Some experiences last a lifetime

Our RYS-200 immersion program is a 16-day session allowing students an opportunity to dive deeply into yoga and receive their certification in a progressive, immersion format. Graduates become RYT-200 certified upon graduation when they join Yoga Alliance. We meet daily from 8:30am till 7:30pm, pacing each day to sustain the longer hours comfortably. Aerial yoga certification is scheduled at the end of the session or arrangements can be made to take Chair certification at another time as a substitute for Aerial if that is a better fit for your goals.) 

We begin each day with a practice revolving class styles to assure students are exposed to varied methodology of yoga to expand the understanding of the most popular yoga styles today. Some of the classes may be yin or restorative, while others are flow or kundalini. After practice we have lectures, films, anatomy, meditation, pranayama, teaching practice, etc. We are careful to pace the day to keep everyone's energy up and since the Heartwood grounds are a very inspirational place, we often move out of the yoga center to have a discussion around our fire pit, practice in our open-air yoga pavilion or under the shade of trees near the medicine wheel or hold conversations in the meditation gazebo.  Heartwood's meditation garden won a national award and was featured in Country Garden Magazine too, providing another inspirational environment to visit or practice. 

This program is deeply transformational, inspiring and, thanks to the fact that one lesson or discussion stacks upon another, forms a deep understanding of yoga. Unlike some drawn out programs where down time between meetings or absences pause the process, we find the immersion program produces some truly amazing, dynamic teachers, thanks to the momentum and single focus of the studies during our time together.  During these programs, a vegetarian lunch and dinner together is served on the grounds of Heartwood (vegan and gluten- options available), allowing us to continue with our studies while breaking bread together to connect as a tribe. Snacks are available all day, as well as self-serve breakfast foods. Students are invited to journal after hours and in breaks to help process the concepts we are studying.

In addition to a classical yoga education, this program includes a creative art project, gong meditations, journaling, a personal photo shoot, business of yoga, and other lovely activities to open minds and hearts to a new way of looking at life, while also preparing the student for teaching others and creating lasting memories and relationships with your tribe. Be prepared for 16 wonderful days of yoga, yoga, yoga. You will work hard but enjoy every minute.

Our entire program is also offered online with powerful prerecorded sessions to make the concepts easy to understand and apply. All of our graduates are offered lifetime access to this material to reinforce your education and provide a resource to support your career. This includes anatomy, postures, alignment & modifications, Sanskrit, philosophy, sound healing, meditation, pranayama, business of yoga and more. 

Also, we are happy to give prospective students a tour or talk on the phone if you have any questions and to explore if we are the best fit for you and your goals.

When a person decides to commit 200 hours to study a subject (even one they love) it requires an investment of time, energy and money. We are honored when people trust us with their yoga education and do our best to provide an inspirational, authentic yoga experience that sets a foundation for future learning, teaching and personal development. The Heartwood 16 day RYS-200 immersion yoga certification is recognized worldwide through Yoga Alliance and our reputation is something we are deeply proud of. You can check Heartwood Yoga Institute on the Yoga Alliance Website to see over 300 five star reviews from people who have graduated from our program and gone on to forge careers (Link below). 

As a yoga training facility (rather than a studio) our staff trains almost 200 teachers a season, so the program has been refined and continues to evolve, raising educational standards as well as creating a truly inspirational facility for learning. It is our belief that yoga introduced well is an experience that lasts a lifetime. We keep programs small (averaging 10-16) so each student is recognized as an individual, has opportunity to contribute to conversations and sharing, and the tribe can connect on a deeply personal level. 

Best of all, students graduate feeling both competent and confident with a deep understanding of yoga and a skill set that can be applied to their lives and improving the lives of others.

We start on arrival day with an orientation at 6pm where we get acquainted, go over the syllabus, assign dorms to those staying with us and tour the Heartwood facility. Students should arrive between 3pm and 6pm. We begin the formal training the next morning at 8:30 am. 

No lodging is available before the scheduled arrival day, (please refer to our housing options for a link to nearby hotels for those who need a night's accommodation due to the travel arrangements they have made.)  Students who do not arrive by 6:00pm for the orientation on arrival day would need to get a hotel room for the first night if their travel arrangements did not make it possible to arrive by 6:00 pm, as we are not available to greet or take care of late guests once the session begins. We cannot disturb students in any of our housing options after  9pm. 

We offer a free airport pickups on the scheduled arrival day at 4:00 pm from the Tampa Airport or Sarasota Airport. If you come earlier, you will need to wait at the airport or rent a car or Uber to come to Heartwood instead of waiting for our free service. The Tampa airport is a one hour drive, and the Sarasota airport is a 38 minute drive unless traffic extends the trip. Our free return airport transfer will leave the day after training at 8:00 am. Flights leaving at 11:00am or later will be fine with this arrangement. Otherwise, students making earlier flight arrangements will need to take an Uber or catch a ride with one of their tribe members (and often, after spending a few weeks together and forming trusting friendships, this is the case.) 

Checkout of Heartwood Housing is at 10:00 am.  

We strive to make your visit as convenient as possible, but as a small, private educational facility attending to only 7-12 students a session (rather than a large resort or hotel) we must adhere to the procedures explained here and our services for rides etc.. are limited.