PURE YOGA SWEDEN 200H TEACHER TRAINING

Online Modules

Study At Your Own Pace

Our 200-hour teacher training consists of four online course modules taught by Ulrica Wihlborg Forrest as the lead instructor, with a few exciting and notable guest teachers. The courses are filmed exclusively for this teacher training, and each module will be released according to our schedule. Three of the modules are available in both English and Swedish (you choose). Module 3 with guest teacher Ashley V. Frost is in English only.

The courses are held on a robust yet intuitive platform called Mighty Networks, which also has a dedicated interactive space for us to connect with each other, ask questions and engage as a community.

The courses are set up so that they work for you no matter where you live in the world, and allows you to work at your own pace. We estimate you need to spend about three hours a week for these modules, and you have access to them for an entire year if you need more time.

Awakening the 8 Limbs of Yoga

Online Module 1 (35 hours)

October 1 - December 15, 2024

We’re diving deep into the ancient teachings of the Eight Limbs of Yoga to help you embody the true soul of yoga way beyond the mat.

Most of us start our yoga journey by practicing yoga through movement (asana). But yoga poses are merely a fraction of the great tree of yoga.

In this online course, you will study the philosophical tenets of the ancient texts in order to deepen your roots and let your yoga practice permeate your entire life. You will also learn how to embody the practices, moving them from the thinking mind (“studying”) to becoming alive in your actions and the way you show up in the world.

It’ll give you a depth of understanding way beyond reading a book, and these teachings will begin show up in your life in more ways than you can imagine.

During these 10 weeks of guided study you will gain:

An intimate understanding of each of the Eight Limbs, and how these ancient teachings work beautifully as a path towards living your most radiant life.
Deep foundational study of the 5 Yamas (your inner world) and the 5 Niyamas (your outer world) and how they interact.
Exploration of Asana, Pranayama and Pratyahara (withdrawal of the senses) through weekly seated practices including breathwork, mantra, mudra, readings and meditations.
Teachings on the final three limbs Dharana, Dhyanna and Samadhi as subtle practices of focusing attention and stillness.
Practical teachings on how to incorporate the Eight Limbs into your yoga practice and your daily life.
A dedicated online community space where you can interact with everyone including Ulrica, reflect and ask questions.
Your homework during this module will consist of two 2-page book reports (the titles of the two books for this section will be released upon your admittance to the training).

For this module, we will welcome environmental filmmaker Rob Herring, live from Montana. Rob is the director and producer of the award-winning hit documentary film “The Need to Grow” narrated by Rosario Dawson and featuring, among others, Vananda Shiva and Paul Stamets.

Join us for a fascinating exclusive - live! - online Dharma Talk on the importance of restoring our connection to nature, rethinking our food system and regenerating our most precious natural resource: soil. Rob has a deep understanding of the interplay between Mother Earth and us humans, and his ideas might surprise you. It’s a beautiful and potent opportunity for us to learn how to practice yoga off the mat.

Asana In Motion

Online Module 2 (20 hours)

January 2 - February 23, 2025

Your second online course module will be a venture into the practice of asana, which is the movement aspect of yoga. Our school is guided by the principles of the world-renowned YogaWorks method of teaching asana, which has its roots in both Ashtanga and Iyengar.

During this course, we will incorporate anatomy as it pertains to yoga, learn intelligent body mechanics for a large body of yoga poses and explain how asana works both for your physical body as well as for your subtle body.

In weekly “asana labs” we will break down a variety of yoga poses and teach you how to safely and joyfully embody and teach them. You will learn externally rotated poses, neutral poses, inversions, balancing poses, seated poses, counterposes and more. We believe it’s important to know the Sanskrit names of each pose, so you will learn their beautiful Sanskrit names.

We will also teach you the foundations of how to create intelligent and balanced yoga classes for beginners to more advanced practitioners.

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”

PABLO PICASSO

We don’t teach you specific “yoga sequences” in our academy. We believe that the best way to teach you how to practice and teach yoga is a little bit like teaching an artist how to be an artist. We give you the absolute best tools and techniques available. Over time, as you gain experience and a deep understanding of the knowledge, it will blossom into your own expression. We don’t want you to clone us. We want you to become you.

Please note that you don’t have to do difficult yoga poses for this module. We understand that we all have different bodies. You’re not going to send in videos of yourself doing yoga poses. What you will learn includes (but is not limited to):

Anatomy as it pertains to yoga poses (asana) and the understanding of your own physical body.
Detailed Yoga Asana Labs for a variety of yoga poses based on YogaWorks renowned methods.
Sanskrit names of each yoga pose.
How to sequence beautiful, safe and balanced classes.
Homework includes reading the anatomy book and the asana book you will receive from us. You will also send us two 2-page scripts on how to sequence two different styles of class. You can let us know your own preference if you have a specific type of class you’d like to teach. You will receive feedback on these (they’re not graded).

The Emotional & Energetic Body

Online Module 3 (20 hours)

February 24 - April 13

This groundbreaking module (20 hours) is taught by Ulrica Wihlborg Forrest together with Ashley V. Frost, one of the most prominent N.E.O. Emotional Release practitioners in the world. It is designed to help you cultivate a deeper connection to your emotions and your subtle body by merging ancient yogic teachings with new and groundbreaking techniques.

During seven weeks, you will go on a powerful journey to learn how to dissolve blocks, activate your emotions, develop a clear intuitive mind and elevate your understanding of your life’s purpose. It’s an exciting path of exploring and finding your own lightness of being.

Ulrica will bring in ancient yogic teachings about the subtle body, including the kleshas, the koshas, the nadis, the prana vayus and the chakras. Ashley will dive deep into the fascinating world of emotional release and her potent work with anger. Both will also teach you - from their two different angles - about kundalini shakti and what it means in a broader scale to awaken this dormant energy.

During these seven weeks of study you will gain:

A thorough understanding of the five kleshas (the five causes of suffering) and how to work with them.
The five koshas, which are the five layers of our body, from the densest layer (our physical body) to the most subtle layer anandamaya kosha, which is the thinnest veil standing between our ordinary awareness and our Higher Self.
The seven chakras (energy wheels): Ulrica will teach you these from a yogic perspective. Ashley will go in depth into how each chakra connects to our organs, emotions, trauma and feelings that have been left unexpressed in our body.
You will learn about the nadis, the 72,000 energy channels in our body, how they relate to the chakras, and get a deeper understanding of kundalini shakti and how we awaken this dormant energy in our bodies.
We will teach you how to understand and work with the five prana vayus (the five directions of our prana). Prana is the vital life force that animates all beings and help us function harmoniously in all areas of our lives.
Ashley (see photograph here) will teach you about the transformative power of Sacred Anger Work and how it aligns you with your inner warrior. How do we express and release anger so it becomes a catalyst for an aligned life? How do we face emotions like shame and fear? How do we access true safety, build healthy boundaries and find healthy selfishness?
Your homework for this module will include questions for self-inquiry and reflection (you do not have to share your answers with us if you don’t want to), plus one 2-page book report.

The Art of Restorative (Yin) Yoga

Online Module 4 (20 hours)

April 14 - June 1, 2025

How do we cultivate inner stillness in a world spinning out of control? During seven weeks, we turn inwards to the practice of restorative yoga.

There is a difference and some confusion between what we call Yin Yoga and Restorative Yoga. Yin Yoga, in its pure sense, is characterized by coming into a posture that stresses your body and remaining there for an extended time. It’s not meant to be a relaxing practice. Restorative Yoga, on the other hand, uses long-held, supported resting poses to create the conditions for us to cultivate the skill of conscious relaxation and release habitual tension in the body and mind.

Restorative Yoga is about creating emotional and physical rest.

It lends itself to beautiful and supportive classes that you can weave into magical, powerful experiences. If you plan to teach this practice as a yoga teacher, you are welcome to call it Yin Yoga since that is what most people associate it with. But it’s important for you to know the difference.

This course applies the principles of Judith Hanson Lasater, who is known for popularizing Restorative Yoga. A disciple of BKS Iyengar, she uses the Iyengar approach of using straps, blocks, blankets and bolsters to find profound rest and relaxation in the body.

During this course you will learn:

Physiology as it pertains to the nervous system, including the “fight, flight and freeze” stress response, vagal theory and overall mind-body connection.
A weekly in-depth “pose lab,” which will teach you a variety of essential restorative yoga poses using simple prop setups that encourages deep release and healing.
Develop and write your own guided meditations using intuition, storytelling and the innate knowing that resides within you. You will turn in two of these 1-page scripts during the course for feedback (we will not grade them).
How to create guided, meditative sequences for a class and incorporate sound, music and other elements to weave together a harmonious experience.
In addition to the two guided meditation scripts, the homework for this course includes one 2-page book report.

Restorative yoga asks us to learn about and care for the whole of ourselves. This is an essential step for health and healing. You can choose to teach what you learn in this course to others, or simply incorporate this potent practice into your own personal life.

For this last module, we welcome author and mindfulness expert Ora Nadrich for a live and interactive Dharma Talk from her home in Los Angeles. Ora is the founder and president of the “Institute for Transformational Thinking” and author of several books, including “Mindfulness & Mysticism” with a foreword by the 14th Dalai Lama.

“At a time when chaos in our culture is staggeringly upsetting, when millions are sensing there must be something ‘more’ but have no idea what it is, [Ora’s book] paves a path beyond confusion,” says author and spiritual teacher Marianne Williamsson.

Ora is a joyful, powerful and sparkling presence and this live session promises to be both fun and deeply informative. At the end, Ora will open up for a few questions from everyone.