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Teacher Training Program Information Copyright © 2004 Paula Scopino Sacred Rivers Yoga is offering two scholarships: one for our Yoga Alliance 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Program, and one for our 500 Hour. The scholarship will offer a substantial savings. If you are interested, and have a real financial need, please send an email to
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describing:
*Why you are interested in our Yoga Teacher Training Program
*Your interest and experience
*How has Yoga made a difference in your life?
*Do you know how you would like to use the training?
*Is there a specific market you would like to reach...to share the gifts of Yoga?
* Brief description of your financial situation (we do not need specific details)
SACRED RIVERS YOGA SEVA, LLC
SEVA means service. Seva refers to selfless service for altruistic purposes on behalf of, and for the betterment of a Community.
OPEN HOUSE!!! Stay tuned for the next date! Please call 860-657-9545 for information and registration. Paula is opening the doors to her classrooms to those who are interested in our Yoga Alliance Certified 200 and 500 hour Teacher Training programs, or our Holistic Yoga Therapy Teacher Training program. The open house will begin with observation of a teacher training session, opportunity to participate in group sharing, and converse with other students currently enrolled. Tea and refreshments will be served. If you are interested, please register for this FREE event with us at (860)657-9545 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Weekly Tuesday Evening Open House Sessions: Please join us at 6:45 for informational sessions with Paula Scopino, owner and director of Sacred Rivers Yoga. She will answer any questions about the 200 or 500 hour Yoga Alliance registered yoga teacher training program. Please call 860.657.9545 to register for the information session or to set up an appointment at an alternate time. Read what people are saying about the Teacher Training Program at SRY 200 and 500 hour Yoga Alliance Teacher Training or Personal Growth Training
Tuition Costs* 200 Hour: $2300.00 if paid in full up front via cash, check, or credit card *Tuition Costs are subject to Connecticut State Sales tax of 6.35% 200 Hour Hours will be completed in the following moduels: Techniques; Training; Practice; Teaching Methodology; Anatomy and Physilogy or Yoga; Kinesiology; Yoga Philosophy; Lifestyle and Ethics; Practicum. There is an application process for the year long program and students hoping to attend should have practiced and studied yoga for a minimum of six months. Clarrification: The 100 hours of teaching required by the Yoga Alliance for your 500 hour RYT is not a prerequisite for joining the 500 hour program. You will begin accumulating those hours with every class you teach upon completion of your 200 hour RYT. "Our mission is to create a sacred space...a sancutalry for the soul to recognize our oneness and to support each other on our personal paths of self-discovery and growth...learning to listen to inner wisdom...and to lighten up."
Main instructors include Paula Scopino, Jean Skeels and Erika Halford. Please read their information below.
Danny Arguetty is a yoga teacher and workshop presenter at Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health. His yoga training spans a wide range of topics and he has had the privilege to teach and be intricately involved with teacher training programs both at Kripalu Center, Todd Norian and Ann Greene of Anusara, as well as extensive study with Shiva Rea. His deepest passion in yoga is to support yoga teachers in expanding their practice while integrating effective use of yoga philosophy, themes and dynamic language into their classes. His book Nourishing the Teacher: Inquiries, Insights, and Contemplations on the Path of Yoga is a resource on the above topics for teachers, as well as a wonderful wellspring of inspiration for students. Dr. Brett M. Carr (Anatomy and Physiology) graduated from the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic and continued to earn a Masters of Science in Clinical Nutrition from the University of Bridgeport Nutrition Institute. he also completed post-graduate classes in nutrition, detoxification, weight control, rehabilitation, and sports. He is presently an Assistant Professor of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic, and a Basic Sciences Instuctor at the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy. Patricia DiFazio (Yogic Philosophy and Meditation) has been practicing yoga for over 30 years and has been living a yogic lifestyle for the last 20 years. Patty has studied yoga with many of the great yogic masters of India. She has traveled to India nine times where she lived in an ashram. She was certified as a yoga instructor through the Yoga Institute in Houston, Texas and also through the Atma Vidya Ashram. Patty continues to study with her teacher Swamini Lalitanada of the Atma Vidya Ashram. It was her guru Swamini Lalitananda who gave Patty her spiritual name Divya Jyoti which means Divine Light. This personal, in depth spiritual teaching has prepared Divya to teach yogic philosophy and meditation techniques as well as lead asana. Patty (Divya Jyoti) DiFazio has been teaching yoga at the New England Athletic Club, At Cromwell Yoga Studio (Facilitated Healing Center) and at the Hindu Temple in Middletown, CT. for the last 15 years. She has been a YTT trainer since 2005. Jennifer Errickson completed her 200 hour teacher training at Sacred Rivers Yoga. She teaches the mom and baby series classes, All Levels Flow, and an Intro to Flow Series. Jennifer’s classes provide a supportive environment for mothers to explore yoga as they move, breathe, and connect with their little ones. Her background is in the field of education where she holds a Master’s Degree as well as experience as a classroom teacher. Teaching yoga has allowed Jennifer to use these skills and her own experience as a mom while bringing the beautiful gift of yoga into the lives of new mothers. Barbara Fasulo has been teaching and training in various holistic modalities for many years, inspired by a series of injuries and illnesses she was experiencing. She is a graduate of the following programs: Yoga Instructor (graduate of Sacred Rivers Yoga), Registered Hypnotist (CT#317), Reiki Master Teacher, Energy Therapist (graduate of Connecticut Healing Institute), Graduate of Saint Francis Hospital Clinical Pastoral Care Program. Barbara has provided consulting services to Saint Francis Hospital since 2005. She uses her training and experience to support others in their journey to wellness and balance body, mind, and spirit. Rick Haesche (The Art & Science of Traditional Thai Massage) Rick completed his initial massage training at the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy in 1994, where he was first introduced to Thai Massage during his last term of study. His interest in this beautiful and ancient body work led him to study Thai Massage in Boston, MA, and eventually in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 1997. He has been teaching Thai Massage workshops to massage therapists throughout New England since 1999. Rick is a nationally certified, Connecticut state licensed massage therapist, and has a practice at Sacred Rivers Yoga. Erika Halford playfully weaves alignment, therapeutics, and creative sequencing with poetic offerings and Tantric philosophy that embraces the fullness of life. You will find her Yin and Vinyasa classes accessible yet challenging. In addition, Erika leads a monthly Lunar Flow workshop to support community gathering and living yoga through group movement, sharing and journaling. She is also experienced and available for private yoga sessions. “I no longer believe that yoga is something that can be done. Rather, I think that yoga is a way of being, seeing and experiencing the world around us. The practices help us to release things that no longer serve us and integrate gratitude for the plethora of beauty that surrounds us. I have been fortunate enough to study yoga with Paula Scopino at Sacred Rivers Yoga, who taught me how to make yoga accessible for everyone. I have also had the privilege of studying with Shiva Rea who continues to support me in the tending of my own heart fire and how to inspire that in others. I am currently studying western massage at Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy and Traditional Thai Massage at Body Mind with Rick Haeshe. My intention is to combine everything I have learned about yoga, ayurveda, massage, motherhood and life to help others pause and remember what’s really important in life: that we love one another, that we care for one another and that we live in a way that allows the divine current to be expressed beautifully through us in all we create. Please join me on the mat for letting go, calling in and sharing the precious moments of yoga that bring us together.” For more information on classes, workshops, and private sessions you can visit her website at www.erikahalford.com or send her an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Margo Hennebach, GCFP, LGSM(MT) is a founding member of the international trio, Mad Agnes, and a lifelong movement lover, especially yoga, dance, and Salsa. With a BM in Piano and a graduate degree in Music Therapy, she has been a Feldenkrais Practitioner since 2003. She teaches classes and workshops throughout CT and maintains a private practice in Bloomfield, CT. For more info, visit http://margohennebach.com/margo/fw/ or call 860-206-2746. Kate Keefe Spiritually known as Dhanya Devi - discovered her personal path with yoga in 2000 as a form of stress management while employed in an acute geriatric-psychiatric setting. In 2002 she received her first and second teacher trainings in YogaFit and began teaching yoga as a form of wellness to her co-workers in the health-care field. She attended additional trainings in YogaFit Level III to deepen her practice and further her teaching skills. Through self study and a desire deepen spiritual practice she came to Sacred Rivers in 2006 and completed her 200 hour RYT in Hatha Yoga in 2007. Through further study of the condition of osteoporosis, she completed training at Kripalu in Bone Camp - Advanced Movement Concepts for Skeletal Health (Safe Yoga for Osteoporosis) with Sara Meeks, RPT RYT. Additionally, she is pursuing a Level I certification in Osteoporosis Rehabilitation in the Meeks Method. Dhanya Devi is trained to teach Tai Chi for arthritis, Certified to teach Tai Chi for Osteoporosis and Falls Prevention, Certified as a Move Beyond Pain Clinician (chronic pain exercise and education), Shamballa Reiki level I and II certified and Basic Therapeutic Touch Practitioner. In her current practice she works as an Occupational Therapist and Serves as the Director of Resident Services at Southington Care Center. She facilitates wellness and pain management both in the community and in the long term care setting. She continues to explore her personal path with self-study and exploration of Hinduism and Vedanta with her spiritual mentor Divya Jyoti. In March 2010, she will complete her Yoga therapy certification in "Yoga of the Heart" with Nischala Joy Devi. Swamini Lalitananda-(History, Philosophy, Styles of Yoga) Jack Lynch (Ashtanga) received his formal training from renowned teachers Beryl Bender Birch and David Swenson. These accomplished mentors have instilled in Jack a deep understanding of the ancient Ashtanga system (both first and second series), and imparted an abundance of skillful adjustment techniques. Jack has also studied with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois, Ana Forrest, Nancy Gilgoff and Doug Swenson. Through Continuous study and practice he is able to offer not only primary and second series Ashtanga classes, but also unique classes inspired by these other distinguished teachers. You will enjoy the way Jack's sense of humor and compassion puts you at ease while fostering a safe environment in which to work the body. Sri Madhu, Master in 8 Yogic disciplines and Energy Healer, is a highly revered spiritual advisor and holistic educator. He has changed the lives of thousands of people worldwide through his practical proven system. He studied with the Master Sri Bhagavan for 15 years in India and was the Principal Advisor in Oneness University and advisor to the founder of One World Academy. Sri Madhu spent most of his life mastering a “permanent” and “fully awakened state.” Through his experience he has developed a simple and effective Integrative Yogic Healing Therapy system to enhance the human spirit through truth and happiness. He offers his wisdom and teachings as a spiritual advisor and founder of One Happy World, conducting workshops, retreats, meditation sessions, yoga teacher training modules, and private counseling sessions. He has combined the best teachings from various ancient cultures, yogic masters, and spiritual leaders under the spiritual foundation “One Happy World”. Sri Madhu empowers change in your physical, mental, emotional and spiritual consciousness and guides you into higher states of consciousness. Tom Moorcroft, DO is an Osteopathic physician who practices Integrative Medicine and Osteopathic Manipulation at Origins of Health in Glastonbury, CT. He is a fellowship trained in Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine and has completed the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society's (ILADS) Physician training program. He specializes in diagnosis and treatment of complex chronic medical illnesses, including tick borne illness, in infants, children, and adults. Tom seeks to create healing partnerships with his patients to focus on the healing powers within. Tom treats patients with a combination of conventional and holistic approaches, individually tailoring treatment plans to each patient. After suffering for more than a decade with chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, Tom discovered Ashtanga yoga which played a pivotal role in his healing. While chronic illness often requires a comprhensive healing approach, Tom knows from first hand experience, that the key to health and healing lies within each one of us. In his spare time, Tom trains diaster search and rescue dogs and is a member of the Connecticut state and Massachusetts FEMA urban search and rescue teams. Tom and his wife, Jill, are proud parents of Talia, who reminds them that Now is the only moment there ever is. Peter Oliver, Ph.D., L.P.C., N.C.C. is licensed (CT) and nationally certified as a professional counselor and works as a professor at the University of Hartford. He received training in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) at the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care and Society at UMass Medical School. Peter has practiced meditation and done personal growth work for many years. Michael Pierce, MD is a Psychiatrist practicing in Glastonbury, CT. He is a Clinical Associate at the Western New England Institute for Psychoanalysis in New Haven, CT, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine. He is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and is a member of the American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychoanalytic Association, International Neuro-Psychoanalytic Association, Association for Humanistic Psychology, International Society for the Study of Subtle Energy and Energy Medicine, and the Association for Transpersonal Psychology. Michael values a holistic approach, which he brings to his practice. Extending his traditional training and interest in the mind and the brain, he has explored many alternative and complementary therapies. He has received the Munay Ki rites, a second level Reiki attunement, and has studied the Art of Living Foundation's sudarshan kriya, and Anodea Judith's chakra teachings, among others. He has been a yoga practitioner for a number of years after personally experiencing a number of positive changes. Michael maintains a private practice at 25 Concord Street, Glastonbury, CT. Dr. Michael Reife (Anatomy and Physiology) is an adjunct associate professor of basic and clinical sciences at the University of Bridgeport College of Chiropractic. He is an adjunct instructor in the Masters of neuroscience program at the University of Hartford. Paula Scopino (Yoga For Every Body, Yoga Therapies, etc.) Paula Scopino is the Owner/Director of Sacred Rivers. Paula was inspired at a young age by her parent's spiritual explorations and discovered yoga at age 19. She has been a student of yoga since 1976 and has been teaching since 1978 after receiving her first certification with Ruth Bender (pre-Kripalu). Paula is a Registered Yoga Alliance Teacher - 500 hour, and is a certified Cardiac Yoga Teacher, having studied Yoga of the Heart with Nischala Joy Devi (the stress management portion of the Dr. Dean Ornish program). Paula does yoga therapy for heart disease and cancer, and yoga therapy for chronic conditions, back problems, arthritis, and multiple sclerosis. She teaches prenatal yoga, yoga for children, and yoga for 60,70, and beyond. Paula graduated from the Connecticut Center for Massage Therapy in 1989 and is a Connecticut licensed massage therapist and member of the American Massage Therapy Association. She also assists her brother Rick Haesche in teaching the Art of Traditional Thailand Massage in massage therapy schools as a part of their regular and continuing education curriculum. In addition, she is certified in Karuna and Usui Reiki. She has maintained a private practice since 1989. Jean Skeels "I believe in the power of yoga to create deep healing and transformation on many levels and to reconnect us with our true and complete selves. Yoga practice built on the foundations of compassion and non-grasping allows us to be playful and joyful in this great inquiry, the pathway to liberation." Jean’s certifications include 500 hour Kripalu yoga teacher, 200 hour Kripalu yoga teacher, Kripalu Yoga Dance teacher, and prenatal yoga with Janice Clarfield. Jean is also registered as an ERYT 200 and RYT 500 with Yoga Alliance. She is Co-creator of Whole Running, a unique program of running and yoga. Jean is currently participating in a yearlong training called The Acharya Intensive, directed by senior Kripalu yoga teachers and focusing on the teachings and practices of yoga as Swami Kripalu taught them. Within this Intensive Jean is exploring yoga as a pathway to evolve consciousness and connect to spirit and to bring those into teaching. She has also presented workshops to the 200 hour YTT at Sacred Rivers Yoga. Anne Stamatakis (Subtle Energy Anatomy) has 27 years of experience in complementary touch therapies in England and California. She is a CT licensed massage therapist and Certified Healing Touch Practitioner and has a private practice in Rocky Hill. Her additional studies and international affiliations with spiritual teachers and relationship trainers have given her a well-balanced blend of modern, traditional and intuitive methods of natural healing. Anne's focus will be on teaching energy medicine and a heightened awareness of the subtle bodies. The chakras and the human aura, the electromagnetic energy field around and inside of us, will be explained and demonstrated throughout this series of classes. Anne will encourage you to directly apply this valuable knowledge to your relationship with your body, emotions, mental beliefs, spirituality and yoga practice. She loves yoga, loves life and firmly believes in the healing power of keeping a sense of humor. Allison Sullivan, MS, OTR/L, CAGS, CYKT is the Director of Occupational Therapy Services at Sunshine Village, a day habilitation program for individuals with developmental disabilities with 7 locations in Western Massachusetts. She is also an adjunct faculty member in the Occupational Therapy Department at American International College, in Springfield, MA, where her teaching responsibilities include courses in lifespan psychosocial occupational performance, research, and management of healthcare services. Allison’s research interests are focused in trauma-informed care, sensory modulation, and movement-based therapy. As the Director of Occupational Therapy Services at Sunshine Village, Allison created an adaptive yoga and sensory modulation program for both staff and adult consumers at Sunshine Village, in which over 250 consumers and 75 staff now participate on a weekly basis. Her professional experience includes treatment, supervision, training, and consultation for therapists, educators, and students at more than 20 public school systems in Massachusetts. Programs developed by Allison have been commended by the Massachusetts Department of Education. Born in Brooklyn, Dhanurdhara Swami's spiritual search led him across the globe many years ago to the shelter of mystic India. He is a respected teacher in the tradition of bhakti–yoga who has lived in Vrindavana, India – the sacred land of Krishna – for over 30 years. Dhanurdhara Swami currently spends half of each year in India studying, writing, meditating and guiding pilgrims on their journeys through the holy places. The other half of the year he spends in America traveling and sharing what he has learned. He is the author of three books: Waves of Devotion , a commentary on the bhakti text Nectar of Devotion; Greetings From Vrindavana , a spiritual "travel diary" chronicling his experiences and realizations from 2000 through 2004; and Japa Meditations: Contemplations on Entering the Holy Name. http://wavesofdevotion.com The Bhagavad–gita, Indian philosophy, describes in detail the nature of the mind and how to favorably transform it. The Bhagavad–gita in particular summarizes three classical practices to facilitate that transformation: karma–yoga (the path of action), jnana–yoga (the path of knowledge) and bhakti–yoga (the path of devotion). Dhanurdhara Swami will summarize the science of transformation according to these three paths and discuss how to apply the teachings of the Bhagavad–gita in the course of daily life.Susan Taff (Kinesiology) Susan Taff holds a Masters degree in Counseling from Southern Connecticut State University and a Masters degree in Public Health from Yale University. Susan has been practicing massage therapy for 12 years, teaching kinesiology and massage therapy courses. She has also studied and has been teaching yoga in the style of B. K. S. Iyengar since 1989. She brings to her yoga teaching her years of study and interest in anatomy and movement. Susan especially enjoys adapting yoga asanas for students with physical limitations. David Tinklepaugh, MD "I have loved this quote from the moment I first read it. So much so that it has become the guiding principle behind my work in health and wellness. There is deep wisdom in this quote, as the link between health and happiness is as fundamental as that between sunlight and warmth. I have a particular vantage point from which to observe this relationship, that of a neurologist caring every day for those with devastating illness and disability. I have concluded that it is far more useful to try and maintain good health, or promote even better health, than to wait for illness to befall. One of the main obstacles to promoting wellness is that most healthy people don't think about their future health. Because optimal health requires a long term plan and dedication, it is difficult for busy people to commit to new life patterns of behavior. So it is that I have decided to try and combine education about illness and prevention with motivation and guidance in health." Dr. Tinklepaugh was an undergraduate at the University of Washington, receiving a bachelor of science in zoology. He received his MD from the University of Virginia, and completed a neurology residency at Yale New Haven. Following residency, he took a fellowship in neuromuscular function and disease, also at Yale New Haven. He is currently board certified in Neurology and Psychiatry and is in private practice in Norwich, CT. Dr. Tinklepaugh cares for patients with all types of neurologic illnesses but integrates traditional medicine with alternative approaches to health. Lectures Taught by Dr. Tinklepaugh: Tammy Villamizar–RYT has completed her 200hour certification at Sacred Rivers in 2010. She is currently working towards completion of her 200 hour Anusara Yoga Training. Mangala Warner, M.S. is a senior trainer for Mukunda Stiles, the founder of SYT. She offers small group therapeutic yoga classes, workshops, private yoga therapy sessions, and SY Teacher Training in Berwick , ME. For more information on her services and background please visit www.nesyt.com. Elizabeth Wyatt, CYT, CPRYT Practitioner- “After a lifelong interest in all things yoga, I began to wonder what it would be like to increase my knowledge and intensity of my practice. This led me to earn my 200 hr Yoga Teacher Certification. I have worked in Healthcare for 30 years. My desire to serve patients and clients more fully, led me to train as a Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy Practitioner. I am able to integrate the principles of this practice into my position as Clinical Supervisor of a Sleep Center here in Connecticut. In my private practice, I have the privilege of witnessing and supporting the inspiring growth of my clients. As I grow in my capacity as a Phoenix Rising Practitioner, I see how our bodies have much to tell us. In the process of giving and receiving Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy, I have come to view my body as a source of wisdom. I have witnessed profound change in myself and those I serve. Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy (PRYT) is a body mind technique that is a mixture of supported yoga postures, body awareness, dialogue and integration. This process allows the receiver to experience being fully supported, both physically and emotionally, while exploring what arises in their physical body/mind as a result of experiencing an edge in the yoga postures. |

