K1

The Aquarian Teacher KRI Certified Level 1 training in Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan

“If you want to learn something, read about it. 
If you want to understand something, write about it.
If you want to master something, teach it.”                                      Yogi Bhajan

Our comprehensive 220+ hour Kundalini Yoga Instructor course comprises 180 hours of classroom instruction and 40 hours of home study as required by the international Yoga Alliance (USA) standards.

Upcoming K1 courses    i-SKY Local websites worldwide   Download UK SOUTH application form

The course includes:

• How to use breath, posture, sound, and meditation to awaken & train the mind & body. 

• Kundalini and Yogic philosophy. 

• Yogic and Western Anatomy;

• Developing a clear calm meditative mind 

• Utilising mantra and sacred sound

• Developing a daily yoga practice;

• Following a yogic lifestyle;

• Teaching Kundalini Yoga.

• The ethics, role and conduct of a teacher.

During this course you will: 

Learn the Ancient Science of Kundalini Yoga. 

Challenge yourself. 

Confront self-imposed limits. 

Touch your soul. 

Experience your highest, purest consciousness. 

Gain the knowledge & confidence to build a more peaceful and creative life.

Most of our courses feature an affordable yoga retreat led by our graduates

This course is suitable for:

• Students of Kundalini Yoga

• Students of other paths of yoga

• Teachers of other spiritual perspectives

• All seeking to deepen a yogic experience (including those who do not want to instruct yoga)

• Those seeking to develop a spiritual awareness

Certification Requirements:

• Attendance and participation in all sessions 

• Timely payment of all course fees

• Satisfactory teaching practice assessment

• Passing grade on the KRI written exam

• Attendance of 20 Kundalini Yoga classes outside the course

• Creation of 2 yoga class curricula

• Attending 1 day White Tantric Yoga Course (if offered in the local region)

• Participation in a minimum of 5 full early morning Aquarian Sadhana

• Completion of assigned 40-day yoga kriya 

• Satisfactory completion of all coursework 

• Course and trainer evaluation feedback

• Upholding the teachers code of excellence

i-SKY offer certification at both the KRI /  Yoga Alliance minimum level detailed above and an (optional) i-SKY recommended level. Full details on request.

i-SKY ATA Training Teams

As Mentoring Lead Trainers within the Aquarian Trainer Academy, Guru Dharam and Darryl have created an excellent international i-SKY ATA Training team to complement the friendly local i-SKY administrative and student support teams. 

All KRI certified i-SKY courses are conducted under the direction of and attended by at least one of: Mentoring Lead Trainers Guru Dharam Singh and/or Darryl O'Keeffe. 

All i-SKY team members are required to maintain a continuous process of ProfessionalSupervisionSpiritualGuidance (PSG) under the direction of Judy Fraser.

Why train with i-SKY?

The core syllabus, the minimum level of instruction and the required level for certification should be the same the same for any KRI licenced Level 1 course anywhere in the world but some students will be better suited to one program than another. We have been offering these courses for longer than most and have a great deal of diverse experience. We try to be inclusive, to offer a perspective which we can support, rather than a rule which must be enforced, and we have been generally seen as taking a more liberal view toward Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan than most. We have two decades of excellent student feedback and are always happy to put prospective students in touch with a recent graduate to talk about the course from a students perspective. Whenever possible we offer the option to try a weekend before committing to the whole course. We endeavour to make all our courses affordable and graduates consistently report that they got much more from the course than they expected with some having paid much more in the past for "similar" programs that delivered less. If you have the opportunity to do so please join us on one of our retreat weekends where you can chat to current students, see the quality of their delivery, and get a taste of the i-SKY style.

The international School of Kundalini Yoga  (i-SKY) is the longest established Kundalini Yoga training in the UK (1996) and was amongst the first of Yogi Bhajan’s KRI (Kundalini Research Institute) certified programs across the world. i-SKY has evolved into a network of international Schools of Kundalini Yoga which offer a variety of other training programs and related short courses in addition to training kundalini yoga teachers in the UK, USA, the Middle East, South East Asia, and across Europe.

i-SKY is committed to spreading the safe practice and understanding of Yoga and recognise Yogi Bhajan as a modern master of Kundalini Yoga. i-SKY seeks to create competent and confident practitioners and instructors of Kundalini Yoga through example, challenge and encouragement; and to inspire those teachers to enthuse a new generation of students through this age-old technology of personal transformation. 

“A tree is known by its fruit.”

i-SKY K1 Modular Course Structure

The K1 course comprises a minimum of 20 very full days and is offered in a variety of formats mixing 1 - 5 day modules but is most often presented as 10 residential weekends as follows:

Part 1   SADHANA, THE ROOT OF KUNDALINI YOGA   

Part 2   CHAKRA, YOGIC ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY

Part 3   TEACHING, TALKING AND TRAINING 1

Part 4   AWAKENING THROUGH THE WORD

Part 5   AWAKENING THROUGH THE BODY 

Part 6   TEACHING, TALKING AND TRAINING 2                        

Part 7   AWAKENING THROUGH THE MIND

Part 8   HUMANOLOGY

Part 9   INSTRUCTION PRACTICALS & TUTORIALS  

Part 10   EXAMINATION, INSTRUCTION PRACTICALS & TUTORIALS

Cost and Dates

Costs will vary from region to region but we always try to offer great value for what is now a proven experience. Wherever possible we offer residential courses as we have found they better support the student process. We do not offer "one month intensives" as we prefer the gradual assimilation of a deep process of personal transformation.

Please see local course links for specific course details in countries other than the U.K.

The information below is specific to the UK but will still be of general interest if you are considering a course with us in another country.

U.K K1 course information

We offer two UK courses in the SOUTH at Ufton Court (Reading)

and one UK course in the NORTH at Blissland (Manchester).

UK K1 Next Course Dates

SOUTH starting October (or November) 2015

09-11 October 2015

06-08 November 2015

11-13 December 2015

22-24 January 2016

19-21 February 2016

18-20 March 2016

22-24 April 2016

20-22 May 2016

10-12 June 2016 (Open Retreat)

15-17 July 2016

NORTH starting October (or November) 2015

23-25 October 2015

20-22 November 2015

18-20 December 2015

15-17 January 2016

12-14 February 2016

11-13 March 2016

8-10 April 2016

13-15 May 2016

12-14 June 2016

10-12 July 2016

SOUTH starting January (or February) 2016

22-24 January 2016

19-21 February 2016

18-20 March 2016

22-24 April 2016

20-22 May 2016

15-17 July 2016

07-09 October 2016

04-06 November 2016

02-04 December 2016

30 Dec 2015 - 1 Jan 2017 (Open Retreat)

Current Course Dates:

SOUTH started October 2014

07-09 November 2014

05-07 December 2014

23-25 January 2015

21-22 February 2015

27-29 March 2015

24-26 April 2015

22-24 May 2015

12-14 June 2015 (Open Retreat)

17-19 July 2015

SOUTH Started January 2015

23-25 January 2015

21-22 February 2015

27-29 March 2015

24-26 April 2015

22-24 May 2015

17-19 July 2015

9-11 October 2015

6-8 November 2015

11-13 December 2015

30 Dec 2015 - 1 Jan 2016 (Open Retreat)

U.K. Fees:

SOUTH: £1950 Prepaid or £2150 PayAsYouGo
includes comprehensive course manuals, vegetarian food, simple dormitory accommodation (full bed and board), teachers association membership & student teacher insurance; the only required extra is the cost of the food that you eat which is budgeted for by each student group as part of the course.

NORTH: £1695 Prepaid or £1850 PayAsYouGo
includes comprehensive course manuals, vegetarian food, simple shared accommodation (limited to early applicants), teachers association membership & student teacher insurance; excludes local B&B (if required) and the cost of food purchased by the group - budgeted for by each student group as part of the course. 

U.K. General Information

 Thank you for your interest in the i-SKY K1 Kundalini Yoga Instructors course, which is licensed by K.R.I., the Kundalini Research Institute of the USA, as Level 1 of the international Teacher Training Programme approved by Yogi Bhajan, recognised by the Yoga Alliance and which leads to membership of the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association.

 Since 1996 when i-SKY established the very first UK Kundalini Yoga course we have offered an annual cycle of what has proved to be a very successful and rewarding course programme. Rewarding for those individuals who have chosen to explore their own self-awareness through this ancient technology and successful in that we now offer two K1 programs and a K2 module in the UK every year empowering ever more competent teachers - many of whom never expected to teach at all!

 Every year several students join us with little awareness of their intention to teach but with a genuine motivation to deepen their understanding of the process that Kundalini Yoga has sparked within them. Every year several of those students discover themselves, in the realisation that we are all teachers in the making.

The experience of a Kundalini Yoga class or practice touches the soul or spirit and engenders a deep yearning for something missing in our modern lives; although we treat all our course participants as prospective yoga instructors we are aware that ever more of our students are using this course to facilitate a necessary transformation in their increasingly demanding lives - rather as the cocoon facilitates the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly.

Recent Student Feedback

 The course itself has developed over the years and is now offered in over 50 different countries. The definitive 220 hour syllabus is supported by two excellent course manuals and enjoys international recognition by the Yoga Alliance. Our course is largely experiential but if you thought that this course would be nothing but yoga postures you are in for a most informative surprise.

 The next opportunities to join our UK K1 courses are Autumn (October & November) and New Year (January & February). These courses comprise 10 residential weekend units, each running from Friday evening until Sunday afternoon. The course must be completed within a 2 year period (i.e. any unit missed in the first series must be attended in the second series). As well as the core group of new students, who will progress through the course with you, you will subsequently meet experienced students from the previous year completing their attendance requirement. We find this approach broadens the participant’s experience as well as allowing some flexibility for those juggling other time commitments.

 The exciting syllabus that has been developed by KRI will be delivered in the UK by an internationally experienced i-SKY team under the direction of Darryl O'Keeffe and/or Guru Dharam Singh Khalsa. Each Part is presented by one of the i-SKY Trainers supported by a member of our Teacher in Training team and/or an experienced Aide, whom you will have met on your first weekend, this ensures continuity as well as a variety of presentation styles.

 A Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association was established in the UK in 2000 and all UK students are now registered with KYTA UK with UK insurance available from Part 6 of the K1 course. International students will be registered with IKYTA the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association upon completion.

We firmly believe that experience is the key to understanding, so you have several opportunities to experience this course before committing yourself to registering as a student. Firstly our annual yoga retreats in June and over the New Year offer the opportunity to meet with past and present students and teachers and get a flavour of the i-SKY style. Secondly you can attend Part 1 and/or 2 with no obligation to continue the course further unless you then choose to do so. Please note though, that the demand for places on our courses in recent years has meant that only those who pre-register for the course can be assured of a place. Several places are usually reserved a year in advance and late applicants may be disappointed.

The final part of the course encompasses the above yoga retreats which are open to all and which are instructed by our graduating students.

Our main UK course venue is Ufton Court near Reading in Berkshire (30 miles from Heathrow Airport). It is a beautiful Tudor manor, extended in Elizabethan times, set in its own delightful grounds and balances the quiet of a rural retreat with easy access by road (M4 5 miles), rail (Theale 4 miles, Reading 8 miles) and air (Rail/Air link to London Heathrow and Gatwick 8 miles).

More K1 information UK SOUTH 

Download Application Form K1 UK SOUTH 

Yogi Bhajan, a modern master of Kundalini Yoga.

Yoga is a path of self-development, a path to the realisation that all is One. Yoga means the "union of all". All yogic paths lead to an awareness of the subtle energy centres or chakras and the latent spiritual energy of Kundalini. It may be truly said that Kundalini is the point of union of all paths of yoga.

Kundalini Yoga facilitates the integration of body, mind and soul through achieving, maintaining and expanding a state of higher consciousness. This state is reached through asanas (physical exercises and postures), pranayama (breath control), meditation, relaxation, yogic philosophy and a yogic lifestyle as shared, taught and practised on this course.

"Experience is the key. It is experience that validates our understanding. Experience goes right into the heart. No words can replace experience." Yogi Bhajan
This course, therefore, is essentially experiential.

Aquarian Sadhana is the modern foundation of the spiritual technology that is Kundalini Yoga and forms the backbone of this residential course. The group will share an "Aquarian Sadhana" each morning of the course at 5am: exercising, meditating, chanting and singing.
You will be learning and practising a proven spiritual discipline that bridges scientific and religious understanding.
You will experience, enjoy and participate in creating a spiritually charged group dynamic.
You will develop a deeper understanding of your own yoga practice.
You will be making new friends and sharing a lot of laughter with like-minded people.
You will have the opportunity to qualify as an Instructor of Kundalini Yoga to the standard recognised by the Yoga Alliance and the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association, and will be certified by the Kundalini Research Institute.

Suitability
This course is open to all and everyone has the potential to benefit from it:
Experienced students with a well-developed personal practice of Kundalini Yoga over one or more years who may now wish to share those benefits with others.
Less experienced students simply seeking to deepen their understanding of Yoga.
This yoga course is an ashram style experience, accentuating the simple pleasures in life.
The diet provided will be vegetarian and the group will be self-catering.
We will be sharing the "ashram style" experience, including the chores!

Course Dates

Please note that our January SOUTH course began as an "overflow" course and although it has now run for several years it remains "subject to demand" and students are therefore advised to start in October if possible.

Outline Schedule

FRIDAY                   
6.15     Arrival
6.45     Registration
7         Diary Feedback
8         Introduction
9         Close of Day
SATURDAY
5am     Sadhana
8          Breakfast
9          Session 1
11.30    Yoga
1          Break
2          Session 2
5          Break
6          Session 3
9          Close of Day
SUNDAY
5am     Sadhana
8          Breakfast
9.15     Session 5
11        Break
11.15   Session 6
1          Meal
1.30     Feedback Session
4         Close of Weekend

Certification Requirements for KRI Level 1

Those successfully completing the following 11 aspects of the course will be certificated by KRI (Kundalini Research Institute, USA) as Instructors of Kundalini Yoga to the KRI Level 1 Teacher Training standard and will be registered as such with the UK Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association or, in the case of overseas students, the International Kundalini Yoga Teachers Association (IKYTA).

 1    Full attendance of all sessions within a 2 year period and full payment of all fees in advance.
 2    Completion of 20 Kundalini Yoga classes after commencement of the course.
 3    Satisfactory performance in practicum
 4    Passing grade of 75% or better on the KRI Exam.
 5    Creation of two yoga course curricula.
 6    Completion of two 40 day kriya (yoga set/meditation).
 7    Participation in five full morning sadhana.
 8    Submission of a written evaluation of the performance of each of your Teacher Trainers
 9    Attendance at a one day White Tantric Yoga course.
10   Representation of the Code of Professional Standards for Kundalini Yoga Teachers and satisfactory performance in a course exit interview.
11   Completion of Certification Requirements (all set coursework and examinations to a satisfactory standard) before the end of the program.

 Additional (optional but recommended) Certification Requirements for i-SKY Teacher Training (Unit 1)

Those successfully meeting the expanded criteria (some of which are detailed below) will be credited as having achieved Unit 1 of the SKY Teacher Training Programme, will receive a Certificate of Achievement crediting them with Unit 1 of the Teacher Award and will be advised of the evidence requirements to complete the award in their final tutorial.

12    Maintenance of sadhana and regularly teaching a Kundalini Yoga class to a satisfactory standard.
13    Completion of five 40 day kriya.
14    Undertaking a 40 day yogic food journey.
15    Maintenance of a daily journal of experience and progress.
16    A minimum of 2 years personal practice of Kundalini Yoga (attendance of 100 classes).

  
Evidence Requirements for the Achievement of KRI Level 1 and SKY Teacher Training Unit 1
 1  Written verification of course attendance by i-SKY. (N.B. In the case of teachers who have attended other training programmes in the past the current national KYTA chair must sign the verification).
 2  Written verification of observation by a currently licensed KRI teacher trainer (or experienced KY teacher acceptable to i-SKY).
 3  Written verification of observation by a currently licensed KRI teacher trainer (or experienced KY teacher acceptable to i-SKY).
 4  Completed KRI approved exam paper marked and signed for i-SKY by two currently licensed KRI teacher trainers.
 5  Two completed course curricula agreed and signed off by a currently licensed KRI teacher trainer.
 6  Personal statement supported by Student Diary entries
 7  Written verification of observation by a currently licensed KRI teacher trainer (or experienced KY teacher acceptable to i-SKY).
 8  Submission of a sealed envelope marked KRI Teacher Trainer Evaluation Forms and your name, containing completed forms for each of your Teacher Trainers.
 9  Personal statement containing the date and venue of the White Tantra Yoga Course attended (N.B. Include your name and address as current at the time of course attendance for verification).
10 Signed and dated copies of the IKYTA Code of Ethics and KRI Certification Requirements.
11 Submission of all coursework requested to a satisfactory standard and written verification of complete submission by i-SKY.
12 Personal statement supported by Student Diary entries and written verification of teaching observation by a currently licensed KRI teacher trainer (or experienced KY teacher acceptable to i-SKY)..
13 Personal statement supported by Student Diary entries.
14 Personal statement supported by Student Diary entries.
15 Personal statement summarising the journey documented by the diary and written verification of observation by a currently licensed KRI teacher trainer (or experienced KY teacher acceptable to i-SKY) of a Student Diary with daily entries maintained for at least three months.
16 Personal statement countersigned by the student's current KYTA registered teacher.

i-SKY Coursework (example submission meeting the requirements of 11 above)

Upcoming K1 courses     i-SKY Local websites worldwide