Instructors
Rev Nora Vimala Pozzi, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, PRYT, YcaT, has been the Director of Integral Yoga® Center of Richmond since 1992 and director of the Richmond Integral Yoga® Teacher Training Program in 1999. Vimala created the Richmond TT curriculum (based on Yogaville’s, but adapted and reframed to fit a non-residential program), in order to meet the needs of prospective teachers who could not take a month off for a residential program (such as the ones offered by Yogaville) due to work or family constraints.
Her understanding of the Yoga Philosophy (Yoga Sutras of Patanjali), which she considers the foundation of this program, is perhaps the most comprehensive and demanding aspect of the program, since those enrolled in it, are required to apply the ten ethical principles of yoga, the Yamas and Niyamas, and other relevant sutras, such as Practice and Non-attachment, to their daily lives, journal daily, share in class and learn from them. The Raja Yoga portion of this program is taught in-depth during the first 3 months of the program, and includes also the 6 branches of Yoga (the trademark of Integral Yoga) and Interfaith educations and practice.
Every year our Staff of Mentors changes. It is a work love and dedication as well investment in time and effort of many of our graduates from previous Richmond Teacher Training Programs. This current year TT2018-19 we were blessed of having as part of our Mentors’ staff the following Integral Yoga Teachers: Jodi Ananda Urban, Anne Bhudevi Fletcher, Jonnie Devi Corbett, Kalyani Levitt, Linda Suguna Dunn, Shanna Praneshwari Latia, Kavita Kathy Sullivan, Belinda Anandi Todd, Martha Tyler, who attended weekly classes and supported our TT’s with weekly mentoring sessions.
Additional instruction and support has been provided in the past by the Richmond Integral Yoga® Teachers Jane Karuna Gordon, Jagadamba Jane Barr, Nitika Achalam, Nalini Debbie Fazenbaker, Cynthia Chinmayi Butler, Nitya Lydia Griffith, Siv Ariaka Ranko, Karla Dharmini Helbert, Natalie Padmasri Turley, Lakshya Laura Trow, Abhaya Darryl Norton, Lalita Joan Wilder, Padma Penny Sedgley, Supriya Butz, Dr Robert Goldschmidt and more. Ongoing support and advice from the very first training has been Integral Yoga teacher Gigi Jyothi Robson.
In addition many other teachers and experts in specific fields, including senior disciples of Swami Satchidananda who reside in Yogaville, have been part of this program over the many years, offering workshops, retreats, and hands-on lectures to our course participants, including the ones offered at our long weekend Yoga Immersion Retreat in Yogaville: Swami Karunananda, Swami Sarvaananda, Swami Vidyananda, Mataji, Swami Dayananda, Swami Hamsananda, Swami Priyananda, Swami Jyotirmayananda, Swami Suddhananda, Rev Paraman Barsel, Rev Lakshmi Barsel, Rev Sumati Steinberg, Dr Amrita Sandra McLanahan, Prahaladan Mandelkorn, Lakshmi Sutter, Leticia Padmasri Marques, and so many others.
For more detailed information, see Nora Vimala Pozzi’s bio page.
DISCLAIMER: The yoga therapy components of my instruction and/or practice are based on my Certification by PRYT, not derived from my status as an RYT® with Yoga Alliance Registry