The Seat of the Teacher: Holding Space for Your Students
The Seat of the Teacher: Holding Space for Your Students
Up to 30 in group
June 26 - 29, 2025
Retreat Highlights
- Understanding "Spiritual Practice" and learning meditation techniques
- Exploring awareness and attention to recognize and release conditioned mind patterns
- Learning the Five Process Tools for self-compassion and heart-centered awareness
- Applying awareness tools to everyday life and creating support and accountability
- Engaging in discussions and practices to reconnect with authentic nature
About this Retreat
Your Guides
Kate Bharati Thuss is the founder of Sthira Sukham Yoga, a traditional school of Hatha Yoga located in Northern Virginia. After nearly 20 years of practice, and a decade of teaching, Kate credits the practices of Yoga for shaping and saving her life. While navigating life through the lens of anxiety and depression, she learned not only how powerful the practices are, but how incredibly impactful a compassionate teacher can be. In 2014 she set out to become a teacher herself, and trained under the masterful eye of Satya Greenstone and Lalita Vigander at the Integral Yoga Academy.
On her path to becoming an E-RYT 500, she’s studied LifeForce Yoga (for depression, anxiety & PTSD) with Amy Weintraub, iRest Yoga Nidra with Karen Soltes of the Integrative Restoration Institute, and Yoga Psychology via Ashley Turner’s Yoga.Psych.Soul 300 hour program. In 2020 she completed her second 300 hour program with the Himalayan Institute, and went on to become a certified Accessible Yoga Teacher with Jivana Heyman in early 2022.
She’s spent countless hours studying trauma and the impact it has on all of us, and has always used this knowledge to inform her teaching style. She’s led numerous 200 Hour teacher training programs and prides herself on fostering compassionate and inclusive teachers.
Details of this retreat
Gain the skills and knowledge to support your students' healing journey through compassionate and informed yoga instruction.
We invite you to join us for an inspiring weekend designed to enrich your skills and deepen your understanding of your role as a yoga teacher. While it’s easy to get caught up in playlists and creative sequencing, being a compassionate facilitator who knows how to hold the space for their students is crucial, now more than ever.
We’ll begin our time together by exploring the concept of meeting our students right where they are. To do so, we must acknowledge and understand trauma, how it impacts the nervous system, its prevalence in the world around us, and how it may commonly manifest itself in yoga spaces. With that deeper level of understanding, we’ll explore how the practices of Yoga can naturally address trauma, and how you as a teacher can be better prepared to support your students along their path.
We’ll also explore the language choices we make, and how impactful they can be on our students and those around us. From carefully considered cuing to the music quietly playing in the background, everything we do sets the tone and creates the container for our students to either feel welcome or wary in our presence. Special attention will be paid to the language of Yoga Nidra, ensuring it supports a calming and inclusive environment.
Furthermore, we will explore the crucial topic of power dynamics in yoga spaces. Understanding the inherent power you hold as a teacher and questioning if your language inadvertently asserts dominance is essential for creating a compassionate environment. We’ll reflect on the use of physical adjustments and the motivation behind them, as we explore the purpose of postures in our modern world.
Additionally we will discuss what it truly means to "hold the space," including the importance of non-attachment to outcomes and maintaining neutrality as a teacher.
Our hope is that you’ll leave feeling refreshed, inspired, and better equipped to support your students as they navigate their personal path with the practices of yoga.
What You'll Learn:
Compassionate Facilitation: Gain insights into how trauma affects the nervous system and its manifestation in yoga spaces.
Mindful Language Choices: Explore the impact of your language and cuing on creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Yoga Nidra Language: Learn how to use language in Yoga Nidra to foster a calming and supportive atmosphere.
Power Dynamics: Understand the inherent power you hold as a teacher and how to navigate it ethically in your classes.
Physical Adjustments: Reflect on the purpose and motivation behind physical adjustments in yoga practice.
Holding Space: Master the principles of non-attachment and neutrality to effectively hold space for your students.
This workshop is ideal for yoga teachers, mental health professionals, and anyone interested in creating effective and authentic yoga environments. Gain the skills and knowledge to support your students' healing journey through compassionate and informed yoga instruction.
Join us to enhance your teaching practice and make a positive impact in the lives of your students.
Schedule
THURSDAY
3–5 pm
Registration
5–6:30 pm
Integral Yoga Hatha – Mixed Level
6–6:30 pm
Meditation
6:30–7:30 pm
Dinner
7:30–9 pm
Welcome circle and brief introduction
FRIDAY
6:30–8 am
Integral Yoga Hatha Mixed Level
8:00–9:30 am
Breakfast
10:00–11:30 am
Meet your students right where they are
12–12:30 pm
Puja at Kailash or Meditation at Guru Bhavan or Chidambaram
12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30–2:30 pm
Be Free (Journal, Hike, Read, Rest etc.)
2:30–4:30 pm
Sticks and stones and setting the tone
5–6:30 pm
Mixed Level Hatha
5–5:45 pm
Yoga Nidra
6–6:30 pm
Meditation
6:30–7:15 pm
Dinner
7:30–9 pm
Power plays and postures
SATURDAY
6–7 am
Integral Yoga Meditation
7:10–8:40 am
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 1
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 2
8:30–9:30 am
Breakfast
10–11:30 am
Holding the space
11:45 am
Van to LOTUS (meet behind dorms)
12–12:30 pm
Meditation at LOTUS
12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30–3:00 pm
Be Free (Journal, Hike, Read, Rest etc.)
3:00–5:00 pm
Bringing it all together
5:30–6:15 pm
Dinner
7:30–9 pm
Satsang (Gathering of Seekers of the Truth)
Kirtan, Video of Swami Satchidananda
Talk with ………………………
SUNDAY
6–7 am
Integral Yoga Meditation with …
7:10–8:40 am
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 1 with …
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 2 with …
8–9:30 am
Breakfast
10:00–11:30 am
Closing sharing circle
12–12:30 pm
Meditation
12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch
2 pm
Check out
We invite you to join us for an inspiring weekend designed to enrich your skills and deepen your understanding of your role as a yoga teacher. While it’s easy to get caught up in playlists and creative sequencing, being a compassionate facilitator who knows how to hold the space for their students is crucial, now more than ever.
We’ll begin our time together by exploring the concept of meeting our students right where they are. To do so, we must acknowledge and understand trauma, how it impacts the nervous system, its prevalence in the world around us, and how it may commonly manifest itself in yoga spaces. With that deeper level of understanding, we’ll explore how the practices of Yoga can naturally address trauma, and how you as a teacher can be better prepared to support your students along their path.
We’ll also explore the language choices we make, and how impactful they can be on our students and those around us. From carefully considered cuing to the music quietly playing in the background, everything we do sets the tone and creates the container for our students to either feel welcome or wary in our presence. Special attention will be paid to the language of Yoga Nidra, ensuring it supports a calming and inclusive environment.
Furthermore, we will explore the crucial topic of power dynamics in yoga spaces. Understanding the inherent power you hold as a teacher and questioning if your language inadvertently asserts dominance is essential for creating a compassionate environment. We’ll reflect on the use of physical adjustments and the motivation behind them, as we explore the purpose of postures in our modern world.
Additionally we will discuss what it truly means to "hold the space," including the importance of non-attachment to outcomes and maintaining neutrality as a teacher.
Our hope is that you’ll leave feeling refreshed, inspired, and better equipped to support your students as they navigate their personal path with the practices of yoga.
What You'll Learn:
Compassionate Facilitation: Gain insights into how trauma affects the nervous system and its manifestation in yoga spaces.
Mindful Language Choices: Explore the impact of your language and cuing on creating a welcoming and inclusive environment.
Yoga Nidra Language: Learn how to use language in Yoga Nidra to foster a calming and supportive atmosphere.
Power Dynamics: Understand the inherent power you hold as a teacher and how to navigate it ethically in your classes.
Physical Adjustments: Reflect on the purpose and motivation behind physical adjustments in yoga practice.
Holding Space: Master the principles of non-attachment and neutrality to effectively hold space for your students.
This workshop is ideal for yoga teachers, mental health professionals, and anyone interested in creating effective and authentic yoga environments. Gain the skills and knowledge to support your students' healing journey through compassionate and informed yoga instruction.
Join us to enhance your teaching practice and make a positive impact in the lives of your students.
Schedule
THURSDAY
3–5 pm
Registration
5–6:30 pm
Integral Yoga Hatha – Mixed Level
6–6:30 pm
Meditation
6:30–7:30 pm
Dinner
7:30–9 pm
Welcome circle and brief introduction
FRIDAY
6:30–8 am
Integral Yoga Hatha Mixed Level
8:00–9:30 am
Breakfast
10:00–11:30 am
Meet your students right where they are
12–12:30 pm
Puja at Kailash or Meditation at Guru Bhavan or Chidambaram
12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30–2:30 pm
Be Free (Journal, Hike, Read, Rest etc.)
2:30–4:30 pm
Sticks and stones and setting the tone
5–6:30 pm
Mixed Level Hatha
5–5:45 pm
Yoga Nidra
6–6:30 pm
Meditation
6:30–7:15 pm
Dinner
7:30–9 pm
Power plays and postures
SATURDAY
6–7 am
Integral Yoga Meditation
7:10–8:40 am
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 1
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 2
8:30–9:30 am
Breakfast
10–11:30 am
Holding the space
11:45 am
Van to LOTUS (meet behind dorms)
12–12:30 pm
Meditation at LOTUS
12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch
1:30–3:00 pm
Be Free (Journal, Hike, Read, Rest etc.)
3:00–5:00 pm
Bringing it all together
5:30–6:15 pm
Dinner
7:30–9 pm
Satsang (Gathering of Seekers of the Truth)
Kirtan, Video of Swami Satchidananda
Talk with ………………………
SUNDAY
6–7 am
Integral Yoga Meditation with …
7:10–8:40 am
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 1 with …
Integral Yoga Hatha – Level 2 with …
8–9:30 am
Breakfast
10:00–11:30 am
Closing sharing circle
12–12:30 pm
Meditation
12:45–1:30 pm
Lunch
2 pm
Check out
Getting Here
Accommodation
Shared Dormitory: Bottom Bunk
Bottom bunk in a shared dorm room.
Dorm rooms contain 4-8 beds.
Shared bathroom
Dorm rooms are not coed
Availability is Gender Specific
Private Dormitory
This is a private room with a shared bathroom in our Ramalinga Nilayam Dorm - Females Only
LGH: Full Bed
Private room and Private Bath. A single Full bed and a private bath designed for those seeking peace in solitude.
LGH: 2 Twin beds
Private Room and Private Bath. Two twin Beds and a private bath that is ideal for friends looking to experience the bliss of Yogaville.
LGH: Queen Bed
Private Room and Private Bath. A queen bed or a queen with two day beds and a private bath that is perfect for couples and families searching for a peaceful time together. Please put in the personal comments if you need a room that includes trundles.
Venue & Amenities
A/C in Rooms
Free Wifi
Spa
Sauna
Pool
Towels
Free Parking
Kitchen
Tour Assistance
Hot Tub
Coffee/Tea
Cafe
Restaurant
Fitness Center
Yoga Studio
Housekeeping
Bicycles For Rent
What's Included
- Accomodations,
- Meals
- Meditation Sessions
- Yoga Classes
What's Not Included
- Transportation
- Airfare
Last Chance
