice on the mat. Meditation done in an intensive retreat will give the support for you to go into the subtle layers of your mind and experience a profound and life changing possibility of freeing your mind. We recommend to follow a 10-day Vipassana retreat through dhamma.org (according to the teachings of S.N. Goenka). There are also online Silent retreats offered for 10 days, e.g. at Vipassana Online or Spirit Rock. If a student is unable in their personal situation to be away for 10 days, we also accept 5-day / 50 hours silent retreats if followed with one of the following: Thanissara and Kittisaro/Sacred Mountain Sangha or Spirit Rock or Insight Meditation Society or Gaia House.

The karma yoga project consists of eight sessions (8-12 hours) of teaching practice, preferably in a community service environment (teach any group of people who normally would not get the opportunity to experience any sort of yoga). The fantastic thing about the karma yoga project is that you can experience the freedom of just serving and helping people without any expectations of personal gain. Karma yoga is a very powerful yoga practice in itself and can change the way you share and practice yoga from a self centered egoistic approach to a sharing of interconnection and unity. As well, the Karma yoga project is to take yoga out of the “yoga studio” box, into the wider community where people that would never come to a yoga class in a studio can benefit from yoga. It helps you grow and helps others as well.

Offering individual sessions to at least 3 persons to help them unlock their breathing patterns. Breath is life force and the stress of the modern world has people locked up in breathing patterns that are unhealthy for their mind, energy and body. By helping people unlock their breath and recover harmonious natural breathing you are giving them an incredible gift that can change their lives. This is also an opportunity for you to practice the teaching methods of unlocking the breath for your own training.

We will require you to hand in 4 reports of max. 1 A4 page for each of the following elements, describing your insights & take-away's gathered from:

1. Individual breathing sessions
2. Silent meditation retreat
3. Karma yoga project
4. Book report on 1 of the 3 below books: When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chödrön The Mirror of Yoga by Richard Freeman No Mud No Lotus by Thich Nhat Hanh

More details will be shared during the retreats.

Throughout the program, mentoring and supervision is offered to allow for specific guidance on your path. This can be arranged through individual sessions with Satya Katiza or Kevin Sahaj, either in person or (video) call. Teaching supervision and feedback in preparation to the completion of the studies will also be assessed during these hours. Furthermore during these sessions, Satya or Sahaj will guide you in the preparation, progress and integration of the elements of the training that you arrange yourself: your karma yoga project, breathing sessions (in which you will help persons with breathing patterns), and your participation in a silent retreat. These sessions are there to guide and support you throughout your studies, and form an important element for your development as practitioner and future teacher. You can arrange the sessions whenever needed.

For students of our Basic Teacher Training as well as of our Advanced Teacher Training, we offer the chance to learn directly from a regular teacher at Delight Yoga by assisting them in their weekly classes for a period of 6 months. Students can learn through this project in many ways, such as by observing (e.g. class structure, interaction with students), by adjusting (verbal or hands-on under close supervision by the teacher), or by supporting the students' experience (arranging props, setting the atmosphere, containing the energy). The apprenticeship offers an amazing opportunity to serve both a teacher as well as one's own learning process.

More details will be shared during the Guidance sessions with Satya and/or Sahaj.

The Advanced Teacher Training consists of intensive training blocks, so that the students can deep-dive into each subject. After an intensive training or a retreat, it can be challenging to return to everyday life and keep the practices you learned alive. An important aspect of all our training programs is 'Sangha', which translates into community of like-minded people.

Our Sangha is spread out all over the world, consisting of students and practitioners. Also 'newbies', or people interested in our programs, are very welcome to get a taste of the Sva Dharma teachings. During the Sva Dharma Family Gatherings, Satya and Sahaj guide us through practices to refresh and reconnect to their Sva Dharma practices. There will be space to exchange experiences and share how to apply these practices in daily life. These informal gatherings with some formal practices keep ourselves supported and connected throughout the studies.