Teacher Training

"I met Ambaji at the Sivananda TTC at Uttarkashi. I had already been practicing and teaching for a sometime and was looking for a teacher who could advance my personal and teaching practices. Ambaji's clear, detailed and anatomically precise instructions fulfilled me. I thought I had a well developed breath capacity but was introduced to an entirely new diaphragmatic awareness. Her warmth, compassion and ability to spot the mental flaw that holds you back from performing an asana properly is what I seek to give to my students as well. I highly recommend her yoga training course to both the newbie and advanced."  ~ Surabhi Rathod

 

 

"My yoga teacher training at Shakti was one of the most transforming experiences of my life.  It was so worth the effort and focus it required of me and has served me well as the foundation of my yoga practice in the years since.  The training was varied, covering so many areas beyond the in-depth asanas I expected to learn to become a teacher.  Some examples: anatomy, lovingly offered support for practice teaching (a scary thought for this introverted soul), study of the yoga sutras, chair yoga, use of props, chanting, meditation, pranayama.  There was even one class conducted entirely in the dark and another given over the phone on a snowed-in evening! Anna is a wonderful, talented, genius of a teacher with a strong intuition for what her students need.  Take this training and you will learn not only yoga, but will also gain insights into yourself and into all that yoga has to offer us all in this wacky world we live in." ~ Susan Pendleton

 

'I completed my 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2012 with Anna Winkler. I found it to be one of the most enriching experiences of my life. Learning yogic philosophy and gaining a deeper understanding was life changing for me. I am forever in Anna’s debt. She has boundless knowledge in so many different areas of yoga, and teaches with humility and patience. I highly recommend this training." ~ Jane Guzzi
 

"I completed Anna's Yoga Teacher Training in 2011 and have been grateful ever since. She is extremely kind and patient as well as very knowledgeable in classical yoga texts and teaching asanas. But, what sets her apart from other teachers and their teacher training programs is her ability to know what each student needs, and to focus her teaching to meet that need. Once you understand, you can pass that knowledge on to your students. If you are taking this training to teach classes yourself or just to deepen your own practice, you will not be disappointed. I highly recommend Anna's YTT." ~ Kim Reynolds

 

DATES for 2023-2024 at
Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing

Friday, January 26 (check in 3-6pm; program starts 7pm)
until Friday, February 16 (check out and depart after lunch)
 

Contact Anna if you're interested or have questions. Hope you'll join us!

DOWNLOAD APPLICATION
 

TUITION: $3,000 ~ $300 discount if paid in full by June 30, 2023

ROOM and BOARD at Dharmakaya: Prices are all inclusive (includes tuition fee)

Early Bird Price: Book before January 1

Private Room (shared bath): $5136
Junior Suite (private bath): $6060

Regular Price (after January 1)

Private Room (shared bath): $5436
Junior Suite (private bath): $6360

Couple Pricing also available (shared room with one double bed).
 

This is a 3-week INTENSIVE TRAINING, with NO days off.

The Daily Schedule is as follows:

6:00am Coffee/Tea
6:30-7am Meditation
7-9am Morning Yoga
9-10am Breakfast
10am-1pm Learning Session
1-2pm Lunch
2-4pm Learning Session
4-5:30 Afternoon Yoga
5:30-6pm Learning Session
6-7pm Dinner
7-9pm Personal Study Time
10pm Lights Out

 

FACULTY

Anna (Amba) Winkler, Director of Shakti Yoga & living arts, E-RYT500, YACEP, NJ LMT

Anna has been practicing and teaching yoga since 1989. She was originally certified through the Sivananda Yoga Organization, where she served as a volunteer staff member for over 6 years. Among many other things, she assisted in the Yoga Teacher Training courses and modeled for 2 yoga books during her time there: Yoga, Mind and Body and 101 Essential Tips: Yoga.

Anna has been practicing Ashtanga Yoga since 1997 with Eddie Stern and numerous other authorized teachers, including Pattabhi, Saraswati, Manju and Sharath Jois, Nancy Gilgoff, Tim Miller, and others. She as been teaching Ashtanga since 2002. Anna has been sudying and practicing Iyengar Yoga at Studio Yoga in Madison (and with other Senior Iyengar teaches) since 2007. She received her second 500 hour teaching certificate from Theresa Rowland of Studio Yoga in 2014. 

Anna teaches an Alignment Based Hatha Yoga class. Her Ashtanga classes are also alignment influenced. Anna has been teaching in the Maplewood area since 2001, Sheis the founder and director of Shakti Yoga & living arts since June 2005 (formerly the Yoga Room in Millburn). 

Anna is a Licensed Massage Therapist, practicing since 2014. She has been practicing Thai Massage since 2001, Thai Abdominal Massage since 2015 and Myofacial Release Massage since 2016. She is a certified Ayurveda Lifestyle Consultant from the Kripalu School of Ayurveda's first graduating class of 2006. She has been working with Young Living Essential Oils since 2007 and practicing Raindrop Technique since 2008. She is also an Independend Distributor of BEMER (for increased microcirculation).

Anna graduated from Nalanda Institute's Contemplative Psychotherapy Program (Compassion Module) in May, 2021. In March, 2022, she became a certified Compassion Based Resilience Training (CBRT) teacher, also with the Nalanda Institute. She is currently enrolled in the Embodiment Module of the CPP (first one offered). She enjoys sharing these teachings in the community.

Anna is honored to serve on the Board of Directors and as a teacher at the Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing, a retreat center in Cragsmoor, NY (near Ellenville/Pinebush), founded by her teacher, Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche.

 

Anna's teaching style is both challenging and nurturing.
With a dash of humor, a focus on alignment and sometimes
just going with the flow, her classes will leave you
feeling worked, yet tranquil and energized.

Donna Amrita Davidge, E-RYT500, YACEP is the Director of Sewall House Yoga Retreat. Donna took her first yoga class in college in the 1970’s but it was not until the mid 1980’s that she immersed herself in learning yoga, first teaching Kundalini Yoga and then branching out to teach other forms of yoga based on studies with Dharma Mittra, Eddie Stern (Ashtanga) and Genny Kapuler (Iyengar). She has taught full time for over 35 years in New York City, and since 1997 at her yoga retreat in northern Maine www.sewallhouse.com. She has taught at Golden Bridge, Kundalini Yoga East, Pure Yoga and the Open Center, among other places in Manhattan. She has a popular Chakra Series online with Daily Om and has created other products over the years as well. Her teaching ranges from restorative to active vinyasa, including nidra and yin. Her love for chanting, pranayama and meditation came our of her studies with Kundalini Yoga.

Donna has been offering 200 hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Trainings twice a year since 2009 in Maine at her retreat. In 2019 her memoir was published, part the story of how yoga helped heal her and part the journey of purchasing her ancestral home to create a haven for healing. www.donnadavidgeyoga.com

 

 “If you’re looking for a relatable grounded master teacher, that’s what
you’ll find in Amrita’s detail oriented, highly informed yoga classes.
Conscious, mild paced, and attentive is her style.”

YOGA ALLIANCE CERTIFICATION

You will need your Yoga Teacher Training Certificate of Completion (received at the end of the training. Go to www.yogaalliance.org and follow the directions there.

 

TESTIMONIALS

"This has been one of the best learning experiences in my life so far. In only three weeks, I’ grown into a joyous and confident yoga teacher! The teaching was very intimate, which allowed us to learn from our teachers and each other. We spent lots of time studying Sanskrit, Yogic lifestyles, and Patanjali’s Sutras. It wasn’t just learning asanas, although we spent a good amount of time on that, too. We were introduced to different schools of yoga, such as Iyengar, Kundalini, Sivananda, and Ashtanga. It broadened our vision in our personal practice and was also helpful for our future career goals. Our two fabulous teachers, Amba and Donna/Amrita, has motivated me greatly with their lifelong devotion to the learning and practicing of yoga. Both of them are strong, powerful women with so much love and wisdom. I will cherish everything they shared with us forever. I am now determined to practice yoga my whole life, and to share my understand of yoga to everyone else." ~ Dr. Tedi Zeng, 2022

"Extremely experienced and knowledgable instructors. Great teaching environment and practice." ~ Pnina Zmora, 2022