Hatha Yoga Teacher Training with a Therapeutic Approach

Lead Trainer | E-RYT 500 | Yoga Therapist | Compassionate Inquiry trained (Gabor Maté) | former RN For more than 20 years I have found healing through the practice of Yoga. It is a path that continues to connect me to my authentic Self. It simultaneously strengthens me and softens me from the inside out each day. Yoga is an ancient and rich philosophy that I am humbled to live by and to share. I feel grateful to live, practice and teach here at Cara Creek Eco Lodge where yoga and nature are seamlessly woven together. Over time, I’ve come to realize that living yogically and living sustainably are essentially the same thing. They are both rooted in presence, discipline, balance and respect for life. My intention in facilitating 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training is to honor the traditions and philosophy of yoga with the highest respect, to apply the ancient teachings to the realities of our current day lives, and to hold space for the authentic unfolding of each trainee’s journey. Ultimately, my hope is that every student leaves with a committed self-practice and a unique, embodied way of sharing yoga through teaching and through the way they live. To me, yoga is a path of knowing yourself more deeply and compassionately. It is a process of deconditioning and shedding layers of fear and judgement to invite in love and unwavering presence. The way we live naturally ripples outward, shaping how we relate to ourselves, to others and to the world. Yoga has made me a student for life, and I feel immense gratitude for all those who have touched my path. I give thanks to my family and friends, my students, and all of the teachers who have influenced my practice. And most of all I give thanks to this life itself. It has been in the most challenging times that my Yoga practice has held me and quietly whispered, “Open to it all, and feel.” And for me that is precisely why we are here, having this experience.

E-RYT 200 Franzi began her journey to healing with her study of psychology and ultimately graduating as a counsellor in Vienna. Dismayed by the narrow parameters that defined psychological health in the Western system she travelled to India where she worked with orphaned children. There she met her teachers - yoga therapists Acharya Venkatesh and Acharya Hema, with whom she studied for three years. ⁠ ⁠ Franzi has experienced a profound return to health through the kriyas and practices learned under their guidance. Vipassana has also been a great part of her practice.⁠ Her teaching is based on the therapeutic approach of traditional hatha yoga. ⁠ ⁠ Healing through the observation and assimilation of sensation in order to release the blocks causative of injury and degeneration.⁠

Yoga Teacher I have been teaching one way or another for the past decade. Firstly as ski instructor worldwide for 4 years and more recently as a fitness coach and personal trainer in the UK. When yoga then became a steady part of my own life, my aspiration to share the practice from a teaching perspective felt like a natural transition for me. I completed the 200hr YTT at Cara Creek myself in 2023. The 21-day training solidified my feelings and desire to share this ancient practice with others. I have just recently begun my yoga teaching journey as I now have the time and space in my life to do so. For me, teaching yoga is about creating a space where people can show up for themselves to calm the mind, listen to the body and breathe more freely through a series of postures. Other things about me: I absolutely love dogs, nature is my happy place, I try to cold water dip often and my real name is Amelia!

Yoga Teacher & Kirtan Leader Sandra is an experienced yoga student and certified yoga teacher since 2018. She loves emphasizing on the internal perception and experience by combining different types of bodywork such as Critical Alignment yoga and Somatics. Music is an important part of her life. Ever since her childhood, she loves to sing and play various instruments. For her, yoga and singing mantras is a way to dive deeper into the Self. It is her way of slowing down, heal, letting go and trust. Taking the time, listening to her inner wisdom, surprise herself, be touched and connect to all there is.

E-RYT 500 Yoga is and remains the path I have taken toward healing. For over 20 years I’ve tried and tested many techniques from ashtanga yoga to transcendental meditation, and the teachings of various gurus and various plant medicines.⁠⁠​ Like so many, my life has been about deconditioning from the traumatic influences of an unwell society. I’ve met so many inspiring and compassionate people along the way and discovered many gifts on the other side of healing. I can only feel gratitude for the fierce grace that has blessed his path.⁠⁠ The practices I share have helped me so much and I have complete faith in the methods that I practice and teach. I never teach anything I have not experienced for myself. I teach in the hope that what I share will in some small way contribute to helping the student find more peace within themselves, and thus contribute to making the world a better place.⁠⁠ ​

Herbal Yoga Teacher Daisy May is a practising Hatha Vinyasa teacher, naturopath and herbalist. She trained as a yoga teacher at Cara Creek in 2021. Her Journey with healing started 10 years ago when travelling in India and seeing first hand the power of healing through yoga, food and herbs. Creator of Herbal yoga, a weaving of sensory and intuitive herbalism and yoga, she believes this supports individuals in deep healing of themselves and their relationships to the outer plant world, the herbs that grow around us. This empowerment offers a deeper sense of connection by working with the qualities of the herbs to guide the breath, movement and meditation. She lives off-grid on her land in Central Portugal, growing and foraging medicines and practising permaculture. The integration of self healing and land healing is a passion for Daisy as she strives to weave these two worlds in her practises.