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Become an expert at teaching arm balances & inversions and empower your students to fly!

 

 Introducing The Yogi Flight Method® Certification Program

The dreaded moment...

You're teaching a class, and a student kicks up awkwardly into a headstand with what appears to be zero control. You run over to offer a hand, but this isn’t really your wheelhouse.

After another 30 seconds of legs flailing in the air, you come to the conclusion that this student just isn’t ready yet. It’s either core or shoulder strength, you’re not sure, but they probably need a bit more coordination before it’s safe for them to go upside down.

They didn’t really cover inversions a whole lot in your teacher training and if you’re honest, you’re not quite sure how to coach this student into their headstand. It's probably safer to tell them they need a bit more yoga practice under their belt. And a stronger core, of course. 

Truth be told, you’re terrified that the student might get hurt on your watch. What do you do if they snap their neck while you’re holding their legs? Then what? It’s TERRIFYING.

Or, you might have a strong practice of your own, but the few times you’ve tried teaching crow pose to your class in the 3 minutes you have time for, they were mostly unsuccessful and it did not feel good, so you haven't tried again.

You assume that the people who come to your class probably aren't into them anyway -  so it’s better this way. You’ll just stick to regular poses - yoga has so much to offer, who needs fancy poses!?

But you really do love arm balances and inversions and you see the value in having them in our practice. You’re committed to helping your students with them but don’t seem to have the right words to help them really get it.

Your body knows what to do now…but why can’t you communicate it in a way that has other people get it too?

If you can resonate with any of this, you’re not alone, and it’s not your fault.


Arm balances and inversions are rarely covered in detail in most teacher trainings, and a lot of teachers are old-school and still ascribe to the belief that these poses are only meant to be accessed after years of practice.

So we all inadvertently hold our students back because that's how it's "always been done."

We are here to SHAKE THAT UP!!

 Just because that’s how it’s always been done, doesn't mean it’s the only or the right way.

If teaching arm balances & inversions has been on your heart, but you're stuck in fear... I hear you and I see you.

The fears are REAL, but they're not necessary.

There is a very clear path for you to teach arm balance & inversions safely, in a way that honors all of the levels in the room, and in a way that inspires people to try them and discover what they're capable of.

Before we go any further, let's address the elephant in the room.

You know as well as I do that teaching or practicing arm balances and inversions has NO bearing on your value or worth as a yoga teacher.

You could never do an arm balance in your entire life and be an incredible imparter of yoga. One thing does not mean the other.

And, you also know that the practice of asana is a gateway to a deeper journey of self exploration and self-study, or svadhyaya.  

There is an incredible amount of personal growth that comes from voluntarily facing our fears and our limiting beliefs on the yoga mat with the upside-down practice.

No other tool puts you front-and-center with all of the things that hold you back in your life and ask you to break through them more effectively than trying to defy gravity. 

And as a teacher, when you are able to expertly guide a student to face their fears and create a new reality, you support your students to change their life beyond the mat in a truly unique way.

🌟 IMAGINE guiding a student to face their debilitating fear of letting go of control

by placing their head on the ground for the first time, and seeing the tears of joy and gratitude streaming down their face.

🌟 IMAGINE offering THE cues that a student needed to finally unlock a pose they’d been struggling with for years

and seeing the triumphant cheer of YASS!!! accompanied by a fist bump. This entire time, they thought they still weren’t strong enough, when all it was was a technique thing that you knew how to fix right away.

🌟 IMAGINE helping a woman completely transform her relationship with her body 

by falling in love with what it can do and letting go of her focus on how it looks. Imagine hearing her say “I never imagined that my body could do this,” and what that does for her spirit every day.

And as a teacher, when you are able to expertly guide a student to face their fears and create a new reality, you support your students to change their life beyond the mat in a truly unique way.

🌟 IMAGINE guiding a student to face their debilitating fear of letting go of control

by placing their head on the ground for the first time, and seeing the tears of joy and gratitude streaming down their face.

🌟 IMAGINE offering THE cues that a student needed to finally unlock a pose they’d been struggling with for years

and seeing the triumphant cheer of YASS!!! accompanied by a fist bump. This entire time, they thought they still weren’t strong enough, when all it was was a technique thing that you knew how to fix right away.

🌟 IMAGINE helping a woman completely transform her relationship with her body 

by falling in love with what it can do and letting go of her focus on how it looks. Imagine hearing her say “I never imagined that my body could do this,” and what that does for her spirit every day.

The journey of arm balancing and inverting is life-changing for people. And as teachers, watching our students break through is life-changing for us.

There’s nothing wrong with not knowing what we don’t know.

But there is something both sad and dangerous about discouraging someone from exploring their potential and robbing them of the opportunity to grow just because we are uninformed. 


Here’s the actual truth: 

Inversions and arm balances can be learned and practiced by anyone able-bodied, even beginners to yoga. Even people in bigger bodies and people in their 60s and 70s. Even ONLINE.

Anyone who says otherwise either has:

  1. Not learned how to teach them effectively
  2. Is allowing their fear to dictate their choices

Check out these comments below from students in our Yogi Flight School program and what they were able to impart on their students JUST from being a student in our program. Can you imagine what would be possible if you learned how to teach and coach this methodically?

Besides evidence in the form of thousands of students who have learned to arm balance with this method...

How can I make such a claim?

Let me take you back a little.

Before COVID hit in 2020, I taught yogis to fly using the Yogi Flight Method® at my in-person studio in Los Angeles. When the world shut down and we were forced to go online, my immediate response was “I can’t teach this online. It’s not safe.”

But I'm not one to limit possibilities, so instead I started to ask "HOW can I make this safe?"

If you ask better questions, you get better answers.

 

What I discovered blew my mind.
🤯🤯🤯

 

Within my first online cohort of Yogi Flight School, I realized that with the right step-by-step methodology, these poses can be taught even more effectively online than in person.
 

Why? Because in person, students give up their power to the teacher.

They literally wait for you to physically hold them or put them in the position. And this often means they don’t prepare themselves adequately, and just fling themselves up expecting you to do all the work.
And THAT is where people can get hurt.

While there are benefits to physical spotting, there are also pitfalls.

I was in awe to discover that when left to their own devices, encouraged, and PREPARED properly,

students were even more successful and satisfied with their efforts when a teacher/spotter was not physically present.

They paid more attention, took it more seriously, paced themselves better and were less inclined to "perform" for the teacher, pushing themselves past where they would have otherwise.

This has yet to be scientifically tested or proven but after now running 18 cohorts of Yogi Flight School and teaching over 9,000 students in our program, I would bet on it!

It’s normal to be afraid of what we haven’t done before.

But when we’re afraid of injuring someone, what we’re really saying is that we don’t feel confident enough in our skills and abilities in this particular area.

And what if we did feel confident, wouldn’t the fear be reduced?


In order to feel confident, you need to know how to:

âś… Prepare students for the poses properly
âś… Have a step-by-step plan you can follow that is crystal-clear and proven to get people flying.

This includes mental and physical preparation to set them up for success in every way.

Simply stringing together a few sun salutations and then breaking down side crow isn’t enough.


You need a systematic approach to getting your students’ bodies and brains to fire in the direction of the arm balance and create the mind-body connection that will take them from “I can’t” to “OMG!”

This systematic approach is
The Yogi Flight Method®

 

The Yogi Flight Method® is Yogi Flight School's unique arm balance & inversions approach based on mindset and mechanics that addresses not just the physicality of the pose, but the mental challenges that a yogi must overcome in order to fly.

This proven methodology is based on breaking down the anatomical actions of each pose, training them repeatedly in various planes of movement to lock the movement into the brain, practicing the pose with gravity first so the body understands the final shape, and then providing immediate coaching and feedback to support the student in flying.

PREP IT:

Super strategic warmup is what sets your students up for success. Break down the anatomical actions of each body part and practice them individually - head to feet!

FLIP IT:

Understand the shape of each pose. Sequence warmups that have your students replicate the essence of the pose while not balancing so they can prepare their nervous system and their mind-body connection for what it will feel like against gravity.

STACK IT:

It's all about structure. Learn how to effectively cue and communicate the major alignment points of each pose in a way that clicks with your students, and set them up so that "my butt is too heavy" and "my arms are too weak" are never words you hear again!

FLY IT:

Learn how to see exactly what's missing between where your student is and where they want to be, and how to coach not just their body but their MIND to their breakthrough. Knowing how to inspire and motivate your students to manage their mind is key! 

Get Certified in The Yogi Flight Method®

Join the ranks of yoga teachers empowering their students to take their practice upside down and transform their relationship with themselves!

By the end of this training, you will be able to:

  • Teach over 30 arm balances & inversions and coach your students to success
  • Break down the poses methodically and effectively
  • Demonstrate and explain key concepts so your students know exactly where to go and what to do
  • Spot your students to take their inversions to the wall, and into the middle of the room
  • Help your students overcome fear by teaching them how to fall from various inversions safely 
  • Leverage props to help reduce fear and enable students in all bodies to fly
  • Cue with crystal-clarity so that students understand, get it and remember each time
  • Offer various methods for wrist pain relief
  • Sequence warmups and vinyasa classes that build strategically to a peak arm balance or inversion
  • Teach full length arm balance & inversion workshops to increase your income, impact and the versatility of your offerings

Become Proficient In

Arm Balance & Inversion PRINCIPLES

  • The physics of arm balances & inversions
  • The mechanics of balance and balance works in different pose shapes
  • Center of gravity and what it means for how we teach practitioners of all shapes and sizes
  • Must-cue principles for EVERY arm balance & inversion
  • Communicate and teach Bandhas effectively

THE ANATOMY OF
Arm Balances & Inversions

  • Pick poses apart to determine their anatomical actions
  • Identify what muscles and groups of muscles need to be strong & mobile in every arm balance & inversion
  • Understand how anatomical variations will impact how you teach and set up the poses for humans in different bodies
  • Describe anatomical actions for your students in a fun and approachable way

SEQUENCING
 Effective Warmups

  • Sequence warmups that prepare mind and body for the exact movements of the pose
  • Craft creative and effective sequences that prepare your students for success
  • Hit every anatomical action in the pose in the warmup so that when the student gets there, they GET IT!
  • Cool your students down strategically after class to unwind what worked hard

BREAKING DOWN POSES
with Crystal-Clarity

  • Cue with confidence, clarity and effectiveness so that an instruction makes sense to your students and allows them to replicate it when you're not standing there
  • Break down poses in a way that helps your students understand what they are trying to do and inspires them to try!
  • Refine your language so people leave your class saying "wow, that made total sense!" Even if they aren't balancing yet, they understand what needs to happen.
  • Highlight the details that most yoga classes and workshops are completely missing. The magic is in the details!!

MINDSET Matters

  • Make the link for your students between the physical practice and the deeper, philosophical teachings of yoga
  • Support your students on their journey by holding up a mirror for them and the ways of being that are holding them back
  • Know the the most common mental blocks your students may experience in each pose and how to coach them to their breakthrough
  • Expand your ability to encourage, nudge and create space for students to be with their fear AND to transcend it!

COACHING Effectively

Powerful and effective arm balance coaching makes the difference between your student thinking they need "more strength," or unlocking the pose.

  • Know exactly what to look for, what to cue and what to tweak to support your students.
  • See precisely what's missing from the student's pose in a matter of seconds
  • Become an expert at knowing what's stopping the person in front of you from their pose so you can break them through.
  • Leverage props creatively to help every individual student adapt the pose to their body

What does having a YFS Certification give me?

Other than highly specialized knowledge in a field that will set you apart from other yoga teachers in your area, it also means you are trained to teach arm balances and inversions effectively and safely using Yogi Flight School's unique, proven and repeatable approach.

Upon successful graduation from the program (graduation requirements are below), you will be able to go out into the world and teach arm balance & inversion workshops and classes and use the terminology and the techniques from The Yogi Flight Method®.

There are two different track options available based on your intentions, how much arm balance and inversion magic you want to infuse into your teaching, and how connected you want to be to the rapidly growing YFS network of teachers upon graduation.

Certification Options:

CABIN CREW

SEQUENCE & TEACH


This track is perfect if you want to spice up your classes with effective sequencing, enhance your cueing and guide your students into their arm balances & inversions effectively.

âś… This track grants you 40 hours of continuing education with Yoga Alliance

✅ Receive a Certificate of Completion stating you are certified to teach arm balances & inversions with the Yogi Flight Method® 

✅ You may use the Yogi Flight Method® terminology, cueing and sequencing approach in your teaching

âś… Collab with other trainees and receive feedback on your teaching in our private training Facebook community

âś… Keep LIFETIME ACCESS to the training replays & materials

❌ With this track, you may not use the Yogi Flight Method® name in your class or workshop marketing materials, or represent yourself as a Yogi Flight School endorsed teacher

FLIGHT CREW

SEQUENCE, TEACH & COACH


This track is perfect if you want to teach privates, workshops/retreats, get really good at coaching your students to success, and would value being part of the global network of YFS-endorsed teachers.

âś… This track grants you 100 hours of continuing education with Yoga Alliance

✅ Receive a Certificate of Completion stating you are certified to teach arm balances & inversions with the Yogi Flight Method® 

✅ You may use the Yogi Flight Method® terminology, cueing and sequencing approach in your teaching

âś… Collab with other trainees and receive feedback on your teaching in our private training Facebook community

âś… Keep LIFETIME ACCESS to the training replays & materials

✴️ Go deep on 1:1 pose coaching with dedicated coaching study sessions that pick apart all the details

✴️ Develop your unique coaching style and voice to make your teaching come alive for your students

✴️ Hands-on, real-life coaching practice to hone your skills with actual students before graduating

✴️ You may use the Yogi Flight Method® name in your teaching, marketing and class promo materials

✴️ Receive registration for one year in Yogi Flight School's upcoming instructor directory, where YFS will point students who are looking for in-person YFS style workshops (optional renewal after a year for a small fee)

✴️ You will be eligible to become a Yogi Flight School coach or teacher on the Yogi Flight School team

✴️ You will be eligible to become a Yogi Flight School Private Lesson Instructor

Graduation Requirements

The requirements to graduate and receive your Certificate of Completion and any other accompanying benefits and resources will be based on successful completion of the following:

  • Attendance at all class hours [or watching all the replays within the designated training weeks]
  • Posting video practice teaching homework assignments*
  • Submitting written sequencing homework assignments
  • Passing the practical exam [video]
  • [FLIGHT CREW TRACK ONLY] Giving 3 private lessons on Zoom to existing Yogi Flight School members.


Course work and homework must be completed within the designated period for each track of the training to qualify for credit.

All details about homework & assignments will be shared with you at the beginning of the training. 

*Video and practice teaching homework will be posted in our training Facebook Group. To participate in this training, you must be willing to activate a Facebook account and create a Google Drive for easy management of homework assignments.

                           

Training Schedule


The training schedule for the Summer 2025 cohort will be announced by email when the information becomes available and applications open (roughly Spring 2025).

Training sessions are LIVE and available also as replays.
Live attendance is highly encouraged, but not mandatory in order to graduate.
Replays will be available in the course portal after each session.

 

NOTE: Beginning with the inception of this program, ALL Yogi Flight School coaches are required to be graduates of this program. Successful completion of the Flight Crew Track makes you eligible to become a YFS coach (subject to invitation and successful audition) when we have an opening on the team!

In the Yogi Flight School Certification Program, you will learn to Sequence for, Teach and Coach the following poses:

The Crow Family

Crow, One Legged Crow, Funky One Legged Crow and Crane

Revolved Shapes

Side Crow, Funky Side Crow, Eka Pada Koundinyasana A and Fallen Angel

Open Leg Poses

Flying Splits, Flying Lizard, Visvamitrasana, Firefly and Eight Angle Pose

Open Hip Poses

Flying Pigeon, Grasshopper and Baby Grasshopper

You'll also learn to spot & assist the following inversions to help your students take flight in the middle of the room.

Headstands

Learn to teach the 7 headstands from the Ashtanga practice with 4 entries into each: tuck, split leg, pike and straddle press!

Handstand

Handstand at the wall, different leg shaped handstands and taking the handstand off the wall!

Forearm Stand

Pincha Mayurasana in all its forms! All the wall, off the wall and in its funky variation.

Backbend Inversions

Scorpion Handstand, Scorpion Forearm Stand and Chinstand

Registration Requirements:

  • A minimum of a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification from an accredited yoga school.

  • Completion of the 8 core modules of Yogi Flight School arm balance & inversions program. You do not need to master the poses in your own body, but you must have gone through the YFS program and be familiar with all the terminology and the teaching approach. We require at least 60% completion of the main Yogi Flight School course before applying or registering.

  • The ability and willingness to complete the training during the period that it is offered (extensions on homework will not be granted).

  • Completion of the Training Agreement, which will be sent to you within 2 weeks of registration. You'll have an opportunity to ask any questions you have before signing.

Are you ready to become the ninja teacher your students have been waiting for?

You could either....

#1

Keep teaching the same things in class and being secretly afraid that someone will walk into your space asking for support on poses that you don't feel comfortable teaching...

(10/10 do not recommend)

OR

#2

Open up an entirely new version of yourself for you and your students: MORE confident, MORE equipped, MORE empowering...

...by getting certified to teach these poses methodically.

The choice is yours.

Remember: Growth happens on the other side of fear, and always argue for your possibilities (not your limitations).

If teaching these advanced yoga poses has been calling to you for any reason, whether it be to build up and empower your students to do the things they never thought they could do with their bodies, or to stand out amongst a sea of yoga teachers doing similar things in different ways...the time is now. 

Don't let this opportunity pass you by, and regret that decision later as the very first cohort of Yogi Flight School certified instructors brings their newly found gifts out into world. 

Join the Waitlist for the Summer 2025 Certification Program!

Lead Instructors

The teaching team is the perfect mix of Yin and Yang. Nathania brings high energy and a fiery approach to the practice both in physical instruction and philosophy, and Abigail brings mindful, balanced and peaceful energy, creating the perfect balance of both. In yoga philosophy, this balance is called sattva, offering you a well-rounded taste of yoga with different approaches.

Nathania Stambouli

Nathania stumbled into yoga by accident in 2009, and what started as a purely physical endeavor and quickly became a much deeper journey towards personal healing and transformation. Yoga gave Nathania permission and the courage to take ownership of her circumstances which resulted in a complete life change.
Through a dedicated yoga practice and pursuing her Master’s degree in Psychology, Nat unearthed a passion for helping others transform their lives, free themselves from restrictive behavior patterns and dare to be unapologetically real.

She believes that yoga, movement and a connected body and mind create a powerful gateway to self-love and personal growth.

Nathania is passionate about helping students explore and believe in their own potential with mindful, functional, creative and playful yoga classes that break out of the traditional yoga mold. Incorporating a strength-based approach and movement patterns from other modalities, she encourages you develop ownership over how YOUR body moves best. She believes in showing you how your time on your mat can be a catalyst for both personal change and acceptance.

Nathania (E-RYT 500) earned her 200 hour certification in 2015 with Cheryl Moss and Kate Duyn at GODA Yoga, and her 300 hour certification in 2020 with Noah Mazé. She has over 200 additional hours of advanced trainings with Laughing Lotus, Annie Carpenter and Rocky Heron, taught over 5,000 class hours and led six Teacher Trainings at her former Los Angeles Yoga Studio, SoulPlay Yoga. Nathania currently owns and runs Yogi Flight School, an online inversions and arm balance program and SoulTribe Adventures, leading retreats throughout the world.

Abigail Aller

Abigail is a yoga teacher specializing in Vinyasa, and Yin. She uses yoga to cultivate a balance between strength and flexibility, both physically and mentally.

Her classes are interwoven with philosophy, anatomy, and Ayurveda, and students can expect to find a calmer mind, a deeper breath, and a strengthened connection with their higher selves.

Abigail has a PhD in Geophysics, and her love of science translates to a deep-rooted interest in the physics of yoga. She has a passion for arm balances and inversions, and her background in dance brings a fluidity and playfulness to her teaching.  

Abigail graduated from a 200hr YTT in Vinyasa and Ayurveda with the Atman Yoga School and a 300hr YTT with Chromatic Yoga.

She has since completed several advanced trainings including Yin and 5 element Chinese Medicine (Chi Therapeutics, Edinburgh), Functional Yin (Bernie Clarke, Yoga International), Advanced Anatomy (Matt Giordano), Yoga for Fertility (Bliss Baby Yoga, Australia), Sanskrit Language (Yogic Studies), Yogic Philosophy (Yogic Studies), and Yogi Flight School’s own Inversion and Arm Balance Training.

Abigail currently works as a teacher and head coach at Yogi Flight School. She co-teaches the 200hr and 300hr YTTs with Nathania, as well as offering her own signature Yin Yoga teacher training in collaboration with Yogi Flight School. 

 

 

 

 

Here's what students have to say about the Yogi Flight Method®