HATHA YOGA
Postural and energetic clarity
VINYASA YOGA
Movement, flow and ease
MINDFULNESS
Wisdom and compassion
PERSONAL GROWTH
Confidence and purpose
ABOUT BODY OF WISDOM
Based in Zürich and Dortmund, the Body of Wisdom teacher training is a unique, holistic and practical course for humans who want to dive deeper into the practice and study of yoga and mindfulness.
Integrating hatha yoga, vinyasa yoga and mindfulness meditation, our 250hr training offers a supportive and progressive approach to practice that embraces both form and freedom, structure and play.
Hatha yoga cultivates postural and energetic clarity. Vinyasa yoga brings movement, flow and ease. Mindfulness is both the ground and the fruit of practice, deepening self-connection and bringing the benefits of yoga into our everyday lives and relationships.
Maybe you're relatively new to yoga and would like to deepen your practice (without teaching in mind). Maybe you're already a teacher and want to go further, integrating new ideas into your classes and workshops. Either way, our course will welcome you as you are, while expanding your horizons and inspiring you in new and exciting ways.
Are you curious? Do you have any questions? Please feel free to get in touch, we would love to hear from you. Deutsch geht auch klar!
LOCATIONS
Más Energy Center, Zürich, Switzerland
Soul Yoga, Dortmund, Germany
Training dates here
GRADUATES
For a list of our graduates, please click here.
TRAINING CURRICULUM
COURSE STRUCTURE
The course consists of two 5-day intensive modules with five weekends (Friday – Saturday – Sunday) in between. The course content consists of 180 hours of contact teaching time, extended and deepened by a minimum of 70 hours external studies including (fun!) homework tasks, mindfulness meditations, self-practice, reading and online resources. Many of the training sessions (yoga classes, meditations, talks) are recorded live and uploaded for later reference and home practice.
PRE-REQUISITES
It is normal to have doubts and insecurities about your readiness for a teacher training! Our prerequisites are simple - a willingness to learn and a desire to explore yoga and mindfulness more deeply. We welcome you even if you are not planning to formally teach after this course. You should ideally have at least a year of yoga practice or other mind-body discipline such as martial arts, dance, etc. If you have any doubts or questions, please get in touch with us for a chat! Thomas also made a video about these questions, you'll find it further down the page.
LANGUAGE
In many ways the training is bi-lingual. The main teaching language is English but depending on the group, discussions are often happen in German, and German translations are offered of key ideas, words and concepts. When you teach you are welcome to do so in your native language. Teaching languages that we have had so far on the course include German, Dütsch, English, French, Spanish, Italian and Finnish!
YOGA PRACTICE AND TECHNIQUE (100 HOURS)
Asana (posture) foundations, principles and techniques
Hatha and Vinyasa in theory and practice
Breath, pranayama and bandha
Meditation and the energetic body (subtle body)
Inversions and Feet-Up yoga
Yin yoga
AcroYoga and Thai yoga massage
Voice opening and chanting
MINDFULNESS (25 HOURS)
Guided practice, theory and discussion
How to build and sustain a personal meditation practice
How to bring yoga and mindfulness together
Mindfulness and the nervous system
Mindfulness and relationships
Mindfulness and emotion
TEACHING METHODOLOGY (25 HOURS)
Teaching practice, feedback and observation
Voice, language and cueing
Class structure, theming and focus
Use of props (blocks, belts, blankets, Feet-Up)
Trauma sensitivity in yoga and mindfulness
Ethics, authenticity and scope-of-practice
Understanding the different approaches and skillsets for:
group teaching
online teaching
teaching individuals
APPLIED YOGA ANATOMY (20 HOURS)
Foundational anatomy and physiology
Hands-on exploration and discussion
Pose breakdowns and analysis
How to use anatomical knowledge for sensitive practice and teaching
Online resources, videos and structured learning
Homework, quizzes and self-study
PRACTICAL PHILOSOPHY (10 HOURS)
Traditional and modern perspectives on practice
How to bring Yoga more deeply into your everyday life
The yogic spiral of awakening: subtlety, inclusivity and interdependence
Science and yoga - the meeting of traditions
Nervous system theory and applied neuroplasticity
Group discussion and enquiry
EXTERNAL STUDIES (70 HOURS)
Home yoga practice
Mindfulness in daily life (focused explorations)
Reading and reflection
Journalling and self-enquiry
Attending and analysing yoga classes
Online anatomy resources
Access to the "yogi database" of class recordings, lectures, slides, pose breakdowns and more.
Optional teaching practice (informal or formal)
YOGA ALLIANCE
Please read about our position on Yoga Alliance registration here
THOMAS ARTA
Founder and lead teacher
Thomas Arta brings together 15 years of teaching experience with a passionate background in yoga, Buddhism, psychology and personal development. He understands yoga as a holistic and profound path of discovery that can include all aspects of our life, and where the learning never ends. Known for both his humour and depth as a facilitator, he founded Body of Wisdom to offer a broader and deeper vision of how yoga can support and transform us in a complex and fast-changing world. In addition to his yoga and mindfulness teaching, he works as a developmental coach and is the founder of Rise.
RENÉ HUG
Guest teacher - yin yoga
Seit 14 Jahren unterrichtet René Yin-, Restorative- und Yogatherapie in der Schweiz, Deutschland und Italien. Besonders beeinflusst und inspiriert wurdet er durch seine Zeit in Indien, im Ashram «Swami Satyananda Saraswati of Bihar School of Yoga».
Seither führtet sich sein vielseitiger Yoga Weg von Hatha Yoga, Ashtanga, Qi Gong und Pilates zu meiner heutigen Leidenschaft dem Yin & Yang Yoga, Yin Yoga, Restorative Yoga und der Yogatherapie.
SALVATORE DANIELE
Guest teacher - philosophy
For Salvatore, ultimate happiness lies in the deep understanding of who we really are and how we connect and interconnect with the world around us. In two words: investigating (our) Nature! Salva's life journey has taken many different paths; even if they might appear divergent, he has found them to be deeply interconnected. Having worked for about ten years as a full time scientist and lecturer he now dedicates more time to studying movement and meditation as well as supporting others on their paths. Merging the many aspects of life and letting them become one! This is one of the ways he understands Yoga.
FLORENTINE BRUNNER
Assistant teacher
Florentine is one of Thomas’ teacher training alumni and now teaches yoga and AcroYoga in Zürich. She loves to invite her students on a journey through the fascinating edges of body and mind, balancing movement with stillness, challenge with integration, and creative with traditional. She focuses on clear guidance in practice, while giving space for individual needs. Florentine´s passion for AcroYoga inspires her yoga practice and vice versa. With her tremendous curiosity to keep learning, growing and sharing inspiration, she sees her role as teacher as just another way to be a student.
ALBERT CASALS A.K.A. YOGAFLAKE
Assistant teacher
For Albert, the path is the goal.
He teaches Yoga and Inversions in Zürich. He is passionate about the movement and the body. Transitions and movement-awareness or movement-control, exploring while focusing and breathing are the pillars of his classes, connected to the elements and nature whenever possible and, of course, connected to the sound. His flows are in symbiosis with mixed electronic sounds.
Creativity and an always-learning-process are the key to become a better teacher.
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SVEA SAUERBORN
Assistant teacher
Svea Sauerborn is a yoga and AcroYoga teacher as well as a psychologist-to-be based in Braunschweig. As a self-proclaimed yoga nerd she enjoys challenging current paradigms in the yoga world and is known for her detail-oriented, yet easygoing teaching style. Her passion is to help people feel more at home in their bodies and give them tools to approach life with steadiness, more ease and clarity.
ONLINE YOGA AND MINDFULNESS
with Thomas Arta
MIDWEEK MINDFULNESS
Every Wednesday at 20:00
via Facebook Live
Bite-sized 20 minute sessions to support or deepen a meditation practice, with essential theory and short guided practices.
DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS AT ALL?
HÄTTEST DU FRAGEN DAZU?
Please don't be shy, we are friendly. Deutsch geht auch klar!