Feb 15-March 4, 2025
200-HOUR THERAPEUTIC
YOGA TEACHER TRAINING, PLAYA NEGRA, COSTA RICA
Yoga from the Therapeutic Perspective.
EMBRACE THE PURA VIDA LIFESTYLE AT OUR PEACEFUL COSTA RICA RETREAT
The Peace Retreat, Playa Negra, Costa Rica is a wellness center and eco-resort designed as a nature lovers paradise, perfect for your deep immersion into yoga and is walking distance to Playa Negra beach.
The Peace Retreat is designed intentionally to achieve the right balance of peace and rejuvenation for all its guest and includes a variety of accommodation options all with safes, ceiling fans and fresh linen service. The property includes two open air and screened yoga studios, a 10-foot deep swimming and dive pool, spa options, and Nourish at Peace, an Ayurvedically inspired restaurant.
Playa Negra is a small beach and surf community that's off the beaten track. You will find yourself surrounded by unspoiled nature, next to the most beautiful beaches of Guanacaste on the North Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is just a 25 minute walk from Peace Retreat to Playa Negra beach through a jungle path or a 5-minute shuttle ride. The beach is large and lovely, the ocean is warm and the sunsets are magical. The beach has a surf wave and an area where you can swim safely. On your off time or for day off adventures you can enjoy all that costa rica offers; surf or paddleboard lessons, options for a variety of ceremonies, local eco-excursions, kayaking, bird watching, horseback riding and hiking to waterfalls, star gazing into the dark sky and much more.
If you have not yet had a chance to visit this tropical paradise nestled in Central America, you won't be disappointed. It is a safe travel destination for solo travelers and beckons nature enthusiasts with its unparalleled natural beauty and abundant biodiversity. Renowned for its commitment to conservation, the country boasts a plethora of national parks that showcase the richness of its ecosystems. For nature lovers, Costa Rica is a haven, offering a wildly wonderful experience with diverse wildlife and lush landscapes. The phrase "Pura Vida," meaning pure life, encapsulates the essence of this vibrant nation, where the locals embrace a laid-back and joyful lifestyle. Endless adventures await, from exploring dense rainforests to witnessing breathtaking waterfalls and pristine beaches.
DIVE DEEP INTO YOGA AT 200 HOUR TEACHER TRAINING
This training equips students with comprehensive skills for using Yoga as a tool for holistic health, self-transformation, and empowerment. Our 200-hour curriculum combines alignment-based vinyasa flow and traditional Hatha Yoga within a therapeutic framework.
Students will learn a variety of Yoga techniques including postures, anatomy, relaxation, breath control (pranayama), and meditation, all applied through precise, anatomy-informed alignment principles to ensure safe, balanced, and free Yoga practices.
The course also delves into yogic philosophy, covering Ayurveda, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, and the Chakra System, applying these teachings to foster well-being.
Practical sessions feature hatha and vinyasa yoga, emphasizing biomechanically sound alignment. Classes cater to all skill levels and body types, and include a range of poses—from dynamic flows to gentle, restorative movements.
Our flexible teaching frameworks encourage creativity and help students find their unique voice, preparing graduates to teach diverse yoga styles including vinyasa flow, alignment-based yoga, and specialty classes for different abilities and ages.
This approach ensures a deep, personal connection to the practice and teaching of yoga, empowering graduates to effectively share yoga’s benefits.
Open the door to adventure
Yoga Style: Mindful Vinyasa Yoga, Hatha, and Restorative through a Therapeutic Lens
Pose Study with Adaptations for ALL BODIES (includes standing poses, hip openers, forward bends, twists, backbends, inversions, and supine)
Alignment: Bio-mechanically sound & anatomy informed alignment
Skill Level: All levels of yoga practitioners are welcome. Some come to deepen their practice and others to learn to teach.
Class Demographics: Ages 17 – 70, diversity welcome. Our class sizes are typically between 18 - 24 students with 2 experienced instructors.
Certification: Soma Yoga Institute 200 Certification, Yoga Alliance RYT-200 Upon Successful Completion
Instructors: Train with C-IAYT Certified Yoga Therapists & E-RYT 500 Master Teachers with 25 + years experience
Learn to teach with safety, skill, and confidence
This program and the teachings are so beautiful, authentic and come from heart. My confidence as a yoga teacher has increased hugely. I have literally only dipped my toe into the vast ocean of Yogic knowledge but this yoga teacher training has definitely provided me with an amazing foundation to build upon. Thank you, to Liz and the teachers, for creating such a safe, supportive and nourishing environment, you have instilled so much confidence in me to grow and be the best version of myself. The curriculum suited me so well, I am very interested in Ayurveda and the alignment based pose study was very insightful, learning proper alignment in my own practice was invaluable and I definitely dug deeper into my soul over the past 18 days.
– Cornelius Sheehan, Peace Retreat, 200 Hour YTT Costa Rica
CURRICULUM HIGHLIGHTS
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
Variations and adaptations for all bodies, including special populations such as seniors, trauma-sensitive, and those with injuries.
Learn the art of sequencing yoga classes that honors your authentic voice and meets the needs of your student population
Explore breath work, mantra and meditation as tools to create vibrant health and wellbeing in your life
Gain insights into your (true) nature through the ancient wisdom of Yoga and its philosophy
Business of yoga training module, develop your vision and create a successful future
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
Please note: This teacher training program is approved with Yoga Alliance (Y.A.) and graduates are eligible to register with Y.A. as a Registered Yoga Teacher at the 200-hour level (RYT-200). The therapeutic perspective & curricular components of this program are based on the instructors' registration as a Certified Yoga Therapist with the International Association of Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT) and not derived from their status as an E-RYT 500 with the Y.A. Registry as the Y.A. Registry does not certify therapists, solely yoga teachers.
JUST WOW! My understanding of yoga has changed from a more dominant physical practice to a more balanced mind-body spirituality. I loved the alignment study. This was a true learning experience focusing on the placements and foundations from the ground up and the bones out was truly eye opening. So much material was covered in these 17 days I'm truly impressed. I never felt it was overwhelming but the content and how it was delivered was truly professional and enjoyable. Our instructors Alison and Peggy immediately made us feel at home, with their warm nature and compassion. Yes, I would absolutely do another yoga teacher training with Soma and highly recommend this teacher training to others.
– Allison O'Callaghan, Peace Retreat, Costa Rica Yoga Teacher Training
Liz Heffernan
E-RYT 500, C-IAYT, MA
Liz Heffernan, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT is an international yoga teacher and Integrative Yoga Therapist. She draws from decades of personal yoga practice, 25 years of teaching, and extensive training in Hatha and Vinyasa yoga through a variety of lineages including Kripalu, Integrative Yoga Therapy, Ashtanga Yoga, and Anusara. She currently directs and leads yoga teacher training programs, continuing education, 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.
Molly Masaoka
E-RYT 500
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. While the core of Molly’s teaching is alignment-based flow and restorative yoga, there is a deep level of therapeutic guidance that governs all she offers—from her public classes, workshops, and private sessions to her ongoing teacher training programs and festival courses.
THE DETAILS
DAILY SCHEDULE
6:00 - Meditation, pranayama, and gentle movement
7:30 - Breakfast
8:30 - Yoga asana practice plus techniques or teaching methodology
12:30 - Lunch
13:30 - Restorative, gentle, therapeutic practice, or Yoga Nidra. Yoga philosophy, lifestyle, and ethics, anatomy, and physiology, practice teaching
14:00 - Afternoon break to rest, swim or take in the amazing sunsets of Costa Rica
16:00 - Dinner
18:00 - Evening session
HEALTHY MEALS
Food is Medicine at the Peace Retreat - Costa Rica. The cuisine is delicious, healthy, locally sourced and organic when possible. Expect three delicious meals a day made with love from a variety of local, minimally processed ingredients and prepared with Ayurvedic food principles. Vegetarian meals are provided with vegan options and occasional protien sources. Students who have special dietary requirements are encouraged to let us know in advance as we will do our best to accommodate them. Snacks and smoothies with fresh tropical fruits options are also availble for purchase at their on-site restaurant, Nourish at Peace.
ALL-INCLUSIVE PACKAGE PRICES
ALL INCLUSIVE YOGA TEACHER TRAINING PACKAGES INCLUDE:
✨Housing
✨Three delicious and healthy meals per day prepared for you with love
✨Yoga teacher training tuition
✨Instruction from world class C-IAYT yoga therapists/E-RYT 500 instructors with over 25 years of experience
✨A comprehensive 250 page Yoga Teacher Training Manual
✨Daily room cleaning, as needed towel changes, and weekly sheet changes
✨One load of laundry per week washed and dried for you
✨Business of yoga curriculum to help you design the teaching career of your dreams
✨As needed mentoring after the program ends
✨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
All inclusive prices vary based on housing choice:
Accommodation options vary from double or single-shared cabinas and an open-air bath-house and single-stall bathrooms, as well as private indoor rooms with ensuite bathrooms and attached balconies - all with safes, ceiling fans, and fresh linen service.
Shared Accommodations
🍃Casa Verde Private Quartered Dorm | Shared Community Bath House $3997 USD
🍃Jungle Cabina Double Occupancy | Shared Community Bath House $3997 USD
🍃Double Room in Casa (Om, Samadhi, or Shanti Room) | En Suite Bathroom $4249 USD
🍃Double Bunglow | En Suite Bathroom | A/C $4547 USD
Single Accommodations
🪷Jungle Cabina Single Occupancy | Shared Community Bath House $4847 USD
🪷Single Room in Casa (Om, Samadhi, or Shanti Room) | En Suite Bathroom $5397 USD
🪷Single Bunglow | En Suite Bathroom | A/C $5597 USD
(Payment plan options now available through Afterpay)
PROGRAM DEPOSIT & TUITION PAYMENT SCHEDULE
SIGN-UP TODAY!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.
Ask about our buy now and pay later option through Afterpay, available for those in United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand.
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.
"I had high expectations for this yoga teacher training and all were surpassed! Peggy and Alison are incredible educators, yogis and inspirations. They complemented each other so beautifully and they are so talented, compassionate, and modeled so well the kind of yoga teacher I would like to be. The content and instruction was attentive to making yoga safe, accessible and trauma informed and was exactly what I wanted. This experience has been profound for me guiding me to some important internal changing of patterns. This yoga training also deepened my knowledge and understanding of the background of yoga and how it is used therapeutically. The routine of the course inspired me to dedicate myself more fully to practice. I am so moved by how loving the instructors were and how they supported all of us and made themselves completely available to us as we made our way through the training. Such a big thank you to Soma for conducting an incredible experience."
-Peggy Leggat, Peace Retreat, 200 Hour YTT Costa Rica
Transportation
We make it EASY & SAFE 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 12:00pm and 3:30 p.m. on arrival day (Feb 15) and returns to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) for flights departing after 12:30 p.m. on departure day (March 4). Shuttle from Liberia to Peace Retreat takes approximately 1.5 hours. The group shuttle charge is 50 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 (Feb 15) and returns departing Peace Retreat at 8:00 a.m. on departure day (March 4) for flights leaving after 3:00pm. Shuttle from San Jose to Peace Retreat takes approximately 4 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.
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