Sunrise Yoga Studio is a Yoga-Alliance Registered Yoga School (RYS). We offer 200-hour and 300-hour yoga teacher training programs plus a two-weekend Yoga Enrichment program for students in the greater Winston-Salem, NC area, including Clemmons, Lewisville and Mocksville.
We emphasize alignment-based yoga, sometimes also called "hatha yoga."
The programs are held in-person with a few hours of online training.
What is Yoga Alliance teacher registration?
The Yoga Alliance is the largest non-profit yoga association in the United States. It advocates for integrity and diversity in yoga instruction. Yoga Alliance teacher registration is widely recognized and respected. It is a very important credential for every yoga instructor that lets studio owners and students know that you have attained the most respected teaching credential available through a vetted provider.
Visit program pages for complete details.
Yoga Teacher Training Eligibility and Prerequisites
Our 200-hour teacher training program lasts nine weekends.
The 300-hour program requires a minimum of two years and allows up to 4 years. Most students finish within 2 years.
As part of the interview process, you and program director Valerie Kiser will discuss your experience to ensure that it’s suitable for the program you’re considering.
- The Yoga Enrichment Program requires six months or more of previous yoga experience.
- The 200-Hour Teacher Training Program requires at least a year of consistent yoga practice.
- The 300-Hour Teacher Training Program experience requirement is met by your 200-Hour teacher training certification.
Not at all! Proficiency in the postures, especially the more challenging asanas, is not required.
No problem. Many students enroll in teacher training simply because they love doing yoga and learning about yoga and want to make the most of their personal practice.
No problem, you can still enroll in our 300-hour training program! Successful completion of any Yoga Alliance accredited school’s 200-hour teacher training program qualifies you to apply to the Sunrise 300-hour teacher training program.
Pregnant students have successfully participated in our teacher training programs. And many women continue their established yoga practice during pregnancy and feel that it’s beneficial. Whether it’s appropriate for you specifically depends on how you’re currently feeling, whether you have special risks, and whether your doctor recommends against it. Please discuss the specifics of your situation with the program director.
The alignment-based hatha yoga offered by Sunrise has a place for “every body.” In fact, yoga can often help you manage the physical challenges that accompany injury, illness or chronic health conditions. Talk to your doctor and share your specifics with program director Valerie Kiser during the personal interview so that you can anticipate how your health status might affect your asana practice during teacher training.
Yes. You must be at least 18 years old.
Sunrise Teacher Training Programs
Our first Yoga Enrichment Program and 200-Hour Teacher Training classes graduated in 2010. We launched our 300-Hour Teacher Training program in 2011.
Informative and fun! Every class is taught in a professional studio setting and is specifically designed to provide the information that every serious yoga student and prospective teacher should know.
In addition to in-depth asana study so that you can safely and confidently teach students of all levels, you’ll also learn how to teach including:
- Use of props to achieve proper alignment
- Creation and sequencing of an effective lesson plan
- How to work effectively with different kinds of students and odies
- How to observe students for postural and prop adjustments
- How to work with students who are pregnant or have injuries or physical limitations
You’ll also study the science, history, philosophy, values and traditions of yoga:
- Pranayama (breathing techniques)
- Chanting and meditation
- Anatomy, physiology and body mechanics of yoga
- Therapeutic yoga
- Ayurveda
- The Yoga Sutras and other traditional yoga texts
- The use of Sanskrit as part of the yoga tradition
We intentionally keep our class size small so you can receive an abundance of personal attention.
Homework assignments are important because they support the material covered in class and help you integrate it into your own practice and teaching. Plan to spend 2 hours/week —not just per weekend session—on homework. Typical assignments include reading and preparing for discussion of yoga books and preparing practice teaching sequences.
Maintaining your Yoga Alliance registration requires ongoing continuing education courses, which are also available at Sunrise Yoga. Visit the Yoga Alliance website for more details on continuing education requirements for your level of registration.
The 200-hour program is the foundation of yoga teacher training for everyone who starts the teacher-training journey.
It qualifies you to begin your teaching career, typically in a small studio or gym.
It is also a prerequisite for 300-hour teacher training enrollment
In fact, many 200-hour graduates also decide to immediately enroll in the 300-hour program to further expand and develop their instructional skills.
300-hour programs deepen and broaden your education in the physiology of yoga, yoga asanas, yoga’s traditions, values and philosophy, and provide even more instruction in designing yoga classes, managing the classroom experience, and communicating effectively with students.
For complete details, consult each program's page:
200 Hour Teacher Training Program Handbook
500-hour yoga certification is achieved when you combine a 200-hour program and a 300-hour training program. You can then register as a 500-hour instructor at Yoga Alliance.
Enrollment, Costs, Missed Classes & Other Policies
Each program’s handbook provides prices, early bird discounts, payment options and refund policies for each program.
200 Hour Teacher Training Program Handbook
Yoga Alliance requires completion of all classroom hours and outside assignments. See your program’s handbook for details on make-up arrangements.
You will need to provide your own props for practicing at home (we do provide props at the studio). Required books for Yoga Enrichment and 200-Hour Teacher Training total $100 or less. Required books for 300-Hour Teacher Training average $10-$20/module. Consult your program’s handbook for more book details.
Of course. Your 200-hour program includes the Unlimited Monthly Membership during your time in the program to support your personal yoga practice.