Testimonials from past graduates for the South Boston Yoga Teacher Training

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  • The South Boston Yoga Body Awakening Teacher Training is more than simply an outstanding teacher training program: it is an incredibly enjoyable transformative process. In 200 hours, David Vendetti and Todd Skoglund and their carefully chosen, capable, empathic assistants take a group of 50 students who share a love of yoga on a journey of self-discovery. All of the fundamentals are covered in detail: yoga's history, the branches of yoga, the yamas and niyamas, anatomy, ethics, the business of yoga. There is chanting, pranayama, and, of course, asana. David and Todd's strong emphasis on sequencing is evident in their classes and students learn how to create classes that "make sense" to the body. The education is kinesthetic, visual, auditory and emotional. Students join this Teacher Training for many reasons -- to go deeper into an established yoga practice, to dive into a new yoga practice, to gain a greater understanding of yoga, or to become a new or better teacher. Whether or not students intend to teach, everyone graduates with the ability and the practical tools (a bio, photos, a flyer) to do so. Beyond the yoga and yoga teaching, students are challenged and supported to study their own habits and assumptions and to grow as individuals and as a community.

    I signed up for the training to deepen my practice and because I admired David's teaching and wanted to learn more from him. I had no idea that the training would have such a positive impact on so many areas of my life from being in the moment with my kids to feeling confident speaking to large groups of people. I did not know whether I would teach when I started but now I am looking forward to starting my first classes. I am going to miss our Teacher Training Days atSouth Boston Yoga and am grateful to be able to continue to practice and learn in this wonderful community . -- Emily Davidson, 2010

  • The South Boston Yoga Teacher Training and David Vendetti teaches complete empowerment from the inside out! Beginning with striping down all of our walls to look at our truest perfect self that already exists. David allows us to recognize that in ourselves first before moving on to absorb all of the gifts of knowledge he shares in the training. From the deep rich history of yoga and how that transfers to modern day yoga, to how and why we want to teach yoga and pass it on. I'm forever grateful for this experience that has shifted my perspective and given me insight allowing me to step out into the world to spread the yoga love! -- Maureen Palmer, 2010
  • I knew from the first time I took a yoga class with David Vendetti that I wanted to be in his teacher training. His class took me on a journey into myself and my body that I was not expecting. David has a way of imparting knowledge about anatomy and how to deepen your practice that I have never found with another teacher. Over three years later, I still am practicing and learning with him. The other gift I found at South Boston Yoga, was Todd Skoglund. While he was not as active in a teacher role in my initial teacher training, he is an integral part of my training and practice now. I am often saying, "While David increases my flexibility and teaches me to create space, Todd builds my strength and my stamina. He is constantly surprising me and my fellow yogis, challenging us to go just a little father beyond what we see as our limits. What a team! You will never find a better pair to build your knowledge of yoga, pranayama, and pratyahara or to deepen your practice. --Karen Kaplan, RYT, 2008
  • One of the most comprehensive and well assembled trainings available. I graduated feeling confident and ready to teach. David and Todd's breadth of knowledge is remarkable and to this day I still refer back to my notes for inspiration." -- Magi Pierce, 2007

  • Deciding to enroll in the 2010 Body Awakening Teacher Training at the South Boston Yoga, with David Vendetti and Todd Skoglund, was no doubt one of the best decisions I’ve made for myself. I can honestly say, Im happier and healthier, and feel like my life has been enriched by this experience. My yoga practice is stronger, my diet is better, I have the confidence to be a yoga teacher, I’ve started to meditate and I’m kinder to myself and to other people. Plus I had the opportunity to meet and get to know a community of amazing yoga teachers and teachers to be. I highly recommend this yoga teacher training for anyone that likes yoga, even if you think you don’t want to teach.

    David Vendetti is one of the most inspiring people Ive ever met. His deep knowledge and enthusiasm for yoga, teaching and for helping others to find peace in life is something I feel lucky to have witnessed and to have benefited from. He is interested in making sure everyone succeeds while allowing everyone’s personal style to shine through. I’ve learned so much from Todd, the co-owner of the studio, by watching his approach to teaching during his classes and hearing his constructive feedback about how to be a more effective teacher. Joanne and Amanda, besides being inspired by their teaching techninques, brought a warmth and support to the training.

    This wholistic and dynamic teacher training program had me looking forward to each training session and left me peaceful and enriched after each session. Assignments in and out of the classroom were creative and interesting. They often resulted in self discovery or a broader awareness and understanding of others. There is a heavy emphasis on smart sequencing, the ability to teach to all levels and the importance of understanding how different yoga poses affect and restore the body. -- Sandy Doyle, 2010

  • When I was making the choice of where do complete my 200 hour training I wanted the experience to be one of transformation. Many people I knew spoke highly of David and Todd and it is clear to me why. It’s not often that you come across people who live what they teach but David and Todd embody everything that is yoga, the dedication, the passion, the compassion and the love. I was coming off a challenging period in my life and my hope was to deepen my practice and grow as a teacher, I had no idea the transformation I would experience would permeate so many aspects of my life. -- Melissa Kleinman, 2010

  • When David and Todd learned that I was struggling with and isolated by chronic fatigue syndrome, they opened their doors and their hearts to me. Full of compassion, they invited me to South Boston Yoga's Teacher Training so that a) I would practice yoga (I was new to it), b) they could keep an eye on me and my development, and c) so that I would have an instant support group of 50 people. I went into the course expecting to have a very different experience from my peers - after all, I am ill and was there for healing purposes, and I assumed everyone else to be there solely to acquire the physical skills necessary in order to instruct. I could not have been more wrong. While I came into the course very guarded, David challenged the unnecessary walls I had erected, and all of my peers gave me love and support every step of the way. I was shocked, and it even took me some time to truly accept that these people truly care about me. I had many ups and downs throughout the course, both physically and emotionally, and without fail I was always met with love and compassion.

    Just as that aspect of the training was special, so too was being in a place where I could love and support others. South Boston Yoga's Teacher Training is not just comprised of sequencing poses and reading requirements - it is a sacred space where everyone is safe and free to share; where you are encouraged to truly be with your emotions and know that when you express them, everyone with you will love and support you. With everyone peeling themselves down to their authentic emotions and experiences, deep personal bonds are formed over an incredibly brief period of time. I give South Boston Yoga's Teacher Training my highest recommendation not only for aspiring instructors, but for anyone who wants the priceless experience of self-realization and authentic kinship found through SBY's sacred practices. -- Jordan Salmanowicz, 2010

  • I walked into the teacher training having taken 3 classes total with David and Todd. I knew by their classes they had a deep knowledge of the body but wondered if they could tap into the depths of my mind. After spending time in India, I realized the mind was a part of yoga that I needed to work on to help balance out my body. About half way through my yoga teacher training at SBY I decided to go and practice with some well known teachers at the Yoga Journal Conference in San Francisco after a friend convinced me to go. I remember thinking that practicing with Gary Kraftsow, Shiva Rhea, Gurmukh Kaur Khalsa, and Richard Miller will really test my knowledge that I have gained through my SBY training. On the way home I realized that although I appreciated learning from these teachers, I was gaining just as much every week by training with David and Todd and that they too incorporated all the aspects of yoga that these other teachers had. -- Alicia Essers, 2010
  • The SBY teacher training is life changing. I first signed up for it because I was excited to learn yoga from a body worker. Little did I know, I had just signed up for a deep investigation into all the pieces of myself. David,Todd and all the SBY crew create a space for transformation and self-acceptance. Not only did my physical asana practice deepen greatly, my heart opened and I touched back to a place in myself I hadn't visited in a long time. We started the training a large room of strangers, and moved through it becoming a tight knit family, supporting and trusting each other to confront our most difficult fears. The group dynamic allowed for intense shifts. We all benefited from one individuals new perspective or personal break-through. We deeply recognized our inter-connections. I am forever grateful to SBY for changing my life, allowing me to accept all of myself and curiously, fearlessly prompting me to continue my journey. I am so happy to have a new family of courageous, beautiful beings at SBY and highly recommend this training to anyone who wants to bring their practice to a new level. You will finish feeling confident in yourself and knowing you have tremendous gifts to share! -- Nicole Maniez, 2010