Torah Yoga Teacher Training
With Diane Bloomfield and Rabbi Myriam Klotz
For a taste of the Torah Yoga Teacher Training, join Diane Bloomfield this summer for Torah Yoga, July 30 - August 5.
The Torah Yoga Teacher Training is a transformational, eighteen month program that will provide instruction and certification for those who want to deepen and integrate their own teaching of yoga and Judaism.
The course of study includes four one-week retreat programs which begin Winter 2013, and interim periods for home-based study, teaching and practice in consultation with program instructors.
For those who find that working through our bodies with yoga can help open
the gates of spirituality within, and who seek to do so in a consciously Jewish
way, this program will provide tools to integrate yoga and Jewish spirituality
with depth and sustained focus.
Students will be guided throughout each facet of this program to grow as teachers
of both Judaism and of yoga. Most importantly, graduates of this program will
be able to teach a way for their students to access the depths of Jewish spirituality
through the wisdom and power of the physical body and the practice of hatha
yoga. In its primary focus on teaching a body-based approach to Jewish spirituality,
this program offers a unique training for those called to become teachers of
yoga and Jewish spirituality.
Diane Bloomfield is the the author of Torah Yoga: Experiencing Jewish Wisdom through Classic Postures, and the co-director, together with Rabbi Myriam Klotz, of the Torah Yoga Teacher Training, co-sponsored with the Institute for Jewish Spirituality. Diane lives in Jerusalem where she teaches ongoing Torah and Torah Yoga classes live and on the web. Diane has learned Torah since the early nineties in Yeshivas and with private Torah teachers. She is a certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor and a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist. She is also the director of the Torah Yoga Association.
Rabbi Myriam Klotz is a certified yoga teacher, teaching and studying Anusara, Iyengar and vinyasa methods, and a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist. She is the Director of Yoga and Lay Programs at the Institute for Jewish Spirituality, and a spiritual director at the Hebrew Union College and elsewhere. Myriam has written about embodiment and Jewish spiritual life in many venues, and her recordings include Preparing the Heart: Yoga for Jewish Spiritual Practice and In All Your Ways Know God: Beginning Yoga for Jewish Spiritual Practice.
When will we meet?
- Week 1: February 10 – 15, 2013 in Simi Valley, California
- Week 2: August 5 – 11, 2013 in Falls Village, Connecticut
- Week 3: February 23 – 28, 2014 in Simi Valley, California
- Week 4: July 28 – August 3, 2014 in Falls Village, Connecticut
Summer Retreats take place at Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT, and Winter
Retreats take place at the Brandeis-Bardin campus of the American Jewish University in Simi Valley, California.
What will we study?
We focus on the aspects of Judaism that yoga teachers are most often called to explore when in Jewish settings:
- Jewish holy days
- the weekly Torah portion
- the Hebrew language
- Prayer
- Shabbat
- and more....
Each of these areas of study develops
Jewish literacy, providing a strong basis for
grounding yoga in a Jewish context.
In addition, we spend significant time learning
about middot, or inner qualities, that we will
want to embody as we teach. We reflect on
ourselves, understanding that cultivation of
the inner life and self-awareness are necessary
components of becoming a Jewish spiritual
teacher and leader.
We will address essential aspects of yoga
teaching and practice, and require regular and
rigorous study and practice both in one’s own
yoga practice, and in the art of teaching yoga.
How will we study?
Retreat Intensives
During each retreat, participants are immersed in yoga classes, partner work,
Torah learning, and we work progressively
towards more time teaching and leading
each other, with mentoring from instructors.
Between retreats, students work with
instructors to design a personalized plan
which includes regular yoga practice, Jewish
learning, partner study, and communication
and mentoring from the instructors.
Text study, Practice & Teaching
The interim periods are a core component
of this work: the integration of the essential
dimensions of learning take place upon
reflection and in regular practice. The retreat
intensives combined with the at-home
learning and involvement allow each person
to actualize their own synthesis of yoga and
Jewish spirituality — with integrity, depth,
and creativity.
Individualized Programs
Participants will receive guidance on
teaching Jewish spirituality through Jewish
yoga classes throughout this program.
Students will be encouraged and coached to
further their own growth in these areas, and
to create their own synthesis of yoga and
Jewish spirituality.
Who should apply?
This training program encourages those called to develop themselves as
teachers of an integrated practice of both Torah and yoga, to join and connect
with others who share that calling. Those with experience teaching yoga or Jewish
learning should apply. Those who hope to teach in these areas will also benefit from
the training. Diversity in approaches to both Judaism and yoga practice is honored.
Application forms will be posted in the Summer of 2012. All interested persons are
encouraged to apply and applications will be considered on an individual basis for
acceptance into the new cycle, scheduled to begin in the Winter of 2013.
