AWAKEN TO THE WITNESS:

200 HRS YOGA TEACHER TRAINING

The V&V Yoga Philosophy

We believe that an extraordinary teacher teaches from lived experience.

We don’t believe in teaching what we have learned in books.

A daily practice on the mat and the cushion is the basic foundation.

But a daily practice in how we walk through our every day, is everything.

Am I awake?

Am I paying attention?

Do I have the discernment to make a conscious choice - especially in my every day interactions?

How can working with my body, my breath and my mind be a mirror for how I meet my life?

These questions keep us accountable, present and honest.

This is the source of constant learning from which we teach.

Who is this for?

Awaken to the Witness is for those who are ready and willing to meet themselves with honesty, laughter and compassion.

You do not necessarily need to want to teach yoga.

This training is also for those who recognise that knowing yourself is the key to living a good life.

Of course, if you have the intention to teach, then this is for you!

Please note:

Much of the learning in this training takes place through the body. While the focus is not on mastering advanced postures, the programme involves regular physical practice and assumes a basic familiarity with yoga.

If you are unsure whether this training is the right fit for you, please get in touch before applying.

Our intention is to create a learning environment where every participant can engage fully with both the physical and reflective aspects of the training. We ask all participants to practise with self-awareness, honour their own limits, and take responsibility for their own wellbeing.

CONTACT US

A different way of learning

Your Own Experience Is Your Greatest Teacher

Rather than simply believing what you are taught, we invite you to discover yoga through your own direct experience. Throughout the year, your practice becomes your greatest teacher.

Practitioner Before Teacher

We believe extraordinary teaching begins with meaningful practice. Before guiding others, you'll deepen your own relationship with yoga and learn to embody what you teach.

Learn Through the Body

Every posture, breath and meditation is an opportunity to observe yourself more deeply. Beyond striving to perfect the pose, you learn to listen to what it is revealing.

Intelligent Practice

Learn anatomy, alignment and sequencing in practical, functional ways that prepare you to teach safely and confidently to real people.

Teach What You Live

Discover your authentic teaching voice by drawing on your own lived experience rather than memorised scripts or fixed formulas.

Living Philosophy

Meditation, breathwork and the wisdom of Yoga, Buddhism, Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism are woven throughout the training as practices to be lived, not simply studied.

A Community of Practice

Journey alongside a supportive group of fellow students, where curiosity, honest reflection and shared growth are as important as technical skill.

A sneak peek at our training manual…..

The journey through the year

Module 1 | Arriving
Awakening to the Witness

The journey begins by establishing the foundations of practice and introducing the central thread of the training: learning to trust your own direct experience. Through asana, breath, meditation and self-inquiry, you'll begin cultivating the witness that becomes your greatest teacher throughout the year.

Focus includes:

  • Foundations of Hatha & Vinyasa

  • Functional alignment

  • Introduction to anatomy

  • Breath awareness

  • Meditation

  • The foundations of teaching

  • Beginning your Practice Journal

Module 2 | Embodying
Learning Through the Body

As your awareness deepens, so does your relationship with the body. This module explores anatomy through movement itself, helping you understand not only how to practise safely, but how to teach confidently. Technical precision and embodied experience are woven together as you begin to discover your authentic teaching voice.

Focus includes:

  • Functional anatomy through asana

  • Alignment and intelligent movement

  • Sequencing principles

  • Verbal cueing

  • Experiential teaching

  • Practice teaching

  • Observation and feedback

Urban Immersion | Living the Practice
A Six-Day Immersion at CONOS

The heart of the training.

Over six immersive days you'll deepen your own practice while stepping fully into the role of teacher. Morning practice, teaching labs, breathwork, meditation, philosophy, community and reflection are woven together to create a powerful period of integration and transformation.

This is where practice begins to become lived experience.

Focus includes:

  • Daily practice

  • Breath journeys

  • Meditation

  • Teaching labs

  • Practice teaching

  • Authentic voice

  • Community and integration

Module 3 | Understanding
The Nature of Awareness

Having spent months practising and observing yourself, you're now ready to explore the philosophical traditions that illuminate your experience. Through meditation, Buddhist psychology, Vedanta and Kashmir Shaivism, philosophy becomes something to live rather than something to memorise.

Focus includes:

  • Meditation

  • Pranayama

  • Buddhist philosophy

  • Vedanta

  • Kashmir Shaivism

  • Yogic philosophy

  • Self-inquiry and ethics in practice

Module 4 | Expressing
Teaching What You Live

The final module brings the entire year together. With a deeper understanding of yourself, your practice and your teaching, you'll refine your skills, develop confidence and learn to teach from lived experience rather than learned information.

The training culminates in your Embodied Teaching Practicum, where you'll guide a complete class and receive professional feedback before graduating.

Focus includes:

  • Advanced sequencing

  • Intelligent adaptations

  • Practice teaching

  • Authentic teaching voice

  • Final mentoring

  • Embodied Teaching Practicum

  • Graduation

Summary

Throughout the training you'll develop a regular personal practice while completing guided self-study, reflective journalling and practice teaching assignments. Rather than a written examination, your learning is continually integrated through experience, reflection and feedback, culminating in your final practical teaching assessment. There will therefore be no written assessment.

Practical Information

Facilitators:

Vivian Choi:
Asana, Pranayama, Art of Teaching

Viggo Johansen:
Philosophy, Pranayama, Meditation

Camilla Finckenhagen:
Anatomy

Course dates:

To be confirmed. Start date in September 2027.

Course Structure:

This is a modular Teacher Training program over the course of 1 year.

It is made up of 4 in person weekends and a 6 day urban retreat.

Every module is a long weekend, with a duration of 3 days each time.

Friday: 8:00 - 19:00
Saturday: 8:00 - 19.00
Sunday: 8:00 - 19:00

The one week urban retreat module will be during the summer.

All modules will take place in the same location.

Venue:

The Glass Garden
8th floor, CONOS (Consciousness Oslo)
Lilletorget 1, 0184 Oslo.

Full investment

36,500 kr

Supported investment

18,500 kr
(NAV + students)*

*limited to 5 places

Investment

REGISTER

  • "Vivian and Viggo will always have a special place in my heart. For the warm, openhearted and attuned people they are. For the path they are revealing in such a beautiful, deep and trustful way. I know that this experience will be with me for the rest of my life."

    —Runhild

  • "Vivian and Viggo have a unique ability to create a safe and warm container where everyone has the space and time to discover and step into their full and authentic self. I have felt seen for who I am, held in change processes, and met with patience, love and acceptance."

    —Sara

  • "Vivian and Viggo are a unique combination, conveying yoga from the heart. They both naturally balance humor and seriousness, inviting in the immersion that a teacher should have: the seriousness and joy that comes with it. I found my voice. I didn't have ambitions to become an instructor, but I don't know if I can stop. And now I sit here with experiences and friends that I wouldn't have been without. Highly recommended for those considering a yoga teacher education.”

    Jon Levi

  • “.....with unique presence, a lot of laughter and humour and also with great seriousness, Vivian and Viggo guided me safely through the wilderness where all the contradictions, the doubt, the self-criticism and the fear lived."

    —Mai Britt

  • “I met Vivian and Viggo 11 years ago, and can entrust those I love most in the world to them. This teacher training, ‘Awaken to the Witness`, has made me go deeper, and it has awakened the witness behind everything, in a way I didn't think was possible. Exactly what it entails is difficult to describe - I am so much closer to life, to living, the beating heart, the breath that flows, Nature, people, food, tears, joy, the fullness, the fragility, the beauty & the ugly, Existence itself."

    Inger

  • "If you want a yoga teacher training that challenges, inspires and invites you to join an inner journey, this is the one to choose. Knowledgeable, warm and confident teachers, Viggo and Vivian create a holistic, meaningful and thorough education."

    —Miriam

  • "Dear Vivian & Viggo, Thank you for being you, with all your love and warmth, your honesty, empathy and dedication, laughter and smiles! Your dear love for each other shines through in everything you teach, no wonder the room felt like a holy place."

    Cathrine

Meet the Teachers

  • VIGGO JOHANSEN

    PHILOSOPHY, PRANAYAMA, MEDITATION

    Viggo Johansen lived as a Buddhist monk for four years in his early twenties, has a Masters in Philosophy from the University of Oslo and three years of further training in cognitive therapy at St. Hans Hospital in Roskilde, Denmark. He has given courses in mindfulness and mental training throughout Europe since 2006, and is a sought-after course holder and speaker.

  • VIVIAN CHOI

    ASANA, PRANAYAMA, ART OF TEACHING

    Following a successful career in international corporate media, Vivian chose a very different path in 2015. Over the last eleven years, she has devoted herself to the study, practice and teaching of yoga, completing over 1600 hours of professional training. Her work continues to evolve as she does, drawing on everything she has learned to help others reconnect with themselves, trust their own experience, and discover their own direction and purpose.

  • CAMILLA FINCKENHAGEN

    ANATOMY

    Camilla is a graduate of the V&V Yoga school and was invited onto the faculty after training. She is a certified physio with many years of experience in this field and is currently doing her PhD at Oslo University. Her passion and understanding for the yoga practice and her innate curiosity of the human mind-body connection make her an excellent Anatomy teacher and a valued member of the teaching team.