Shanti Garudasana Yoga School

Admissions Requirements for W&M Students

• Applicants should be 18 years of age or full-time W&M students who will not be graduating until Dec. 2027 at the earliest in order to complete the program.
• Applicants should have a regular yoga practice.
• Applicants should submit a completed application.

New Course Layout for 2026 

• In order to make this course as accessible to W&M students as possible, we have collaborated with W&M Campus Recreation to create a new modular program. This program will start in January 2026. Please see the schedule below. The total cost and cost for each module is listed in a table below the schedule. Payments may be made per module. Students on financial aid may qualify for a lower total price. Please indicate whether you are on financial aid at W&M on the application below.

Virtual Interest Meeting

• Dates for future cohorts are TBD
• Interest Meetings are led by Yoga School Directors, Cindy Crace and Patti DeBlass, and Associate Director of Campus Rec, Jenny Dunfee.

• Questions? Email jenny@wm.edu 

2026 Schedule

FALL 2025 OR FALL 2026

• FitWell Instructor Training Course
  
  • All students in Yoga Teacher Training will go through Campus Rec's in-house FitWell Instructor Training Course. The course will meet once a week for 1.5 hours for 9 weeks: 13.5 hours total. 
  • The course is offered in the fall semester and so students in the 2026 Yoga Teacher Training program may take the course in Fall 2025 (currently running through Oct. 28) or in Fall 2026
  • A total of 20 hours including reading/homework and a Red Cross training.

WINTER BREAK 2025-2026

• Yoga Studies Online Module (History & Philosophy)
  
  • Approximately 20 hours of listening to audio lectures and completing quizzes that students can do from home over winter break.

SPRING 2026

• Teaching Hatha Yoga Part I (virtual)
  • Saturday, Jan. 10, 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (includes 1 hour for lunch)
  • Students will participate in 7 hours of virtual training.
  • Approximately 20 hours, including reading/homework.
• Teaching Hatha Yoga Part II (in person)
  • Saturday, Jan. 24, from 9:00 AM-6:00 PM and Sunday, Jan. 25, from 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
    1 hour for lunch will be included on both days.
  • This instruction focuses on the Hatha Yoga script.
• Teaching Hatha Yoga Part III (in-person)
  • Saturday, Feb. 28, from 9:00 AM-5:00 PM and Sunday, March 1, from 9:00 AM-5:00 PM (in-person)
    1 hour for lunch will be included on both days.
  • On Saturday, students will participate in 7 hours of in-person training
  • On Sunday, there will be community Hatha Yoga classes team-taught by all students and supervised by the Yoga School Directors. Students will meet before the class to discuss their planned teaching sequence and practice teaching: 7 hours
• Hatha Yoga Teaching Practicum (scheduled between students and Campus Rec)
  
  • Students will gain another 10 hours of teaching /training practice (with a mentor) from teaching yoga classes and attending continuing education credit workshops (such as trauma-informed yoga).
• Anatomy
  • Saturday, March 21 (in person), 9:00 AM- 6:00 PM (1 hour for lunch) and Sunday, March 22, 8:00 AM-12:00 PM (virtual)
  • Students will spend a total of 17 hours in this module, including reading and homework.

FALL 2026

• Teaching Vinyasa Yoga I (virtual)
  • Saturday, August 15th from 8:00 AM-4:00 PM (includes 1 hour for lunch)
  • Students will participate in a total of 15 hours, including reading/homework.
• Teaching Vinyasa Yoga II (in person)
  • Saturday, Sept. 19, from 9:00 AM-6:00 PM and Sunday, Sept. 20, from 9:00 AM-5:00 PM (1 hour for lunch will be included on both days)
  • Students will focus on developing and teaching Vinyasa Yoga sequences.
• Teaching Vinyasa Yoga III (virtual and in-person)
  • Saturday, Oct. 24- 9:00 AM-5:00 PM (virtual) and Sunday, Oct. 25-9:00 AM-5:00 PM (in-person) (1 hour for lunch will be included on both days).
  • Students will participate in 7 hours of virtual training on Saturday.
  • Sunday will include community Vinyasa classes, team-taught by all instructors and supervised by the Yoga School Directors. Before the class, students will meet with their partner, develop their teaching sequence and practice teaching: 7 hours.
• Vinyasa Yoga Teaching Practicum (self-paced)
  • Students will gain another 10 hours of teaching/training practice from teaching yoga classes and attending continuing education credit workshops

WINTER BREAK 2026-2027

• Finalizing Yoga Teacher Training (virtual)
  • Students will participate in 19 hours of virtual training on topics such as the 8 Limbs of Yoga, Subtle Energies, the Business of Yoga, and Special populations- these hours include homework, group studies, and a final exam.

PRIVATE SESSIONS

One-on-one review with Cindy and/or Patti is available at $60 per hour per Instructor.

Graduation Requirements

• Completion of all of the training sessions and practical teaching hours (totaling 200 hours).
• Completion of asana cards for all asanas learned in the training, and revisions made as needed (this assignment will be explained in depth during the first training weekend).
• A passing score on the in-house final assessment.
• Maintenance of a personal yoga and meditation practice.

Pricing & Registration

• Initial Program Deposit, $200
  • Refunded at the end of the spring 2026 semester, as long as students have completed up through the Anatomy module
• Textbooks
  • Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff, $20
  • The Heart of Yoga, by T.K.S. Desikacha, $17
  • A blank journal, $10

Fall 2025 or Fall 2026

• FitWell Instructor Training Course, $150, 23 hours earned towards 200 RYT

Winter Break '25-'26

• Yoga Studies Online Module (History & Philosophy), $150
  • 20 hours earned towards 200 RYT

Total cost up to this point (not including the deposit): $300

Spring 2026- the following modules will be free of charge, thanks to a generous donation.

• Teaching Hatha Yoga Part I, $0
  • 20 hours earned towards 200 RYT
• Teaching Hatha Yoga Part II, $0
  • 15 hours earned towards 200 RYT
• Teaching Hatha Yoga Part III, $0
  • 14 hours earned towards 200 RYT

After this point, the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training will be divided into modules that students will have to pay for individually.

Students hired as FitWell Instructors with Campus Rec during the Spring 2026 FitWell Instructor Hiring Process will not have to pay anything after this point.

• Hatha Yoga Teaching Practicum, $0
  • 10 hours earned towards 200 RYT
• Anatomy, $240
  • 17 hours earned towards 200 RYT
• Indepedent Work, $0
  • 8 hours earned towards 200 RYT

Fall 2026

• Teaching Vinyasa Yoga Part I, $154
  
  • 15 hours earned towards 200 RYT
• Teaching Vinyasa Yoga Part II, $257
  • 15 hours earned towards 200 RYT
• Teaching Vinyasa Yoga Part III, $240
  • 14 hours earned towards 200 RYT
• Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Practicum, $0
  • 10 hours earned towards 200 RYT
• Finalizing Yoga Teacher Training, $291
  • 19 hours earned towards 200 RYT

Total cost to non-Campus Rec students, $1,482

(Includes the $300 up above for the Yogic Studies Online Module, FitWell Instructor Training Course, and the textbooks)

 * Students may pay up front or per module.
** The average price for Yoga Teacher Training Programs in the United States is $2,500.

2026 Registration Deadline

Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, at 11:59 PM.

APPLY HERE

Syllabus

• History of Yoga
• Yoga Ethics
• Anatomy and Standing Asanas
• Subtle Energy and Philosophy
• Planning a Class and Back Bends
• Pranayama and Meditation
• Student Check-In Teaching Tools
• Forward Bends and Hip-Openers
• Specialized Teaching
• Yoga Business

The Shanti Garudasana Yoga school follows the Yoga Alliance 200-hour standards for teacher training.

Required Texts

• Yoga Anatomy, 2nd. Ed., by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews
• The Heart of Yoga, by T.K.S. Desikacha
• A blank journal of your choosing

Maintaining Credentials

Every year, Registered Yoga Teachers must renew their membership with Yoga Alliance.
Every three years, Registered Yoga Teachers must submit continuing education hours.