My Yoga Certification process and experienceMy yoga certification process began with one yoga class on a vacation in South Dakota. My brother and sister-in-law are yoga instructors and when I went to visit them in 2000 I took my first yoga class and fell in love with it. I knew yoga was offered in my gym at home but always thought I would feel weird doing it. I took a class when I got home and I was hooked. After I took classes ~~ and bought videos so I could practice at home ~~ and read everything I could find about yoga, I finally decided to find out how I could teach it. My fitness coordinator at the time, Judy Sullivan, now owner/operator of the gym, LLC directed me to a weekend yoga certification program. I completed the training and passed the test and was certified. That was great, but not enough for me. I found out that there were 200 hour programs available and there was one that was local. I contacted Aura Wellness Center in North Providence, RI and signed up for the training program. They have since moved the center to Attleboro, MA. Paul Jerard is a master yoga instructor and an accomplished martial arts instructor. 
This teacher training course inspired me with an up-to-date view of an ancient practice. Paul has a way of connecting the history of the practice with our present way of life. I was already teaching yoga so I was able to use the information I learned right away in my classes. We were given textbooks, which we discussed at length, and practice assignments. We worked on alignment and philosophy. We studied mantras and mudras, anatomy and history, contraindications and benefits. We practiced meditation and relaxation techniques. The yoga certification process was similar to my first program but we had more time to really discuss and learn the different aspects. In a weekend program there is a lot of information to be covered and you try to soak it all in, but in Paul's program we had more time to cover more information and have more in-depth discussions. The course was approximately 5 months long and I loved every second of it. By the way if you are interested in a teacher training course, I highly recommend one from Paul Jerard. Paul has correspondence courses available so you don't even have to leave your house. Click the blue link for more information if you want to Become a Yoga Teacher.
I want to incorporate yoga into everyone's life, so I thought if I was a certified personal trainer I could use yoga for flexibility. Once I started practicing yoga I couldn't stop, so I figured others would be the same way. Pilates is another program that is complementary to yoga. The core strengthening helps in many yoga poses. These are my current certifications: 200 hour Yoga Instructor Certification - renewed with high honors, 2007 AAAI/ISMI Certification for Yoga Phase 1 and Phase 2 Member of Yoga Alliance since 2005, # 17164 NESTA Sport Yoga Certification NESTA Pilates Certification ACE Personal Training Certification, T97190 AMFPT Personal Trainer Certification, 8/04 American Heart Association CPR Certification Older Adult Fitness Certification, 2008 Youth and Teen Fitness Certification, 2008 I've been teaching yoga since 2002. I have taught at the gym I belonged to at that time, and I am now teaching at the new gym, aptly named, the gym, LLC. I have taught at a local community center and in a corporate fitness center, the Boys & Girls club and the YMCA. I currently teach gentle yoga, a mix of yoga and pilates, power yoga, partner yoga and family yoga. Namaste, Kathi Duquette
Yoga Certification information can be found here.
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