The Advanced Board Exam | Jivamukti Yoga

Advanced Certification

the advanced board EXAM

SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE BOARD EXAM QUALIFIES ONE AS AN “ADVANCED CERTIFIED JIVAMUKTI YOGA® TEACHER”.

why take the board exam

To be qualified to serve as a mentor at the Jivamukti Yoga® 300 Hour Residential Teacher Training
To be qualified to serve as a mentor in the Jivamukti Yoga® Teacher Apprenticeship Program (also referred to as the 800-Hour Certification Program) offered at all Jivamukti Yoga® Schools and Centers
To be qualified to serve on the Advanced Certification Review Board
To be qualified to apply to operate a Jivamukti Yoga® Center (subject to all the legal limitations and franchise regulations of Jivamukti Incorporated)
To advertise and list oneself as an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga® Teacher

How to apply

Eligibility: Completion of at least a 300HR Jivamukti Yoga Teacher Traning, although 800-hour certification (completion of the Jivamukti Teacher Apprenticeship Program) is not required to appear before the Review Board, it is strongly recommended. In addition, it is highly recommended that candidates accumulate at least 2 years of teaching experience and 4 years of asana practice experience before appearing before the Review Board. The Board Exam is carried out at Jivamukti Yoga® centers worldwide on an as-needed basis. The Exam covers teaching skills, asana practice skills, yoga philosophy and terms, Sanskrit language, anatomy and other relevant topics through practical, interview and written components.

There are 2 times per year in which candidates can apply:

1st–31st of October – for first half of the following year
1st–30th of April – for second half of the present year

Application goes through Jivamukti Yoga Global directly, paying a non – refundable registration fee of $50 and sending in all other requirements including your preferred date and location to take the board exam.

Candidates receive feedback to their application within maximum 30 days after the application time ends by the Global Program Director (e.g. either May or November).

If you have been accepted, Jivamukti Yoga Global will contact you and ask you to pay the exam fee ($500 plus local taxes if applicable) directly to the local school. Please pay as soon as possible once you have been officially accepted. The host center will provide you will all the necessary information to register and how to pay the fee. Jivamukti Yoga Global will also send a list with names and e – mail addresses to the local Program Director, so they will be able to contact you directly with all further information.

No refunds are allowed within 4 weeks of the exam date.

If you have been declined you will be informed about the decision without any detailed feedback. You may reapply during the next or any future application period.

Prerequisites

VIDEO OF INTENTION

Please send in a video where you answer the following questions. Feel free to elaborate on your answers. The video should be max. 5 mins long.

1. Why do you want to take the exam?
2. Why do you want to take it now?
3. How did you come in touch with the Jivamukti Yoga method?
4. How do you see yourself being a part of the local and global Jivamukti Yoga community within the next 5 – 10 years?

LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION

Please send in a letter of recommendation. We prepared this letter for you. All you need to do is find an Advanced Certified Jivamukti Yoga teacher that is willing to sign it. You can download the letter of recommendation HERE.

The letter must be completed by a Jivamukti teacher who has fulfilled both of these criteria:
- Teaching Jivamukti Yoga a minimum of 5 years
- Is Jivamukti Yoga Advanced Certified
They must also fulfill at least 2 of these 4 criteria:
- - Facilitated at 300-HR TT
  - Mentored at 300-HR TT
  - Successfully mentored at least one apprentice within JTAP
  - Successfully completed the 800-HR TT Certification

ESSAY

The essay must meet all eight guideline requirements in order to pass.

Please send in an essay following these guidelines. If this application is not your first one, then please keep in mind that a new essay is needed for each application.

Format:

500 – 1000 words
Times New Roman, 11 point type, single spaced
The essay must fit on one single page, no exceptions
Your name on the top upper left of the page, followed by the title, sutra and translation/commentary
Spelling/Grammar/Typographical Errors: Please check carefully for spelling and grammar before you submit. If the board finds more than five misspellings or other obvious typographical errors that appear careless, the essay may be rejected.

Components:

Title: The essay must have a title on the top of the page
Sutra or Mantra: To reinforce the theme, the essay must include a reference to any sutra, shloka, verse, chant, song or mantra found in the Jivamukti Yoga chant book and must include the exact translation/commentary found in the Jivamukti Yoga chant book.
Personal Insight: The essay must include an original idea, drawn from the writer’s personal insight, which acts as a commentary or interpretation of the sutra, shloka, verse, chant, song or mantra reference.
Practical Application: The essay must include a description of a practice (asana, pranayama, etc.), related to the theme of the essay, which could be taught in a classroom setting.
Understanding of the Jivamukti Yoga Methodology: The essay must show that you have a deep understanding of the Jivamukti Yoga methodology and its teachings. It can of course include personal interpretations of those teachings but it must show a connection to the lineage of Jivamukti Yoga.
Checklist: You must include a checklist at the bottom of your essay showing that your FORMAT, TITLE, SUTRA/MANTRA, PERSONAL INSIGHT and PRACTICAL APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS are covered. You must include a word count for your essay. Please indicate in which paragraphs these requirements appear. Be very specific as per example below:
PERSONAL INSIGHT: paragraph #4, line #6; paragraph #5, line #2 PRACTICAL APPLICATION: paragraph #8, lines #2, 3, 4 and 5

Register

How to prepare and what to expecT

If you have been accepted to take the board exam you will receive an e – mail within 30 days after the end of the current application period. You will then contact or be contacted by the local school´s Program Director in order to arrange payment for the exam as well as all other local details and schedules that need to be communicated.

What to expect: A two-part examination. There will be a practical part to test your teaching skills and asana knowledge, and a written exam. The entire examination process should take around 2 hours.

On the day(s) of your exam there will be 2 parts that you will have to take:

WRITTEN EXAM (60 MIN)

This tests your theoretical knowledge of the Jivamukti Yoga method, Sanskrit, yogic terms and anatomy.
A good way to prepare for this exam is to study your 300hrs TTC manual, especially paying attention to the daily study guide questions. You should also be very familiar with the chants, sutras and shlokas found in the Jivamukti Yoga chant book.

PRACTICAL EXAM (60 MIN + 20 MIN PREPARATION TIME)

You will be given 20 minutes to prepare a yoga-asana sequence as well as a 5 minutes talk about a specific topic before the actual practical exam begins.
During the 60 minute practical exam you will be asked to teach and demonstrate certain Jivamukti Yoga specific practices.
A good way to prepare for this part is familiarizing yourself with all Jivamukti Yoga standardized classes and their curriculums in detail, both from a teacher’s and practitioner’s perspective.

AFTER THE EXAM: REVIEW SESSION

A post-exam review will be held after the Exam. The results of the Board Exam will be available for you prior to the start of the review. The review will be facilitated by the Program Director and all Board Members. Although this review is not mandatory it is offered to everyone who took the Advanced Board Exam and it is highly recommended that you attend. If you want to attend, you must show up at least 10 minutes before the review starts. At the review, all portions of the exam – including the written test, essay and asana, and teaching practicals – will be gone over in detail.

Please note: Because neither the Program Director nor any Board members will be available for private consultation after the exam, this is your only opportunity to get feedback of any kind regarding your performance on the exam and for you to ask any questions or raise any concerns regarding your exam. Neither the Program Director nor the Board Members will be available to discuss individual exams after this review session. If you cannot attend this review, you will be notified as to whether you pass or not by email, but without any further explanation. You must wear practice attire and bring a yoga mat to the Post Exam Review.

If you do not pass this exam, you may apply to re-take the exam at the next available opportunity when offered at any Jivamukti Yoga® School or Center. You will be required to submit a new essay and pay the full examination fee at that time.

RE-APPLICATION (IF YOU DID NOT TAKE THE EXAM OR FAILED)

1) If you received approval, but did not take the exam, you can take another exam without re-submitting prerequisites or $50 registration fee. Please email continuing-education@jivamuktiyoga.com in the according application period (month of April or October) to register for the board you plan to take. You will receive confirmation via email.

2) If you took the exam but failed, you need to submit a new essay via email to continuing-education@jivamuktiyoga.com along with the notification of which board (city name) you wish to take. This has to happen in the regular board application period (month of April or October) including the $50 admin fee on Regpacks. Once approved, you will need to pay the exam fee again to the host school.