Teacher Training

I graduated from the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in August, 2009. I decided to choose the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program because I had been practicing hot yoga at both a Bikram studio and Jason’s studio for about a year and preferred the Dayton Method. I really believe in this yoga, that it can be healing and challenging at the same time. I also felt more of a connection to the studio and the people, who taught there, which I think is important. During the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program I had ups and downs. My emotions were based on whether my body was aching a lot or a little, and if I could repeat the dialogue for that specific posture well enough. I entered teacher training without any expectations on purpose because I wanted to keep an open mind. I was nervous about the dialogue. I am very uncomfortable speaking in front of large groups, English is not my first language so I tend to stutter and mispronounce certain words which I’m a little self-conscious about. Having to teach classes over and over again has been the best thing to overcome my fear/dislike of public speaking. The girls that were in my training, I feel will be my friends forever because we all shared something that was quite unique and we all added something different to the group. Because of the intimacy of the training it forced us all to grow closer and open up more. Any issues or fear we had, it was all out on the table and we all helped each other to work through it. Jason could focus on where each person needed help and he was able to work with us individually to overcome whatever obstacles. The philosophy I really enjoyed, it gave me a taste of the broader picture. The posture clinics really push you to your potential in every posture, there’s no being lazy when you’re in the middle of a circle and everyone is starring at you. My life would definitely be different had I not done teacher training. I’ve found something that I really LOVE to do, which is sharing yoga with other people. What I love about this training is that you are PREPARED to teach a class the day you graduate. The training is so structured, you’re not just given a book and told to study on your own, you practice exactly what you need to know to teach a class. I teach several classes a week at Huntington Beach Hot Yoga. I would definitely recommend the Dayton Method Teacher Training! I have done 2 teacher trainings and I recommend this one by far. The most important thing to do after teacher training is to practice what you’ve learned and start teaching right away. Many studios offer teacher training and then send you off to look for teaching jobs somewhere else. This is fine, but 200 hours of training is still not enough to become a great teacher. It takes teaching experience and someone who can grow and mentor you. I still struggle as a teacher but am learning more and more everyday! 

I graduated from the Dayton method teacher training program in summer 2008. My friend Laura Steiner who has been a role model for me was teaching at Huntington Beach Hot Yoga and she encouraged me to do the program. Going through the Teacher Training has changed me on deep levels. I used to have very low self confidence and while training we had to do 3 full hours of yoga per day. That alone changed the way I looked at myself. If I could do that I could do anything!! On the physical level: Taking part of such an intensive training forced me to adopt a new lifestyle consisting of practicing yoga 6 days a week, better sleeping and eating habits. After making that healthy shift I was able to keep it with me till today. There were 12 teacher trainers in my group and I am so grateful to have met and become close to these great people. Being a smaller group we all took advantage of getting really close to senior instructor Jason Wilkerson and learned so much from his own experiences. Jason is a very kind and meticulous trainer who will support and encourage you with lots of compassion but he will also make sure that you advance to your highest potential. Posture clinics were rough at first, as I was so frightened of public speaking but being in a small group we got to practice our dialogue in front of each other more frequently so I quickly became very comfortable and started enjoying the learning process intensely. Spending so much time everyday in such a positive environment as our yoga room has really helped me transform my life and putting so much devotion into my yoga practice has healed my body from the inside out and I am now 30 pounds lighter and healthier than I have been in many years.

I teach on Thursdays at 12:30pm at HBHY and on Thursdays at 6PM at Centro Sul. I also recently started teaching on Mondays at a rehabilitation facility which I enjoy very much. I recommend the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program to anyone who is ready to shift their life to a higher level of confidence, health and happiness. Once you start teaching you will begin to feel like your fulfilling your purpose in this world and that is the greatest feeling in the world.

I graduated from the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in August of 2008. I decided on Jason’s Teacher Training program because I was a current employee of HBHY and was impressed with the studios’ friendly environment. Also, I had been actively taking classes for 2 years and practicing hot yoga for over 5 years at the time of the training. I had an amazing experience during the Teacher Training. I made life long friendships during the program and continue to share my experiences about the training with others at the studio because of the impact it had on my life. During the training I had to over come personal struggles such as; patience with others as well as myself, come to the realization of knowing perfection is not attainable because no one is, and taking life one day at time which I continue to remind myself everyday. Going into the training I didn’t have any fears that I was aware of. However, I now attempt to balance my life and two jobs which has faced me with new daily challenges. I enjoyed the smaller group setting because we were able to build stronger personal relationships easier than a larger group could have done. Jason was a great leader and allowed us to have fun but was able to set a serious tone when needed and guidelines that were understandable and respectable. All aspects of the training played an important role in the preparation of becoming an instructor. In my opinion the posture clinics were the most important because they provided the foundation for the training program. The 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program made an impact on my lifestyle by making me consciously aware of how I respect others and how I’ve learned to respect myself. I am currently teaching at HBHY. I would absolutely recommend the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program.

I graduated from the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in August 2009. I had been practicing at HBHY since Christmas 2007 and was looking to deepen my practice. I was also interested in sharing my passion for the Dayton method with my fellow practitioners, by learning to instruct the series, so I decide to choose the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program. The training was immensely challenging for me from a physical and emotional standpoint. I was concerned that taking 11 classes per week would stifle my love for the series, but instead I found an even stronger passion for the class by deepening my understanding of the postures. It was a huge change from my normal life of staying home with my four small kids. I missed the kids a lot, but it was only for a month and the benefits have far outweighed the challenges. It’s an interesting dynamic spending a month straight with what appears to be complete strangers, but the experience draws you together. You begin to rely on one another and find that the people in your training class are not strangers they are cherished friends. Jason is ever-mindful of the emotions of the group and works towards fostering relationships that will build the class towards a more fulfilling training experience. The clinics, anatomy and philosophy classes provided a deeper understanding of the yoga practice as a whole. The posture clinics not only helped me understand how to dialogue each posture they also helped me understand the mechanics of the postures. I particularly enjoyed the anatomy section of the training because it prepared me to help students through their individual physical challenges within the classroom. The 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program helped me gained a deeper understanding of the Dayton method and how to share it with others. I now teach 3 classes a week at HBHY. I strongly recommend the program to anyone wanting to deepen their practice as well as to those who desire to share the benefits of hot yoga with others.

I graduated the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in 2009. I decided to chose the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program because I was working in LA and before I returned home to London I wanted to challenge myself. I read up about the Dayton method and it fitted into the dates I had available. I met Jason and loved his studio and signed up. I had the best time during teacher training. I bonded with an amazing group of people. I learned so much about the history of hatha yoga, the spiritual journey, influences of Bikram yoga and Jason’s story and vision for the Dayton Method. The focus and concentration needed to get through class came in waves. I felt I was observing myself from my minds eye from time to time. Some days I was on form, others an emotional wreck; I crashed early on in the training. After that, I was ready to move forward with it. Physically I did lose weight and felt much happier and confident in myself. Mentally I was more driven, especially with my exercise routine. Emotionally I was much more stable after the process. I released a lot during the training. My fears were not being able to keep up. Sometimes I find it hard to complete tasks. I take a while getting to the finish line. Although, I do have a lot of determination and so, I did complete the training. The fear was failing in doing that and I did overcome it with the amazing team that was surrounding me there. I think a smaller group is the best way to go. It’s one of the best things about the training with Jason. You get more one to one guidance and loved that about the time spent doing it. The more I reflect the more I miss the studio and the process. Bigger insight into the ‘benefits of the postures’ – that was my favorite line. Also that yoga is also about focus and clearing thoughts and being set on doing the postures to your best ability. It helped me in understanding the body and understanding my own limitations and how the body can adapt in time. This helped me with my amazing dialogue led performances. Dayton Method Teacher Training Program helped me realize that I can do it, that I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it. I don’t teach yoga currently. I feel that I would like to do the course again to be entirely ready to teach it. I’m over half way and do have a vision to do that in the future. Teaching Hot Yoga is like driving a manual car backwards in London. So, I can drive a manual in London, the backwards part I’m working on! I would absolutely recommend the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program.

I graduated from the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in August 2008. I was already teaching Yoga classes at HBHY and loved the practice, the studio, the people and the opportunity to expand and share so I decided to choose the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program. I really, really enjoyed the entire program. For me it was like a retreat- a challenging, fun, educational retreat with friends and colleagues full of opportunity for growth. Physically and mentally I really felt challenged and that I was ready to meet and then build upon my limits of what I was capable of on the yoga mat and daily life. I really felt a change day by day as I committed myself to doing my best with each yoga posture, class, and new day. Emotionally it was a challenging period too; looking back however it was a high-energy time and there was a steady force of enthusiasm and positivity flowing through the whole experience. I very much enjoyed the small group setting and working with Jason. He is an extremely capable, very personable and kind leader who is sensitive to the individuals he works with and maintains a high bar for positive growth and encouragement. I was already familiar in some of the areas of the posture clinics, anatomy and philosophy but I found it really helpful to go deeper in some of these areas in particular. I really enjoyed the philosophy a chance to go deeper into the yoga practice, as well the opportunity to pick apart the postures and really study and understand many of the subtleties at work. The 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program has helped the reinforced knowledge of making a great opportunity work by applying myself in any given situation with the best possible attitude and to make it a very positive and rewarding experience. I live and teach yoga and meditation classes at Ananda Village, a spiritual community in Northern California. I would absolutely recommend the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program. It’s a challenging but truly rewarding experience and an opportunity for growth and fun on many levels.

I graduated from the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in August 2010. I decided to choose the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program because of Jason’s resume as a high level teacher, studio owner as well as the Dayton series’ Bikram lineage. The Dayton Method teacher training was a great experience, intense and rewarding, I would highly recommend it! As a child I had a spinal fracture, knee injuries and surgery transplanting tendons from the backs of my legs to the front. My doctor thought I might be wheelchair bound later in life. At age 50 I had an intense desire to become a yoga instructor to heal myself and to help others. During teacher training I had to face fears about my own limitations and to accept and love myself as I am. My yoga practice continues to improve and I now see that change and progress can happen. During teacher training I also discovered a lot about myself like determination and my ability to achieve absolute stillness and just breathe.

I loved the class size. We all interacted with each other and with Jason, as well as received personalized instruction with detailed feedback. This was a great group of people and we shared many laughs, worked hard and remained supportive of each other’s progress and aspirations. We still stay in touch and I would not be surprised if I now have life long friends. This is largely due to the feeling of community that Jason has built at Huntington Beach Hot Yoga. I think the posture clinics helped me the most. Seeing my classmates in action along with Jason’s discerning eye for detail and immediate feedback. I still read over my class notes and use them in teaching at my own studio. The posture clinics and talks with Jason about the challenges of teaching Hot Yoga classes were invaluable to me. The Dayton Method is a wonderful series to teach. Between Jason’s instruction and the materials given to us during the training my husband (who also took the training) and I felt ready to bring hot yoga to our already established healing center in Atascadero California. It has been about three months now and our clients love it! My husband and I now teach 19 hot yoga classes a week at our healing center. This is the only hot yoga teacher training to take! Jason is down to earth, and one of the most knowledgeable and qualified hot yoga instructors/studio owners in the United States today. Five Stars*****

I graduated from the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in August 2009. I decide to choose the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program simply because I love Huntington Beach Hot Yoga and had been practicing at the studio regularly. Teaching yoga can be an intimidating experience at first and I felt comfortable with Jason and the other teachers there. It just seemed like a perfect fit! The teacher training program was very enlightening; it is well balanced in a way that we received information about a bunch of different facets of yoga in a short amount of time. The teacher training program changed my life in so many ways. I worked as a marketing consultant when first entering the program and now I am a full time yoga teacher. I have since continued my education and have recently completed a 500 hour teacher training which traveled me to India. I had a huge fear of public speaking when first beginning to teach and now I feel comfortable and confident when guiding students through asana. Starting to teach in a smaller group is such a blessing. There are fewer eyes on you while you find your comfort zone as you teach and also you get more chances to practice teaching. The posture clinics were always really fun. You get to break down those wonderful postures that we all love and really feel them in your body and learn to direct your peers through them. The anatomy is challenging because there is so much to learn but it is such a wonderful thing to understand how your body works and moves. The philosophy classes opened my eyes to the idea that yoga is more than just sweat and muscles. It has helped me to better guide students through their own discovery of spirituality through physical asana. This teacher training gave me a very solid foundation to build upon. I had a choice to go elsewhere to begin my yoga journey and I am so grateful that I stayed with Jason and the HBHY team. Jason is a stickler and he can be strict in those posture clinics and he engrained that in me. I feel unwavering in the way I teach because I had so much discipline during my training. Yes I do teach! I live in Portland, Oregon now and am a full time teacher. I teach at Corepower Yoga, at a wellness center and at corporations for people on their lunch breaks. I would absolutely recommend the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program. If you want to teach yoga this is the best training to do. It is small, so you don’t get lost in the crowd. Jason and the other teachers pay attention and offer so much support. If you don’t want to teach but you want to learn more than teacher training is still a great option. You get to spend time doing and learning about yoga. What could be more fun?

I graduated from the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in August 2009. I was looking for a program that would better my own practice and teaching abilities while allowing me to go home to my own bed each night after training. I think the balance between the support you receive at home and the support you receive at training is invaluable. I cannot speak highly enough about the Dayton Method Teacher Training Program. In the summer of 2009, I married my husband. Four days after we were married we arrived in Huntington Beach to begin my yoga teacher training. While putting off our honeymoon for yoga was not the most appealing prospect, we both agreed that a program which would nurture my mind, body and soul would be nothing but beneficial to our marriage. We were right! The program put me in touch with who I am as a person and made me aware of the areas that were in need of work. By meditating with my classmates daily, I was able to shed the layers of anxiety that surrounded me, and begin to develop a way to manage my life. In teaching classes, my practice became re-invigorated and I was able to improve my own postures. While, my life is still a work in progress, I sincerely believe that my teacher-training course was a huge stepping-stone in self-realization, and for that I am extremely grateful. The intimacy of the training was one of the best parts. We were able to ask questions, engage in discussion, and share our deepest thoughts. The posture clinics solidified, in my mind, the purpose and dialogue of each posture. The anatomy and philosophy classes provided the academic foundation, and the clinics were able to kinesthetically apply that knowledge. The 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program has helped me to learn how to just breathe. I would love to teach, however the studios in my area do not provide Dayton Method. I had been teaching for another Hot Yoga studio in the area, however due to a conflict with Bikram Regulations, I am no longer able to teach there. I would absolutely recommend the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program.

I graduated from the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in August 2009. I was looking for a program that would better my own practice and teaching abilities while allowing me to go home to my own bed each night after training. I think the balance between the support you receive at home and the support you receive at training is invaluable. I cannot speak highly enough about the Dayton Method Teacher Training Program. In the summer of 2009, I married my husband. Four days after we were married we arrived in Huntington Beach to begin my yoga teacher training. While putting off our honeymoon for yoga was not the most appealing prospect, we both agreed that a program which would nurture my mind, body and soul would be nothing but beneficial to our marriage. We were right! The program put me in touch with who I am as a person and made me aware of the areas that were in need of work. By meditating with my classmates daily, I was able to shed the layers of anxiety that surrounded me, and begin to develop a way to manage my life. In teaching classes, my practice became re-invigorated and I was able to improve my own postures. While, my life is still a work in progress, I sincerely believe that my teacher-training course was a huge stepping-stone in self-realization, and for that I am extremely grateful. The intimacy of the training was one of the best parts. We were able to ask questions, engage in discussion, and share our deepest thoughts. The posture clinics solidified, in my mind, the purpose and dialogue of each posture. The anatomy and philosophy classes provided the academic foundation, and the clinics were able to kinesthetically apply that knowledge. The 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program has helped me to learn how to just breathe. I would love to teach, however the studios in my area do not provide Dayton Method. I had been teaching for another Hot Yoga studio in the area, however due to a conflict with Bikram Regulations, I am no longer able to teach there. I would absolutely recommend the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program.

I graduated from the 200 hour Dayton Method Teacher Training Program in summer 2010. Over the years I’ve tried various types of yoga, and I prefer the Dayton method over all others. Besides having the time to do it, I had the funds and I simply wanted to challenge myself to take my practice to a higher level. It was nothing like I thought it would be. I went into it apprehensively, and came out a true believer in not only the method but the veracity of the teacher. Hopefully this doesn’t sound too trite, but I honestly learned a lot about acceptance, patience, and understanding. The program gave me more confidence in myself as a person and now I’m not so hard on myself when I fail to meet my own expectations. On a cognitive level I always knew that it’s not good to hang on to regrets. But the training helped me become more aware of the ways in which I was doing just that. The awareness is the beginning of the freedom from the old mindsets that no longer serve us. Only then can the real work begin. If this sounds like a big deal, it is! Yes, it’s life changing, but only if you give it your all; like Jason said, “you get out of it what you put in to it (the training)” This is so true. The small group was awesome. I was one of two males taking the class, and I’m kind of glad I wasn’t the only guy in the group, but even if I had been the only male, I don’t think it would have been an issue. Spending so much time together, you become like a little family of sorts. Regarding Jason, see question 3. The guy is one of the most genuine persons I have had the pleasure of getting to know. And he certainly knows both the art and science of Yoga. Because of the clinics, I have a better understanding how to properly perform the postures. As a result of the anatomy I have a greater understanding of what’s going on inside the body while performing the postures. The philosophy classes were intellectually stimulating without being “propagandistic” towards any particular philosophy; I was pleased that the philosophy instructor had an open mind and did not, in any way whatsoever attempt to force her personal world-views on anyone. And who can forget the bliss of “yoga nidra”? I learned the true meaning of those overused buzzwords; Acceptance, Patience, and Understanding. Most of all I learned to live my own life; my new motto is “I refuse to let others dictate how I feel about myself.” I learned the true meaning of those overused buzzwords; Acceptance, Patience, and Understanding. Most of all I learned to live my own life; my new motto is “I refuse to let others dictate how I feel about myself.” I’m not teaching yoga anywhere right now, that was never the point or even the goal for me. But I can honestly say that the training and what I brought from it has made me a better High School History teacher and that’s a fact! Of course I would recommend the Dayton method teacher training, but only if you want to improve the quality of your life.