Mindful Yoga Teacher Training Certification

"I am now confident that I have a solid foundation of mindfulness, the Asanas, breath work, and guided meditations with plenty of resources to find answers to questions as they arise and continue learning. I am ready to begin my teaching and learning journey." ~ Helen Dea (MYTT graduate 2019)

Unique 200+ Hour Mindful Yoga Teacher Dual Certification Program

Eligible Participants will receive:
1. Mindful Yoga Teacher Certificate CYA-RYT 200
2. SMART (Stress Management & Resiliency Techniques) Mindfulness Certificate

Mindfulness Everyday is CYA (Canadian Yoga Alliance) Registered Yoga School

What is Mindful Yoga?

Mindful yoga is a practice of connecting our body, our breath, and our mind so that we can turn our attention inwards. By bringing mindful awareness to yoga, with intention, it transforms from a mere physical endeavor to an authentic practice of paying attention, to the present moment of being in the body, breathing, with an attitude of non-judgment. Mindfulness embodies relationship – relationship to our bodies, our communities, and ultimately, the planet we inhabit.

Program Description

This small-class course is designed for individuals interested in sharing mindfulness and yoga, including facilitators, educators, and healthcare providers. It combines Hatha Yoga and mindfulness practices to teach body-mind-breath awareness, emotional intelligence, and kinesthetic skills.
The curriculum covers:

Yoga philosophy and history
Anatomy and physiology
Yoga ethics and lifestyle
Teaching methodology
Mindfulness practice
Breathwork

Through hands-on instruction, independent study, and assignments, you will gain the tools to teach safely, offer modifications, address contraindications, and design a progressive yoga series. Specialized topics like restorative yoga, yoga nidra, and yoga for children and teens are also explored. The course includes the SMART (Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques) mindfulness curriculum, helping participants manage stress, cultivate emotional balance, and enhance relationships through mindfulness integrated into yoga teaching.

Mastering the Art of Teaching and Facilitating

This comprehensive program combines mindfulness and yoga practices to help you teach with confidence and safety. Led by experienced instructors with a background in various educational and community settings, the course also covers the business aspects of yoga—such as earning supplemental income through teaching at studios, community centers, or with private clients. You will learn about the ethical obligations, tax benefits, and financial implications of being a yoga teacher.

Upon completing the 200+ hour Mindfulness Everyday Yoga and Mindfulness Teacher training, you will be equipped to lead safe, supportive, and mindful yoga classes and facilitate mindfulness groups in diverse environments, including community, educational, and professional settings. The training is secular, trauma-informed, and inclusive, designed to accommodate all body types.

Hybrid Delivery – In-person and Online

The training is offered in real-time, both in person one weekend a month in Toronto for 10 months and online. Full sessions are not recorded – attendance is required.

Who Should Attend:

The course will provide participants with specific personal and professional needs with the structure and modifications required to offer both Mindful Yoga and Mindfulness classes. Proficiency in yoga or mindfulness is not a prerequisite. We will differentiate instruction to meet the needs of students at all levels.

For mindfulness facilitators, we will provide movement flows that complement the themes of Mindfulness-based interventions (MBSR, MBCT, SMART), providing you with the training and information required to guide mindful movement/yoga practices safely and authentically.
For high school teachers, we will help you write a proposal to present to your principal, a course outline, rubrics, and a student course pack to have this course offered as a grade 11 and/or 12 inter-disciplinary credit.
For elementary teachers, we will provide comprehensive resources that will help you integrate mindful yoga into your classroom, including the Yoga Yoga Curriculum, a program created for the 20-minute DPA in schools.
For mindfulness teachers, we will provide mindfulness practice scripts and templates of themed mindfulness sessions.

Mindful Yoga Teacher Program Certification

Groups will be offered in response to participant demand, space availability, preference for in-person or online attendance. We need a minimum of 12 participants to run a training. If you would like to participate in the progam, please complete the form below.

Specific Yoga Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this program, students will have gained knowledge in the following areas:

Anatomy: An Introduction to Functional Anatomy to understand the wide scope of needs for different levels of students.
Philosophy: An introduction to Yoga Philosophy and Ethics, focusing on Patanjali’s Eight Limbs of Yoga, the Chakra system and Buddhist Philosophy — that which is relevant to secular contexts.
Pranayama: an introduction to the experience of mind-body-breath integration through yogic breathing and how to incorporate various breathing techniques into posture sequencing.
Asana: Practical skills necessary for teaching, including:
• Balancing between verbal instruction, demonstration, and hands-on assisting students.
• How to design safe, systematic sequencing for a variety of needs, ages, body types and physical limitations.
• Mindful Movement: yoga from the inside out — respecting the body’s need to sometimes do less, not more, in order to heal and integrate.
• Deepening one’s personal practice over time while respecting the cycles of change and the “aging body”.

SMART (Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques) Mindfulness Curriculum

The scaffolding curriculum is built on Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Self–Compassion and Emotional Balance, providing the practices and techniques for embedding mindfulness into your life, both personally and professionally helping you to:

Manage stress through a greater understanding of emotions
Employ self-care techniques to cultivate personal and professional resilience.
Create effective strategies for relating to challenging situations.
Enhance concentration and executive function (planning, decision-making, and impulse control).
Revitalize purpose, personally and professionally Improve your overall mental and physical health
Promote happiness through healthy habits of the mind
Integrate mindful awareness into a movement class
Authenitically guide mindfulness reflective practices

Mindfulness Course Highlights:

Evidence-based approach by Jon Kabat-Zinn, incorporating MBSR, MSC, Emotional Literacy, Mindful Movement, and Positive Psychology.
Learn how to teach and facilitate mindfulness groups incorporating a trauma-sensitive approach.
Practical training and teach-back sessions to develop expertise and confidence.
Focus on guiding foundational mindfulness practices, delivering engaging didactic information, and facilitating meaningful inquiry.
Receive feedback from peers and experienced instructors.

Course Details

Dates and Times: TBD | Saturdays & Sundays 9 am – 5 pm

Location: Hybrid Delivery: Online via ZOOM & In-person

Tuition Fee: $3,225 (No HST) including materials – Tax deductible receipt provided

Payment Options Available

Practice With Us

As part of the Mindfulness Everyday Community, you will have access to:

Weekly Sunday Gatherings Mindfulness Sessions with Heidi and Steve, founders of Mindfulness Everyday
Weekly Mindful Yoga Classes with Natalia Fister
Extensive Mindfulness and Yoga Library

Certification Requirement Hours

140 hrs: Yoga in-class component: Instruction, discussion, and supervised practice teaching sessions with constructive feedback
20 hrs: SMART Mindfulness Program in-class component including participant-led 4-hour retreat.
40 hrs: Yoga Self-Study/Homework/Personal Practice includes reading texts, journal assignments, external classes — including DVD’s, external and online classes, etc.)
20 hrs: SMART Mindfulness Program home practice
10 hrs: An independent study /research project: of your specialized area of interest co-developed with the facilitators

Certification Requirement Submissions

MYTT Yoga/Mindfulness Course Evaluation and Exam
SMART Mindfulness Practice logs, Anger Diary & Reflection Paper Submissions
Yoga Journal & Practice Logs Submissions
MYTT Yoga/Mindfulness Practicums
MYTT Yoga/Mindfulness Course Evaluation

Completion of the above training components does not guarantee certification. Additional training and or mentoring may be recommended.

Materials Provided*

Mindful Yoga Teacher Manual
SMART Participant Manual
Handouts and incidentals
Course Text Books:

Required Materials

Yoga Mat/Blanket /Bolster
2 Yoga Blocks
1 Yoga Strap

Required Reading List

These can be acquired electronically.

- Yoga Anatomy-2nd Edition: your illustrated guide to postures, movements and breathing techniques, Leslie Kaminoff (Author),‎ Amy Matthews (Author)
- Mindfulness Yoga: The Awakened Union of Breath, Body, and Mind Frank Jude Boccio
- The Yamas and Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice, Deborah Adele
  (purchase not required – Abridged Notes Provided)

Sample Agenda

Our Teachers

Natalia Fister, B.Eng., B.Ed.,Yoga Teacher CYA-E-RYT GOLD, Associate Mindfulness Teacher

NATALIA FISTER has been teaching Hatha Yoga since 2002 and has studied yoga, meditation and breathwork extensively, both locally and internationally, travelling to India several times, Kripalu in Massachusetts Nosara, Costa Rica and Lake Atitlan Guatemala to attend yoga retreats, and to Vallecitos, New Mexico to continue her yoga teacher training.
As a high school teacher, now retired, Natalia pioneered a credited yoga and mindfulness course in high school for the York Region District School Board (YRDSB). She taught a grade 11/IDC3O “Mindful Yoga and the Art of Happiness” course and a grade 12/IDC4U “Mindful Yoga and the Philosophy of Wellness” course for 4 years.
She is a certified facilitator for SMART: Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques. She has facilitated numerous professional development workshops for educators on mindfulness in the classroom, and presented at the “Bridging Hearts and Minds” conference on Mindfulness for Educators and Health Care Providers in San Diego. She is an instructor for University of Toronto, Continuing Studies, for the “Teaching Mindfulness to Teens” course and teaches a 10-week mindfulness program called “The Mindful Edge” to high school students.
Natalia currently teaches a 200 hour Mindful Yoga Teacher Training, uniquely applying the attitudes of Mindfulness to the teaching of hatha yoga. She also offers Mindful Yoga online weekly classes, incorporating mindfulness into yoga instruction.
Natalia is committed to sharing the benefits of mindfulness and yoga to students and teachers alike in the conviction that it will transform their lives as much as it has hers.

Heidi Bornstein, RP, Yoga Teacher CYA-E-RYT GOLD, Founder Mindfulness Everyday, Director SMART Ontario, MBSR & SMART Facilitator, Mindful Movement and Qigong Teacher

Heidi Bornstein is a Hatha yoga and meditation teacher, who received intensive training at the International Meditation Institute while living in India. She is a certified instructor in Hatha Yoga, Yoga Science, and Yoga Ed for Elementary Schools, High Schools, and For Working with Those At-Risk. She trained as an MBSR teacher under the direction of Roy Hintsa, MBSR Toronto, and Dr. Diane Reibel, the Director of the Stress Reduction Program at Jefferson University’s Myrna Brind Center of Integrative Medicine. She participated in the 7-Day Professional Training in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction in Mind-Body Medicine under the direction of Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn and Dr. Saki Santorelli. Heidi trained in Mindfulness for Kids at Risk with Vinnie Ferraro, Street Yoga training for Kids at Risk as well as smartEducation™ (Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques) with Linda Wallace, and Trauma-sensitive Mindfulness. She recently received her Medical Qigong Self Healing certification training Level A & B with Shifu Donna Oliver.
Heidi is the co-creator (with Heather Elson) of the Yoda-Yoga Program for Kids, a program specifically designed for use in the 20-minute DPA (Daily Physical Activity) in elementary schools. Heidi is the co-creator and teacher for The Mindful Edge® – Stress Reduction and Life Strategies for Teens program in high schools, the program coordinator for SMART Ontario, and the program creator for Professional Learning Workshops and Programs in educational, community, and organizational settings. She is an advisor for the Mindfulness Council of Canada and is an instructor for the University of Toronto, School of Continuing Studies, part of the Applied Specialization in Mindfulness Meditation. She has been teaching yoga, mindfulness, and meditation in Toronto since 2002 and continues to support programs for children, youth, teens, and adults.