Sangha Yoga Teacher Training (SYTT) Testimonials
The Sangha Yoga Institute has been, and continues to be, one of my life’s greatest gifts. What Karina offers is REAL yoga, sourced from Love. To be a student here is to be profoundly changed for the better. SYTT's have given me practical skills as a yoga teacher as well as a continually evolving human on the planet. I learned amazing things about the mechanics of the body, why we do what we do, wise sequencing of asana, pranayama, and meditation, and how to achieve the most powerful effects for everyone in the class. After just one week of SYTT, I was able to offer guidance to other teachers with much more training and expereince than I had. This shows just how comprehensive and valuable SYTT trainings are.
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Karina Mirsky doesn't just churn out "instructors" who can lead a decent class. She understands that in order for people to evolve into yoga "teachers" that we must do comprehensive work on ourselves. It is not possible to go through Sangha Yoga YTT without undergoing powerful self-transformation. And as a gifted and deeply compassionate psychotherapist, Karina is fully in command of facilitating this process. SYTT has taught me to turn inward and to connect to something so much larger than oneself—to a truly loving and supportive community of diverse yet likeminded people, to ancient traditions and practices, to pure consciousness. I’ve seen it again and again and experienced it in my own life: to be a student of Sangha Yoga Institute is to be seen, known, and accepted exactly as you are, and to be shown the path to achieve your highest potential.
~ Marin Heinritz (SYTT 200/300)
As the Editor of Yoga International, I meet a lot of yoga teachers. I will often hear fellow teachers say that they left their 200-hour teacher trainings not feeling prepared to teach at all. This was not the case for me. After completing my first 200-hour teacher training at Sangha Yoga, I was confident in my ability to teach a safe, well-sequenced yoga class. Throughout the training I received a comprehensive yoga education that included clear, relevant teachings on yoga philosophy (something that I also hear is often lacking from many trainings), up-to-date anatomy instruction that could easily be applied to yoga practice and teaching (i.e., we weren't just sitting around looking at pictures of muscles!), and tools that to this day continue to help me deepen my personal yoga practice. In addition, lead teacher Karina Mirsky is a wonderful person to study with. Her teaching is clear, inspiring, and down-to-earth. I felt safe asking questions and comfortable with making mistakes. For these reasons and many more, I highly recommend SYTT programs.
~ Kat Heagburg (SYTT 200)
SYTT gave me a comprehensive, in-depth yoga training that paved the way for me to offer the life-changing teachings of yoga to others. The format of the training allowed the time and space to fully integrate the material. In addition to feeling confident as a teacher, my own practice evolved both on the mat and in the classroom of life. Karina's authenticity, skillfulness and depth of knowledge make this program a truly tansformational experience that I will forever be grateful for. It continues to nurture my personal and professional life in more ways than I can express.
~ Suzanne Roche (SYTT 200)
I started studying with Karina Mirsky in 2008 because of her impressive background and expereince. She has a deep knowledge of yogic scripture and philosophy which really interested me. I also appreciate that she is very warm and compassionate. I never intended to teach yoga but I went through the 200 hour program twice and the 300 hour program once (so far). I continue to drop into the open sessions of the training tiers of both programs because I get so much out of them physically, mentally and energetically. Over the years, Sangha Yoga has become like a family to me. It's a community of likeminded individuals who come together to practice in a ancient living tradition of yoga. I highly recommend training here if you want to grow as a person and study authentic yoga.
~ Wade Woytal (SYTT 200/300)
I have a MSW in social work, but it was in SYTT where I found my life purpose and learned priceless, life-changing skills like how to make my life joyful, how to stop my mind from causing me stress, what to say to someone who is hurting, and how to modify every yoga pose for my S-curve scoliosis. I also learned anatomy, ParaYoga sequencing, meditation, pranayama, systematic relaxations, the Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita, and much more. Karina shines a true light on Classical Yoga, Samkhya philosophy, and Western Psychology. The business education in SYTT helped me open my own yoga studio too! I highly recommend Karina Mirsky’s teacher trainings if you want to become an excellent teacher or if you want to take your personal practice to a higher level.
~ Jessica Johnson (SYTT 200/300)
It's been eight years since I was in teacher training with Karina and I still have a strong memory of what I am grateful for. Teaching from a standpoint of "safety" is the skill I appreciate most. I teach students who are in their 60's and seventies with degrees of freedom, and limitations, that vary continuously. I feel I am able to adapt and tend to different needs because of my teacher training. The foundation of safety is more important than any pose or goal, and this is the aspect of Karina's TT that stands out for me. Because of this foundation, I can explore possibilities in my personal practice without hurting myself, which furthers my ability to be mindful of what I teach.
~ Marne J. Apolo (SYTT 200)
I took Sangha Yoga’s Teacher Training with Karina Mirsky because I wanted "more". I didn’t just want to learn yoga poses and their names and alignments. I wanted to know what each pose did to the body physically, energetically and spiritually. I wanted to learn in-depth philosophy that I could apply to my life outside of practice on the mat alone. I wanted to learn breath practices that truly connected mind, body and Spirit and to deepen my meditation practice. I received all I wanted and SO much more. I have witnessed the most amazing transformations in the participants of these courses and have seen my own transformation too. If you want to expand into your potential, these trainings are for you!
~ Julie Birman (SYTT 200/300)
I had no idea when I signed up for SYTT 200 that it would be the most profound, life altering experience I would have. So profound that shortly after starting the SYTT-200 hour, I signed up for the additional 300 hour training. I was initially drawn solely to the physical practice of yoga and started out with the thought that this training would help strengthen my physical practice and also help me to become a better yoga “instructor”. It didn’t take long for me to realize that the Sangha Yoga Institute raises up great Yoga Teachers, not simply people that give instructions to students. Karina Mirsky’s experience and depth of knowledge, teachings on traditional yogic philosophy, focus on the importance of safety for students as well as teachers, thoughtful intelligent sequencing, pranayama and meditation are just a few of the things that changed my perception and ideas around what yoga truly was for me – i.e. my misperception that yoga is just a physical exercise rather than yoga being a path that leads to transformation, peace and freedom. It is an honor and a privilege to be a student of such a knowledgeable, skilled and compassionate teacher. Even if becoming a yoga teacher isn’t your intention, if you are open to it, this training will deepen your personal practice and take it to levels that will exceed your expectations!
~ Missy Rugg (SYTT 200/300)
Karina's SYTT program provides knowledge of how to teach mindfully sequenced classes for the personal growth of each student. I learned how to become a compassionate teacher and a lifelong student of yoga. The space Karina creates within the capsule of the classroom is uplifting, empowering and caring; no one is left behind in her teaching! She also provides a safe space for personal reflection and learning. The teaching tools I gained allow me to head a class with confidence knowing I am there to keep each student safe and leave them feeling calm and cared for. This is exactly why I chose Sangha Yoga.
~ Daphney Dotson, (SYTT 200/300)
I've studied with Karina since 2006 and have completed both the 200-hour and 300-hour SYTT's. The 200-hour program dove into the mechanics of teaching and provided an introduction to the deeper philosophies of yoga. From completing this program, I was able to step into my teaching practice with an unparalleled competency of yoga and a stronger connection to my personal practice. It is a life changing experience that will challenge, uplift, and expand the trainee. A few years later, I completed the 300-hour program and began to understand the teachings in a whole new way. While the first program taught me "how" to be a yoga teacher, this second program taught me "how I want to be" a yoga teacher. Blending my teaching experience, the deeper knowledge of the teachings, and my curiosities around my own practice, I completed the final project with a clear direction for my life and teaching career. Since then, I've become a more dedicated student of yoga, often studying the texts on my own, and a more masterful teacher. These trainings and my experiences with Karina are the foundation upon which my successful teaching practice is built. If you're considering a SYTT, do it - you won't be sorry. Any time spent in with Karina is transformational.
~ Jerry Givens (SYTT 200/300)
On the first day of my 200 hour training program at Sangha, I knew that I was in the right place. I wanted a yoga teacher training program that gave me a deep understanding of the scope of yoga; not just the yoga poses. What I found in the SYTT200 program far exceeded my expectations. Not only did Karina's method of teaching help to deepen my understanding of what yoga actually is, her presentation of the subject matter helped me integrate it seamlessly into my practice and life off of the yoga mat. Karina teaches in a way that is thoughtful, and skillfully sequenced to help students learn systematically. The SYTT training program not only deepened my understanding of yoga, it prepared me to be a sucessful yoga teacher in a blooming industry. Karina and her programs are an incredible gift to any student who is seeking to understand not only what yoga is – but how they can live a better life because of it. I went right into the SYTT300 program after graduation, I just had to learn more!
~ Amanda Wallace (SYTT 200/300)
As a sports educator, my passion is teaching middle school and high school students the foundations of yoga so they are better able to handle the daily stress of the teenage years. Karina’s art of teaching fit perfectly with what I had hoped to bring back to my students. She shares her craft and professional wisdom with a passion and lighthearted attitude. Her deep knowledge of the yoga philosophy, along with a rich understanding of body mechanics and anatomy, gives her yoga students a solid foundation and the tools to understand true yoga. Karina's passion, not just for yoga but for teaching its meaning and potential to eager students, was a contagious and powerful experience. I highly recommend Karina's Sangha Yoga teacher training.
~ Sherri Austin (SYTT 200)
After completing a very disappointing 200 hour yoga teacher training from a different studio, I was looking for a new teacher and program that would help me salvage the love and respect I once had for a yoga practice that was more than just moving through the poses. I went online, traveled to different states, attended multiple workshops to find the right teacher. Karina showed up in a nearby town at a workshop on bandhas. Her knowledge, enthusiasm, clarity and humor in delivering material was amazing. I had to have more. Look for the name "Karina Ayn Mirsky" in workshops, retreats, teacher trainings, meditations, seminars and know that you will be getting a wealth of information that is well organized, entertaining, and worth all the time and money you invest!
~ Joy Jonker (SYTT 300)
Karina's words from teacher training still guide me everyday: "always be a student first and do your own practice." With that humility as my base, being a yoga teacher is what I am most confident in, hands down. I have several students that regularly attend my classes who have been practicing for 25 years longer than I have. To me, that is a sign that I was trained very well. Karina delivers an overwhelming amount of information in the training, but makes it accessible every step of the way. Years after graduation, I continue to seek her guidance. Her support uplifts and inspires me.
~ Tracy Landskroener (SYTT 200)
SYTT teaches authentic yoga that is steeped in tradition and traces the knowledge of a long lineage. I am grateful to Karina for her very skillful teaching and for her willingness to share what her teachers and mentors have passed down to her. After completing SYTT, I have a vast well of information on asana, pranayama, koshas, vayus, sutras, ayurveda and so much more and I draw on that well daily in my own practice as well as in teaching my students. Because of Karina's guidance I confidently lead a safe, informative and fun class for my students and have a number of private classes as well. I encourage anyone interested in becoming a yoga teacher or even just deepening their understanding of yoga to train with Karina and SYTT-this school is so much more than typical trainings and you will become "so much more" after completion-I know I did.
~ Elesha Snyder (SYTT 300)