Whole Life Yoga Advanced Teacher Training

Offered by Tracy Weber in partnership with Whole Life Yoga Studio

Advanced Whole Life Yoga Teacher Training students learning to teach prenatal yoga!

About Whole Life Yoga Advanced Teacher Training

Are you ready to take your yoga studies to the next level? Would you like to deepen your pranayama and meditation practices while learning how to adapt your teaching to more vulnerable audiences?

If so, Whole Life Yoga Advanced Teacher Training may be for you! Like our 200-hour program, this 300-hour program (registered with Yoga Alliance) utilizes a multifaceted approach of weekly classes, monthly clinics, private instruction, case work, and independent study. When combined with a 200-hour certification, our 300-hour program qualifies graduates to be certified at the 500-hour level with Yoga Alliance.

Students in Whole Life Yoga Advanced Teacher Training learn to:

Adapt yoga poses to individuals with injuries and chronic conditions.
Design safe, effective yoga practices for specialized audiences, including prenatal, seniors, children, and other specialized audiences.
Develop a deep and meaningful yoga practice using all 5 levels of yoga: asana, pranayama, meditation, chant, and ritual.
Work privately with individuals to create home practices specifically targeted to their needs.
Teach and practice a full range of pranayama practices safely and effectively.
Practice a wider range of poses and adaptations than is possible in a 200-hour training.
Deepen their personal application of yoga philosophy.
Build a supportive community of peers who share their love of yoga.

Whole Life Yoga Advanced Teacher Training is appropriate for:

Graduates of Whole Life Yoga Teacher Training’s 200-hour program, whether they intend to teach or not.
Graduates of other Viniyoga or TKV Desikachar lineage trainings at the 200-hour level or higher.
Yoga teachers from other styles interested in learning the Viniyoga methodology. (Note: This will require pre-work to develop the baseline skills needed to understand the advanced training.)

Please review our school catalog for more information:

View School Catalog

What Makes Whole Life Yoga Advanced Teacher Training Special?

Seattle is blessed with a wide variety of yoga teacher training programs. Choosing the right training for your specific goals can be a challenge. Our program is, in many ways, unique.

Whole Life Yoga Advanced Teacher Training stands out from other Seattle-area trainings in several key ways.

Physical Adaptability: Our training program is designed to be accessible to all ages, body types, and experience levels. We invite fit, experienced yogis to attend, and we also embrace newer yogis and those with physical limitations and chronic conditions. Viniyoga is appropriate for Olympic-level athletes, weekend warriors, and relative couch potatoes. Our graduates range in age from late teens to late seventies.
Practical Structure: Class meets one weekday evening a week and one Sunday a month for over a year and also includes two weekend retreats. This structure is specifically designed to meet the needs of working adults and full-time parents. Our “trickle approach” helps students integrate the teachings at a much deeper level than can be achieved in trainings with more compressed timeframes.
Longevity and Experience: The director and primary instructor, Tracy Weber (E-RYT500, C-IAYT) is a certified yoga therapist with fifteen years experience leading yoga teacher trainings. She has certified 200 and 500-hour yoga teachers since 2003.
Dedication to a Proven Tradition: Whole Life Yoga Advanced Teacher Training is taught exclusively in the Viniyoga tradition. This lineage has been handed down for generations in India and is known for its adaptability and focus on the breath.
Commitment to Student Success: We believe in helping our students succeed, and we understand that life doesn’t always go according to plan. We do everything in our power to help our students learn, grow, and successfully complete the program. We believe in teaching Yoga for Real People ™ to yogis with real lives!
Proven Financial Stability: Whole Life Yoga Advanced Teacher Training is both registered with Yoga Alliance and licensed as a private career school through the State of Washington. We have passed rigorous tests of business and financial stability, and your tuition is protected by the State of Washington. Simply put, your money is safe with us!

For more information about how to select the right yoga school for you, see this article on six considerations when choosing a yoga teacher training program:

View Blog Article

Program Schedule and Location

Local Classes and Workshops

The course is comprised of evening classes, Sunday clinics, and two residential retreats. We will meet for 15 months, starting Thursday, April 4, 2019 and ending Sunday, June 28, 2020. Weekly classes will take place on Thursdays from 6:30 – 9:30 pm at the Phinney Center at 6532 Phinney Ave N. Monthly clinics will generally take place on the 2nd Sunday of each month from 12:30 – 5:30 pm at Whole Life Yoga Studio at 8551 Greenwood Ave N.

Residential Retreats

The first retreat is at Grunewald Guild, a beautiful artists’ community in Leavenworth, WA. The retreat begins at 5:00 PM on Friday, April 12, 2019 and ends at 3:00 PM on Sunday, April 14, 2019. Retreat food and lodging (except private room upgrades) are included in the cost of tuition. Transportation is not covered, though we will try to facilitate carpools.

The second retreat begins at 5:00 PM on Friday, June 26, 2020 and ends at 3:00 PM on Sunday, June 28, 2020. Pacific Northwest retreat location is TBD. Retreat food and lodging (except private room upgrades) are included in the cost of tuition. Transportation is not covered, though we will try to facilitate carpools.

Tuition Costs

We offer several payment plans, and we discount heavily for payment in full. We can accept cash, checks, and all major credit cards.

Early payment in full: $500 deposit, $4800 by December 31, 2018. (Total cost: $5300—a $500 savings)
Regular payment in full: $500 deposit, then $5300 on February 28, 2019. (Total cost: $5800)
6 Payment plan: $500 deposit, then 6 bimonthly payments of $975 starting February 28, 2019. (Total cost: $6350)
12 Payment plan: $500 deposit, then 12 monthly payments of $525 starting February 28, 2019. (Total cost: $6800)

Tuition includes:

54 weekly 3-hour training sessions
13 monthly 5-hour clinics
Meals and lodging at two residential retreats. (Private room upgrades are an additional cost.)
3 private or small-group meetings with teacher training staff
Teacher training manual, written practices, and all handouts

To Apply

All graduates of Whole Life Yoga Teacher Training’s 200-hour program are eligible to attend the training. Graduates from other programs should contact the program director, Tracy Weber at Tracy@TracyWeber.net to determine eligibility. Tracy will meet with you in person, discuss your goals, and determine if you have the baseline knowledge to be successful. If you know and love Viniyoga and want to continue growing your skills as a yoga teacher, you have a home here!

About the Instructors

Tracy Weber is a registered yoga teacher (E-RYT-500) through Yoga Alliance and a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) through the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Her primary teacher has been Gary Kraftsow, author of the books Yoga for Wellness and Yoga for Transformation. She has taken intensive workshops with other master teachers, including Margaret Pierce, TKV Desikachar, and Joan Borysenko. She also holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration.

Tracy founded Whole Life Yoga in 2000 and created and led her first yoga teacher training program in 2003. Tracy teaches yoga using the Viniyoga methodology. The word "viniyoga" literally translated means "adaptation and proper application." Tracy believes yoga postures should be adapted for each individual practitioner. She infuses her trainings with attitudes of caring and student acceptance, and uses yoga tools to help facilitate growth in all areas of life.

Note: Although Tracy is a registered instructor with Yoga Alliance, her yoga therapist credentials were obtained through the American Viniyoga Institute and the International Association of Yoga Therapists. Yoga Alliance does not certify yoga therapists. For more information on yoga therapist certification, consult the International Association of Yoga Therapists

Joan Schneggenburger is a graduate of Whole Life Yoga's teacher training and is certified at the 500 hour level. Her journey in the Viniyoga lineage began in 2004. She has dedicated herself as lead assistant in both the 200-hour and 300-hour advanced training at the Whole Life Yoga Teacher Training since that time. Learning from Tracy and the students regenerates these teachings continually.

Joan has been a Licensed Massage Therapist since 2000 and is passionate about anatomy. She has continued to study anatomy via additional cadaver classes, in-depth training on the muscular anatomy as well as Cranial-Sacral, Lymphatic Drainage, and other movement/bodywork modalities.

As the lead teaching assistant in the program, Joan is able to link knowledge of human anatomy and the Viniyoga tradition together. Her anatomy classes will be designed to bring cognitive information through lecture, views of the muscular system, and movement to feel these muscles in action to more fully understand this connection internally.

Kim Tull Esterbrook is a graduate of both the 200-hour and 500-hour teacher training programs at Whole Life Yoga and is the current owner of Whole Life Yoga Studio. Kim uses yoga as a tool to help her know and understand herself and the world more fully. She has found that yoga, as a practice, helps her move with courage and grace through all the beautiful and challenging things she finds through that searching.

Kim is drawn to the deeper tools of practice, and she tries to infuse her asana classes with the richness of the other limbs of yoga. She is drawn to meditation, myth, and sound. She delights in ritual and play, and feels incredibly blessed that her path has led her to the Viniyoga tradition.

About Viniyoga

The Viniyoga approach is an ancient methodology for customizing yoga practices to individual student needs. This approach has been handed down for centuries in India. In the past 100 years, it has been sustained in India and expanded to Europe and the United States by Krishnamacharya and his son, TKV Desikachar. It has been effectively customized to US audiences through the work of Gary Kraftsow and others in the past 30+ years.

"Viniyoga...is the most highly customized form of yoga. Viniyoga teachers cater stretching positions to individual student needs and abilities. Function is stressed over form, with an emphasis on integrating the flow of movement of the breath with the movement of the spine."

Viniyoga is a highly adaptable, meditative style of yoga that coordinates movement with the breath. It is a uniquely healing form of yoga and can be used by people of all levels and physical abilities, including those with injury, illness, and limited mobility.

About Whole Life Yoga Studio

Located in Seattle Washington, Whole Life Yoga Studio is a community-focused yoga studio. Our goal is to make yoga available and accessible to all people who could benefit from it, not just those with a high level of fitness or flexibility. We focus on yoga as a way to serve an individual's unique physical condition and lifestyle, not as a means of achieving the "perfect" body or posture. At Whole Life Yoga, you'll find a place to unwind, an opportunity to develop your mind and body, while connecting to your heart, and a community of support for healing and growth.

The style of yoga taught at Whole Life is Viniyoga. The Viniyoga approach to yoga is highly adaptable, meditative, and coordinates movement with the breath. This approach is uniquely healing and can be used by people of all levels and physical abilities, including those with limited mobility.

Quotes From Past Students

"After I signed up for the teacher training, I was struck with the fear that it might be too daunting. For me, nothing is further from the truth. It's an intensive, vigorous course, but each week we're discovering the richness of the viniyoga style. Tracy's style of unconditional support gives us the freedom to learn, make mistakes and literally fall down trying. There's no sense of unrealistic expectations, competitiveness or intimidation -- we are all there learning everything we can to become the most knowledgeable and compassionate teachers we can be."

Ruth Ann

"This training has met all of my expectations. A joyous, fun and comprehensive way of learning the ancient art."

Rene

"Yoga Training has been life changing. What was to be health and physically focused has grown to be something so much bigger that affects how I approach each and every day."

Suzette

"Your presentation of all aspects of viniyoga has been both fun and very interesting. I look forward to class every week."

Barbara

"I had been searching for a style of Yoga to suit my needs after deciding to get certified as a teacher. I wanted a style that would be geared towards a therapeutic approach to meld into my Massage practice. After searching what was available in Seattle and workshops throughout the nation, "Whole Life Yoga" kept being brought to my attention by various sources. I took the hint and cannot be happier. The program is comprehensive, well thought out, balanced with the anatomy, observation principles, benefit and risk assessment of postures, and the more esoteric Sutra and chanting studies. Tracy is a fabulous teacher, sharing her knowledge selflessly. Her approach is both grounded while letting each student reach for what they need."

Joan

"Both Tracy and the viniyoga approach are so accessible that I can’t imagine anyone NOT benefiting from this training. Krishnamacharya [one of the original founders of this approach] would be pleased."

Jill

"This has been the best experience for me. I love not only learning about Viniyoga, but it has definitely opened new doors in other aspects of my life. I am beginning to explore things about myself as a person, not only physically, but mentally."

Alexa

Meet Our Prior Students

advanced class 1, graduated April 2009

advanced class 2, graduated January 2015