Hart Lazer is co-owner of United Yoga Montreal and internationally recognized as a teacher of yoga teachers. Systematic, profound, thorough, sensitive and challenging, he is a master at teaching the mechanics of asana, having studied closely with Iyengar teacher Ramanand Patel for many years and undertaken a serious study of Ashtanga yoga. Hart Lazer offers his students the experience gained from his unique life story, from boyhood in a Jewish rabbinical school through a career in counseling and over 25 years as a yoga teacher and practitioner. In recent years Hart has explored the effects of Buddhism, yoga and trauma on the body and has developed a multi-dimensional approach to working with human difficulties.
Overview
This 150-hour* advanced teacher training that builds upon a 200-hour Yoga Alliance Registered Teacher Training. It was developed to include intensive yoga practices, clear and precise principles of sequencing poses for practice and classes, working with mixed level classes, addressing common problems and injuries that occur in the intermediate and advanced student.
This program is certain to advance and accelerate your practice as well as give you an opportunity to teach others advanced level poses including inversions, hip openings, advanced backbends and twists. You will gain hands on experience in adjusting and assisting students to move safely into these complex poses. Injuries and special needs will be addressed along with meditation and breathwork.
* The 150 hours can be counted towards the 300-hour Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga Teacher Training Program with Hart Lazer.
Important aspects of this training will be on
Seeing and understanding bodies
Where you will learn how to see and understand bodies both physically and energetically.
Sequencing
Where you will learn how to set up sequences that allow for safe practice of advanced poses where the focus is to increasing stability, strength, openness and intelligence.
Prioritize
Where you will learn what needs to be done and in what order to facilitate long-term growth.
Special needs
Where time will be taken to learn what to do and how to work with your students that have special needs.
You will have the opportunity to learn
- How to teach intermediate and advanced level poses in the safest possible way
- Effective language to communicate instructions clearly
- How to work with musculo-skeletal problems in intermediate poses
- How to teach intermediate and advanced backbends
- How to begin practicing and teaching pranayama
- How to adjust with skill and precision
- How to deepen your meditation practice and teach from your experience
- How to safely take your students deeper into their practice
Training Schedule
Session I (7 days): January 11-17, 2016
We will look at 5 major types of touch and adjustments, how to observe the effect of the adjustments on the anatomy, and neuromuscular system. The poses covered will include symmetrical and asymmetrical backbends at the intermediate advanced levels. Urdhva Danurasana, Viparita Dandasana, Kapotasana , Danurasana, Ustrasana, Padangustasana Danurasana and all Marychyasanas 1-4 .
Session II (9 days): August 22-30, 2016
We will work the organ systems and on the vayus. We will especially focus on the brain diaphragm and pelvic floor diaphragms in relation to backbends and long held standing poses.
Session III (9 days): December 17-25, 2016
We will explore the teaching and practice of Inversions and balancing poses. There will also be an introduction to teaching basic seated and lying down Pranayama.
Admission requirements
At least two years of yoga practice
Completed a recognized 200-hr yoga teacher-training program
Currently teaching yoga classes at the beginner level
Personal practice must be at an intermediate level
Essential to have proficient understanding and practice of backbends and shoulderstands
Daily Schedule
Each morning will begin with a guided meditation and guided basic pranayama. This will be followed by an intensive practice that will mix asana practice along with advanced instructional training simultaneously. Afternoon program is dedicated to improving your teaching skills and working with the different injuries and challenges that students bring to the classroom.
08:00 - 11:00 Morning practice / teaching skills
11:00 - 12:30 Lunch break
12:30 - 15:30 Teaching skills and adjustments
Earlier this year, I attended Hart Lazer’s 150-hours Advanced Teacher Training. During the course, one of the trainees with an Ashtanga practice asked a question about how his repetitive knee injury is causing him discomfort in his knees as he modify his pose according to Hart’s instructions. Hart stated very directly and clearly: “ If you are asked to do a pose and feel pain, then don’t do it. It doesn’t matter if it Iyengar, Pattabhi Jois, or me who is doing the adjustment, because you have to let your practice become your own.” He then followed, “We are all imperfect. Often we want a teacher to come along and save us, complete us, but remember the best teachers in the world all have struggled in their practice. They are all still exploring in every moment what would be the best for themselves. Yoga practice does not exist as a fixed menu.” When he finished, most of the people present were all crying.
Hart understand the essence of teaching is to inspired student’s deep self and let the practice become their own. Having 200-hour certification is only the basics of teaching skills, you still need a Master teacher like Hart to guide you through the principles and philosophy of yoga. Through a master’s teachings, you not only learn the art of teaching, you’ll find your own personal teaching style and inspiration.
Ｉhave followed Hart and completed nearly 400 hours of training with him. Even though previously I have had years of teaching experience, I still struggle with meditation. I am also still learning how to give correct instructions, as well as filled questions about the Asana practice. I have followed many teachers in the past, but only Hart has completed changed my path in life. I am very honored and fortunate to be able to study under him.
- Jordan
I met Hart Lazer, the master teacher of teachers who conducts training for yoga teachers worldwide, when he first came to SPACE to teach. I had the honor to be his translator and was able to have a close-up view of his teaching style and method.
Hart has these extraordinary eyes that can penetrate through you. With his years of experience in the therapeutic field, he can even observe a student’s condition through their skin and nervous system. One of his teaching specialties is teach yoga teachers in detail how to observe student’s subtle physical and mental needs and how to provide appropriate assistance and response. And this is a very important skill for any teacher who wants to advance their teaching skills.
Hart often remind us to have compassion when teaching. His wisdom of teaching even extends into life and relationship. The time that made the deepest impression on me was once after the workshop was over, he said: “If you only take away one thing in this week’s course, please remember when you and your loved ones or your kids have an intense discussion or arguments and their eyes are not looking at you, they are already trying the best they could to listen to you, please do not also demand for them to look at you in the eyes.” This is how we show compassion. These words were deeply imprinted in my heart.
This time being a part of the training as a student and not a translator is because I have great respect for his experience in therapeutic counseling and his knowledge of the nervous system. Another part I am interested in is his expertise in blending the Ashtanga and Iyengar styles of teaching and practice. On the personal level, my current learning is not about getting the required hours for a certificate. As a teacher and a mother of two, I especially need this kind of space and time, to get back to a beginner’s mind to enrich and nourish myself.
- Michelle Chu
First time I met Hart Lazer was at his workshop two years ago. I was extremely impressed with his thorough and precise teaching. His is a very frank and sincere teacher, one that is able to honestly cut through all the various characteristics of different yoga style and directly point out the habits and blind spots of our practice.
Once in a SPACE internal teacher training, someone asked about how to alleviate student’s pain and discomfort, he was very direct and answered: “your body will always have pain. Human beings cannot 100% avoid pain.” He means to remind every yoga teacher to first see through the surface of the pain and observe what’s going on the mental level, and then you can truly assist the student.
Another deep impression I had was how he sharply reminded us that Asana practice is just a tool. There is no need to over mystify it and no need to be excessively rigid about it. We are all born with a teacher within, like a baby knows how to breathe since birth and even the whole body is in that breathing rhythm, so we should explore inward, feel the body and the mind, experience the sensations in the pose, instead of cling on to the Asana itself.
His teaching on the root lock (mula bandha) really complemented my previous learning in prenatal yoga. He wanted us not to focus too much on “contracting” the pelvic floor muscles, instead really learn how to “relax” it in order to practice in a healthy and correct way. This is also the main reason I’m really looking forward to study with Hart again this year.
- Paula
I was very happy to be able to take Hart Lazer’s workshop at SPACE last year. As an Ashtanga practitioner, I was very curious about his transformation from practicing Ashtanga to becoming a teacher with Iyengar influence.
In Ashtanga practice, we look to have the poses flow with ease, but in Iyengar practice, it focuses on the precision of the action, to correctly get into the pose and stay to activate body’s natural healing. In the workshop, Hart guided us to slowly get into the pose and feel the intricacies of the body. Even in what looks to be a simple pose, the down dog, he can sharply observe the subtle differences and directly point out the effects of these problems can have on the body.
I truly recommend Hart’s teacher training course to everyone. Come and feel for yourself a yoga experience that is beyond Asana.
- Vincent
