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Testimonials from our 2014 & 2015  Graduates

Over 100 students from all over the world have graduated from this training and are now teaching throughout New York, L.A., San Diego, Sacramento, Arizona, Colorado, Texas, Hawaii, Mexico, London, Liverpool, New Zealand, Spain, Switerland & China.    


4 of our graduates opened their very own yoga studios!

Greg 
Esthetician
 

 

"Lucky 13"
 

 

Becky
Insurance
 

 

Kylie
Pre-school Teacher
 

 

Christina
Finance
 

 

Tuba
Nanny
 

 

Nareh

Visual Stylist   

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"The Awakened Warrior Yoga Teacher Training was a blessing from the start. The past year I had gone through so many obstacles, I felt lost and confused. All I knew was yoga eased my mind and made me feel better. That bliss I felt I wanted to learn to teach others. As I came about the training starting the next week end of when I heard about it, Michael offered me a class to see how I felt and it was then when I first surprised myself as he guided me into my first head stand like it was a piece of cake! After coincidentally bumping into Michael the next day I was convinced that this was my right path and I am so happy I started this journey.


Michael has created the ultimate well balanced curriculum that takes you on a self journey to understanding and practicing yoga. His patient guidance and big heart give his students an ease and comfort throughout the course. In an intimate setting he builds a family like aura where he incorporates different learning techniques to make sure his students get full benefits. Along with his vast amount of knowledge he organizes many workshops that makes this program even more unique. What made this journey very special was the weekly workshops sometimes even more than one that helped us understand and get deeper into our practice, from assisting, to breathing and Ayurvedic medicine.

Incorporated was long list of audios, videos and books that we were guided to listen, watch and read. The time Michael spent putting this all together and making sure we all have our audios which were so informative and special. These immediately helped me start making positive changes in my life, from eating right and being more conscious of my thoughts.

What was another special factor of my journey was the beautiful ladies (inside out) that I met, we built such a tight friendship with. The feeling of support And love is what made this journey even more enjoyable.

My first time teaching I was beyond nervous and scared. As I decided to let go of my fears and go with the flow I let myself just breath and teach and was surprised by the amazing outcome. With Michael's guidance throughout the past few months I found the confidence to teach and I enjoyed every second of it. I look forward to starting a regular weekly schedule to teach and would love to work with children and spread the joy of yoga."  

"the Sunshine Sisters"
 

 

Cat

Nutritionist  

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"One of the biggest obstacles I overcame was the ability to let go of the subconscious limits I set up for myself throughout my life, reflecting on them, and letting them go. I overcame these obstacles by successfully learning and holding challenging physical poses that I had never attempted, nor even thought to try because of my belief that I would fail. Michael instilled confidence in his students, myself included, to try and reach our goals. 

 

This happened again after teaching a full class that I had been very nervous to teach, but received positive feedback for. I could not believe that after only six weeks, I went from knowing nothing about teaching a class, to teaching a full class.

 

By using certain tools that were taught to me, such as japa meditations, I was able to focus my attention to aspects of my life that needed improvement but I was also able to manifest changes in my reality rapidly. It made me learn ways to shift my energy in ways that will allow myself to be open to the opportunities that I had been blocking before. 

 

As soon as I was done with the full six weeks and was meditating daily to bring more abundance into my life, a perfect job opportunity came up out of the blue and I was very amazed at the synchronistic time that it presented itself in an unexpected way. 

 

As a nutritionist, I found ahimsa a challenge. By being surrounded by ideas on veganism and this concept of Ashtanga (8-limbs) of Yoga in which there must be no injury to any living thing, I have expanded my mind and been challenged to think outside outside of the box when nourishing my clients and myself. 

 

I think the single most personal change I have undergone is to practice as often as possible. I was never able to practice on my own but with my new set of skills, I am able to move through sequences with ease and lead others as well. I have taught yoga at least three times a week for the last five weeks now and it has been wonderful getting in touch with my inner spiritual teacher. Being able to share that gift in a safe environment has been so rewarding and fulfilling. 

 

The biggest "A-Ha" moment for me had to have been sitting and listening to a lecture in total presence and gratitude. For a split second I was amazed at the fact that I was there. I was in awe of how life swept me along for this ride and how making the choice to take this course was such an easy decision to make. I wondered how I had not thought of doing this before but how grateful I was to have the opportunity to learn from a person that is as wonderful as Michael and along with really beautiful and kind women like my Sunshine Sisters. 

 

My favorite part of the training was crazily enough, finishing my exam. Taking the exam opened my eyes to all that we had learned during the six weeks of training and the ways in which my knowledge and experience had expanded. It felt very good to have a tangible measure of my learning experience and I felt joyous at the thought of having accomplished something to dear to me. I had never been happier to take an exam  (once it was finished, of course!) 

 

Anyway, thank you so much for taking us on this incredible and unforgettable journey, Michael. You are a light worker and you are loved."

 

Amy

Film & TV Editor 

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"My experience in the Awakened Warrior Yoga Teacher Training has influenced not only my yoga practice but how I view life in general. My friends have all told me that I’ve become much more ‘zen’ about everything. Michael taught me not to stress through obsticles in my life but take them on as they come with a clear mind. I’ll get through them either way, so why waste energy stressing about it?

           

Once I let go of being in my head I started noticing changes in my yoga practice. I was always into more of the grounded poses then the inversions. I was terrified of inversions. I knew I had to do them to be a yoga teacher, though. Instead of stressing through them and dreading when we got to them, I just cleared my head and did them. During teacher training was the first time that I held a handstand by myself against the wall. And I did it for a full minute and could have probably held it for longer. I also got into a headstand against the wall by myself for the first time. Those were major breakthroughs for me. And all it took was getting out of my head.

           

When I first signed up for the training, I had no idea how reflective, spiritual, and emotional it would be. Even just after the first day I felt different. Through Michael’s initial leture I realized how much negativity I was absorbing through many of my friends and the people I was choosing to hang out with. I always knew that there were people who took the life out of the room or had the ability to suck out all of the positive energy. I just never realized that it was a literal thing that was happening. I didn’t realize how much negative energy I was holding on to that wasn’t even mine! This lecture, along with reading a book assigned to us called “The Four Agreements” inspired me.

           

The training has also made me more concious of what I eat and fuel my body with. I definitely thought I was already pretty healthy – I was at a good weight, exercised a lot, and didn’t eat too much junk food. But I was missing an important piece. And that was plant based food. A lot of my diet was coming out of the freezer and boxes in the cabinet. After watching the movie “Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead” I learned how incorporating more vegetables into your diet can fix so many internal problems. I ended up actually buying a juicer after watching the movie. Now, my husband and I will get a bunch of fresh organic vegetables from the grocery store and make vegetable juice in the morning. This ensures that we reach our daily recommended vegetable intake. Something that we weren’t even close to hitting before. And I feel even better than I ever have.

           

As for the actual physical practice of teaching yoga this course has been great. Michael taught us a great sequence of poses to teach. He wanted us to use his sequence as a foundation and then make it our own. This was a great way to introduce teaching to us. Because he taught it to us in sections, it was very easy to learn. I’ve taught many practice classes in the past several weeks and using Michael’s sequence has been very helpful is creating a class that flows very well. Michael encourages us to teach as much as possible and has been everyone’s biggest cheerleader. Knowing that he believes in me has made me believe more in myself. I am grateful that I found this training and had the courage to actually go through with it. Thank you, Michael."

 

 

Monica

School Teacher  

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"My biggest obstacle was surrendering my old ways and bad habits to begin gaining the benefits of yoga.  Some of my ah-ha moments came when working with other yogi students because I learned from them and heard different perspectives.

 

My favorite part of the trainings was the weekend of our final meetings. It was so exciting to receive classes from my Sunshine Sisters!

 

I also broke down many walls that day by working through my insecurities and proving to myself that I am capable of doing more than I give myself credit for. Also, who would have thought that I can survive a whole weekend of yoga classes? I see now that I am stronger and more disciplined than I used to think.

 

Thanks to this new found strength and focus, I have been able to reach my goals. I now eat a more healthy plant based diet, I am more active, and balanced through meditation.I definitely have a more positive outlook on life and feel ready to be the positive change in the life of my family, friends and students."

 

Trish

Writer  

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"Through the prompt of my mother, I decided to take the first step to teaching yoga. I was in search of a yoga teacher's training that was economical and user friendly. I went to the internet and there was Michael. I didn't know at all what to expect when I spoke with him, all I know was that I heard a friendly voice on the other side of the line. When I met up with him, his caring attitude and attention to answer all of my questions helped me make my decision to choose his class.

 

I am really glad I decided to attend! WOW. His curriculum was no doubt intensive and challenging. His mastery of the craft was easy to learn, yet pushed me to the edge of my limits. I got to meet some amazing people, I learned sanskrit and mastered many poses (which I never thought I would learn all of those asanas,) I got in GREAT shape, and I became much more spiritually aware. God definitely led me to this class, because everything fell into place.

 

Taking your class has inspired me to continue to teach people with an open mind, and a clear prospective. I have learned so much since I started your class just 6 weeks ago. It’s hard to believe that I have graduated. I really do appreciate your class because you have taught me what the value is for daily prayer, diet and exercise in my life.

 

I really do see how this kind of meditation and exercise can help me continue to live a longer life, and teach others how to become healthier. The class I was in was really a special one. I hope to become a better teacher every day and strive for my dreams to help those afflicted spiritually, mentally, and physically with pain.

 

Thank you Michael for all that you taught me, and thank you for continuing to keep me in the loop of all of the amazing things that are developing in your life! God Bless you and your family!!! Cheers."

 

Gretchen

Guidance Counselor   


"I love yoga! I have been practicing yoga for over 10 years and finally made the leap to do the yoga training. It was no coincidence that my career had gone in a different direction and the timing to do the training, just so happen to be aligned.

 

I can honestly say that I went into the training without any expectations, that is to receive the 200 hours. Boy, was I mistaken. I became more than ever introspective in my own life and what I want out of it.

 

More than anything, what I truly know and gained from this training is how I want to be of service to others. I want to be able to help transform others the way this training has done for me. It has empowered me and given me the confidence to share what I've learned as teacher so that I may enrich others' lives."


 

Laisha

Artist / Painter  

 

Oh my! Obstacles?! Myself....my past! Previous teachings that although I thought I had abandoned in my adult life, were still there scratching at corners of my mind. So many obstacles! While reading the Four Agreements, I cried at parts. It felt as if it was specifically written to me and the flood of emotions that followed were VERY unexpected.

 

However, I made the decision to give myself permission. Permission to completely let go of my past ideas. Permission to do things I previously would have shied away from. Even permission to be emotional about it, if that's what my body was telling me to do. The end result has been a kind of release and peace that was just out of reach. I'm so grateful!

 

I've had SO MANY ah-ha moments that it's almost hard to name them all. I've been sharing all of them in long conversations with my husband and was amazed by how many ah-ha moments he's had without even being in the class! The (Bhagavad) Gita...WOW. There are SO many correlations between the Gita and the bible that I found it astounding. During my study, I discovered that I could look at the same thing I've seen my entire life in only one light, and change the angle and direction and see something entirely new. This object was a different thing--it just transformed. What a beautiful thing to experience in each lesson! There were small words in every class, every lecture that resonated with me in such a profound way.

I think my biggest surprise was pushing myself past my comfort zone. When things got deeper that I thought it would be, I made the decision to keep an open mind about every lesson and experience. We were asked our first day in to have an open mind, and I considered it an agreement that I took seriously. How beneficial that turned out to be! As I've said before, I really thought this was going to be a class where were learned about anatomy, and how to adjust people during the entire 6 weeks. As we went into things that I've been taught to be uncomfortable with in the past, and I kept my heart open to it, I could actually feel myself grow. I really didn't think I could or wanted to go there, but how beneficial it all turned out to be.

 

I am definitely more aware of what I'm taking into my body! It's an odd occurrence to actually have a repugnance to things I loved before!! I might have to ditch my previous title as the Cookie Monster! GOOD.  Water Water Water. I actually drink it now. I was never a soda girl...but liquids period, just didn't do it for me. Not so anymore. I'm mindful and appreciative for water, and what it does for my body and mind. Thank you water! Thank you lesson about health!

 

I love my Sunshine Sisters! There has been something special and interesting I've gained and learned from each of them. I feel like I've known them for years. Two of them I feel as if perhaps I've known in a previous time, (which I totally did not really believe in before!) There was a reason I was came to this class, at exactly this time, and that I met the people who I met.

 

 

 


 


 


 


 

 

Alana

College Student   

 

For our 2014, L.A. or N.Y.
teacher training call -
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