2008-09 Teacher Training Program

"The human species is forever in a state of change, forever becoming" Simone De Beauvoir

Immerse yourself into the world of yoga and transform yourself and the lives of others with our Yoga Teacher Training program. Discover your joy through becoming a certified yoga teacher.

If you would like to deepen your understanding of yoga and the yoga system or if you want to transform your students lives by teaching yoga, then our program is for you.

Our 200 hour program covers yoga history & philosophy, asana, hatha yoga anatomy, pranayama, pratyahara, yoga nidra, yoga sutras, yoga diet/nutrition and meditation practices. We believe that every person should be able to do some form or style of hatha yoga, from conception to natural death. During our Yoga Teacher Training you will learn teachings from several different hatha and raja yoga schools so you will be able to adapt practices to meet the needs of your future students. Upon successful completion of our program, you will be certified to teach our Beginning and intermediate level or equivalent courses.

The purpose of the intensive days is to deepen the practices, teach specific philosophical information and practice, practice, practice. Intensives run Fridays from 6:30pm to 8:30pm, Saturdays from 8am to 4pm and Sundays from 8am to Noon. Specific text assignments will be given at the first intensive.

If you have any questions, please give me a call at 219-226-1000 or email zyogadoctor@sbcglobal.net. Please sign up for the training by Friday, Sepember 5th. Our intensives begin Friday, 19th at 6:30pm

200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program 2008-09

I.Basic Information

A. 18 day intensive trainings in: *yoga history & philosophy *asana *hatha yoga anatomy *pranayama *pratyahara *yoga nidra *yoga sutras *yoga diet/nutrition *meditation.

2 day intensives

September 19-21, October 3-5, November 1-2, December 5-7, January 9-11, February 6-8, March 7-9, April 3-5, May 1-3.

B. Participation in The Yoga Room Classes or other Hatha yoga classes
50 Hours of clinical observation/participation- explained at first intensive training

C. Yoga asana and meditation practice journal & diet/nutrition journal

D. Supervised student teaching in Yoga class in Saturday Open Yoga classes and other Yoga I & II classes.

E. At-Home study course work includes:
1. Assigned readings, reports and assignments.
2. Written test on text material.
3. Performance test on asanas, pranayama, meditation, etc.

II. Textbooks
Coulter, H. David. Anatomy of Hatha Yoga. Honesdale: Body & Breath Inc., 2001.
Iyengar, B. K. S. Light on Yoga. New York: Schocken Books, 1966.
Satyananda, Swami Saraswati. Four Chapters on Freedom. Bihar, India: Yoga Publications Trust, 1989.
------ Yoga Nidra. Bihar, India: Yoga Publications Trust, 1998.

III. Intensive Days Tentative Schedule:
Fridays 6:30-8:30pm; Saturdays 8am – 4pm; Sundays 8am- Noon

IV. Course Fees & Payment plans
Option 1: $2600 One (1) payment due with application
Option 2: $1400- Two (2) payments: one due with application and December 2008 intensive.
Option 3: $1066- Three (3) payments: one due with application, December 2008 and February 2009 intensives.

Payments made for the Teacher Training program are non-refundable and non-transferable to other classes, workshops, etc.

Audit Fee: $500 One payment due with application. (Students who audit the course participate in all of the training intensive days but do not have to student teach and they do not receive a Teacher Training Certificate.)

*For IB above: Students who take hatha yoga asana classes at The Yoga Room receive 50% off all classes. (Audit students pay full rates.) Students completing asana practice at other studios or health clubs will incur additional costs at those studios and clubs.

Course fees DO NOT include Textbooks (trainees receive a 15% discount when purchase from The Yoga Room).

A 200 hour Samapatti Yoga Teacher Training Certificate is granted upon successful completion of all of the above. Students have up to two years from start of program to complete it.

What is Samapatti Yoga?
Samapatti is a Sanskrit word meaning “coinciding with” or “transformative.” Samapatti Yoga(SM) is the integration of various hatha and raja yoga schools with an emphasis on the transformative process of yoga. Through the creative combination of asana variations, pranayama, pratyahara, self-study and meditation a student moves from the gross physical body to the subtle body to the spiritual self.

About the trainers...

Mike Zolfo has studied, practiced or taught various forms of yoga since 1984. He began studying stress reduction, relaxation training, yoga and meditation in 1984 with Jagdish P. Dave. He is a certified yoga instructor from the Yoga Institute in Houston. He is a member of The Yoga Research and Education Center, and the International Association of Yoga Therapists. He is the owner/director of The Yoga Rooms in Crown Point & Schererville, Indiana. He has a Master’s Degree in Counseling/psychology. Loving husband to Mickey, devoted father to Breanne, Nick and Blake.

Jagdish P. Dave, PhD., “J.P.” is a meditation master and has conducted meditation workshops in his native country, India, and in many educational institutions and health centers throughout the United States. J.P. came to the United States from India in 1959 as a Fulbright scholar. He has a Ph. D in Education and Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology. His doctoral research focused on Integrative Meditation and cardiovascular health. He is an Emeritus Professor of Psychology at Governors State University in Illinois. Now 81 years young, JP comes to share his 75 years of meditation experience with us.

Gabriel Halpern (Director, The Yoga Circle, Chicago.) Gabriel holds a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in Health Psychology and is a full-time certified instructor trained at the Iyengar Institutes in Pune and San Francisco.

Allison Haugh, Yoga Room Vinyasa/Anusara instructor. Allison began practicing yoga in 1997 with Marsha Wenig. She is forever grateful for all the teachers who have influenced her practice: Silvia Mordini, Joyce Englander, Geri Bleir, Mike Zolfo and Todd Norian. Her interest and continued learning in the vinyasa and anusara traditions lies in the heart-opening and life-transforming practice that opens a person up to his or her true nature and celebration of life.

Other trainers includeDon Wenig from Dancing Feet Yoga Center, Betty Uchman, and other Yoga Room instructors.

Our 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program will give you a solid foundation upon which to build your yoga practice and teaching skills so you can be a lifelong student of yoga and a teacher and mentor to others on their yoga journey

What people say about The Samapatti teachings and trainings…

“… your gentle approach to yoga and life inspired me to teach.”
Kathy R., Chicago

“I signed up to learn about hatha yoga, but what I ended up doing was learning about myself. On and off the mat Mike teaches yoga in the true sense of the word. He is the best teacher I have ever studied with and I look forward to taking more trainings in the future.” Tara I., Toronto.

“Mike embodies the ancient teachings found in the traditional literature and the spiritual heritage of India and imparts this knowledge to his students in a way which is understandable. I highly recommend Mike’s teacher training for those of us who wish to carry on the tradition of yoga.”
Pegg A., Chicago.