In September 2014, I made a life changing decision to join Christina Raskin’s YTT at Oxygen. I had NO IDEA the journey I would embark on with my peers & teacher would turn out to be such a fulfilling & beautiful experience. Christina IS THE BEST. She has a lot of experience under her belt as an instructor, is extremely knowledgeable, has the warmest smile & she’s awesome. Who wouldn’t want an awesome teacher? The YTT was a great mix of asana practice, meditation, philosophy, anatomy, pranayama & discussions. Christina has inspired me in countless positive ways while the YTT taught me the skills I needed to continue my personal practice throughout my life. This program isn’t just for those interested in teaching or yoga, it’s for anyone who wants to accomplish something very fulfilling & healthy. Thank you for believing in all of us when we doubted ourselves, Christina. Thank you for teaching me to be compassionate towards myself. If you ever teach the 500 hour program, sign me up now!
I am so pleased that I decided to take my YTT with Oxygen, it was everything I hoped it would be, and more. There was a perfect balance of asana practice, anatomy, pranayama, meditation and philosophy. I had heard that training to become a yoga teacher was life changing but wasn’t sure how until I began the program. Initially I thought I would learn how to teach others but it turned out to be so much more than that. I found a path to a rich and rewarding personal practice. Christina is so passionate about what she is teaching and really helps you to deeply understand the concepts so it can transform your life and touch others as well. Her intention is to help you become the best instructor you can be by diving deep with in your own practice, leaving you with a solid foundation and a desire to dive even deeper. This YTT truly inspired me and I would recommend it to anyone who has a passion for yoga! I LOVE MY LIFE!
Just wanted to send a short note to thank all of you after completing the 6- week O2 YYT course yesterday. Mel was a wonderful lead instructor and it was also great to have different instructors come in to teach as well. You were all informative, helpful, insightful and a joy to learn from. You truly are an amazing team!
I completed my teacher training this past June and I want to tell you other than the birth of my children and my marriage it is the best decision I ever made! I also want to say you are never ever too old…I am 45 and so very proud to tell you that 😊 This course will leave you feeling knowledgeable, proud, strong in body and mind, confident to teach right away. I also want to give a shout out to Christina Raskin because a huge part of my success and my knowledge to teach are because of her. She is an amazing teacher and a beautiful soul. So just go for it you won’t regret it for a second!
Melanie Palis is a delight to work with. Ever encouraging, and always supportive, she creates a warm and welcoming space to erase all self-doubt and worry. She sought to ease our nerves and helped us recognize and reach our potential. She is wise and caring, bubbly and optimistic, true to herself and an embodiment of the practices she teaches. Never once was a hand afraid to be raised, or an opinion to be stated. I couldn’t have asked for a more suited YTT teacher. Thanks for your time and energy Mel! Namaste.
Melanie is a fantastic YTT instructor. She is very knowledgeable and she really cares about her students. She definitely teaches from the heart. If there was something in the material we did not understand, she always made sure to take her time to teach us until it landed. She was very patient with us and our plethora of questions in class and even over email, never making us feel silly for asking any question. Since I am a visual learner, I really enjoyed her teaching style because she always demonstrated to provide visuals and examples. She didn’t just teach from the manual, she turned the material into fun workshops! I definitely recommend Melanie as a lead trainer for upcoming programs because she cares and connects with her students. She has helped me become the yoga instructor I am today.
The Oxygen YTT program was an incredible experience. With a small enough class to receive individual feedback and large enough to learn from a variety of peers. I appreciated the range of content covered in the program, the detail that went into the planning of each day, and the level of preparedness to teach yoga immediately after graduating from the program. I found the ‘business of yoga’ portion a uniquely interesting surprise and found that it was one of the pieces that set the course apart.
Melanie’s knowledgeable and patient teaching style provided both the instruction needed to teach yoga safely and opportunities to reinforce the teachings through firsthand experience. Melanie offered feedback in a positive and constructive manner, enabling us to learn without fear of judgment while elevating our practice and instruction to the next level. In doing so, Melanie encouraged our growth in every aspect of our lives with full respect for where every student is on their journey. I was thoroughly immersed in the experience throughout the program as a result of her commitment to her students.
