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500-Hour Kripalu Yoga Teacher Certification: Curriculum Overview

The 500-Hour Kripalu Yoga Teacher Certification provides 300 hours of training in addition to your 200-hour certification, designed to deepen your practice, teaching skills, and repertoire.

The curriculum is comprised of four 9-day modules, which together will deliver a comprehensive, advanced training in Kripalu Yoga. Each module runs from Friday evening at 7:00 through Sunday morning at 11:30.

Each module provides 75 hours of instruction and depth practice, including asana; anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology; skills for bringing yoga to a wider range of students; yogic philosophy; and practicum. The modules may be taken in any order.

Module One—Meditation: Inside and Out

One of the hallmarks of Kripalu Yoga is our focus on meditation in motion. In order to fully appreciate and teach this powerful practice, Kripalu Yoga teachers must first experience the practice of seated meditation as well as other meditation practices. Read more.


Module Two—Pranayama and Practice: Cultivation of Prana

Pranayama had a profound influence on Swami Kripalu’s yogic inquiry and personal practice. In fact, his entire yogic journey began when his guru initiated him into a single, easy-to-practice pranayama technique: alternate nostril breathing, or Anuloma Viloma. In this module, you will explore the use and depth of the practice of pranayama. Read more.


Module Three—Self and Spirit: Being a Transformational Teacher

Part of what makes Kripalu Yoga unique is the intention that the practice of yoga on the mat has repercussions off the mat as well. In fact, yoga’s intent is to transform the lives of those who practice it. Read more.


Module Four—Living Yoga: Love, Service, and Surrender

How we take yoga out into the world and into our classes, and the variety of what we have to offer, plays a part in determining how successful we are as yoga teachers. In this module, we will work with class design and sequencing asana. Read more.


As both a student and a graduate, you will be encouraged to identify areas of passion that augment your personal teaching style.

Things to note

  • All four modules must be completed within 10 years of the start date.
  • The modules may be taken in any order.
  • All 300 hours of training are completed within the modules.
  • CPR certification and at least 100 hours of teaching experience are required for 500-hour certification.
  • Each module has a required philosophy textbook, which we encourage you to read and reflect on prior to the training program. In addition, the following textbooks are required reading for teachers pursuing 500-hour certification and may be referred to within the training modules:
    • Richard Faulds, Kripalu Yoga: A Guide to Practice On and Off the Mat (Bantam)
    • Don Stapleton, Self-Awakening Yoga (Healing Arts Press)
    • Ray Long, The Key Muscles of Hatha Yoga

For more details about the 500-hour curriculum, including practicalities, see 500-hour FAQs.