Our 500-hour program is taught as 10 4.5 day courses after our 200-hour Basic Training has been successfully completed. We will also accept students into the program who are graduates of any Yoga Alliance approved 200-hour yoga teacher training.

There is no application procedure or fees to start our 500-hour program, and students do not need to take the courses in any specific order. After completing an approved 200-hour yoga teacher training, you may take the 10 courses as we rotate through them at Radiant Well-being and other locations. After finishing each course you will receive a letter of completion. When you have completed your 10 courses you may register with us as a Pranakriya Professional Level Yoga Teacher. There is a $50 registration fee to review your letters and issue your certificate. With this certificate you may register with the Yoga Alliance as a 500-hour graduate of a Registered Yoga School.

We welcome teachers and students from other traditions who wish to take courses in our training for personal enrichment or CEUs. Many of our courses are appropriate for student practitioners. Some involve practice teach exercises or discussions on teaching methodology and participation in these courses is restricted to graduates of a Yoga Alliance approved yoga teacher training.

Our training programs start at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, and end on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. When offered away from our training site programs may have a different schedule. The total training time per program is 35 hours.

All contact hours are with Yoganand Michael Carroll, ERYT-500, or other approved Pranakriya program directors. The Functional Anatomy and Therapeutic Yoga program is taught by a licensed physical therapist.

Program Titles:

Program descriptions:

Teaching Meditation for Pranakriya Yoga Teachers
In ancient times yoga schools had a rich meditation practice that has been lost in many modern traditions. Some yoga schools today turn to Buddhism for meditation if they teach it at all. This program will explore the many stages and techniques of yoga meditation. We will start with the most ancient forms from which Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain meditation have sprung. After learning these techniques we will explore how they can be incorporated into a modern practice and taught to our students. This program is for yoga teachers only.

Advanced Pranayama for Pranakriya Yoga Teachers
Pranayama, the yogic science of breath control, is a powerful way for you and your students to raise energy and channel it into spiritual growth and life mastery. This program provides a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the techniques of pranayama as taught in the Tantric Hatha Yoga traditions. Practicing with the guidance of an experienced teacher, learn a variety of pranayama techniques and teaching methods. Explore the effects of combining pranayama with bandhas (locks), and experiment with ways to incorporate them into a deep spiritual practice. Increase your understanding of how to safely integrate the power of advanced breathing practices into yoga classes and develop your own style in supportive practice-teaching sessions. This program is for yoga teachers only.

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Advanced Asana Series 1-4
Bring variety, balance, and strength to your yoga classes by learning how to teach 20 advanced asanas. During this in-depth training we will explore optimal alignment, modifications, props, assists, and variations. There are four programs in the Advanced Asana series. Each teaches 20 different asanas, and they may be taken in any order.

Understanding the Bhagavad Gita
The Bhagavad Gita is a 2,500 year old Sanskrit text that offers profound insight into the deeper practices of yoga. As the seeker in the Gita metaphorically prepares for the battle of spiritual transformation, he asks his teacher a series of questions. In his answers the teacher explains the many challenges and stages of the yogic spiritual path. In this program we will explore themes from the Bhagavad Gita that are meaningful for us as modern yoga practitioners. We will use the Bhagavad Gita, by Winthrop Sargeant, as our text.

Understanding the Hatha Yoga Pradipika
The Hatha Yoga Pradipika is an ancient yogic text written in the 15th century. This text describes the original "spiritual technology" that was the purpose behind the asanas, pranayamas, and meditations that have evolved into the yoga practice we have today. Learn more about why yoga is the way it is, and enrich your practice by learning more about how it was intended to unfold. Pick up pieces that have been lost along the way.

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Spiritual Doorways: Swami Kripalu's Approach to Asana
In the ancient Tantric Hatha Yoga traditions, yogis developed and practiced asanas as part of a biologically based spiritual technology. They practiced specific breathing patterns, internal focal points, and visualizations, for the purpose of inducing spiritual experiences. They raised their biological energy (prana) to very high states, causing transformation in perception and experience of Self. Most ancient yoga texts, including the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, were based on these experiences of altered states of consciousness. In this program we will use Swami Kripalu's approach to asana to explore lesser-known techniques that can be used to enrich the practice of yoga.

Functional Anatomy and Therapeutic Yoga
In this experiential course we will explore the major muscles and how they relate to yoga practice. Through observation, hands-on exercises, and practice of specific asanas, you will learn the location and function of the key anatomical regions of the body and understand how they relate to asana, as well as how asana can in turn affect the body. By employing these techniques, you will become proficient at understanding and identifying imbalances in your students' practice.
Common stresses and injuries for each part of the body will be addressed. Learn how to apply asana therapeutically for specific injuries, as well as modifications (providing appropriate hands-on support and protection) to maximize the healing and strengthening that is possible from the practice of yoga. This program is for yoga teachers only.

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Pranakriya 500 hour Professional Level Yoga Teacher Training is approved by the Yoga Alliance.