Testimonials
Mark Stephens’ teacher training gave me an excellent foundation and tools for taking my teachings into actual practice, covering all the fields that are so important for a teacher to know. Mark is an exceptional teacher who incorporates seamlessly the beauty of tradition with the wisdom of our times. He is passionate about what he teaches and it shows in every aspect of his teachings. His detailed explanation of poses and alignment is blended seamlessly into the practice of flow.
Mark is a master in creating vibrant, deep, and safe sequences, allowing for depth and opening while keeping the practice sustainable, a rare quality. I was immediately attracted to Mark's vast knowledge and his willingness to share it. His teachings are non–dogmatic and take the best from all. Studying with Mark is fun and informative. He has a gift for creating a community and a supportive environment. |
I am very grateful for all I have learned from Mark. He continues to serve as a source of inspiration to me
Mark Stephens' Yoga teacher training program is a very special offering – a gem created by the alchemy of years of dedication to the complete yogic path.
In essence Mark gives students a loom, a basic pattern and possibilities to weave their own teaching style.
An excellent foundation of yoga’s history, philosophy and science form the loom. Then Mark weaves in the primary threads of the yogic path; asana styles, pranayama, and meditation. These threads are enhanced with ones vital to teaching such as anatomy, planning and sequencing as well as the often overlooked subtleties of space and voice. He also addresses contemporary yoga arenas like prenatal classes and teaching underserved communities. Every thread is coated with integrity, authenticity, safety and sustainability. The end result is a nuanced illustration of the complex yet subtle fabric that is the art of teaching yoga.
In deftly passing on his artists skills Mark ensures his students leave not only confident but competent to create their own beautiful teaching tapestries and help their students create their personal yoga art.
I am deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to study under Mark and receive such gifts.
Mark Stephens’ Yoga Teacher Training provided a thorough foundation for me as a teacher and a practitioner to deepen my understanding and experience not only in asana specifics, but in the multi-faceted traditions and philosophy that we call Yoga. Being able to learn so much from one well regarded and respected person as opposed to a faculty of teachers helped me grow quickly as a teacher and a student. I am forever grateful to my Teacher and highly recommend his training.
Yoga teacher training with Mark Stephens not only deepened my personal yoga practice, but it revealed the wisdom and richness of yoga in a unique way. The biggest compliments I get on my teaching comes from the heart of the training: intelligent, progressive sequencing, safe alignment, and knowledgeable assists. This training taught me to lovingly assist students in exploring their yoga practice with safety, awareness, and creativity.
Mark Stephens' yoga teacher training was amazing. He has what seems like an encycolpedic knowledge of yoga philosophy, history, anatomy, methodology, technique and practice, yet he shares it with a humility that supports what he often says: there is no end to what you can learn as a yoga teacher, so there's no such things as mastery, and therefore no such thing as a master. This speaks volumes about Mark's commitment to learning and to guiding his students in their learning.
With his prior background in education (he taught high school, college, and university), Mark presents everything in a way that designed for learners to learn, starting with excellent lectures, readings, power point presentations and facilitated group discussions. He gets that we all learn in different ways, so he addresses that with diffeent ways of presenting all the material - sound, sight, touch, practice, reflection, and more.
Mark is friendly and accessible. He goes out of his way to check in with every participant every day, even in our group of 25. He clearly loves his work and cares about bringing others along in keeping with their own goals and intentions.
If you want to really learn how to become a great yoga teacher, or if you're already a teacher and want to become a far better teacher, I most highly recommend Mark's teacher training.
Also: This was my third yoga teacher training program and by far the best. The first one was with a large yoga chain that offered great promise but in the end was only as good as the competent but pretty limited teacher they sent to do the training. This is a complaint I've since heard from a lot of others who've taken their YTT from one of the big corporate yoga businesses.
The second one I give high marks for inspiration and fostering community while on a yoga retreat along the Caribbean in Mexico, but we never learned the fundamentals of asanas, pranayama and meditation.I loved connecting with other in the training and made some great friends. However, in the end we never covered the fundamentals (or the deeper questions and practices) that are important in teaching yoga.
Mark Stephens' teacher training beautifully blends his wealth of experiential and factual knowledge with the wisdom of his many years of practice. The result is a challenging and deeply informative training which he infuses with lightheartedness and fun!
Mark Stephens’ yoga teacher training provided for me what I've come to recognize as the indispensable trinity of anatomical knowledge, yogic philosophy and hands on experience. The training helped me tremendously with finding my own personal voice and approach as a teacher, in addition to teaching me how to safely guide my students (and myself) in and out of postures.
Whether you are an experienced practitioner and a teacher looking to expand your technical understanding of the practice, or a beginning student on the yogic path, Mark's training is thorough, detailed, and comprehensive in scope to guide you expertly along the way.
I highly recommend Mark's yoga teacher training to anyone who is looking to deepen their knowledge of not only teaching, but of yoga.
Mark Stephens literally wrote the book on yoga teacher training. I practiced with him for four years before enrolling in his 200-hour training program. This training enriched my own practice and enabled me to begin teaching public classes in several locations in Santa Cruz County.
The training is deeply informed and comprehensive on all matters yoga. The material is presented in a masterful sequence of classes supported by readings, demonstrations, practice and more practice, and challenging dialogs with Mark and all the students. While presenting vinyasa yoga in detail, Mark adroitly uses his broad experiential understanding of many other yoga styles to provide their strengths to his students, too.
The initial training topics range from yoga philosophy, to anatomy, to specific poses and modifications, sequencing of poses, practice teaching, yoga for specific medical conditions and much more. Also included is instruction on the elements required for a teaching career. He frequently meets with each student about their unique needs and own opportunities to make the most of the teacher training.
This solid introduction to yoga teaching is supplemented by required courses on sequencing, hands-on adjustments, pre- and post-natal yoga, and two intensive apprenticeships in a classroom with an experienced yoga teacher. In addition, Mark requires 16 hours of elective classes carefully chosen to advance the student’s own yoga teaching interests and abilities.
Moreover, Mark understands yoga teaching as a community of yogis. Mark structures the training to bring students together to assist and encourage each other. My classmates became my friends who continue to inform and encourage my yoga practice and teaching. Mark offers himself as part of this community of yoga professionals to all his students.
As I dove deeply into yoga in the summer of 2008, I decided I would take Mark Stephens’ teacher training as a way to further my understanding and embodiment of the practice. Little did I know, the training that summer would exceed my expectations; it took me further than just a solid foundation of understanding. It also created the desire to continue with my studies, and take my practice off of my mat and further into the big picture of my life. Since teacher training with Mark, I have embarked on a very solid path of teaching, studying, and deepening my own practice within the art of yoga. Mark’s teachings extended further than just the walls of the studio, and the professionalism and wisdom that he shared, were seeds planted to live through my lifelong practice of yoga.
Mark Stephens shares his wisdom and knowledge to the Yoga community through his teachings, his studio, his teacher training programs, and more recently his books. Mark continues to inspire me as a teacher and an author with his amazing gift of being thorough, insightful and intuitive in his teachings. Yoga students and teachers will benefit greatly from participating in his Teacher Training programs. I had taught Yoga for 8 years before I took Mark's training. I felt a huge shift after I completed Mark's training in my teachings as my career completely took off and many new doors were opened for me, as I now teach full time, lead workshops myself and own a studio.
What I most appreciate from the teacher training program is how he teaches his students to be able to teach Yoga to ALL levels of students and to ALL populations.
I have taken many of Mark's workshops, such as Prenatal, Hands on Adjustments and many more. All of these workshops have supported my teaching over the years in many ways and I consider Mark to be my most inspiring teacher. I have recommended his Teacher Training to many of my students and encourage all yogi's to read his book entitled Teaching Yoga. Mark teaches a strong, thorough, fun and detailed class, while leaving you with the feeling that have just been on a wonderfully relaxing and life changing vacation.
Jenn Russo, yoga teacher and co-owner of Yoga on Center in Healdsburg, CA.
The teacher training experience offered by Mark provides such a well-rounded and thorough approach to truly teaching yoga that I highly recommend it to all who want to learn more about yoga regardless of teaching aspirations. Many teacher training programs turn out sufficient yoga class leaders, but Mark's program crafts you into a true teacher blessed with the knowledge to both begin a new path, and to also blossom down the road. You learn and develop an array of skill sets that you can draw upon to address the needs both physically and energetically of a wide range of yoga students.
Whether you have a special needs student, a student challenged with the mental/emotional side of the practice, or a long-time practitioner, Mark's teacher training offers you an unparalleled opportunity to provide intelligent guidance and challenges with confidence and grace. Of the several teacher training programs I have graduated from, I find myself continually drawing on the experiences and knowledge I gained from Mark Stephens. He continues to be a mentor and inspiration in both my teaching and my personal practice.
Mark Stephens is a renowned teacher of teachers who shares his craft and acquired professional wisdom with passion and a lighthearted attitude. He has a deep knowledge of yoga philosophy and a rich understanding of body mechanics and anatomy. Going through his teacher training program was a “tour de force” that enabled me to get a solid foundation of yoga, apply Mark’s teaching hands-on, and interact with like-minded friends. A memorable, fun, inspirational, practical, and insightful experience that I highly recommend to anyone who is curious about teaching yoga or deepening the physical practice of yoga.
When I first moved to Santa Cruz, California, I was looking for a yoga teacher training mainly to learn more about the practice and to deepen my own. I never realized how much my life would change throughout the process. I cannot express enough gratitude for the wealth of knowledge shared and the strong connections made with inspiring and beautiful yogis and yoginis. Mark Stephens has been an incredible teacher and mentor. His support and guidance has helped lead me down the blissful path I am on today.
I enrolled in Mark Stephens’ y teacher training program in the Fall of 2008 with the intent to further my own knowledge of yoga and not necessarily to teach. I was not confident that I would be able to teach others when my own practice was not advanced (that is to say I couldn't do complex pretzelie asanas).
During my time in the program, I realized that yoga was a lot more than being able to do complex physical asanas and that it included many variables that are easy to miss in a more physical based practice. The program also gave me a sound foundation in human anatomy and physiology (which is vital to teaching) and a clear understanding of the alignment principles of various asanas both physical and energetic. When I completed the program I changed my mind about teaching and have been teaching classes at various yoga studios since.
This program provides a great foundation for teaching and also assumes that you as a student and future teacher will put in effort to further your own knowledge.
I had been teaching yoga for 5 years before taking the yoga teacher training with Mark Stevens. I liked the program because it was holistic in that it covered yoga philosophy, types of yoga, correct ways to teach and do asanas as well as covering anatomy and common issues found in yoga classes. The students had an opportunity to teach and feedback was given. Mark Stephens was professional and supportive. I now have a better understanding of yoga and that helps my personal practice as well as teaching yoga.
I enrolled in Mark Stephens' 200-hour teacher training program just 8 months after my initial interest in yoga. I did not realize how much knowledge I would gain and how much of this knowledge I would transfer to my own practice as well as to the practice of teaching others. This teacher training experience was truly a gift - a once in a lifetime opportunity that I thank myself for participating in on a daily basis!
Mark Stephens' yoga teacher training program was a life changing experience. Mark skillfully offers a full spectrum program that full prepares the aspirant to begin teaching or advanced study. Not only did my personal practice flower; my spiritual journey boomed. I offer gratitude to my teacher, Mark, and encourage any seeker to explore this YTT program as a safe and sustainable entry point.
The yoga teacher training I did with Mark Stephens was an amazing overall experience. The course followed an arch that gave a clear and comprehensive assessment of yoga. Mark gave us the tools to understand the foundations of yoga and the encouragement to explore more deeply our individual interests. That summer, myself and the other students became each other’s unique support group that trickles over even today. Mark's passion, not just for yoga, but for teaching its meaning and potential to eager students, was a contagious and powerful experience.
“When someone mentions the gracefulness of the night sky, climb up on the roof and dance and say, like this?”
– Rumi
