Tara | Costa Rica 200hr YTT Testimonial
School Yoga Institute’s 200hr Yoga Teacher Training is a life-changing experience. With the Costa Rican jungle as the backdrop at the beautiful and hospitable resort of Aves, this training was a nurturing and supportive space to grow and learn.
Upon arrival, I immediately felt welcomed and taken care of. The staff at Aves were so warm, personable, compassionate, and accommodating. They ensured that I had everything I needed from the very beginning. They showed up as themselves every day and did what they could to create a wonderful experience. The resort itself was a beau-ful space, full of lush nature, cheeky monkeys, and glorious views. The food at the Odin restaurant was so nourishing and the staff was very accommodating to any and all dietary needs. The shalas were truly incredible spaces that allowed for deep connection to the practice, giving the perfect environment for all things yoga. The Orange Shala was wonderfully rustic and allowed for deep connection with the natural environment that surrounded it. The Ocean Shala was beautiful and spacious, allowing for incredible views of the jungle and ocean. I was grateful to be able to split my time in both Shalas as I felt each helped nurture my growth in different ways.
The format of the training was well thought out. It is obvious that the SYI team have taken time and care to curate an experience that not only deeply immerses you into yoga but also gives you the space to grow as an individual. Utilizing the Peruvian Andean medicine wheel as the container for the training was truly a masterpiece in execution. It allows the trainee to do the deeply personal work that is necessary to open themselves up to become the teacher that they hold within them. And I truly believe that that was the catalyst for why my time in this training was so successful.
I learned how to become a teacher alongside my own personal growth as an individual, and a collective being. Though in reality, the days were long, the schedule and content made it feel as though every day was flying by. The intentionality of the longer breaks gave space and time for me to rest and recuperate between lessons. The flexibility of space was also a welcome experience.
To not be held in one particular area for each lesson helped to feel like the experience was catered to what we needed at the time and not dictated by a strict expectation by the resort and the trainers. Although there was specific work that had to be done to accurately achieve the goal of 200 hours of training, the entire experience felt collaborative and individualized for the group that was experiencing it. That fluidity was nourishing. I also loved the inclusion of shamanism and the evening Satsang.
I believe that really enhanced the entire experience. The evening Satsangs were (in my experience) where my deepest growth happened. And it was obvious that this time was curated by the individual trainers, utilizing the skills they held to create a deeper experience for us. There were experiences at Satsang that profoundly changed who I am as a person, that helped me release darkness and pain that I had been holding onto, that allowed me to step fully into who I was always meant to be. This is not just a training that walks you through how to teach specific asanas in front of a class of yoga students. It does that, but it also imparts how to connect, how to nurture, and how to be fully present for your students. It teaches more than just correct alignment in downward facing dog. It connects you deeply to yoga philosophy, to ayurveda, and to the profound ancientness that is yoga. This training opens you up to what yoga truly is, what it always has been before the western world altered it for commercialization. If you are looking for a space to deeply connect to the yogic path, to the philosophy, to the essence that is yoga and shamanism – you have found your space. This is where you begin.
Katie Rinaldi and Vanessa Munoz-Pretzell are exceptional teachers. They are profoundly knowledgeable and not in an information-regurgitation way. It is obvious that not only have they gone through extensive training to be incredible teachers, but that they are living the yogic life and are imparting their knowledge from their individual personal experience. They took conscious time to get to know each and every student, they held a deeply inclusive container that allowed for students to fully flourish, and they held intentional space for individuals to work through their shadows without judgement or hastening the process while simultaneously executing the curriculum to ensure we were prepared to go forth into the world as teachers. Because of them, I feel confident, prepared, and capable of teaching yoga. Each are uniquely fascinating, nurturing, intelligent, and expansive individuals who were open, vulnerable, funny, and caring. I truly felt seen, heard, and held in every space that they created for us. Katie and Vanessa are exactly the people the world needs to foster, teach, and lead the next collective of yoga teachers, philosophers, and leaders in this world. Without these two, as a team, I do not know if I would have had the experience that I did. I am deeply grateful to these two teachers for helping to shape me into the student, teacher, and person that I am now.
The sustenance, the prana of this training was discovering exactly who you are and intertwining that self with the teacher you become. Because learning how to teach a pose is one thing but embracing and expressing your true self as you teach that pose is how you connect fully with your students. And that is what they teach here. That is what you will learn – if you open yourself wholly and completely to the process. And I really hope you do, because it is profound and soul-shiYing.
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