Yoga Teacher Training Course in Prague

Prague Yoga:
Prague Yoga was founded by Monica Angelucci in 2004. We have a myriad of student offerings, ranging from weekly classes to special topic workshops & retreats to full-scale in-depth Yoga teacher trainings. It has been and continues to be our vision that Prague Yoga be a community which encourages & supports the physical, intellectual & spiritual development of both students & teachers & Yoga as a healing art.

Prague Yoga's mission is to cultivate & sustain students of all levels! Students are encouraged to focus not on what they look like in a pose (or what their neighboring student looks like) - but rather to focus on the breath & how they feel in the pose. Accordingly, Yoga becomes a vehicle for encouraging student empowerment & inspiring open, honest communication in the present moment. And that is what Yoga is really about...inspiring each one of us to be present in all aspects of our lives!

Understanding the individual challenges of students is imperative. Contrary to popular belief, most Yoga students are not super flexible & strong. Rather 85-95% of Yoga students have challenges with strength, flexibility &/or stamina, have had surgery or illness that affects their practice or have some kind of chronic or acute pain. Bone compression can also lead to student challenges (e.g., students unable to put heels down in downward facing dog or unable to place palms fully on the floor in backbends). Unlike muscle tension, bone compression cannot be corrected or improved.

Because of these realities, physical Yoga is not about the poses as an end result. Rather, the poses allow students to practice turning off the mind & ego to be present with & really listen to the needs of their body. Ultimately only the student really knows how they feel in a pose or if an adjustment increases or decreases their ability to work in a pose. Adjustments are about encouraging correct alignment or creating space - it is always up to the student to make a conscious choice whether to go deeper into the pose or to remain where they are.

Monica has a great respect for Iyengar alignment principles and theory which facilitate meeting the challenges of many students through modifications and props. She employs Iyengar as a foundation in all of the Yoga styles she teaches. Thus, the anatomical fundamentals she instills on the mat can be readily transferred off the mat & into students' everyday lives.

However, the most important principles she teaches to both regular students & teacher trainers are those of breath & bandha. These are the foundation of all Yoga poses & ensure that students move safely & effortlessly in & out of the poses. Most injuries happen on the way into or out of poses. By focusing on the breath & gently activating the bandhas or locks, students can more readily contract the deep abdominals & deep back muscles creating an internal girdle (similar to a weight lifting belt) which allows them to move in every pose securely & prepares them for more advanced poses.