Funky Buddha University
300 Hour Module Outline
The following modules can be taken in any order or chosen singularly; if you wish to take all three modules for Yoga Alliance 300 Hour Instructor Certification, please review additional requirements.
Compassion Module: Spines, Breath, Compassion & Boundaries
Offered: August 9-16, 2025 and February 2027
Communication Focus:
- Building healthy relationships, with students and self
- Healthy boundaries to avoid burnout
- Responsible & Reciprocal Leadership
- Sanskrit Pronunciation and Appreciation
Meditation and Mental Focus:
- Lovingkindness and Self Compassion
- The Bramaviharas & The 3 Poisons
- The 5 Remembrances
Personal Practice & Teaching Skills:
- Effectively Teaching Balanced & Healthy Bodies
- Stretch & Strengthen
- 6 Types of Breath + How & When to Teach Them
- 6 Types of Stretching
- Science of Stretch
- Yin & Restorative Yoga
Anatomical Deep Dive:
- Spine, Core, & Breathing
Use of props such as blocks, bolsters, straps and walls in your yoga practice.
Alignment/adjustment/teaching techniques for Spine & Core-Focused Asanas
Philosophy:
- The Philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita
- The Philosophy of Chitta Bhumis (States of the Mind), Indriyas (The Senses), Antahkarana (4 Functions of the Mind)
Required Reading:
The Bhagavad Gita (any translation) by Barbara Stoler Miller
Breathe by James Nestor
Fierce Compassion by Kristen Neff
- What the Buddha Taught by Walpola Rahula
- Bonus recommended reading:
- The Oxygen Advantage by Patrick McGeown
- Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
- The Compassion Book by Pema Chodron
Curiosity Module: Hips, Brains, Curiosity & Feedback
Offered: February 14-21, 2026 and August 2027
Communication Focus:
- Asking Questions & Looking for Solutions
- Non-Violent Communication
- Non-Verbal Communication
Meditation and Mental Focus:
- Science-Based Yoga & Mindfulness: Understanding & Practice
- Experience vs Concept
- Teaching Meditation
Personal Practice & Teaching Skills:
- Taking & Applying Feedback
- Somatic Healing
- Why & How Our Bodies Keep the Score
Anatomy Deep Dive:
- Hips, Lower Limbs and Joints
- Hip Stretch & Strengthen
- Lower Cross Syndrome
- Healthy Hip, Knee, & Ankles
- Movement & Mobility
Philosophy:
- The 4 Noble Truths
- The 8 Fold Noble Path
Required Reading:
- The Dammapada
- Gil Fronsdel or Eknath Easwaran are good author recommendations;there are many other translations and many free PDFs available online.
- Buddha’s Brain by Rick Hanson
- My Grandmother’s Hands by Resmaa Menakem
- Tea and Cake with Demons by Adreanna Limbach
- Bonus recommended reading:
- Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
- Say What You Mean by Oren J Stofer
- What Happened to You? By Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D Perry or The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel VanderKolk
Creativity Module: Shoulders, Systems, Creativity & Sequencing
Offered: August 1-8, 2026 and February 2028
Communication Focus:
- Clarity:
- Clear is Kind
- Creativity
- Why Clarity & Consistency are Helpful First
Meditation and Mental Focus:
- Deep Concentration Training: How & Why
- Chanting and Sound Healing
Personal Practice & Teaching Skills:
- The Art of Cuing, Sequencing & Consistency
- How to Use Systems to Your Advantage
- Creative & Intelligent Sequencing
- The Chakra System, Yoga Mudras, & Mantra
Anatomy Deep Dive:
- Shoulders, Upper Limbs & Joints
- Advanced Inverted Asana
- Advanced Arm Balancing Asanas
- Upper Cross Syndrome
Philosophy:
- Ayurveda
- The Life Science of Yoga
- Ancient Texts
- Vedas, Upavedas, Upanishads, Agamas, Puranas, Vedangas, etc
- Appreciation vs Appropriation
- Chanting Practice & Teaching
Required Reading:
- Vedanta: A Simple Introduction by Pravrajika Vrajaprana
- Eastern Body, Western Mind by Anodea Judith
- The 5 Personality Patterns by Steven Kessler
- Liberating Yoga by Harpinder Kaur Mann
- Bonus recommended reading:
- Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman
- Awakening of the Heart by Thich Nhat Hanh
- Your Body, Your Yoga by Bernie Clark (used a reference)
- Ayurveda the Science of Self-Healing by Vasant Lad
