Yoga Teacher Training
Access to the teachings of Professor T Krishnamacharya and TKV Desikachar continued to expand through a structured and evolving training programme. Work began in 2023 to restructure our yoga teacher training course format to accommodate both 290-hour and 500-hour BWYQ Level 4 qualifications, including progression routes and accredited prior learning. The aim of this work was to make our courses as accessible as possible to all students.
TSYP’s educational activities included:
1. BWYQ Ofqual regulated Level 4, qualifications in teaching yoga.
2. BCYT accredited training for yoga therapists.
3. Training for yoga practitioners who wish to become Vedic chant teachers.
4. Support to our teachers who research and publish books and/or papers.
5. Mentoring and supervision training for our Trainee Teachers, Therapists and Teachers to maintain the highest level of yoga and support our aim of making it available to the general public.
6. A community for teachers, therapists, students, practitioners, and others interested in TSYP’s approach to yoga.
This year saw:
- 9 students successfully complete our first 500-hour yoga teacher training course in June 2025.
- In September 2025 seven participants began our Yoga Foundation course, led by Lisa Soede.
Yoga Therapy Training
Our yoga therapy team continued to deliver our 700-hour Yoga Therapy Diploma (BCYT accredited). The course was offered both as a full qualification and through standalone modules. Three students initially enrolled for the full diploma, with two continuing on the programme at year end. Online modules were also offered as CPD short courses increasing accessibility for practising yoga teachers. Modules included:
o Āyurveda for Yoga Therapists, delivered by Sadhvi Bhavya Bharti.
o Prāṇā cikitsā Modules 4 and 5, delivered by Felicia Pavlovic.
Yoga therapy activities also included:
- Work towards accreditation by the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT) continued during the year, led by Annemarie Visser, our Head of Yoga Therapy, and Michelle Tarling, Head of Education and training.
- Membership of BCYT Core Curriculum Review working group. Our head of yoga therapy also contributed material on trauma.
- Acting as a Verifying Organisation for CNHC. Our Head of Education and Training has taken on responsibilities for verifying CNHC applications from non-members.
Vedic Chant Training
We thank Helen Macpherson for her leadership of the chanting department and welcome Sarah Waterfield and Lisa Soede, who became co-heads of the department in February 2025.
The department remained highly active throughout the year, supported by volunteers across events coordination, communications, proofreading, website administration, and monthly saṅgha leadership. The department was supported by volunteers across events coordination, communications, proofreading and website administration.
Monthly saṅgha activities were further supported by members of the events team, together with saṅgha leaders, many of whom are TSYP members.
Activities during the year included:
- Group chanting of Chapters 3 and 4 of the Yoga Sūtra-s.
- A three-day residential CPD event in April focusing on chanting the second chapter of the Taittirīya-upaniṣat. The event attracted 18 attendees, including participants from outside the UK, and received very positive feedback.
- Revision of the Vedic Chant Foundation Course syllabus.
- Review of delivery strategies for both the Vedic Chant Foundation and teacher training courses.
- Continuation of the free monthly online chanting saṅgha-s, and expansion to non-members.
- Addition and revision of chants on the free resource pages of the TSYP website.