600 Hour Training in the Lineage of Krishnamacharya and Desikachar

Course overview

This two -year program, unique in Perth for its depth and scope, allows the slow integration of yoga’s profound teachings. An expansive transformational course, it brings together the traditional teachings of yoga and the technical aspects of this discipline as we practise it today.

Who is this for?

A broad range of students joined this course in the past (testimonials can be read here). Many took this course simply to weave yoga into their life and grow as human beings, with no intention to teach.

Others were previously trained yoga teachers in other methods; they joined this program to go deeper in their teaching and practice.

Note that if indeed you plan to teach yoga in the future, this course exceeds national and international requirements to become an insightful and multi-dimensional yoga teacher.

You will participate in an intensive course of study that includes lectures, practices, home study, written and oral presentations, teaching evaluations, and most importantly, individual practice.

Note: course limited to 12 students maximum.

What is our approach?

As TKV Desikachar said: “First and foremost, Yoga is relationship”. We can say that the foundation of this course is the connection between student and teacher, between mentee and mentor. Your mentor will help you to establish a realistic and appropriate personal practice that will evolve over time and weave into your life; your mentor will also support you in your studies.

“Teach yoga not as it applies to you, but as it applies to the student”

This “one size does not fit all” approach is probably the aspect of Krishnamacharya’s teaching method that really stands out. You will learn how to creatively adapt all the techniques you learn to suit each individual, even in the context of a group class. While we are aware that most people today consider yoga primarily as a practice of physical postures (which we study extensively in this course), our aim is also to explore and use the many other tools yoga has to offer. This makes the course versatile and comprehensive, revealing the unlimited potential of yoga as a method of transformation on all levels – physical, mental, and emotional.

How does this course stand out?

1. Ongoing mentoring & Self-study – You will benefit from a minimum of 10 hours of one-on-one mentoring sessions to develop and evolve a customised practice as your platform of self-transformation, building a long-lasting connection with your mentor in the process. 
2. Community – You will be part of a small group of only 12 like-minded individuals linked together, sharing experiences, growing alongside each other for two years, and most likely beyond. 
3. Robust methodology & teaching skills – You will become familiar with a broad range of tools unpacked in great detail (over 55 postures, 14 breath techniques, several energetic locks and techniques of meditation, Vedic chanting, and more), firmly establishing yourself as a skilful and compassionate teacher in a respected lineage, for a total of 600 hours, well in excess of industry standards. 
4. Extensive study of yoga’s practical philosophy – You will examine the nuts and bolts of yoga’s philosophy and psychology, with forays into the major texts and the detailed study of Patanjali’s Yoga-Sutras, linking with concrete examples relating to everyday life.
5. An established leader in Yoga Training for over 10 years – You will be taught by a trainer with over 20 years of experience teaching yoga internationally, leading retreats, and running teacher training courses since 2008. 

Lead Trainer: Valérie Fimat-Faneco

A yoga educator, teacher trainer, mentor, yoga therapist, Vedic chanting instructor, Yoga-Sūtra translator and author of many articles on yoga, Valerie is French and moved to Perth with her Australian husband and two children after living in Singapore for 17 years. Valérie started yoga 1994, has taught in the USA, the Netherlands, Singapore and Australia since 1999, conducted yoga retreats in India, and teacher training courses in Singapore since 2008. She still mentors many graduates of past courses living all over the world, from the Americas to Europe and Singapore. Valerie is a registered Senior Teacher with Yoga Australia.

What are the training dates?

• 20x training week-ends in 2024 and 2025 (10x each year)

• 2x six-days’ retreats: September 2024 and September 2025

2024 – Feb 3-4, Mar 2-3, Apr 6-7, May 4-5, June 1-2, Aug 3-4, Aug 31-Sep 1, Sep 12 – 18 (retreat), Oct 12-13, Nov 2-3, Nov 30-Dec 1

2025 – Feb 1-2, Mar 1-2, Apr 5-6, May 3-4, May 31-June 1, June 28-29, Aug 9-10, Sep 5-11 (retreat), Oct 11-12, Nov 15-16 (exam), Dec 6-7 (exam debrief andgraduation)

Course structure

• 400 contact hours of lectures, workshops, practices, supervised teaching practicum, final exam

• 10 hours of mentoring, one-on-one

• approximately 200 hours  of personal study, preparation of written assignments & oral presentations, exam revisions.

• Total = 600 hours+

What will you study?

Important: this course is progressive and most of the modules are studied in parallel, not separately. For example, in one training week-end you may be studying a section of the Yoga-Sūtra related to meditation (module 4), exploring the technical aspects of meditation (module 5.4), and applying them in the teaching practicum (module 6.2).

1. Anatomy & Physiology

2. The Subtle Physiology of Yoga: cakras, nadis, prana, the panca-maya model, the panca-vayu model, the three gunas 

3. Roots of Yoga: contextual history of yoga and evolution of yoga from Patañjalito the modern era 

4. Yoga Philosophy: overview of major texts and detailed study of chapters I and II of the Yoga-Sutra.

5. Tools of Yoga: asana | over 50 postures studied in detail (incl. adaptations)

6. Tools of Yoga: pranayama | over 10 breathing techniques studied in detail 

7. Tools of Yoga: mudras and bandhas | energetic locks, inverted postures as mudras

8. Tools of Yoga: dhyana | definitions and applications of meditation

9. Tools of Yoga: sound and Vedic chanting | non-religious chanting for beginners 

10. Teaching methodology | course planning and class sequencing

11. Teaching methodology | pedagogy of teaching, teaching practicum

12. Teaching methodology | ethics of teaching

13. Specialty yoga | Pre-natal, post-natal, children, seniors

How much?

contact us  for details of payment options (early bird or quarterly)

How to apply

1. Please fill out the registration form.
2. Please write a letter to explain your interest and motivation in taking this course.
3. Please send the registration form and the letter but no payment.
4. You will then be contacted for an interview.
5. Once your application has been reviewed, if accepted, you will be asked to pay the deposit and sign the Teacher Training Agreement.

contact us