200-Hour Teacher Training Program

Tosa Yoga Center’s

What It’s About

Our Program was developed to provide quality yoga education to students who wish to teach vinyasa flow yoga. By learning to become a confident, effective communicator, teach in a caring, ethical way, and discover your own unique style and voice, you’ll be prepared to offer purposeful, meaningful yoga classes. The Tosa Yoga Center Teacher Training Program is open to all students who wish to become yoga teachers or seek to deepen their own yoga practice and journey.

What You’ll Learn

Throughout the 200-Hour Teacher Training Program, we’ll teach you how to plan purposeful classes focused on proper sequencing, sensible use of teaching techniques, and knowledge of how the body moves. You will learn to read the room, adapt to the energy of the class, and provide a space that facilitates well-being for the individuals who attend your classes. Additionally, by studying yoga history and philosophy, ethics for teaching yoga in modern society, and yoga’s subtle, energetic teachings, we hope you will become inspired to continue exploring within your own practice, to continue inquiring and learning about current topics within the field of yoga, and to share it with others.

How to Apply

To apply, complete the application, and mail it or drop it off at Tosa Yoga Center with your $100 application fee (check only). Applicants will be notified that their application has been received, and will be asked to schedule an interview with Melanie prior to acceptance to the program.

Download the School Catalog & Application

“This program has been life-changing in so many wonderful ways…

my knowledge and practice have grown so much. Joining this 200-hour yoga teacher training was honestly the best decision of my life. Going into it I was so nervous but now I can’t imagine doing anything else!”

— Megan S.

Our 2024 program begins on January 6th, 2024,
and ends on October 20th, 2024.

Applications are due by December 1st, 2023.

Download the School Catalog & Application

Kind Words From Past Students

“Honestly, I never want this program to end

and I know I’ll be a life-long yoga student and teacher (in some capacity). I always knew I wanted to invest in continuing my education but a master’s or MBA program never seemed to fit. I invested in this program to deepen my personal practice and “maybe, someday, teach.” I wanted to improve my presentation and public speaking skills and feel more confident in my delivery. The Tosa Yoga Teacher Training Program allowed me to carve out time in my schedule just for me – to read, practice, meditate, and build classes. I entered the program with self-centered goals and I’m leaving the program with a solid understanding of this fascinating practice and the awareness that learning never stops. I started teaching classes at my office and can’t wait to continue my yoga journey after our program wraps up this fall!”

— Lindsay A.

“I'm so glad I signed up for this program! If you're on the fence… go for it!

I did a ton of research before selecting a YTT program. I had two main criteria: I wanted to walk out of the program equipped to teach a real-life class (so not just theory), and I wanted to learn in a community that was welcoming. Tosa Yoga's YTT program is delivering both! This program has helped me deepen my understanding of yoga, and it's also given me the practical skills and experience to stand up in front of a room full of students and deliver a class. And as a bonus: I was instantly connected with 20 other like-minded yogis, some of whom are now my closest friends. I'm so glad I signed up for this program! If you're on the fence… go for it!”

— Nicole B.

FAQs

We recommend you have at least six months of consistent practice under your belt before signing up. More importantly, you should have a sincere desire to deepen your own practice and experience, and/or a true desire to share yoga through teaching.
Please refer to the school catalog for all costs and payment options.
Ideally, yes. We understand that there may be important family events already scheduled, and emergencies do happen; don’t let the fear of having to miss a class hinder you from signing up. If you must miss a class, you’ll be required to make up the missed hours (there are a couple of ways to do this). It’s to your benefit to attend all of the sessions if possible.
We can accommodate up to twelve students in our training class.
Melanie Landgraf, Yoga Teacher and owner of Tosa Yoga Center, and Lauren Torres, Yoga Teacher and Physical Therapist, will be instructing the majority of the course. We have over 25 years of combined experience practicing and teaching yoga. You can find our biographies in the school catalog. Guest instructors may present to the group from time to time.
No. Definitely not. You’ll learn the proper mechanics of these postures, as well as techniques to help you practice and teach them if you wish.
You’ll find the complete reading list, including required and recommended reading in the school catalog. Your Tosa Yoga Center Teacher Training Program manual will be provided at the beginning of the program.
You’ll receive a certificate of completion for our 200 Hour Tosa Yoga Center Teacher Training Program, which is certified by the Yoga Alliance and approved by the Wisconsin Education Approval Board. You’ll need this certificate to apply for your 200 hour status with Yoga Alliance annually.
I like to think about the response to this question in three parts.
1. You can expect to learn how to create a really good yoga class that is purposeful and effective. When you teach, your yoga students will know you have put time, effort, and care into planning the class. And, you will feel prepared to teach it.
2. You will have the opportunity to get to know yourself on a deeper level. Yoga Teacher Training can be about self-exploration as well. It’s about taking this year to not only learn how to teach yoga, but how to apply its teachings to your life in a way that is beneficial to you.
3. You will create wonderful friendships with people who are immersed in this process right with you along the way. Every year, we love seeing the connections people make as they take this journey together.
The homework requirements are readings each month from the Program Manual and other required texts, typically creating one lesson plan a month, and practicing and practice-teaching postures and sequences at home. Students are asked to attend two classes per month with Melanie (which are free for the duration of the program) and to practice yoga at home 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week. At the end of the program, there is a final paper, an open-book final exam, and a practical teaching exam.
Our students have said that the workload is very manageable. They have said that it makes you commit to practicing yoga more often, and you feel great because of it! They feel like they are encouraged to spend more time on themselves also. A big part of this program is about self-exploration—on the physical level, learning about the postures and how the body moves, but also on deeper mental/emotional levels.
Yes! Many of our current teacher trainees did not have a desire to teach when they started. Many people simply want to learn more about yoga. But, when you learn how to teach a subject you learn much more about that subject, and, yoga is no exception. Not surprisingly, many of the trainees in the program each year have discovered that they really love teaching yoga!
I can’t really speak for other teacher training programs, but I can say that the teachers and I have worked really hard putting this program together. We give 100% each weekend and work with student feedback to continue to fine-tune the details. We absolutely love this program and love working with our teacher trainees. We consider it an honor to be a part of their journey.