Explore Yoga as a vehicle for vibrant health, personal empowerment, and total well-being through a therapeutic approach instructed by world-class certified Yoga Therapists.

The curriculum includes a unique blend of alignment-based vinyasa flow, a solid foundation in Hatha Yoga and 200 hours of instruction offered within a therapeutic framework.

You will dive deep into the world of yoga through this comprehensive training that will shatter belief systems that hold you back from connecting to your best, most vibrant self.

The course combines modern-day biomechanics and research-driven science with ancient teachings. You will leave with an understanding of anatomy, alignment, and variations for ALL bodies, to keep you and your future students safe for a lifetime of practice.

Our non-dogmatic approach explores Yoga philosophy as a practice of radical self-love uncovering perspectives that encourage body positivity, unconditional acceptance, personal empowerment, and true mind-body-spirit health and wellness.

Learn to teach from the “eyes of love” and help the world heal one mindful breath at a time.

• Magical, oceanside location, sunrise beach meditations, views, and a yoga studio with an infinity pool
• Train with a world-class faculty and C-IAYT Yoga Therapists with over 25 years of teaching experience
• Learn a biomechanically sound and anatomy-informed alignment framework to avoid repetitive strain and injuries
• Explore a therapeutic perspective explores yoga as a vehicle for vibrant health, personal empowerment, and total well-being
• Mindful Vinyasa, Hatha, Therapeutic and Restorative practices with variations for ALL bodies
• Explore breath work, mantra and meditation as tools to create vibrant health and wellbeing in your life
• Variations for ALL Bodies - Learn to share the practices with others in a safe and powerful way
• Learn to share the practices with others in a safe and powerful way
• Fine-tune your asana through a deeper understanding of anatomy informed alignment principles
• Build self-confidence and tap into your amazing potential in a supportive, nurturing environment
• Gain insights into your (true) nature through the wisdom of Yoga and its philosophy
• Learn to teach from “eyes of love” and help the world heal one mindful breath at a time
• Eligible to register with Yoga Alliance as an RYT-200 upon completion

The instruction will cover a wide range of yoga techniques including yoga postures, anatomy, relaxation, breath awareness, pranayama, meditations to calm the mind, contemplations to transform limiting tendencies into life-affirming thought patterns, and the application of clear principles of alignment to create safety, balance, and freedom in yoga poses.

Students explore concepts from Ayurveda, the Upanishads, Patanjali and the chakra system as frameworks for the application of yoga as a journey towards radiant health and wellbeing.

The asana emphasis includes both level one/two alignment-based vinyasa flow sequencing as well as gentler and restorative variations.

Expect to practice asana from all categories of poses including standing poses, hip openers, forward bends, backward bends, twists, inversions, balancing supine, seated and prone.

Modifications for all levels of practitioners are provided and all levels of abilities are welcome to attend.

Rather than offer standard sequencing or rigid methodologies, students are exposed to frameworks that inspire each trainee to adapt the practices, awaken their creativity and find their own authentic voice as a teacher.

Graduates of this program feel empowered to teach a variety of yoga class types, including all levels vinyasa yoga, alignment-based classes, yoga foundations, senior, gentle, and restorative.

Our 200 hour curriculum guide & course prospectus has complete program information including full course descriptions with learning objectives and a frequently asked question list. We will happily send you a copy of this upon request.

The Costa Rica program is scheduled as an immersion program. while the program days are full, the activities of the day are kept diverse and active.

The days really are a wonderful mix of digesting concepts intellectually, applying the concepts experientially, and diving into the practices of yoga.

Care is taken into the program schedule to ensure that students have a healthy experience both physically and mentally.

They promise not to keep you sedentary for too long. There are physical activity and deep relaxation built into the program every day.

100% deposit refund

30+ days before retreat start date

50% deposit refund

15-29 days before retreat start date

0% deposit refund

0-14 days before retreat start date

Remaining Balance

• The remaining balance is due upon arrival.
• If paid at the time of booking, a full refund of the remaining balance is available up to the day before your retreat start date.

Please note: For deposit and remaining balance amounts, please refer to your booking summary email.

Our therapeutic perspective encourages each person to adapt the practices and find accessible modifications that bring delight and well-being in their body, mind and spirit.

As such our student groups are diverse in age, level, and ability and we welcome this diversity as it provides a rich learning environment for all. The community we co-create together is built on using "eyes of love" and compassionate communication, creating a safe and uplifting learning environment.

We offer the highest quality of instruction. Each faculty member is a certified C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, an E-RYT 500 yoga instructor, and brings over 25 years of teaching experience.

We are a top-rated Yoga Alliance school with a 9.5/10 NPS score on Yoga Alliance. Our student testimonials speak well about the specialness of this program. On Yoga Alliance, you can find over 450 reviews direct from our student graduates. From the Yoga Alliance homepage just search under school for Soma Yoga Institute.

At Salvatierra - Costa Rica the cuisine is delicious, healthy, locally sourced, and organic when possible. Most of the fruits and vegetables are organically produced on the Salvatierra farm.

When purchasing outside of the estate, the chefs always privilege local organic products. Therefore, by buying locally Salvatierra is helping the local Costa Rica community. In brief, it is a true farm-to-table experience with fish options. Vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free alternatives are provided to all students and included in the price of tuition.

Students who have special dietary requirements are encouraged to let us know in advance as we will do our best to accommodate them.

• LIZ HEFFERNAN
  Liz Heffernan, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT is an international yoga teacher and Integrative Yoga Therapist. She draws from over 25 years of teaching, and extensive training in the Hatha yoga systems of Kripalu, Integrative Yoga Therapy, Ashtanga and Anusara. She currently directs and leads Yoga teacher trainings 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. Additionally, Liz serves as a mentor-faculty member for the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy.
  Her personal journey with yoga began as a young teenager when through a random, yet auspicious opportunity she took a Yoga course at a nearby college. Here, in Savasana, she experienced a sense of peace and wellbeing, a feeling that was in profound contrast to her daily expression of herself. It took fifteen years for the seed that was planted then to germinate into a dedicated practice. Now, after 25 years of daily Yoga, Liz is humbly grateful to this life-affirming path that consistently realigns her physical body, thoughts and innermost intentions with more joy and a greater vibrancy
  
  Liz's dynamic teaching style is influenced by many, many wonderful yoga teachers. These include Ashtanga Yoga’s Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, Tim Miller, Nancy Gilgoff and Bhavani Maki; Anusara Yoga’s Desiree Rumbaugh, Jenny Otto, Noah Maze, and Jim & Ruthie Bernaert; Integrative Yoga Therapy’s Joseph Le Page; and yoga philosophers Ram Das, Douglas Brooks, and Carlos Pomeda.
  
  Liz is known is for her ability to bridge the gap between the ancient perspectives of yoga and contemporary daily life. She draws on her in-depth knowledge of anatomy and bio-mechanically safe alignment principles to teach adaptive Yoga for all BODIES as a practice for vibrant health, self-transformation and personal empowerment. Her teaching weaves together philosophy, creative sequencing, clear alignment, mindful breathing, and compassionate self-inquiry to form a tapestry that reflects her heartfelt commitment to this transformative path.

PEGGY POFANT

Peggy Profant, C-IAYT Yoga Therapist, E-RYT 500, and Certified Anusara Yoga Teacher is a playful, passionate and adventurous spirit who is on a lifelong path of Yoga.

She first discovered Kripalu yoga and changed the course of her life in her formative teen years in 1980.

Yoga kept her sane through her academic years in college as she pursued a degree in Environmental Education.

Post graduating and working in the world as a Naturalist and Wilderness Therapy Guide, she had a dream to travel in India to get to the source of this great wisdom of yoga.

In 1994, she met her teacher, BNS Iyengar in Mysore, India who taught her the traditional forms of Ashtanga yoga.

She returned from India where she met her German husband and began to start a family. No longer galavanting around the world she rooted in Arcata, California and in 1997 began to teach this practice of yoga that she loves so much.

In 2001 she became interested in a more therapeutic approach to help her heal from injuries.

She found Anusara Yoga and delighted in its style of weaving meaningful heart themes into therapeutically aligned sequences.

Peggy pursued the rigorous path to become a Certified Anusara Teacher in 2004 and began to delve into more studies of the therapeutic aspects of yoga.

Every class she teaches is an artistic expression with meaningful and uplifting heart themes partnered with skillful sequencing and therapeutic alignment.

An avid believer in the benefits of meditation, she volunteers her time after classes to lead meditations.

Peggy is a thoughtful and encouraging Life Coach and mentor to many students and yoga teachers in her community and around the globe.

It is her wish to empower her students, friends, and colleagues to overcome obstacles to self-love and allow each person to joyfully offer their gifts back to humanity.

In addition to Yoga, traveling and being in nature and with her family is where she finds her deepest joy and peace.

Peggy founded and operated a premier yoga studio in Arcata, Om Shala Yoga, for 10 years, and co-founded World Family Yoga leading family retreats in Costa Rica.

She has been leading workshops, retreats, and Yoga Teacher Training since 2005.

This retreat will take place at Salvatierra, a private retreat set on a small hilltop overlooking the pristine beach of Costa de Oro.

Salvatierra (formerly called Zen Spirit) is located about 14 kilometers south of Punta Islita Airport (PBP) in the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica.

It has been identified as one of the five blue zones on the planet. They are near Cabo Blanco National Park, Karen Mogensen Nature Reserve, and Caletas Ario wildlife refuge.

Therefore, while visiting the tropical eco-resort you are likely to spot some of Costa Rica’s shyest and most endangered tropical dry forest inhabitants, for example, the black howler monkey, the white-headed capuchin, tropical deer, macaws, eagles as well as sea turtles.

Located away from the more popular hustle and bustle of tourist beaches, Salvatierra guarantees its guests a true retreat experience and the possibility to reconnect with their inner self.

For instance, there are no hotels or facilities other than private residences on Costa de Oro Beach.

Because the premise is set on a wonderful long flat gold sandy beach interrupted by river estuaries.

You can enjoy world-class surfing as well as kayaking and bird watching in the mangrove, horseback riding and hiking to waterfalls, star gazing into the dark sky and much more. In short, it is a nature lovers paradise.

Salvatierra is a magical place that blends the rustic charm of nature with newly constructed modern amenities.

The resort is just remote enough to transport you to a place where you can truly disconnect and immerse yourself in an environment of tranquil serenity for full relaxation and to reconnect with your inner spirit.

Your only distractions become the cacophony of birds, frogs and crickets and the sounds of the crashing pulsing surf that both hypnotizes you to sleep and wakes you in synchronicity with the sunrise.

In the rooms, you are greeted by the soothing smell of local cedar wood used throughout the resort. They are modern and well-appointed rooms purposefully reflecting the colors of the beach and surroundings with the carefully chosen high-end finishes.

The rooms are spacious and well-ventilated with front porches to lounge on and take in the nature sounds and great ocean views.

They each contain private large outdoor shower areas, (except for 2 of the rooms have indoor showers for any people who are apprehensive about showering alongside nature).

The rooms are new and clean with comfy beds and equipped with small in-room safes, an adequate closet and writing desk included.

They are constructed intentionally to maximize natural airflow from the mountains and ocean so it is very comfortable for sleeping.

The Yoga studio at Salvatierra has stunning panoramic views of the ocean in front and mountains behind. Designed to maximize natural ocean and mountain breezes, the studio overlooks the infinity pool, gardens, and ocean waves.

Soma Yoga Institute offers an in-depth and transformational study of yoga through 200 and 300-hour yoga teacher training in worldwide locations as well as online continuing education for Yoga teachers everywhere.

Soma Yoga Institute is a top-rated Yoga Alliance school with a 9.5/10 NPS score and over 400 student reviews and testimonials on the Yoga Alliance webiste. Their therapeutic perspective explores the many practices of Yoga as a vehicle for vibrant health and personal empowerment.

Residential immersion programs are offered in Hawaii, Costa Rica, Greece, and California. Study with a world-class faculty who is dedicated to a therapeutic approach, high qulaity content, and accessible practices rooted in tradition and backed by science.

Low Season (Aug-Oct)
Expect some rain, some cloudy weather and lower temperatures.​ Less tourists.
High Season (Dec-Apr)
‘Dry’ season, you might still sees some rain; beach towns fill with domestic tourists. January is a wonderful month as it is still cool but green from rainy season.

The average annual temperature in Costa Rica is between 70° and 81° Fahrenheit (12° and 27° Celsius). During the months of February to April, you will find the highest temperatures.
Similarly, months like September through November are generally the coldest months that the country sees, however, this does vary from region to region. The amount of rainfall in Costa Rica does fluctuate fairly drastically. From May to November, the rainfall can be quite heavy, there can be a dry spell in July to August in Guanacaste. with the most rain coming in September and October.
Opposite of that, December through April has very little rainfall if any. December, January, July and August are my favorite times of year to visit.

​Costa Rica uses 110 volts, 60 cycle electricity, same as the US. Plugs are typically the 2 pronged flat types so US travelers will not typically need a converter or adapter. 

WE MAKE TRAVEL SAFE AND EASY 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 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. on arrival day (12/1, 1/5 or 8/1) and returns to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR) for flights departing after 12:00 p.m. on departure day (depending on your program dates departure day is 12/18, 1/22 or 8/18).
A shuttle from Liberia to Salvatierra takes approximately 3 hours. The group shuttle charge is 75 USD per person each way. Some students choose to fly in one day early and stay near the airport in Liberia. The Hilton Garden Inn is recommended as it is very nice, and convenient and good rates can often be found on booking sites such as Expedia.
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 (near the airport) in San Jose at 10:00 a.m. on arrival day (12/1, 1/5 or 8/1) and returns departing Salvatierra at 7:00 a.m. on departure day for flights departing after 3:30 pm (12/18, 1/22 0r 8/18). The group shuttle charge is approximately $100 per person each way.
A shuttle from San Jose to Zen Spirit takes approximately 5 hours.
Optional Housing in San Jose, Costa Rica: For your convenience, we suggest staying at the Adventure Inn on the night prior to the group shuttle departure. The Adventure Inn is a great place for the first night with airport shuttles and a large breakfast included in the price, a pool, and clean rooms. The shuttle will depart directly from this hotel.

Please make sure your passport is valid for 3 months after the date of travel. Visa usually not required for stays less than 90 days, but return ticket out of CR is required. Please check visa regulations for your country.

• Sarong or quick dry towel
• Sunscreen
• Rain jacket (if traveling during the rainy season)
• Comfortable shoes for walking
• Flip flops or sandals
• Hat and sunglasses to protect you from the sun
• Insect repellent
• Power adaptor

Salvatierra (formerly Zen Spirit) is simply a spectacular venue for yoga teacher training. It offers two yoga studios, a yoga deck with unparalleled views, and a lovely indoor space with wood floors and windows on all sides. There are two pools on the property, oceanside cabanas, a magical beach for morning yoga, and delicious, healthy food. The retreat itself is located on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica and has been identified as one of the five blue zones on the planet.
Located away from the popular hustle and bustle of tourist beaches, Salvatierra guarantees its guests a true retreat experience and the possibility to reconnect with their inner self. There are no hotels or facilities other than private residences on Costa de Oro beach and the premise is set on a wonderful long flat gold sandy beach interrupted by river estuaries.
You can enjoy world-class surfing as well as kayaking and bird watching in the mangrove, horseback riding and hiking to waterfalls, star gazing into the dark sky and much more. Nearby you will find Cabo Blanco National Park, Karen Mogensen Nature Reserve, Caletas Ario wildlife refuge and while visiting the tropical eco-resort you are likely to spot some of Costa Rica’s shyest and most endangered tropical dry forest inhabitants, for example, the black howler monkey, the white-headed capuchin, tropical deer, macaws, eagles as well as sea turtles. In short, it is a nature lover's paradise.

Travel insurance is always a good idea! Depending on the policy you go for, it could help with delayed, canceled or missed flights; theft or damage of belongings, and emergency healthcare. Please make sure your health insurance covers emergency transport by land and/or helicopter while in Costa Rica. It's not the most glamorous part of planning a trip, but it means you can relax knowing that you'll be covered if anything happens. 

Please check with your local doctor and or the Center for Disease Control.

Our residential programs are scheduled as an intensive, immersion experience.  While the program days are full, the activities of the day are kept diverse and active.

The days are a wonderful mix of digesting concepts intellectually, applying concepts experientially and diving into the practices of yoga. 

Care is taken within the program schedule to ensure that students have a healthy experience both physically and mentally. We promise not to keep you sedentary for too long. 

There is physical activity and deep relaxation built into the program everyday. There will be one full day off mid-way through the program to explore the local area.

• 6:30 AM- Oceanside meditation, pranayama, and gentle movement
• 7:30 AM - Breakfast
• 8:30 AM- Yoga asana practice plus techniques or teaching methodology
• 12:30 PM- Lunch
• 1:00 PM- Gentle, therapeutic practice, or yoga Nidra. Yoga philosophy, lifestyle, and ethics, anatomy, and physiology, practice teaching
• 4:00 PM - Afternoon break
• 6:00 PM - Dinner and Sunset at the Beach 
• 7:00 PM - Evening session may include restorative yoga, philosophy or group work