Seva Yoga Teacher Training

• Overview & Requirements
• Syllabus & Dates
• Investment & Work Exchange

Investment & Work Exchange

Tuition:

$1008 for the full 100 hour training

Drop in for 1 weekend: $108

Seva work exchange options are available.

Seva School Work Exchanges

Total Tuition Cost for the program is $1008

In keeping with the mission of Swan River Yoga Arabi, it is our hope and highest intention that this training be accessible to all beings, regardless of financial status or ability to pay. We aimed to make the starting price point of this training one that is accessible and affordable and honors the time and efforts of the highly skilled teachers who will come to share their knowledge throughout the training.

Our hope is to make this training financially accessible in two general ways. We ask that you check in to see what is truly a good fit for your unique situation and take only what you need, so others may also benefit. Your situation very well maybe a mix of the two.

Flexible Payment Plans: One way we make training affordable is by offering a flexible payment plan.  These plans are beneficial for those that can afford the training but may find that they don’t have all the finances upfront. Here are the options we offer

1. Upfront Full Payment $1008
2. 50%, or $504 upfront, and the remaining $504 by the end of training
3. A custom payment plan that suits you. (For this option, please contact Laura + Haiyan)

Work Exchange: The intention for this option is for those who cannot financially afford the training. Beings that cannot afford this training may apply for these work exchange options for part or all of the training. While we do not place a limit on the amount of work exchanges offered, we do ask that you consider this option with deep care and thoughtful consideration. Since the beings who receive this opportunity will not be offering an exchange in the form of money, we ask that there be a different kind of exchange in its place in the form of service to the community and the training. To Apply please read the requirements below and then apply using this form here.

1. 25% off the training cost (a discount of $252, meaning you would owe $756), 15 hours of work exchange at the studio
2. 50% off the training cost (a discount of $504, meaning you would owe $504), 30 hours of work exchange at the studio
3. 100% off, 45 hours of work exchange at the studio

To apply for one of these work exchange roles, we ask that you do the following:

• Submit a 2 page / 800-word essay on why you want to take the training, how it will benefit you and others, and your reflections on providing seva / selfless service for the community.
• Honor the studio with either 15, 30 or 45 hours of Seva time in 2018, depending on which option you apply for. We will provide you with a description of roles at the studio that you may choose from in order to provide your Seva.

Please complete an application https://goo.gl/forms/5r2ndzScZXKZII9Y2

Work Exchange Available Roles

Sattvic Seva Cleaner (multiple slots available)
Approximately 1-3 hours per week.
*On some weeks, cleaning duties may be over 1 hour if helping with laundry, etc.

Duties include:
• Sweeping and mopping lobby and studio floors
• Dusting and wiping down all surfaces
• Organizing shelving
• Neatly stacking props
• Watering plants
• Cleaning the altar and the area around it, including refreshing the flowers, throwing away incense ashes, putting chant books into basket, organizing assists cards, etc.
• Restocking the bathrooms with toilet paper, paper towels, and soap
• Emptying trash
• Bringing blankets or mat-cleaning towels to get washed, preferably using a gentle, hypo-allergenic laundry detergent.

Sattva is the quality of wholeness, truth, clarity, balance, and peace. In order to create a sattvic energy around the studio, it is important that the person who cleans also do their best to cultivate inner sattvic qualities. We recommend using the cleaning time as an opportunity to practice pranayama, mantra, gratitude, and mindfulness. When the person who cleans is calm and grateful for their tasks, that quality is reflected in the results of their work and in the mood of the studio.

Bhava Events Manager (1-2 slots available)
Depending on frequency of events, 1-3 hours per week.

Duties include:
• Arriving at least 20 minutes prior to the start of weekend / evening events or occurrences that are not part of the weekly class schedule.
• Checking with the host and answering any questions they may have about the space. Show them where the bathrooms are and where they can put their things.
• Doing any tidying that you see necessary, including organizing props, throwing away water bottles, clearing the altar of any miscellaneous items, etc.
• Turning on the lights in the main studio and running the heat or air if necessary.
• Greeting students upon arrival. If there are individuals who are completely new to the studio, be sure to make them feel welcome. Direct them to the love box to sign a waiver and have a piece of chocolate. Show them where props and bathrooms are.
• If you are not staying for the event, be sure you give the host instructions on how to lock up the studio when the event is over, including giving them the code to get the key out, shutting off lights, and turning off the air.

As the events check-in, you are largely responsible for setting the bhav, or mood, of the studio when you arrive. Please be sure to, as best as you can, leave your personal “stuff” at the door when you arrive and be ready to listen and serve. Consider this an opportunity for mindful practice and gratitude. Your energy will matter a great deal to those who come to the event, including the  host and all participants.

If possible, please be sure you have done your personal practices of meditation, pranayama, and asana prior to arriving to event as part of preparing for your Seva.

Purna Office Manager (1 available)
Approximately 1-3 hours per week.

This position at the studio is for a qualified office manager with a commitment to seva, a dedication to the St. Bernard Parish community, and strong organizational skills to take on the purchasing and supplying responsibilities at Swan River’s Arabi Community Center.

As the Office Manager, you will primarily be responsible for buying office supplies and managing inventory for each month.

Duties include:
• Buying cleaning supplies (i.e. toilet paper, cleaning fluid for the mats, etc.)
• Buying office supplies (i.e. essential oils, incense, lighter fluid, etc.)
• Taking inventory and adjusting monthly orders accordingly
• Cleaning and energetically clearing the altar if needed
• Being available to assist with events check-in or studio cleaning as needed
• Printing all latest Event Fliers and posting them on walls
• Printing latest schedules and schedule pamphlets
• Organizing the office space
• Keeping our tea up-to-date

As Purna Office Manager, you will be involved with the overall care of the studio as well as the flow and efficiency of the space. Purna means whole, complete, full, perfect. When the studio is out of supplies, disorganized, or unclean, it can be felt by those who visit. Purna gives the opportunity to see all things as whole and perfect…… with the opportunity for improvement! Nothing needs to “fixed,” but all things can be treated with loving kindness in order to make sure all the pieces are there and fit together. We ask that this individual highly value organization and sees this practice as an opportunity for mindful observation of where the studio can use loving improvement, not from a viewpoint of “badness,” “lacking,” or “failure,” but as opportunities for greater smoothness and wholeness at the studio.

Purusha Seva Flier (2 slots available)
Approximately 1 hour per week.

Duties include:
• Bringing flyers of class schedules and other studio events to various locations around the Greater New Orleans / Arabi area. We have a map of locations already laid out for you to follow.
• Be available to answer questions people may have when you drop off flyers about the mission of the studio and how everything works.

Seva Yoga Teacher
1-1.25 hours per week
15 hours: we ask that you teach for 1 full schedule cycle, 4 months
30 hours: we ask that you teach for 2 full schedule cycles, 8 months
This position asks for your commitment to hold space at the yoga studio as a teacher after Seva School graduation.

Duties include:
• Reading, agreeing to, and honoring the seva teacher code of ethics (other requirements related to teaching, such as the energy you bring to class, showing up 15 minutes early, etc, are all described in detail here)
• Teaching a weekly class that is either 60 or 75 minutes long
• Being responsible for finding a sub for your class when needed
• Helping out when possible to sub other teachers’ classes when they need coverage
• Looking out for the care and organization of the studio props
• Communicating any needs with Sattvic Seva Cleaner or Purna Office Manager

As a teacher at Swan River Arabi, you are expected to uphold the dharma and integrity of the yogic teachings. This means that you provide a space for students that is nurturing, intentional, well-planned, clear, thoughtful, supportive, and nonjudgmental. We hope that all classes in Arabi provide a balance of Siva and Shakti: uplifting energy but also time for rest and reflection, either in the form of meditation, pranayama, or a spacious savasana; flowing movement but also providing concepts that are rooted in yogic philosophy; safe alignment as well as opportunities to learn and play. As a Seva teacher, you are constantly asked to remember that above all, your role in the studio is to serve and hold a welcoming atmosphere for others.

For all Seva job descriptions, we ask for the following commitments:

• Must be committed to the seva mission of the Arabi Community Center
• Must be an organized person who can also use a computer
• Must attend at least one class a week at Arabi

About Seva:

Seva is Sanskrit for “selfless service.” Swan River at Arabi is run by a group of individuals committed to seva.

“Helping out is not some special skill. It is not the domain of rare individuals. It is not confined to a single part of our lives. We simply heed the call of that natural impulse within and follow it where it leads us.” –Ram Dass

Seva is providing service and asking nothing in return. It is a process of balancing one’s responsibilities while setting one’s intention. We practice seva through mindful service with consciousness. For this reason, all roles at the community center are considered seva positions by which we actively embody the principles and values of seva.

Often, we are confronted with moments of hardship, weighed down by life’s demands. We encourage seva as a healing mechanism during life’s ups and downs; it is something we come back to with intentionality to reconnect to ourselves and our community. Seva asks you to provide service for others, while also asking you to turn your gaze inward to determine if you have also served yourself. Checking in with yourself before, during, and after offering selfless service is a large component of seva. We want to support you on your path to intentional seva. For this reason, we ask all Swan River at Arabi staff to participate in a periodic evaluation. By joining this team of like-minded individuals, we hope to create a community that not only shares the same values in seva, but who also build inner strength through the strong support provided by the community center’s staff.

Performing seva means that we offer service without expectation of result or reward. This is a way for us to remember our connection to other beings, to practice actions that are for the betterment of the whole rather than for a single individual, and perhaps as an opportunity to move past any small or narrow viewpoints we are stuck in. Often, dealing with our daily microcosm has a tendency to distract us from the big picture: our interdependence with others. This is a way of practicing expansive love for all of humanity, as well as humility.

“Living creatures are nourished by food, and food is nourished by rain; rain itself is the water of life, which comes from selfless worship and service.” – Bhagavad Gita, 3.14

To join the Seva Teacher Training, click on the button to register thru Mindbody: Register Today

For any questions or help with registration please contact: lauraj@swanriveryoga.com.