September 16, 2025
Dr. Kristalyn Shefveland, Assistant Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, developed the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training program, the Sankalpa Method, for Yoga Space Evansville, drawing on her dual background as a history professor and member of the Communal Studies Board at the University of Southern Indiana. Rooted in the values of the liberal arts, her program emphasizes inquiry, community and reflective practice alongside technical training in asana, anatomy and teaching methodology. Participants also engage with yoga’s ethical, philosophical and cultural traditions, paralleling the way liberal arts education connects knowledge to lived experience. Creating the curriculum was an intensive process that required Dr. Shefveland to weave together academic expertise and personal practice, with the goal of preparing teachers to share yoga with integrity. The program ultimately reflects her sankalpa: to honor tradition, foster community and link yoga education to the broader human story.