Knowledgeable | Methodical | Patient

Teacher Training & Mentoring

This Iyengar yoga teacher training program honors and preserves the profound genius of BKS Iyengar’s methodology while helping you make it your own. Iyengar yoga describes the method of practicing and teaching yoga that was developed by BKS Iyengar and his family—a systematic approach emphasizing precision, alignment, timing, and sequencing.

Koren Paalman brings over 30 years of teaching experience and holds a Senior Iyengar Teaching Credential, having studied therapeutically with BKS Iyengar and Geetaji in Pune, India, biannually for ten years. As a certified yoga therapist (C-IAYT) and former US National Team athlete, she combines traditional Iyengar precision with therapeutic insight and real-world teaching experience. Her mentoring approach is rigorous yet compassionate, meeting you exactly where you are while challenging you to grow beyond what you thought possible.

Guided by the Iyengar Yoga Certification and Teacher Education manual, you’ll receive comprehensive mentoring that goes far beyond technique. Together we’ll help you discover your unique teaching voice—one that’s knowledgeable, methodical, progressive, and deeply compassionate. You’ll learn to share this practice with adults and youth across diverse settings, adapting the timeless principles to meet modern students where they are.

Even if you’re not planning to teach, this mentoring program offers something invaluable: it will transform your personal practice and deepen your understanding of yoga in ways that years of classes alone cannot achieve. This is an invitation to truly inhabit the method, not just perform it.


What you will learn

• Asana – Core concepts, anatomical knowledge, and precise actions that make poses transformative
• Instructions – Crystal-clear communication of foundation and main points that students actually understand
• Demonstrations – Effective, appropriately timed demonstrations that illuminate rather than confuse
• Observation skills – Sharp visual, verbal, and hands-on assessment to meet each student’s needs
• Sequencing – Intelligent progression of asanas and layering of actions within poses
• Teaching presence – Commanding yet compassionate voice, professional refinement, and authentic readiness
• Sanskrit – Proper pronunciation and understanding of traditional asana names
• Philosophy studies – Deep exploration of the Yoga Sutras and foundational Sankhya principles
• Yoga teaching professionalism – Ethics, boundaries, and the responsibilities of holding space for others

Requirements

• Established Iyengar practice – You should already have a foundation in the method before beginning mentorship
• Attend 1-2 of my classes weekly – Consistent practice under my guidance builds the foundation for everything else
• Attend 2 workshops annually – Deepen specific skills and explore advanced concepts in focused intensive settings
• Attend 1 retreat per year – Immersive experiences that accelerate growth and build community with fellow mentees
• Observe, demonstrate & assist classes for at least 3 months – Learn the art of teaching by being present in real classroom settings
• Maintain a home practice – Self-study and personal exploration between sessions are essential
• Ability to work independently – Mentorship guides you, but your dedication and self-motivation drive the transformation
• IYNAUS membership – Connection to the larger Iyengar community and access to resources
• 180 hours of mentorship total – A comprehensive journey, not a quick certification
– Required books


Teaching is a difficult art, but it is the best service you can do for humanity.

—BKS Iyengar

 

 

Testimonials

 

“Koren is an acutely observant and compassionate mentor. She is thorough in her teaching, allowing one to learn at their own pace while ensuring that the student not only absorbs and processes the experience but is able to apply the knowledge in a class setting. Teaching through example she has helped me to learn to instruct clearly, observe thoroughly and assist safely and compassionately. I have studied with Koren since 2007 and she welcomes questions. She finds ways to help me come to answers on my own, making each learning experience one of clarity and one in which I am able to find my own voice through the echo of hers and that of BKS Iyengar. Her continuing support and patience ensures that my yoga journey is one of deep understanding and transformation.”
-Melanie Morgan Shatto
“Generously sharing from her first-person experiences with B.K.S. Iyengar and her continuing studies, Koren explains the Iyengar methodology with succinctness and patience, while demonstrating how to work with a wide range of students. She takes cues from the mentee, progressing her student at an individualized pace, but offering essential material at appropriate times. She answers questions with examples. And as with her classroom students, Koren corrects her mentee clearly, calmly, gently, and empathetically.
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-Dany Em
“Choosing Koren as my mentoring teacher was one of the best decisions I made on the path to becoming a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher. Koren was by me every step of the way with her non-judgmental tutoring. She allowed me to observe, assist, and teach by leading with her stellar teaching style. She imparted me with constructive criticism and thoughtful questions on how I could improve my teaching. She showed me how to observe students based on the instruction and action being taught. She guided me through the layering of teaching from the base up, outside to inside, and inside to outside; and how to do this all safely. Had I known, when I started this journey, that I could become a Certified Iyengar Yoga Teacher through a one-on-one mentoring system, it would have been the only way to go. I am so honored to have Koren as my teacher, mentor, and colleague.”
 -Wendy Alter
” I have studied with Koren for many years and she recently mentored me during my Intermediate Junior I exam preparation and assessment process. I have found that from her years of yoga practice and teaching, not only as an Iyengar yoga teacher, but also as a former public high school teacher she has a natural gift for bringing a deep knowledge to the subject. Koren brings clarity, precision and ease to the process of learning to be a better teacher and as a result my own teaching improved and it an enjoyable experience.”
-Jeff Perlman, Three Seasons Ayurveda


 

Photo “Sunset” by David Delgado