Yoga for your practice, your teaching, and for your life beyond the mat.
Living Beyond the Mat
200 Hour Yoga Training
Our well-rounded program was developed with you in mind to not only gain confidence in teaching, but also in your own personal practice. You will find, and be, the best version of you! Our detailed alignment principals will teach you how to align individual people and not just bodies.The entire program is interlaced with Anatomy, Sanskrit terms, subtle energy focuses, and yoga philosophy. We will give you the tools to develop your own sequences for every stage of your teaching and to expand your own personal practice. The 200 hrs Transform program was created for your practice, your teaching and for your life beyond the mat.
Upcoming 200 Hour Yoga Trainings
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Hood River, Oregon
2/14/25- 6/22/25
Immerse yourself in yoga and all the beauty that the Columbia Gorge River area has to offer. This 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training is in partnership with Machi Yoga.
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Carlsbad, California
1/28/25-4/27/25
Soak up the sunshine of Southern California while practicing Peace Love and Yoga! This 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training is in partnership with Peace Love and Yoga.
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Waco, Texas
2/7/2025- 11/22/2025
Experience Waco’s rich cultural scene and strong sense of community. This 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training is in partnership with Yoga 8.
Testimonials
“Jessica McGimsey and Living Beyond the Mat TT at Peace Love and Yoga was absolutely life changing. Jess is hands down a true yogi who is deeply knowledgable, professional, and so in-tuned with each of us individual teachers. She was meant to share her knowledge and make/grow teachers. I will continue to train and learn more from her for years to come. She is a true gift to the yoga community”
— Laura W.
“The curriculum from Living Beyond the Mat is very holistic and mindfully created, ensuring each of the areas of the syllabus are addressed with detail and precision. It's a very well-developed program.”
— Joy P.
“I absolutely loved this program. I graduated for this program feeling very confident in my ability to teach, the way the body operates and how to properly sequence a class. This was a great experience. It is not a cookie cutter type of training which is what I enjoyed most. Jessica the owner has such a deep knowledge and a sincere love for yoga. It showed through the program. All guest teachers were nothing but the best. I was going through another 200 hour program and was already 100 hours in. I decided to leave that program and start this one from the beginning. I am so happy with my decision.”
— Kim D.
“I'm blessed beyond measure to have been able to take this training program under Jessica's direction. Her passion for what she does is evident and her willingness to share what she knows is priceless. I love that this program is alignment based and structured with the necessary fundamentals to get you started on your teaching journey. Another thing that stood out was Jessica's belief in continuing to learn as you go forward, Always Be A Student.”
— Michelle W.
Subjects
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Alignment Based Asana
Proper alignment is one of the most important aspects of a safe practice. Using your 200 hour manual, demonstration and discussion we will learn how to adjust poses to find proper alignment and help you get your practice to meet you where your body is on any given day. We’ll discuss common limitations for poses and learn options to serve the variety of students you will encounter.
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Subtle Energy
Stimulating the various Chakra points and subtle energies throughout your practice happens without you knowing it! We will teach you how to properly group poses for the different Chakras and subtle energies, as well as why we need to stimulate them throughout our practice.
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Anatomy
Using your 200 hour manual, text books, and our life-size skeleton we will teach anatomy from a functional perspective. Understanding the bones, muscles and joints that make up the body helps to develop a deeper understanding of the asanas and how to practice/teach them effectively.
We believe anatomy is a key tool to understanding asanas, so you will be learning anatomy throughout the entire program.
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Sanskrit and Philosophy
The spoken language of Sanskrit is said to invoke the same vibration as the poses being practiced. We’ll learn the original Sanskrit names for the poses in our program, and work with proper pronunciation.
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Teaching Methods
Becoming a teacher is one of the most rewarding experiences, and we are excited to help you begin your journey as a teacher. Throughout the program we will focus on getting comfortable in front of a group, how to cue effectively, how to sequence a class, hands-on assists and so much more!
FAQs
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A 200 hour yoga teacher training is a transformative program that gives you a deeper understanding of the world of yoga. Should you choose to teach, you will be prepared to start your teaching journey after completing this program.
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Yes! Living Beyond the Mat is a registered 200 and 300 yoga school. RYS200/300.
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After each week you will receive a short homework assignment, with reading to support the material coming in the next week. While we encourage you to stay on track with the due dates, we just need all homework turned in before you receive your certificate.
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Yoga Alliance requires that you complete all 200 hours of the teacher training to receive a certificate. We do understand that life happens and you may miss a class. We allow you to miss up to 42 hours. If you happen to miss more than 42 hours, you will have to retake the training and no refunds (full or partial) will be given. We have 3 options for you to make up any missed hours.
Option 1: Take the missed sections in the next teacher training. This option is no additional cost to you, but please be aware that each location typically holds 200 hour trainings only once a year and you will have to complete your make-ups before receiving your certificate.
Option 2: Schedule a private session with the lead trainer at some point throughout the training. Private session rates are $75/hour and can be split between you and another student if you miss the same hours. Privates are not hour for hour, and we try to condense as much as possible. The exact amount of time needed to make up will depend on the content missed.
Typically 1 Hour Private= 1-4 hours missed
Option 3: With a minimum of 3 days advance notice of your absence, we can set up zoom to record the missed class hours. You’ll be sent the recording with a make-up assignment to earn credit for the hours missed. Only 25 hours can be made up with this option. This option is no charge, but is not guaranteed. If there is an issue with the audio/visual/tech, you will need to choose one of the previous options for make-ups.
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Your main book will be your 200 hour manual, which is included and you will receive on your first night of class. The following books are required and are not included in the standard tuition.
Heart of Yoga, by Desikachar
Light on Yoga, by B.K.S Iyengar
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (there are many translations, please pick one that resonates with you)
The Key Muscles of Yoga Vol. 1, Ray Long
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Each day will differ slightly, especially from the longer weekend days to the shorter weekday evenings. But, here is a sample day.
Practice (smart warm-up, built up, cool down and most days a 10 min savanna)
30 min break
Lecture (allows time for digestion… anatomy, teaching tools, etc.)
Posture Clinics (breakdown of poses, learning adjustments, looking at bodies)
30 min break
Philosophy/practice teaching
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Yes! We require a $500 deposit, then the rest can be split evenly over the duration of the program with the balance to be paid the week before the last day of class. We only allow 3 slots for payment plans per program, so jump on it early! Message me for more info.