This teacher training offers students in-depth 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.
The instruction will cover a wide range of Yoga techniques including Yoga postures, anatomy, relaxation, breath
awareness, pranayama, meditations to calm the mind, contemplations to transform limiting tendencies into life affirming
thought patterns, and the application of clear, anatomy-informed principles of alignment to create safety,
balance, and freedom in Yoga poses. Students explore concepts from Ayurveda, the Upanishads, Patanjali and the
Chakra System as frameworks for the application of Yoga as a journey towards radiant health and wellbeing.
The asana emphasis includes both level one/two alignment-based vinyasa flow sequencing as well as gentler and
restorative variations. Expect to practice asana from all category of poses including standing poses, hip openers,
forward bends, backward bends, twists, inversions, balancing, supine, seated and prone. Modifications for all levels of
practitioners are provided and all levels of abilities are welcome to attend.
Rather than offer standard sequencing or rigid methodologies, students are exposed to frameworks that inspire each
yoga teacher to adopt the practices, awaken their creativity and find their own authentic voice as a teacher.
Graduates of this program feel empowered to teach a variety of Yoga class types, including all levels vinyasa Yoga,
alignment-based classes, Yoga foundations, senior, gentle, and restorative.
Salvatierra, a private retreat in Costa Rica, is simply a spectacular venue for a yoga teacher training. It offers two yoga studios, the yoga deck with unparalleled views and a lovely indoor space with wood floors and windows on all sides. There are two pools on property, oceanside cabinas, a magical beach for morning yoga, and delicious, healthy food. The retreat itself is located on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica and has been identified as one of the five blue zones on the planet.
This magical property recently changed ownership and changed their name from Zen Spirit to Salvatierra. The name Salvatierra is both a reminder to us all to do what we can to save our beloved Mother Earth and an invitation to step into a place of refuge and reconnect with our truest, most blissful nature.
Located away from the popular hustle and bustle tourist beaches, Salvatierra guarantees their guests a true retreat experience and the possibility to immerse in unspoiled oceanside beauty. There are no hotels or facilities other than private residences on Costa de Oro beach and 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 and the perfect location for a deep immersion into yoga away from the distractions of our busy world.
Certification as a RYT-200 with Yoga Alliance
A solid foundation in classical Hatha Yoga – including alignment based vinyasa flow and restorative yoga within a therapeutic framework.
An anatomy and biomechanically informed alignment system that helps to address common misalignments and keeps your students safe
Modifications and adaptations for all bodies, including special populations such as seniors, pregnancy, and those with injuries.
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
Learn the art of sequencing yoga classes that honors your authentic voice and meets the needs of your student population
Business of Yoga & How to Build Your Yoga Community
Learn to share the practices with others in a safe and powerful way
Build self-confidence and tap into your amazing potential in a supportive, nurturing environment
Train with highly experienced, knowledgeable and passionate yoga teachers and yoga therapists
Liz Heffernan, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT is an international yoga teacher and Integrative Yoga Therapist. She draws from over two decades of personal yoga practice, 25 years of teaching and extensive training in the Hatha yoga systems of Kripalu, Integrative Yoga Therapy, Ashtanga and Anusara. She currently directs and leads Yoga teacher trainings and workshops in worldwide locations, provides unique one-to-one mentoring for yoga teachers wishing to improve their skills and delivery, instructs daily yoga classes and offers private therapeutic sessions.
Peggy Profant, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, E-RYT 500, and Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher, is a playful, passionate and adventurous spirit who is on a lifelong path of Yoga.
Her approach blends the ancient wisdom of yoga with biomechanically sound alignment to help her students become more firmly anchored in their true, radiant self. She first discovered Kripalu yoga and changed the course of her life in her formative teen years.
Innately perceptive and wildly passionate, Molly applies a level of determination and delight to her yoga instruction that’s truly one of a kind. Her approach is focused and intense; a union of effort and surrender that she believes is key to unlocking one’s deepest level of awareness and joy.
Liz Heffernan, E-RYT 500, is a recognized international yoga teacher with over two decades of personal practice and 25 years of teaching. She trained extensively in the Hatha systems of Kripalu, Ashtanga and Anusara and works as an Integrative Yoga Therapist.
Liz is the Founder and Director of Soma Yoga Institute, a world-wide, in-person and online yoga teacher training school that embraces a therapeutically-oriented, heart-centered approach. These programs, heralded by many as truly inspirational, combine modern day biomechanics and research driven science with ancient teachings and serve to teach adaptive Yoga for all BODIES as a practice for vibrant health, self-transformation and personal empowerment.
Liz has trained extensively in the Hatha systems of Kripalu, Ashtanga, Anusara and Integrative Yoga Therapy.
In her work as a yoga therapist, Liz specializes in working with students with musculoskeletal issues as well as helping seniors age gracefully. She is highly skilled in adapting practices to meet the complex health challenges associated with aging. In collaborative partnership with Yoga 4 Brain Health she has co-founded the Memory Maintenance Yoga Teacher Training program that certifies Yoga teachers to help their communities delay the onset of memory loss related diseases through Yoga. Liz also serves as a faculty-mentor for the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy supporting professionals on their journey to become yoga therapists.
Liz is known is for her ability to bridge the gap between the ancient perspectives of yoga and contemporary daily life. Her teaching weaves together philosophy, creative sequencing, clear alignment, mindful breathing, and compassionate self-inquiry to form a tapestry that reflects her heartfelt commitment to this transformative path.
Liz believes that the path of Yoga brings greater ease, not just to the individual, but to all beings everywhere, and ultimately uplifts planetary consciousness one conscious breath at a time.
Jess Trudeau carries 900 hours of advanced certifications from Yogaworks, Laughing Lotus, Blissology Bali, and Heartwood Institute.
A nomad at heart, she has led teacher trainings, retreats, workshops and classes worldwide for 15 years since her first class to a group of women in Mongolia while living in the Peace Corps.
She finds joy in making yoga accessible to all with creative use of props and adaptations for beginners, injuries, body types, and pregnancy; instilling an inclusive environment for the practice of yoga. Her mantra is, “move like yourself” and encourages students to find their own inner teacher with the foundation of guiding principles. She infuses classes with mantras on harmonium to find voice, hand mudras, breath pranayama, as well as insightful themes and intentions to shake out routine and invite people back home to their bodies. She is interested in balancing the architecture of alignment with the grace and freedom found in flow.
Jess first began practicing yoga in 1999 as a young college student in art school and fell in love with it’s creative nature. The practice has been her foundation through the carnival of life including motherhood and a tumultuous illness with Guilliane-Barre that left her temporarily paralyzed in 2016. She believes her yoga and meditation practice to be the shining light through any darkness on her path as it has helped her recognize the body’s phenomenal potential to overcome. She uses yoga as a gateway to better understand oneself, accept and even celebrate our humanness, and to seek wonder in the cracks where the light tries to find us.
At Salvatierra the cuisine is delicious, healthy, locally sourced and organic when possible. Most of the fruits and vegetables are organically produced on the Zen Spirit’s farm. When purchasing outside of the estate, the chefs always privilege local organic products. Therefore, by buying locally Zen Spirit is helping the local Costa Rica community. In brief, it is a truly farm to table experience with seafood options. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free alternatives are provided to all students and included in the price of tuition. Students who have special dietary requirements are encouraged to let us know in advance as we will do our best to accommodate them.
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.
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
-Beach Cabina Triple Occupancy $4547 USD
-Beach Cabina Double Occupancy $4898 USD
-Beach Cabina Single Occupancy $6497 USD
-Garden View Single Occupancy (Shared bath with one other) $5378 USD
January 5-22, 2024
August 1-18, 2023
December 1-18, 2023
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 9:00am and 3:30 p.m. on arrival day (Jan 5/Aug 1) and returns to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) for flights departing after 12:30 p.m. on departure day (Jan 22/Aug 18). Shuttle from Liberia to Zen Spirit takes approximately 3 hours. The group shuttle charge is $75 USD per person each way.
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 10:00 a.m. on arrival day and returns departing Zen Spirit at 7:00 a.m. on departure day for flights leaving after 3:00pm. Shuttle from San Jose to Zen Spirit takes approximately 5 hours. Group shuttle charge is $100 per person each way. The Adventure Inn in San Jose 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.