200 Hour Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training in Costa Rica
Upcoming Program Dates December 1-18, 2023 | January 5-22, 2024 | August 1-18, 2024
Gain indepth skills to explore Yoga as a vehicle for vibrant health, self transformation and personal empowerment.
Our curriculum includes a unique blend of alignment based vinyasa flow, a solid foundation in Hatha Yoga and 200 hours of instruction offered within a therapeutic framework.
Therapeutic Approach
Our Therapeutic perspective explores Yoga as a vehicle for vibrant health, personal empowerment and total well being. We combine modern day biomechanics and research driven science with ancient teachings. You will leave with an understanding of anatomy, alignment and modifications to keep your body safe for a lifetime of practice.
Personal Transformation
Our approach explores Yoga philosophy as a practice of radical self-love uncovering perspectives that encourage body positivity, unconditional acceptance, personal empowerment and true mind-body-spirit health and wellness. Switch your view to see yourself and others from “eyes of love” and help the world heal one mindful breath at a time.
Learn to Teach with Safety, Skill and Confidence
Step confidently into the role of the teacher and share this powerful practice and help others. Not ready to teach? No problem. This course is a great immersion into yoga for those who wish to deepen their own practice. Already teaching? This course will significantly build your repertoire and boost your confidence.
"This experience was the most epic journey I have had in my life. My experience has transformed me. It was so much more than just practicing yoga. I was able to connect to my true self, truly understand and adapt valuable practices to apply to my daily life and make genuine friendships. I am so grateful for the safe and loving space that Alison and Liz cultivated to help us grow into authentic yoga teachers. I feel so confident to take all of the knowledge I have learned and integrate it into my personal practice and teachings. Thank you for everything. 100% I recommend Soma!"
Tracey Witney, 200 Hour YTT Graduate Costa Rica
Curriculum Highlights
Certification as a RYT-200 with Yoga Alliance
Train with highly experienced, knowledgeable and passionate teachers and yoga therapists with over 24 years of teaching experience
Gain a solid foundation in classical Hatha Yoga – including alignment based vinyasa flow and restorative yoga within a therapeutic framework.
Variations and adaptations for all bodies, including special populations such as seniors, pregnancy, and those with injuries
Learn the art of sequencing yoga classes that honors your authentic voice and meets the needs of your student population
Learn to share the practices with others in a safe and powerful way
Gain insights into your (true) nature through the wisdom of Yoga and its philosophy
Explore breath work, mantra and meditation as tools to create vibrant health and wellbeing in your life.
Business of Yoga & How to Build Your Yoga Community
An anatomy and biomechanically informed alignment system that helps to address common misalignments and keeps your students safe
Build self-confidence and tap into your amazing potential in a supportive, nurturing environment
Daily Schedule
- 6:15am-7:30am: Meditation by the ocean, pranayama, and gentle movement
- 7:30am-8:30am: Breakfast
- 8:30am-12:00noon: Yoga asana practice, anatomy, alignment plus techniques and teaching methodology
- 12:00noon-1:00pm: Lunch
- 1:00pm-3:00pm: Afternoon break to rest, or swim
- 3:00-6:00pm: Restorative, gentle, therapeutic practice, or Yoga Nidra. Practice teaching.
- 6:00-7:00pm: Sunset on the Beach and Dinner
- 7:00-8:30pm: Evening Session includes Yoga philosophy, lifestyle, and ethics.
Program Location - Salvatierra Yoga Retreat, Playa Coyote Costa Rica.
Salvatierra is located about 14 km south of Punta Islita airport in the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica. It has been identified as one of the five blue zones on the planet. Because the premise is set on a wonderful long flat gold sandy beach interrupted by river estuaries. You can enjoy world-class surfing as well as kayaking and bird watching in the mangrove, horseback riding and hiking to waterfalls, star gazing into the dark sky and much more. In short, it is a nature lovers paradise.
Group shuttles are arranged for students to the retreat from either the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR) airport or the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in Costa Rica.
5.0 Star Ratings and Reviews on Facebook
What You Will Learn
Asana Techniques
Pose Study with Adaptations for ALL BODIES (includes standing poses, hip openers, forward bends, twists, backbends, inversions, and supine)
Bio-mechanically Sound & Anatomy Informed Alignment
Art of Vinyasa & Flow Yoga
Adapting for Injuries and Common Conditions
Art of Teaching
Intentional Sequencing
Adapting Classes for Special Populations
Finding your Unique Voice
Teaching Beginners, Seniors, Level ½ Flow, Restorative, and Focused Therapeutic Classes
Practice Teaching with Feedback from your Faculty
Business of Yoga
Yoga as a Path for Holistic Health & Radical Wellbeing
Therapeutic Frameworks
Energy Body Anatomy
Exploration of the Chakras
Pancha Maya Kosha Model for Holistic Wellbeing
Applied Ayurveda
Pranayama & Meditation
We will help you establish a consistent practice of meditation and teach you wonderful breath practices specifically crafted to increase vitality and wellbeing. We have helped 100s of students who say they “can’t meditate” as well as those who report feeling “short of breath” when instructed to breathe in certain ways. We will help you adapt your approach, learn a variety of techniques, transform your inner dialog and establish your commitment to these transformative practices with ease and success.
Restorative Yoga & Yoga Nidra
Increased levels of cortisol have been shown to be a leading cause of chronic conditions. Worry, fear, stress and anxiety are common challenges many of us face. Learn practices of Yoga that down-regulate your nervous system and restore your whole being into a state of wellbeing and homeostasis.
Yoga History, Philosophy & Mythology
Dive deep into the transformational and time tested philosophy of Yoga. The philosophy provides a road map that will help you build mindful awareness, elevate your perspectives, create radical shifts in your life, connect to the deeper aspect of yourself, and find more lived moments when you feel truly and wholly well. We will dive deep into Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, yoga history and explore Yoga Mythology through story as a way to gain insight into the human condition.
"If you are looking for a high quality teacher training, this is the one!"
Scott Cohen, 200 Hour YTT Graduate
Join us at Salvatierra in Costa Rica
Tuition Payment Schedule and Refund Policy
Tuition price includes housing, food, yoga teacher training tuition, a comprehensive 200 page Yoga Teacher Training Manual, six month access to our 200 Hour Online Yoga Teacher Training content, an essential resource to support you as you move out into the world teaching yoga, as needed mentoring after the program ends (prices vary base on housing preference):
-Beach Cabina Triple Occupancy $4147 USD
-Beach Cabina Double Occupancy $4350 USD
-Beach Cabina Single Occupancy $5697 USD
-Garden View Single Occupancy (Shared bath with one other) $5378 USD
A $500 USD deposit will reserve your space and will be applied to the full tuition price listed above. Deposits, tuition, and housing payments minus a 10% processing fee, are refundable up to 31 days prior to retreat start date. The 10% processing fee will apply to all refunds and this fee covers credit card charges and administrative processing fees.
Retreat costs (housing and food) are due three months prior to the start date of the program or within two weeks of registering and your final tuition payment is due no later than one month prior to the program start date. If you would like to discuss alternate arrangements or a payment plan, please feel free to contact us directly and we would be happy to work something out.
Fee-free transfers for documented health/emergency situations: If cancellation is necessary prior to the first day of the program due to documented health or emergency situations, a student’s deposit and tuition will be fully transferable to a future program with Soma Yoga Institute. In all other circumstances, due to the logistics involved in planning residential programs in retreat settings, we regret that we are unable to issue deposit/tuition/housing refunds 30 days or less prior to program start date. No refunds are issued on or after the program start date for any reason.
Study with World's Leading C-IAYT Yoga Therapists and Senior Teachers
Soma Yoga Institute has a word class faculty team steeped in the traditions of Yoga. Their excellence has been cultivated through decades of enduring dedication to their own practice and in-depth study, often in a variety of lineages. Many of our faculty members are C-IAYT certified Yoga Therapists and recognized as “senior teachers”, having over twenty years of solid teaching experience combined with their long-term adhikara (studentship). Each faculty holds a role in their home community as an innovator and influencer, inspiring radical change through Yoga and playing a profound role in the holistic wellness movement. As a collective vision, we offer you an unparalleled opportunity to deepen your own practice, connect into your innermost divine nature, develop your professional credentials and teach from a place of authenticity.
Faculty Members 200 Hour YTT immersion programs may include:
- Liz Heffernan, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500 (Instructing December 2023 and January 2024)
- Peggy Profant, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500 (Instructing December 2023 and January 2024)
- Alison Scola, C-IAYT, E-RYT 500
- Jessica Trudeau, E-RYT 500
- Molly Masaoka, E-RYT 500
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely not. We offer an adaptive approach that will empower you to listen to your body, explore the various pose options and make an informed choice about what is healthy for you. There is absolutely no requirement for physical proficiency.
Absolutely yes! The only requirement for enrollment is a deep love of yoga and a a desire to learn more. Many students attend this program to deepen their own practice and access the profound benefits that yoga offers personally. Others join because they know that they want to teach. We also have yoga teachers join who have already completed a yoga teacher training program as they know they want more information and training to help their students in the best possible way.
There are two primary organizations to become familiar with. Yoga Alliance https://www.yogaalliance.org/ and the International Association of Yoga Therapists https://www.iayt.org/.
Yoga Alliance is a registry that registers Yoga Teachers with the following designations RYT 200, E-RYT 200, RYT 500 and E-RYT 500. The RYT stands for Registered Yoga Teacher. The 200 indicates that you have completed a 200 hour yoga training that meets their curriculum requirements. The E indicates that at the 200 level the teacher has instructed over 1000 hours of classes. The E-RYT 500 indicates that the yoga teacher has completed 200 + 300 hours of study in a program that meets their curriculum requirements and has instructed over 2000 hours. This is the highest designation that Yoga Alliance recognizes. Please note that Yoga Alliance is not a certifying body but just a registration. All of Soma Yoga Institute's teachers are E-RYT 500 registered.
C-IAYT is a designation authorized by the International Association of Yoga Therapists. This organization is a certifying body. The path to becoming a Yoga Therapist is much more in-depth and requires 1000 hours of study as well as a mentored practicum. Many of the faculty at Soma Yoga Institute are C-IAYT certified. If you are interested in becoming a C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, this 200-hour program will count towards your 1000 hours of study, so it will take another 800 hours to become C-IAYT certified, a long journey but well worth it. We invite you to take the first step.
You will receive a 200 hour yoga teaching certificate through Soma Yoga Institute and be eligible to register with Yoga Alliance as an RYT-200 Please note: Soma Yoga Institute is registered with Yoga Alliance, ID #143150. We have graduated over 500 students and we invite you to read their direct reviews on this site: https://www.yogaalliance.org/SchoolProfileReviews?sid=3952 . When you visit this site, you will see that we are one of the top-rated yoga teacher training schools with a 9.5/10 NPS school. In addition, all of our faculty are registered with Yoga Alliance at their highest level, E-RYT 500.
Our business yoga teaching section will give you all the tools you need to get started and build a career as a yoga teacher.
Yes, definitely. Many studios and gyms ask for the RYT 200 Yoga Alliance designation. You will also be given a certificate that indicates you completed a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training and will be eligible to register with Yoga Alliance as an RYT-200. You are also able to rent space in your community centers and lead your own classes independent of another organization. In most locations worldwide and states in the USA there is no licensure program in place currently that requires you to get a certain certification. Our business yoga teaching section will give you all the tools you need to get started and build a career as a yoga teacher.
Tuition price includes housing, food, yoga teacher training tuition, a comprehensive 200-page Yoga Teacher Training Manual, six-month access to our 200 Hour Online Yoga Teacher Training content, an essential resource to support you as you move out into the world teaching yoga, as needed mentoring after the program ends (prices vary base on housing preference):
-Beach Cabina Quad Occupancy $3867 USD (December 2023 Only)
-Beach Cabina Triple Occupancy $4147 USD
-Beach Cabina Double Occupancy $4350 USD
-Beach Cabina Single Occupancy $5697 USD (rooms sell out fast please inquire)
-Garden View Single Occupancy (Shared bath with one other) $5378 USD
We make travel safe and easy for you.
Please book your flight to arrive at Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) or Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO). Transfer from and to the airport on the group shuttle is provided for a reduced fee (specified times only).
From Liberia International Airport:
Arrange to fly into the Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR) in Costa Rica. The group shuttle departs from the airport at 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on arrival day and returns to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) for flights departing after 12:30 p.m. on departure day. Shuttle from Liberia to Salvatierra takes approximately 3 hours. The group shuttle charge is 75 USD per person each way. Some students choose to fly in one day early and stay near the airport in Liberia. The Hilton Garden Inn is recommended as it is very nice and convenient and good rates can often be found on booking sites such as Expedia.
From San Jose International Airport:
Arrange to fly into the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) in Costa Rica. The group shuttle departs from the Adventure Inn (15 minutes from the airport) in San Jose at 8:30 a.m. on arrival day and returns departing Zen Spirit at 7:00 a.m. on departure day. for flights leaving after 3:30pm. Shuttle from San Jose to Salvatierra takes approximately 5 hours. Group shuttle charge is $65 per person each way. The Adventure Inn is a great place for the first night with free airport shuttles if you are a guest and a large breakfast included in the price. You may book a room directly with them here: https://www.adventure-inn.com/. The shuttle will depart directly from this hotel and on the return take you directly to the SJO airport.
A $500 USD deposit will reserve your space and will be applied to the full tuition price listed above. Deposits, tuition, and housing payments minus a 10% processing fee, are refundable up to 31 days prior to retreat start date. The 10% processing fee will apply to all refunds and this fee covers credit card charges and administrative processing fees.
Retreat costs (housing and food) are due three months prior to the start date of the program or within two weeks of registering and your final tuition payment is due no later than one month prior to the program start date. If you would like to discuss alternate arrangements or a payment plan, please feel free to contact us directly and we would be happy to work something out.
Fee-free transfers for documented health/emergency situations: If cancellation is necessary prior to the first day of the program due to documented health or emergency situations, a student’s deposit and tuition will be fully transferable to a future program with Soma Yoga Institute. In all other circumstances, due to the logistics involved in planning residential programs in retreat settings, we regret that we are unable to issue deposit/tuition/housing refunds 30 days or less prior to program start date. No refunds are issued on or after the program start date for any reason.
We would love to connect to you. Please feel free to email us at [email protected], Text or WhatsAp us at 1-808-333-9591 or make an appointment by clicking here https://calendly.com/somayogainstitute/yoga-teacher-training-let-s-chat
