Grace | Guatemala 200hr YTT Testimonial

On November 1st 2025 I hopped aboard a boat to travel to a very special place. As the water supported our journey, I was in awe of the landscape surrounding me, volcanoes, dense green mountains and villages everywhere I looked. My heart fluttered and my eyes began to tear up when I saw that I had, at last, arrived at the Mystical Yoga Farm. The farm is a conscious, eco centered community, it is nestled in the jungle on the perimeter of Lake Atitlan in Guatemala. For the next twenty one days I would become fully immersed in the experience of attending a 200 hour yoga teacher training in a place that felt dreamlike. I grabbed my luggage, handed the boat driver the owed quetzales and took a deep breath.

As I walked underneath the painted wooden sign, displaying The Mystical Yoga Farm, and up the cobblestone walkway, past abundant gardens full of flowers and vegetables, I felt a sense of surrender and peace wash over me. I was shown to my room, which to my very pleasant wonder, was a boat that was renovated and decorated, sitting on land amongst the flowers and palm trees. A bed, a clothing shelf and a small desk greeted me as I stepped into my space. I rested, expressed gratitude and set intentions before our first guided yoga class later that day.

Me and sixteen other souls congregated to one of the yoga temples, lifted high up on stilts, overlooking the Farm and lake, referred to as Abeula. Our energies flowed all together for the first time. Afterwards dinner was served, we began to connect and then we all rested in preparation for the start of the training. Each day that followed was beautifully unique from one another yet the farm emanated a daily routine of peace and slow living. 

In the mornings I would rise just shortly after the sun around 5:45am. I would put on my outfit, utilize the compost toilet and brush my teeth at the communal sink then make my way to morning class at 6:30am. Class was a two hour long guided practice of asana, pranayama and meditation. It instantly became the most nourishing way to begin my days. After morning class we would all gather in the Rancho for breakfast. The sound of the gong vibrates throughout the Farm letting us all know that food has been served. All of the food is mindfully prepared by two local Mayans who have been working at the Farm for years.

The food is all vegan, a lot of it grown right there on the farm. The variety was wonderful changing each day of the week, with breakfast consisting of fresh fruit, oatmeal, plantains, toast, chia seed pudding, breakfast wraps, pancakes with delicious chocolate sauce, french toast, smoothies and more. I would serve myself a plate and then walk down to the lake to enjoy my food with my toes in the water and face to the sun. One of the daily routines on the Farm was the noble silence that everyone participated in from 9pm-9am everyday. It was so refreshing to go to sleep and wake up to only the sounds of my breath and the soothing sounds of nature all around. 

After breakfast, I would wash my dishes and get ready to head to our second class of the day which was yoga philosophy and anatomy. In this class we learned all about the history of yoga, different paths of yoga, the eight limbs of yoga, chakras, anatomy, physiology, the energetic body, universal and individual consciousness, qualities of the mind, we studied the Yoga Sutras and learned about suffering and liberation from suffering and so much more. Our teachers beautifully and eloquently presented these topics from a place of depth and understanding within their own beings. I adored engaging in these classes, sharing my knowledge, insights, asking questions and listening to the open hearted curiosity from my other classmates. This class was from 10am-1pm where we’d get comfy on mats and blankets, sitting in a circle amongst ourselves. I profoundly deepened my knowledge on these topics and greatly appreciated hearing these teachings from new perspectives with different ways of expressing the same truths. 

After this class, the sound of the gong led us to lunch which was a variety of curries, salad, potatoes, vegetables, freshly baked tortillas, soups and more. We had a two hour break for lunch and free time before our final class of the day. During this time I would read, journal, connect with other like minded souls wandering the property, lay out on the dock by the lake, go for a swim, answer homework questions and stare in awe at the abundant beauty that surrounded me.

When 3pm came around we would all gather in either Abuela or Jaguar Hall, which was another yoga temple, on the other side of the farm. A short and sweet walk up a path along the edges of the jungle with a climb up a few cobblestone steps would lead me to this sanctuary. We rolled out our mats, grabbed our props and began our asana lab class. Here we would use two weeks breaking down and studying the Hatha flow that we were taught in the morning and the last two weeks doing the same thing with the Vinyasa flow. We learned how to cue poses, proper alignment, give adjustments, the different functions of certain poses and of course how to confidently teach the poses and flows. We would do peer teaching during class and refine our teaching skills. At the end of both of the two weeks, we taught the entire Hatha and then the Vinyasa flow to one of our classmates along with pranayama and meditation. 

After the asana lab, the gong would ring signaling dinner. Dinner was my favorite meal of the day with a selection of foods such as tacos, nachos, curries, vegetables, pasta, guacamole, potatoes, lasagna, veggie patties and much more. I would grab my plate and sit down on the floor cushion around the large wooden communal table with my new soul friends. We would eat, chat, connect, laugh and express gratitude for the day that we all got to share together. After dinner we would wash our dishes which was often followed by a nightly Satsang. These Satsangs were spaces that allowed for deeper connection to Self and/or with each other. Some of my most cherished Satsangs were the Temezcal sauna, fire ceremonies, cacao ceremonies and authentic relating games. 

After twenty one days of Self study and the study of yoga it had felt as if I had been reborn. I shed layers of what no longer served me, deepened my yoga teaching and philosophy knowledge and expanded my consciousness profoundly. We had a beautiful graduation where we adorned ourselves with white outfits, glitter and flowers. We had a fire ceremony to close the training in the same way we had opened the initiation of the training. We were each handed our certificates, sang, chanted, shared stories, drank cacao and released tears of joy as we celebrated and honored this sacred journey we had all been on together. This training at the farm was nothing short of mystical and transformational. I left with a sense of clarity, wisdom, connection, inspiration and most importantly an expanded heartspace full of Love. I cannot possibly find all of the words to properly express the amount of gratitude I feel for this spiritually immersive journey.