Yoga Teacher Training & National Certification — 200hr
A 50+ Year Legacy, Carried Forward
In 1974, Lex Gillan founded The Yoga Institute in Houston, one of the oldest continuously running yoga teacher trainings in Texas. Since 2017, Farida has co-facilitated the program alongside Lex, and now serves as Director of The Yoga Institute at the Institute for Spirituality and Health (ISH), where she leads the training year-round. Graduates join a lineage of more than 3,000 certified teachers built over five decades.
Who This Training Is For
No prior teaching experience is required. Students join this program for a range of reasons: deepening a personal practice, learning to see yoga through a teacher's eyes, preparing to teach professionally in studios, wellness centers, or online, or building a livelihood rooted in purpose and service. Whatever brought you here, you'll leave with both the technical grounding and the confidence to teach.
Our Approach
The training blends Hatha and Raja Yoga, intelligent physical practice paired with mindfulness, ethics, and self-inquiry. The style is eclectic and non-dogmatic, bridging classical yoga philosophy with modern movement science and trauma-aware teaching, so graduates leave with both depth and the versatility to adapt across teaching settings.
What You'll Learn
How to teach a complete class, beginner through advanced, weaving together body, breath, mind, and heart
Sequencing, cuing, and alignment principles grounded in functional anatomy
How to identify your own authentic teaching voice
How to teach safely and inclusively across ages, body types, and abilities
Meditation, breathwork (pranayama), and yoga philosophy as the foundation of every class
The business and ethics of teaching - building a sustainable, professional path
The curriculum unfolds in three parts: what to teach (postures, breathing practices, meditation, and the foundations of yoga philosophy), how to teach (hands-on practicum, cuing, pacing, and holding space), and the business of yoga(transitioning into professional teaching, ethics, marketing, and building your own offerings).
Certification
Upon successful completion of coursework and assessments, you'll receive a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certificate. You'll be eligible to register with Yoga Alliance as an RYT® 200 and will be automatically registered with the National Association of Certified Yoga Teachers (NACYT).
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