FAQ

Yoga Sanctuary Academy is a “Certified Private Educational Institute” with the Federal Government of Canada since 2008. Successful graduates receive an official Tuition Fee Receipt (T2202A) for Income Tax purposes for any of our Yoga Teacher Training Programs.

Tax receipts will be mailed to you at the end of  February of the year following your training.

For further information, please visit the CRA website and see Eligible Tuition Fees

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is the regulatory agency for private training institutions across Canada. The ESDC helps to ensure your educational experience is a good one by requiring quality standards in schools – from contracts and refunds to course records as well as official income tax receipts. For more information please visit ESDC website.

All of our Teacher Training Programs registered and recognized by the Canadian Yoga Alliance CYT (Certified Yoga Teacher) and  Yoga Alliance of the United States RYT (Registered Yoga Teacher). Yoga Sanctuary Academy offers 300-hour and 500-hour Yoga Alliance® registered Teacher Training and Continuing Education. Our senior faculty help you develop into a unique and successful instructor.

We regularly hold hybrid teacher training information sessions online via zoom or in-studio. Meet some of our faculty, find out more about teacher training and ask any questions that you may have.

Yoga Teacher Training is for everyone! It is for people who want to learn how to instruct others and deepen their practice. Perhaps you have only attended a few classes or, you are a seasoned practitioner. If you have the desire to teach, our 250-hour course sets the foundation for your teaching practice. You will deepen your awareness of philosophy, anatomy and yoga as therapy.

We accept students regardless of their ability, age or experience. We feel a wide range of students is beneficial in each course, as this represents the diversity of public classes. Our eldest graduate was 72 years old. Our youngest graduate was 17 years old. The desire to teach arrives at a different time for everyone. Some of our students enrolled even though they had taken less than ten classes! Other students had practiced yoga for more than a year. And some practiced over a decade before deciding to teach.

We offer the part-time 250-hour program from September to March each year. We designed the 7-month part-time course with your busy schedules in mind. Dive deeply into yoga study while maintaining your commitments to your work, family and other activities. We meet for 15 weekends, approximately every other weekend, offering 11-12 hours of faculty instruction per weekend.

The 250 Hour Full-Time Fast Track Teacher Training course runs from April-June and gives you the chance to immerse yourself in intensive training. This course runs for 12 consecutive weekends, offering 14 hours per weekend of faculty instruction. It is perfect for students who learn best while studying intensively between scheduled course sessions. The course requires class practice approximately 4-5 days a week.

There are factors to consider when choosing the course. Do you learn better in an intensive format? Or do you or prefer a more gradual approach to accumulating knowledge and skills? What arrangement works best for your lifestyle and free time?

Both of Yoga Sanctuary 250 Hour programs cover the same comprehensive curriculum. You learn asana poses involved in the Ashtanga Primary Series, Hatha yoga, Vinyasa yoga, meditation, pranayama, anatomy, history, philosophy and yoga therapy.

The course overview is:

• Asana, Assisting and Teaching Methodologies
• Yoga History, Philosophy, Ethics and Lifestyle
• Yoga Anatomy, Physiology and Subtle Energy Systems
• Homework and Integrated Yoga Practice

For more info visit the 250 Hour Page.

To qualify for this program, you must have completed a minimum of 200 (or 250 hours) certified Yoga Teacher Training program before enrolling in the 300-hour training.

Yoga Therapeutics: Living Your Guidance allows you to expand your teaching skills, advance your practice and refine your guidance. We offer the part-time 300-hour program from September to March each year. We designed the 7-month part-time course with your busy schedule in mind. Dive deeply into yoga study while maintaining your commitments to your work, family and other activities. We meet for 15 weekends, approximately every other weekend, offering 9-14 hours of faculty instruction per weekend.

In this 300-hour course, you expand upon the foundation of your yoga training, gaining valuable information for your advancement. The teachings offered by our esteemed faculty are based on a sound scientific and therapeutic rationale, optimized by thoughtful class structuring.

Learn how to offer fluid, integrated classes of postures, pranayama, and relaxation to enhance your students’ well-being. Move from knowing about yoga asana to knowing and embodying yoga.

The course will incorporate the therapeutic applications of various aspects of yoga to serve a more diverse array of students with the following:
• Restorative Yoga
• Yin Yoga
• Yoga Nidra
• Pranayama techniques
• Ayurveda foundations
• Layering Mudras into class sequencing
• Facilitating Pawanmuktanasan Joint Freeing sequences
• Understand the role of Chanting as a healing modality
• Anatomy and Bio-Mechanics
• Understanding the Chakra system
• Learn various Meditation techniques

Visit the 300 Hour page.

Depending on the training you choose, educational materials and occupational accessories included in the tuition vary.

The 250 Hour Part-Time and Full-Time Teacher Training includes
a comprehensive workbook of supplementary materials.

The 300 Hour tuition includes two yoga blocks, a strap, a stretch band, a sandbag (unfilled) and an eye pillow. Each of the individual modules of the teacher training course includes handouts or workbooks.

Yes. The required books are easily accessible to purchase in book form or online. The cost is approximately $100.

The 250-hour program is primarily an Ashtanga-Vinyasa based course. We also explore the styles of Hatha and Vinyasa Power Flow.

We recognize that the main styles of yoga practiced at our studio are from the lineage of T. Krishnamacharya. However, we don’t follow this single lineage, style or approach. We do offer ongoing public classes in Zen Stretch, Pilates and Qigong.

We pride ourselves on having a diverse teaching staff with different backgrounds so that you can gain a well-rounded view of all styles. We welcome you to find your voice and a teaching method that is authentic to you.

All Yoga Sanctuary Academy faculty are Yoga Alliance Certified at the 250-hour, 500-hour level, or E500 level. Our teachers are committed to continuing their studies and share with you their latest inspirations. They participate in workshops and courses from various traditions of yoga and are committed to your higher learning.

Assistant teachers may be a part of your training and they are from our current roster of teachers from Yoga Sanctuary Academy and hold a Yoga Alliance 200, 300 and 500 level certification.

For more information on our teacher-training faculty, please visit our Faculty page. To meet some of our faculty members, attend an Information Session.

250 Hour Part Time Training – Expect a minimum of 5 or more hours of home study plus an additional 1-2 classes per week during the scheduled training times, in addition to the faculty-led weekend hours at Yoga Sanctuary.

250 Hour Full-Time Fast Track Training – Expect a minimum of 10 hours or more of home study plus an additional 3-4 classes per week during the scheduled training times, in addition to the faculty-led weekend hours at our Danforth location.

300 Hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training – Home study times vary from one to ten hours of home study per module, depending on the particular AYTT course taken.

The group size is limited to 40, with one Assistant faculty member to keep our student-teacher ratio low. Yoga Sanctuary Academy is committed to your process of becoming the best teacher possible. Feedback from faculty is a significant part of this learning process.

Larger group sizes mimic actual teaching situations because of the diversity of students in our groups. The number of faculty and assistants is adjusted to allow optimal individual attention. Due to the limited class size, we encourage you to sign up well in advance to secure your place in the training.

To register for a teacher training we require a completed application form and a registration fee. Apply here.

You can reserve your place by paying the non-refundable registration fee of $500. To pay your registration fee, please stop by any of our location, contact us by phone or pay online.

For teenage applicants, please expect an interview to be conducted with your parent(s) and a Faculty member to ensure you are fully aware of the scheduled times and commitment.

After you apply and pay your deposit you will be contacted via email within one week with a confirmation of acceptance.

If you do not receive this email please call our Education Program Advisor at 416-461-6161.

100% attendance is a requirement for all of Yoga Sanctuary Academy training programs. Occasionally we may be able to make a special arrangement for a missed class for the 250-hour training. Please ensure that any such requests arising from scheduling conflicts are communicated prior to the training. We can discuss whether a special arrangement is possible. There is an additional charge for this arrangement. There are also other faculty-approved courses or workshops that can be taken to make up missed class time. These courses or workshops are purchased at the YTT student discount.

Yes. You will be ready to teach. Upon successful completion of our 250-hour program, you will receive your diploma. You may also register with the Yoga Alliance at the RYT-200 level (Registered Yoga Teacher 200). Graduates of the 250-hour program usually begin teaching in small studios, gyms and with friends and family. Your ability to teach is by how long you have been practicing yoga and your comfort level with teaching. There are also volunteer and assistant teaching opportunities at Yoga Sanctuary Academy.

Yes. YSA is a registered school with the Canadian Yoga Alliance. All of Yoga Sanctuary Yoga Teacher Training graduates are automatically eligible for Canadian Yoga Alliance registration.

Yoga Alliance® is a United States organization that registers both individual yoga teachers and yoga teacher training schools. Their mission is to set standards, foster integrity, and provide resources. Teachers and schools must comply with the educational standards established by the organization. Registration with the Yoga Alliance® is not a legal requirement for teaching yoga in Canada. However, most studios and fitness centers require teachers to register with the Yoga Alliance®.

ESDC is Employment and Social Development Canada. This department of the Canadian government provides certification of educational institutions under the Income Tax Act. Certifying post-secondary educational institutions under the Income Tax Act allows students to claim a tuition tax credit on their tax return. Yoga Sanctuary Academy became a “Certified Private Educational Institute” with the Federal Government of Canada in 2008.

To maintain your registered status as a yoga teacher with the Yoga Alliances, you must participate in continuing education. YSA Continuing Education courses cover various aspects of yoga from philosophy to advanced asana.

Yes. Finances should never be the limiting factor when embarking on your new career. Please choose the payment plan that fits your current lifestyle needs. Contact our Education Program Advisor at 416-461-6161 to discuss the training and payment options.

The deposit for Teacher Training Programs of $500.00  is non-refundable. This deposit is required to secure your spot.

For students in Toronto, you are responsible for finding accommodation. Our school is conveniently located just a short walk from the Broadview subway station. There is an inexpensive parking lot nearby. Previous students have found lodging on Airbnb or through advertisements on Kijiji or Craigslist.