Svadharma

The Svadharma Mentorship is built upon 15 weeks of self-directed home study and practice. Trainees have access to an online portal where each week they are given about 3-7 hours of assigned work. After the initial 15 weeks, trainees attend an in-person residency with Morgan Kulas alongside a small curated cohort of peers. After the in-person residency, all trainees must design and implement a Dharma/Service project in their communities. This project must be approved in advance by Morgan Kulas and be fully implemented as designed. When students complete all requirements, they are eligible to be certified as Level 1 Yoga teachers through American Yoga Council and receive their 200HR certificate through Yoga Alliance.

There have been massive ruptures of integrity in the field of Yogic practice and teaching due to the commodification of Yoga Teacher Training programs by Western practitioners. We do not believe that students are owed a Yoga Teacher Training certificate just because they pay a fee. All graduates must demonstrate an aptitude for and sincere commitment to teaching and leading in their communities. American Yoga Council has developed a new framework for Teacher Trainings that aligns with these values. Which is to say, we reserve the right not to certify students who do not fulfill all requirements. Morgan Kulas is not a business or a brand, she is an artist and a person and her body of work is designed with dignity and respect. While trainees are eligible for their 200HR certificate with Yoga Alliance our program aligns more with the values of American Yoga Council.

In the initial 15 weeks of mentorship, trainees will be assigned 3-7 hours of home study and practice. The curriculum is delivered in an array of mediums from readings to video and audio practices to writing and creative assignments. In this wave of the training students develop their understanding of the philosophical, theoretical, and psychological foundations of our pedagogy.

Trainees meet Morgan either in person or online via Zoom once a month for a check in and advising session.

When the 15 weeks of home practice are complete and skillfully integrated, students are invited to attend an in-person residency in New Mexico with Morgan Kulas and guest artists and teachers. Please note that students are responsible for all travel, food, and lodging expenses for the residency. However, we do make it as affordable as possible and are transparent in our communications about money.

Trainees may not graduate from their mentorship until they have designed and implemented a service project directed towards a community they are committed to serving as a Yoga teacher. While there is space for a lot of flexibility and creativity in the crafting of this project, many students struggle to commit. All students who want to graduate with the school are required to see their Dharma project through to its fully intended expression. For us, this is the most important demonstration of your commitment to being a Yoga Teacher. This project is not about you, the teacher, it is about who you intend to serve, why, and how.