• To Promote and Improve the quality of yoga being taught in the Tampa Bay area.
• To support and serve as a resource for yoga teachers.
• To offer classes and workshops to help teachers improve their skills and increase their knowledge of yoga.

Find a yoga teacher near you! Learn about the styles of Yoga and which one is right for you! Find out about upcoming yoga events in the area

We open with an OM A one hour meeting gives you the opportunity to develop special and long lasting relationships with other teachers. Lets you live your vision and develop a heart-centered practice. Allows you to share your experiences in the loving fellowship of other teachers. The meeting is followed by an OPTIONAL three hour yoga workshop from approximately 10 AM ‘till 1 PM at minimal cost applicable to continuing credits.

If you teach yoga, we would love to meet you! Qualifications for associate membership are:
• Presently teaching or have taught yoga in the past
• Must be sponsored by a member
• Payment of annual dues ($20.00 per year, prorated)

Privileges Include:
• Access to the SYTA web site
• May borrow books and tapes from our library
• First preference to our workshops, featuring master teachers such as Rodney Yee, Judith Lasater, Angela Farmer and Tias Little

After attending two out of four regular SYTA meetings and ANY TWO workshops anywhere within a twelve moth period, you may qualify as a Registered Member, where you will be able to vote, run for office, and purchase business cards with the SYTA logo.

For more information, contact our membership chairperson, Kurt Gratzol at Kurt@Gratzol.com or the SYTA phone line at 727.559.7653. You may attend a quarterly meeting as a guest. Meetings are at Lifework Yoga Studio 1405A Cleveland Avenue, Clearwater FL at 9 AM.

Ashtanga Yoga
For those who want a serious workout, Ashtanga may be the perfect yoga. Developed by K. Pattabhi Jois, Ashtanga is physically demanding. Participants move through a series of flows, jumping from one posture to another to build strength, flexibility and stamina. It's not for beginners or anyone who's been taking a leisurely approach to fitness. The so-called Power Yoga is based on Ashtanga.

Bikram Yoga
Bikram Choudhury's yoga is hot, hot, hot, so be prepared to sweat, sweat, sweat. In class, they crank the thermostat up high, then perform a series of 26 asanas, sometimes twice, that is designed to "scientifically" warm and stretch muscles, ligaments and tendons in the order in which they should be stretched. The Founder of Bikram yoga, Bikram Choudhury studied yoga with Bishnu Ghosh, brother of Paramahansa Yogananda. Bikram yoga classes are very popular at the moment with people who like to EXERT!

Hatha Yoga
The most widely practiced form of yoga in America. It is the branch of yoga which concentrates on physical health and mental well-being. Hatha yoga uses bodily postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dyana) with the goal of bringing about a sound, healthy body and a clear, peaceful mind. There are nearly 200 hatha yoga postures, with hundreds of variations, which work to make the spine supple and to promote circulation in all the organs, glands, and tissues. Hatha yoga postures also stretch and align the body, promoting balance and flexibility.

Integral Yoga
Developed by Swami Satchidananda, the man who taught the crowds at the original Woodstock to chant "Om," Integral classes put almost as much emphasis on pranayama and meditation as they do on postures. Integral yoga is used by Dr. Dean Ornish in his groundbreaking work on reversing heart disease.

Iyengar Yoga
Ever think standing was just a matter of keeping your body on top of your legs? It's hard to appreciate how involved a simple thing like just standing can be, how much concentration and how many subtle movements and adjustments it takes, until you take an Iyengar yoga class. Of course, the point is that you're not just standing. You're doing Tadasana, Mountain pose, and in yoga in the style of B.K.S. Iyengar, Tadasana is an active pose. B.K.S. Iyengar is one of the best-known yoga teachers and the creator of one of the most popular styles of yoga in the world. His style of yoga is noted for great attention to detail and the precise alignment of postures, as well as the use of props such as blocks and belts. No doubt part of Iyengar's success is due to the quality of teachers, who must complete a rigorous 2-5 year training program for certification.

Kripalu
Called the yoga of consciousness, Kripalu puts great emphasis on proper breath, alignment, coordinating breath and movement, and "honoring the wisdom of the body" -- you work according to the limits of your individual flexibility and strength. Alignment follows awareness. Students learn to focus on the physical and psychological reactions caused by various postures to develop their awareness of mind, body, emotion and spirit. There are three stages in Kripalu yoga. Stage One focuses on learning the postures and exploring your bodies abilities. Stage Two involves holding the postures for an extended time, developing concentration and inner awareness. Stage Three is like a meditation in motion in which the movement from one posture to another arises unconsciously and spontaneously.

Kundalini
Kundalini yoga in the tradition of Yogi Bhajan, who brought the style to the West in 1969. Before that time it was only taught in a master to student lineage and was known only by dedicated deciples of the master. It focuses on the controlled release of Kundalini energy. The practice involves classic poses, breath, coordination of breath and movement, meditation. Toga classes in kundalini are for those who want to follow a spiritual path in life and do a yoga that supports the spirit.

Sivananda
Sivananda is one of the world's largest schools of yoga. Developed by Vishnu-devananda and named for his teacher, Sivananda yoga follows a set structure that includes pranayama, classic asanas, and relaxation. Vishnu-devananda wrote one of the contemporary yoga classics, The Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga. First published in 1960, the book is still one of the best introductions to yoga available.

TriYoga

TriYoga is a complete yoga method. The inspiration and guidance for the TriYoga Flows comes from yogini Kali Ray's direct experience of kriyavati (kundalini manifesting on the plane of hatha yoga). In the TriYoga Flows, breath and focus are united with flowing and sustained postures in systematized series. Since the method is systematic, students can progress from Basics to Level 1 and then to subsequent levels as they increase their flexibility, strength, endurance and knowledge. Through sustained awareness on all aspects of the practice, the inner flow naturally emerges. This trinity practice is by the nature of its origin, deeply meditative and transformative.

Combined and Original Styles

Many yoga teachers have learned to lead yoga classes based on postures from several disciplines. Yoga classes in one style may incorporate some postures that vary from classical styles. If you are a "Purist" be sure to ask your instructor if they teach true to the Style in question, or have created their own unique yoga classes. Bikram yoga and hatha yoga are taught as well as all of the other disciplines in Florida.