Ohra Yoga and Wellness, Mount Kisco
Yoga aficionados looking to take their passion to the next level might want to consider teacher-training courses offered by Michelle Briks, a longtime yoga instructor and director of Ohra Yoga and Wellness.
The Mount Kisco-based certified yoga school is located at the Saw Mill River Club and offers 200-hour training courses for students who are interested in teaching yoga in studios, gyms or privately.
All of Briks’ programs are certified by the Yoga Alliance, an organization that sets the recommended standards for yoga teacher training programs and allows fully trained yoga instructors to teach in the United States and abroad.
“I feel very blessed to be able to do this every day,” said Briks, who is passionate about teaching yoga and the effect it can have on people physically and mentally.
To be able to enroll in the classes, at least three months of yoga practice is suggested and a passion for improving the health and wellness of others. Students who want to deepen their knowledge of this 5,000-year-old Eastern tradition are also great candidates for such training, added Briks, who also teaches a variety of yoga classes at the club.
Having recently celebrated the school’s fifth graduation, Briks is excited about continuing to offer instruction in small classes that easily accommodate the individual needs and schedules of students. It is where they can receive hands-on instruction in a variety of teacher training programs.
There is training for the Ma’ayan program, which is open to Jewish women and teaches yoga philosophy from a Jewish perspective. In this program, Briks offers teacher training with an emphasis on Jewish values and spirituality.
Briks also offers a Vinyasa-based teacher training program, known as Tagar, which focuses on yoga for athletics, functional movement and yoga therapeutics.
The idea behind this particular training program, Briks noted, is that students learn how to integrate and deepen their own yoga practice first and then develop the skills necessary to safely guide their own classes.
The basis of Briks’ curriculum is not only about teaching yoga positions, it’s about providing valuable information that will enable the program’s participants to become certified teachers.
That includes lessons on anatomy and physiology as it relates to yoga; ancient yoga philosophy; how to work with different types of students, such as pregnant women and children; and the values and responsibilities of the yoga teacher. In addition, incorporating the practice of Ayurveda (a holistic approach to health that is designed to promote well-being) into one’s lifestyle and practice is also available.
While much of the training is hands on, Briks who holds a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and a master’s in nutrition and exercise from Queens College, expects her students to complete a designated amount of home study and be ready to participate in her post-training mentoring opportunities.
In addition to teaching five to six yoga classes a week at the club and the teacher programs programs she runs, Briks is a strong advocate for healthy eating. Visitors to her website will find several healthy recipes and other valuable resources they can easily apply to their own lives, she said.
“No matter the level of my students, all of them end up having this deep, life-changing experience as a result of this training,” Briks said.
The training programs take place at the Saw Mill Club located at 77 Kensico Drive in Mount Kisco. To see a schedule of upcoming training programs, visit the Ohra Yoga and Wellness website or call 1-888-980-Ohra (6472).
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