with Mia Velez, Rukmini Ando and guest trainer Swami Ramananda
TUITION** $1800.00
$1100 for RYT-200
Dates and Times (PDT)
August 16–November 4, 2025
Tuesdays ONLINE: 5:30–8:30 pm*
Saturdays HYBRID: 8:30 am–12:00 pm, 1:30–4:30 pm
3-day HYBRID weekend: Friday 5:30 pm–Sunday 12:30 pm PT in September
No class: Labour Day weekend 8/30
*(optional earlier start and end on most Tuesdays can be arranged)
The Yoga Teaching Essentials course provides a thorough training in developing the skills necessary to become a confident, knowledgeable Yoga instructor. This course is Module 2 of our 2-part format of the 200-hour BIPOC Yoga Teacher Training, which includes an expanded curriculum in anatomy, teaching methodology, and professional development. It will provide an in-depth understanding of Hatha Yoga to help establish, expand and refine teaching skills. In 2025 Module 1 is with 100% Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) teacher trainers and participants only and Module 2 for anyone who has taken Module 1 within the past 2 years or yoga teachers who want to certify as an Integral Yoga teacher.
The included Practice Weekend will allow participants to explore depths of the Yogic practices and lifestyle. This experience can then become a guide when sharing these profound teachings with others.
Teachers who have completed Yoga Alliance registered 200-hour teacher training in the past are welcome to participate. If you are looking to jumpstart your teaching career, or gain more confidence in the classroom, this is a great option for you. Any participant who has previously completed a RYS 200-hour training with a different school of Yoga, will be certified to teach an Integral Yoga Level 1 - Beginners Hatha Yoga Class upon completion of this module.
Curriculum
Graduates of both Module 1 & Module 2 of our 200-hour Teacher Training are certified to teach Beginner Level Hatha Yoga and are qualified to register with Yoga Alliance as a RYT-200.
Teaching a qualifying class and passing 3 written reviews are required for certification:
To complete the course you will be required to pass these reviews, fulfill attendance requirements, and to teach an Integral Yoga Beginners class to your fellow trainees.
All the materials shared online and the recordings of the lectures will be available throughout the training and for 3 months after the graduation.
The Yoga Teaching Essentials course includes free access to all Yoga classes offered at Integral Yoga Institute San Francisco and free access to IYTV, a large and ever-expanding library of recorded Integral Yoga Teachings and classes, throughout the duration of this training!
Support and Community
Graduates of our 200-hour teacher training program may apply to teach at the Integral Yoga Institute. If accepted, they’re eligible for additional free training with a mentor and ongoing continuing education. They can also apply for a variety of graduate-level teacher trainings leading towards RYT 500-hour certification.
Online
The entire course can be completed online. If the current situation allows, we will add some non-mandatory in-person options. We are committed to providing a safe and high-quality program for all participants. Our graduates will develop the necessary skills to teach in-person or online. The Yoga Alliance criteria about teaching trainings online is adapting as we move forward. We have dedicated staff to oversee the online coaching to have personal connections throughout the training.
Technological Requirements
Reliable Internet access is required to participate in this online training. You must be able to run Zoom on your computer or tablet, and have an active email account for delivery of course materials.
For more information, please contact [email protected]
**Payment information and Refund Policy:
A $25 non-refundable application fee is applied towards the tuition. After your application has been accepted, you will be prompted to make a payment. For RYT 200 teachers, please email us your diploma when you apply for the Module 2 at [email protected] and receive a Promo Code for a discounted price. Full payment is required one week before the start of the program, unless a prior payment plan has been arranged. Once the program begins, the deposit and program tuition is non-refundable and non-transferable. If canceling before the start of the program, the balance will be refunded minus $175 administration fee.
Partial scholarships are available for this training when possible. We accept scholarship applications up to one month prior to the start of the training. BIPOC are encouraged to apply. Financial Aid request is part of the application. For additional information on financial aid and payment plans, please contact us [email protected].
Mia Velez, E-RYT 500, YACEP entered Integral Yoga Institute in 2016 through the kitchen as a volunteer cook at their silent retreats, teacher trainings, and the weekly community lunches. In 2018 she certified as an Integral Yoga teacher to learn more of the IYI approach and be part of the lineage. Mia is a disciple of the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu lineage and is highly influenced by her martial arts training. After completing her first 200 hour teacher training in 2008, she began to see undeniable parallel in Yoga and Kung Fu. When she began teaching Kung Fu in 2014, she incorporated Yoga insight and principles in her classes. Her goal in teaching is to facilitate a safer space for self inquiry that hopefully leads to liberation. She shares her joy and knowledge of yoga as a co-trainer for the Basic Teacher Trainings at IYI to include the BIPOC Yoga Teacher Training; teaches the healing properties of yoga to incarcerated men; and provides stress management techniques with new parents. Yoga and Kung Fu are integrated into her daily life as a mother, a preschool teacher, and an advocate for gender, race and class equality through multiple non-profits groups.
Senior Staff
Module 2 Guest Trainers
Swami Ramananda C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, YACEP is the Executive Director of the Integral Yoga Institute in San Francisco and a greatly respected senior teacher in the Integral Yoga tradition, who has been practicing Yoga for over 45 years. Ramananda offers practical methods of integrating the timeless teachings and practices of Yoga into daily life, and transforming the painful aspects of human experience into steps toward realizing one’s full potential. He leads beginner, intermediate and advanced Hatha Yoga teacher training programs in San Francisco as well as Meditation and Raja Yoga teacher trainings. He offers a variety of programs in many locations in the U.S., Europe and South America. Ramananda co-developed the Stress Management Teacher Training program with Swami Vidyananda, has trained many teachers to bring Yoga into corporate, hospital and medical settings, and has taught mind/body wellness programs in many locations. He is a certified Yoga therapist and founding board member of the Yoga Alliance, a national registry that supports and promotes yoga teachers as professionals. He is a co-founder of The Spiritual Action Initiative (SAI) which brings together individuals committed to working for social justice for all beings and for the care and healing of our natural world. His warmth, wisdom and sense of humor have endeared him to many.
