What Sets Us Apart?

We have been leading Yoga Teacher Training courses since 2009, with more than 100 completed trainings and over 1,500 alumni around the world. For us, experience is not simply measured by the number of years we have been teaching, but by what we have learnt during those years. Each training gives us an opportunity to observe, listen, and refine, and student feedback has always played an important role in developing our programmes.

Our curriculum has evolved considerably since we began, reflecting new research and a deeper understanding of the subjects we teach. We continue to question and update our approach, while preserving the practices and teachings that have remained relevant and valuable throughout the years. We believe that a good educational programme should never be static, which is why our courses continue to evolve alongside our own learning and experience.

Rooted in tradition, grounded in science

Our approach is multidisciplinary, bringing together traditional yogic teachings with contemporary research and knowledge from fields such as anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, neuroscience and psychology. We have great respect for the traditions from which yoga developed, and our programmes include Yoga Philosophy, meditation, pranayama, subtle anatomy, mantra, mudra, Ayurveda and other traditional practices. At the same time, we believe that respecting a tradition does not mean that it cannot be questioned or examined through the knowledge available to us today.

As our understanding of the human body, nervous system and psychology continues to develop, so does the way we teach. We embrace traditional practices that remain meaningful and relevant, while being willing to reconsider those that no longer align with current knowledge and research. In this way, we aim to find the meeting points between ancient wisdom and modern science, allowing both to inform the way yoga is practised and taught today.

Small groups and personalised attention

We intentionally keep our in-person Teacher Trainings small because we believe the quality of a training depends not only on what is taught, but also on the attention and guidance each student receives throughout the process. Learning to teach yoga requires time to ask questions, practise, make mistakes, receive feedback and try again. Smaller groups allow our teachers to get to know each student and offer support that reflects their individual experience, challenges and interests. They also give students more opportunities to practise teaching and to receive meaningful feedback, while creating the sense of connection and community that has always been an important part of our trainings.

For those who choose to study with us online, we apply the same principle through individual mentoring, ensuring students receive personalised guidance even when they are not physically training with us.

Training that prepares you to teach

People join our 200-hour Teacher Training for many different reasons, and not everyone who attends intends to become a yoga teacher. Some come to deepen their practice, better understand yoga or simply dedicate time to their own learning and personal development. However, for those who do want to teach, we believe a Yoga Teacher Training should prepare you to do exactly that.

Teaching methodology is therefore an important part of our programme, and you will have many opportunities to put what you are learning into practice. Through our sequencing methodology, teaching practice, observation and feedback, you will gradually learn how to create and teach well-rounded classes for different students and levels of experience.

Many of our graduates begin teaching soon after completing their 200-hour training, and we are often told that students are surprised by how quickly they feel comfortable and confident teaching after graduation. Our intention is not simply for you to leave knowing more about yoga, but to understand how to apply that knowledge when you step in front of your own students.

Comprehensive training materials

Our course manuals have been developed and refined alongside our programmes over many years, bringing together the core material you will study in a clear, practical and comprehensive format. Each programme has its own purpose-built learning materials, from two extensive 200 page manuals for our 200h Teacher Training to different manuals and books for our advanced training courses. Rather than serving simply as notes for the course, our manuals are designed as resources you can return to throughout your studies and later, as your practice and teaching continue to develop. Like our programmes, they continue to evolve as new research, knowledge and experience inform the way we teach.

Students joining our in-person trainings also receive access to online pre-training, with recorded lectures and supporting materials designed to introduce key subjects before the course begins. This allows you to arrive better prepared and gives us more time during the training to explore the material in greater depth and put what you are learning into practice.

Both the manuals and online learning materials remain available as resources you can return to after the training, whether you want to revisit a lecture, refresh your understanding of a subject or find support as your own practice and teaching continue to develop. Like our programmes, these materials continue to evolve as new research, knowledge and experience inform the way we teach.

An inclusive and trauma-sensitive approach

You do not need to be particularly flexible, strong or able to perform advanced postures to train with us, and there are no asanas you need to master before joining one of our programmes. Our approach is trauma-sensitive, inclusive, and adaptable, both in how we teach our students and how we prepare them to teach others. We recognise that people come to yoga with different bodies, histories, abilities and experiences, and we encourage our students to respect these differences rather than expecting everyone to practise in the same way.

If you need to modify a practice, avoid a particular posture, or choose not to participate in something for physical, emotional, or personal reasons, we will always respect that. We believe that becoming a good yoga teacher has far more to do with knowledge, awareness, curiosity and the ability to observe and support others than with physical ability or performance.

A community that continues beyond your training

When you complete a training with Spanda, we hope that your relationship with us does not end when you receive your diploma. Our alumni become part of the Spanda Sangha, a growing international community through which we continue to share learning opportunities, advanced education, guidance and ways to remain involved with the Institute.

In fact, all of our current teacher trainers were once Spanda students themselves. Many continued studying with us after their first training, gradually becoming assistants, mentors and eventually lead teachers who now support new students through the same journey they once experienced. We believe education is a continuing process, particularly when you begin teaching, which is why we aim to remain a source of support as your practice, knowledge and teaching continue to develop.

Take Spanda Teacher Training to your community

For some of our students, completing a 200-hour Teacher Training is the beginning of a much longer journey, and our advanced programmes are designed to support teachers who want to keep developing their knowledge, experience, and role as educators. Graduates of our 300-hour Teacher Training who meet the required criteria can take this journey further by establishing a 200-hour Teacher Training in their own community based on the Spanda programme and methodology.

This gives experienced alumni the opportunity to build on a curriculum developed and refined since 2009, rather than creating a Teacher Training programme entirely from scratch. At the same time, it allows the Spanda approach to grow organically through teachers who have studied the method, understand our values and have been part of our community. We see this as a natural continuation of the learning process: students become teachers, teachers continue their education, and some eventually become educators of the next generation of yoga teachers.