Bikram Yoga & Original Hot Yoga Teacher Training
As we embark on our director’s 20th year of teaching in the Ghosh-Bikram-OHYA lineage, we are so excited to announce and offer the Michigan Original Hot Yoga Teacher Training, the area’s only Original Hot Yoga Association (OHYA)-approved teacher training and continuing education program!
We are SO excited to continue the legacy of our yoga method with an in-depth, rigorous, fun, professional, interdisciplinary, high quality training program that is accessible to yoga students and aspiring teachers from the entire Great Lakes / Midwest region.
The Michigan Original Hot Yoga Teacher Training is both 1) an immersive continuing educational experience, and 2) a lineage teacher training program.
Part A as a stand-alone program invites Bikram/OHY practitioners and teachers who wish to further their yoga practice & education with an in-depth immersion.
The full OHYA certification program (Parts A & B) invites applicants from Original Hot Yoga member schools, or schools owned by a Bikram Yoga TT graduate.
2023-2024 Michigan OHYA TT Dates
Part A:
- Posture Clinics & Individual Posture Analysis
- Philosophical Foundations & Principles of OHY
- Self-Inquiry, Purpose of Yoga Practice, & Sustainability
- Anatomy, Physiology, & Published Research of Original Hot Yoga
- Basic Intro to Posture Instruction & Use of Language
- 1923-2023: Kolkata Yoga & Our Lineage
[Fridays through Sundays]
September 8-10, 2023
October 13-15, 2023
One or both weekends of Part A can stand alone as either:
1) an immersive weekend intensive full of practice (2 classes per day), posture clinics, anatomy & physiology, practice philosophy, and history. Open to current practitioners of Bikram/Original Hot Yoga from any Bikram/OHY school.
~or~
2) 30-hours (each weekend) of OHYA-approved Continuing Education for Original Hot Yoga Association teachers.
September 8-9-10
30 hours OHYA Continuing Education
Is required for and counts towards full OHYA certification
October 13-14-15
30 hours OHYA Continuing Education
Is required for and counts towards full OHYA certification
Part B:
- Original Hot Yoga Class: Instruction Intensive
- Observing & Directing Energy (Self & Other); Use of Voice
- Community Leadership Techniques & Attitudes
- Ongoing Professional Development & Personal Analysis/Reflection
- Attention, Concentration, Meditation
- Leading with Self-Care, Faith, and Discipline
- Posture Modification Principles & Foundations
- Plural Medical Systems & How To Navigate Expertise
[Fridays – Mondays]
October 20-23, 2023
November 3-6, 2023
November 17-20, 2023
December 1-4, 2023
[Tuesday – Saturday]
January 2-6, 2024
To complete the OHYA Teacher Training standards and move on to the OHYA Internship, successful completion of all weekends in both Parts A and B are required.
We believe that the best teacher training experiences happen when the student is truly ready and is fully aware of what they are getting into.
Therefore, we have a unique training system which allows you to take a few classes before “declaring your major”! Our Part A training is a short-but-intense immersion into the basic theories and concepts, as well as an introduction to the teacher training processes.
In each weekend of Part A, you will gain skills, background knowledge, perspective, and a tremendous teaching toolbox to carry you forward either into our full OHYA certification program, or to take back with you to your home Original Hot Yoga studio where you are already teaching.
Therefore, successful completion of Part One is the application process for the full OHYA certification training! We are so excited to welcome you into this amazing lineage, or to strengthen your roots and branches in it!
Most days of training run from approximately 6:00 am – 6:00 pm, with Sundays running from approximately 7:00 am – 7:00 pm.
Graduation: Saturday, January 6, 2024
Which Program is Right For Me?
For yoga students wishing to significantly deepen their practice within the context of a supportive, inquisitive community: we recommend both weekends of Part A.
Part A
For Yoga Practitioners
- for current students of Bikram Yoga / Original Hot Yoga
- minimum recommended prerequisite: 25 Bikram Yoga Classes
60 Contact Hours of Training, $1500
For teachers of Bikram Yoga / the Original Hot Yoga who wish to expand and deepen their knowledge about the yoga you are instructing: we recommend one or both weekends of Part A.
Part A
Continuing Education for Teachers
- for current Bikram / Original Hot Yoga teachers
- each weekend counts for 30 C.E. hours for OHYA
60 Contact Hours of Continuing Education, $1500
For experienced students (at least one year of consistent practice, 3-4 days per week) who are ready to move towards a teaching & leadership role, and who are ready for a rigorous, challenging “semester” of study, we invite you to apply for the full training (Parts A and B)!!
Complete Michigan OHYA Teacher Training
All Weekends of Parts A and B
Not sure about how much you are ready for?
You can complete the one or both weekends of Part A and then decide from there.
note: to complete the full OHYA certification program this year, all weekends of Parts A and B must be completed as stated in the dates above.
Part A can be split between years, but Part B must be completed all within one training year.
Example: If you complete only Part A Weekend Two this year, you may complete Part B this year, but you will only be eligible for OHYA certification upon completion of Part A Weekend One in a future year.
Teacher Training: Why We Do It This Way
One of our missions at Yoga Is Medicine is to raise the bar for yoga teaching, in order to retain and transmit the principles of 20th century therapeutic hatha yoga to the interested public, and in order to provide the maximum benefit to every level of yoga student.
While most yoga classes and studios in North America have shifted to a mix-and-match fitness class model, with significant dilution of yoga principles in a very short time, we retain and educate our students in the elements of a single lineage of therapeutic hatha yoga. This requires significant dedication, enthusiasm, and investment of practice and study on the part of every teacher.
Most yoga studios in the United States hold teacher trainings as a necessary part of their bottom line, and accept any and all interested students. Many teacher trainers at these programs are relatively new teachers themselves, often having less than 5 years of practice or teaching experience. These programs allow you to pay for use of the RYT designation with Yoga Alliance.
We do not participate in this business or affiliation model, as it quickly dilutes and weakens traditional practices and creates a competitive, unsustainable situation.
Instead we endeavor to welcome seasoned practitioners, leaders, and disciplined practitioners to carry on the lineage to the next generations. All of our teachers exceed the minimum training standards of the Original Hot Yoga Association, which themselves far exceed those set by Yoga Alliance.
For students who want to deepen their practice but are not yet sure about embarking upon teaching group classes, we recommend the 60-Hour Part A of our Teacher Training.