Soma Retreat Center, 160, Guanacaste Province, San Juanillo, Costa Rica
Up to 15 in group
Jan 11 - 27, 2026
About this Retreat
Therapeutic Yoga Counselor | Practitioner of Ayurveda | Food Alchemist | Archer
Sonia Kaur, E-RYT 500, is a deeply intuitive guide and teacher who brings over 5,000 hours of teaching and training experience in the healing arts of Yoga and Ayurveda. As a Therapeutic Yoga Counselor and practitioner rooted in traditional wisdom, Sonia specializes in Yoga Philosophy, Mindful Yoga, Pranayama (breathwork), Meditation, and Ayurveda Cooking for Self-Healers.
At the heart of Sonia’s teaching is the sacred inquiry of the Self. Her approach gently invites students to release stored tension—both physical and emotional—through conscious movement, breath, reflection, and philosophical dialogue. Her sessions are deeply grounding, drawing seekers inward to reconnect with their true essence and experience the freedom that comes from letting go of old patterns and stories.
Sonia also shares her passion for Ayurvedic living through her work as a Food Alchemist, teaching the healing power of cooking with intention. From her organic, sustainable farm, Pura Veda, she demonstrates how yoga and Ayurveda can be fully woven into everyday life—whether through nourishing meals, conscious farming, or even the meditative stillness found in her practice of mindful archery.
A true embodiment of integrated living, Sonia holds space for transformation with warmth, wisdom, and a deep reverence for the natural rhythms of life.
Assistant Teacher | E-RYT 200 | Co-Facilitator |
Ciro is a multifaceted teacher and creative whose intuitive presence brings balance, clarity, and inspiration to every space he holds. As an Assistant Yoga Teacher for this training, Ciro weaves together a deep love for anatomy, mindful movement, and the healing wisdom of Ayurveda to support students on their personal path to well-being.
With a calm and easygoing nature, Ciro is known for offering clear, thoughtful instruction that meets students exactly where they are. Whether guiding an asana practice, discussing energetic imbalances, or sharing insights into Ayurvedic lifestyle, Ciro leads with compassion, curiosity, and grounded understanding.
Influenced by the teachings of mentors like Sonia Kaur, Ciro explores the deeper dimensions of yoga through self-inquiry, breath work, and daily rituals that connect body, mind, and spirit. His approach honors both structure and spontaneity, inviting others to reconnect with their natural rhythm and inner creativity.
Details of this retreat
Our Yoga Teacher Training provides an integrative approach that pulls from various styles and modalities. Theory classes, philosophy discussions, meditation, pranayama practice, anatomy and hands-on asana labs, self-reflection, and explorations are some of the many techniques we will use to deepen our understanding of yoga.
This training was created from a vision that goes beyond just learning how to teach yoga. Together as a community, we will live yoga through daily rhythms, reflection, and exploration. We will share skills like sequencing and asana alignment, along with the tools to become a confident teacher. You will also explore yoga, breathe yoga, and integrate this practice in a way that stays with you long after the training ends.
Some other unique aspects of this training include:
Learning in a Living School of Yoga and Ayurveda (Gurukulam): You will learn, explore, and be yoga every day through daily living. This training is designed to help you integrate the profound teachings of yoga off the mat as well.
Explorative Learning: We focus a lot of energy on explorations and explorative learning so that you can resonate with and embody the material we are teaching rather than just memorizing facts. Traditionally, yoga was taught through inquiry-based, experiential, and explorative learning. Through this course, we honor the traditional way yoga has been taught for centuries.
Becoming a Teacher: From day one all participants get practice being in the role of the teacher. Throughout the course, we will explore sequencing, verbal cueing, alignment, basic adjustments, and how to create a safe practice. Our approach integrates multiple modalities from anatomy, teaching methodology, philosophy, traditional yoga, and modern yoga so that you feel confident teaching by the end of this training. To put it simply, if your goal is to teach, this training will provide you with the tools and skills to become a confident teacher.
Small Groups: We want to make sure that as facilitators we can provide individual attention to each participant and really get to know you. We will not exceed a training group of 15 participants. Most of our trainings contain 10 to 12 participants. At Pura Veda you do not need to worry about being just one more face in a large group of students. We intentionally keep our trainings to small numbers so we can all build a connection and form a strong community through the 17 days.
Community: Our Gurukulam is a family-run yoga school. Each student who journeys to this training becomes a part of the Pura Veda family. Pura Veda is a safe space where we can all share, connect, and form a family-like bond that will extend past our time in Costa Rica.
This course was intentionally designed to support the transformative processes of yoga. Every day follows an Ayurvedic daily schedule (dinacharya) and focuses on recalibrating your circadian rhythms, supporting your nervous system, and detoxifying the body. In addition, you will experience an Ayurvedic meal plan through three organic, freshly cooked, high-prana, vegetarian meals. Our food has a strong impact on our overall well-being, and the food served during the training has been carefully created to support balance and mental clarity. Each week you will get to experience a kitchari cleanse, which means for one day we will serve Ayurvedic kitchari to support detoxification, cleansing, and rejuvenation of the body.
Ayurveda has been carefully woven into the training, from the daily schedule to the food. We will also explore the foundations of Ayurveda, examining the doshas, element theory, and understanding how to create a yoga practice to balance our constitutions. Traditional Yoga and Ayurveda were always taught together. They are sister sciences that deeply support one another. Through this course, you will not just gain all the tools needed to become a Yoga Alliance certified teacher, but you will also understand the foundations of Ayurveda and how we can use simple Ayurvedic principles to support our health and well-being.
The yoga teacher training is more than a training, it is an opportunity to transform and rebalance in a supportive and safe environment. It is a space where like-minded individuals come together to live and explore. It is a place where connections are made and community is built. Pura Veda is also our home, and we would love to invite you to come live with us as we explore yoga together.