Inspired by William Wordsworth’s 1806 poem, The Happy Warrior embodies resilience, virtue, and unwavering optimism. They face adversity with courage, seeking wisdom, self-knowledge, and moral strength. Guided by reason and virtue, the Happy Warrior grows through challenges, remaining steadfast, fair, and joyful in all pursuits.
Beyond 200-hour certification, Happy Warriors develop leadership skills to advocate for marginalized communities—helping transform yoga from a luxury to a vital public health resource.
Guest Faculty Featuring Skill in Action
Michelle Cassandra Johnson is an author, activist, and racial equity consultant specializing in healing and social justice through the intersection of yoga and racial equity.
She leads workshops and retreats across the U.S., collaborates with organizations to dismantle racism, and has authored several books on collective healing and community building. A Tedx speaker and podcast guest, Michelle emphasizes rituals in justice spaces, connection with nature, and community healing.
Training Dates:
March 15th and 16th
Explore the foundational principles of trauma-sensitive teaching. Learn accessible, inclusive methods to support individuals within a group setting while fostering trust, agency, and empowerment.
Examine the relationship between yoga and social justice. Deepen your understanding of diversity, equity, and inclusion in yoga spaces and beyond, and explore ways to cultivate truly accessible and liberatory practices.
Learn how anatomy informs movement, alignment, and accessibility, ensuring your teaching supports safety, adaptability, and inclusivity of all bodies.
Learn how yoga’s history and philosophy inform modern practice while staying true to its roots and promoting decolonization.
Learn to adapt poses, language, and sequencing to support diverse bodies, experience and abilities in a way that centers agency.
Explore the ethics of teaching, power dynamics, and trauma-sensitive approaches that empower students and build community centered yoga spaces.
Deepen your understanding of the subtle body through trauma-sensitive breathwork and meditation practices. Learn to guide students toward inner awareness while honoring their individual experience.
Learn how to design accessible classes for all levels and how to teach inclusive yoga classes in public parks and community spaces.
Connect with your purpose as a yoga teacher. Reflect on how your values, lived experience and commitment inform your teaching.
Training runs from October 2025 through May 2026.
Training will be both virtual and in-person at locations in Hartford.
Thanks to our partnership with YWCA Hartford Region, we’re excited to announce a 20% reduction in tuition! We heard your feedback loud and clear: we want to ensure this training is accessible to all of the future leaders who could benefit.
Specific communities have been historically denied entrance into sanghas or communities of practice. To address this inequity, our Happy Warrior training reaches specifically into the Global Majority, the LGBTQIA+ community, and those who are differently abled to lead underrepresented communities. Accommodation information is available upon request, please email yizza@yogainourcity.com
For those in need of financial support, we have various options to overcome any financial barriers to join our training. Upon application and acceptance into the training, further detail on both payment plans and financial needs based on household income will be provided.
Arrangements include:
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Nikki Adams
Like so many people, I had the misconception that yoga was going to help me change my body, help me be more flexible, and one day do a split. I soon realized that practicing yoga was much more for me. I immediately fell in love with the way yoga changed my perspective on a daily basis. I wanted to spread the beauty of yoga everywhere, especially for people who had experienced trauma as I have.
So I became a yoga teacher and now invite others to this practice who may have never tried yoga before or may not feel normally represented in yoga spaces. When I first began my practice I was very posture focused and goal oriented. Now my yoga practice looks very different, it’s more about stillness and rest. That’s the thing I love about an empowerment based practice such as yoga – you never really master anything but you become so attuned with yourself, your wants and needs, that you are able to practice off of the mat as well.
Yoga is a lifestyle that has made me a better communicator, mom, friend, partner, daughter – and I am dedicated to being a student forever. Understanding that statistically the majority of people have experienced trauma, I am passionate about empowering people to make the choices they want and need in their own bodies. So many of us have had our power stolen from us in one way or another. Inviting people into a space of healing by lettin them make their own choices is important to me. Changing the narrative about what it looks like to be someone who practices or teaches yoga is important to me as well.
There’s an intersection between racism and trauma that impacts how we should show up as community leaders. I am passionate about supporting leaders that are part of marginalized groups who honor the lived experience of the people in their classes.
Yizza Galdamez
I decided to explore holistic practices when I was going through an extremely hard time after being diagnosed with depression. Once I found yoga, and continued to practice with more consistency, I began to slow down and strengthen the internal relationship with myself, my relationships with others, and with difficult situations in my life. My yoga practice changed my outlook on my mind-body connection.
Through yoga I have become passionate about the connection between our body, mind, emotions, and energy. Having realized the deep and lasting changes to physical, mental, and spiritual health, I decided I wanted to share my yoga practice and continue advocating for mental health at a higher level. I continued to deepen my personal practice and knowledge by studying and training in different styles of yoga, mindfulness, and somatic based healing modalities. My hope is to empower students through embodiment practices that include self-awareness, mindfulness, and somatic movement that can help in finding balance while navigating life on and off of the mat. Inviting different mindfulness practices in my classes is one of my favorite things to do to help create connection and empowerment for each student through breathwork, movement, meditations, and inquiry work.
Being part of the change in marginalized communities like the one I grew up in is very important to me. Yoga has been the guide to help me show up for myself and others even when it’s been hard to do so. My goal is to help build healthier, stronger, more compassionate communities by sharing my yoga practice.
Katlyn Hagley
As a cardio enthusiast, I was reluctant to try yoga – especially any yoga that involved slow or little movement. I didn’t fall in love with yoga until I went to a Power Yoga class for the first time. I kept searching for that “yoga high,” trying longer, faster, and harder classes. Between the miles of running and intense power yoga I did each week, my body began to battle injury after injury. I was forced to slow it down and began to explore meditation, pranayama, restorative yoga, and yin yoga.
At that point in my life, I truly learned what yoga is and started a mindful, functional daily yoga routine that balanced and complimented my daily yang activities. Through practicing yoga, I have healed physical and emotional wounds, built resiliency, and found a sense of peace I didn’t know I was missing in my life. Over time, I have developed a deep appreciation for the balance of yin and yang movements, and my teaching style reflects this understanding. I base what I teach on what my students need.
My vinyasa yoga classes are powerful and playful and focus on aligning movement with breath and functional alignment while my yin classes have a focus on intuitive, internal awareness. I am passionate about helping others find healing through mindfulness, meditation, pranayama, and asana and making yoga accessible for everyone. When I am not teaching yoga, I am teaching functional life skills to students with disabilities or advancing my own education. I am currently working on my Doctorate in Educational Leadership with a focus on Social Emotional Learning. I am dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty through education using trauma-informed practices and addressing the needs of the whole child.
My current work involves addressing school reform to include social emotional learning in a holistic manner, starting with the teachers, administrators, and other professional staff who work directly with students.
Shawntell Layaw
As a working parent of three teenagers, I understand how challenging it is to maintain your health in today’s modern, fast-paced world. Twelve years ago, l had achieved everything I ever wanted: a good career, a loving family, and a stable home, but instead of feeling happy, I was anxious, stressed, and burnt out. My best friend Wendy invited me to yoga, and what I thought would be just one class turned into a lifestyle. I began to see improvements in my health, relationships, and all areas of my life when I started to practice regularly. When I made time for yoga, I was making time for a healthier mind, body, and soul while getting to know and love myself on a deeper level.
I learned that self-care is liberating; it’s the key to finding your inner peace and happiness. From that place, we make the best and healthiest decisions on how to spend our time and live our daily lives. My personal practice began with vinyasa in 2011 and has expanded to include yin and restorative styles. I’m committed to supporting students in learning the skills they need to feel confident in moving their bodies, loving themselves, and creating the results they seek both on and off the mat. I believe everyone can benefit from a yoga practice, and I’m passionate about creating diverse and inclusive yoga spaces.
I focus on collaborating with stakeholders interested in providing equitable access to high-quality yoga instruction and wellness education in my community and underserved populations. I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in health education and promotion to further enhance my wellness coaching and health improvement skills.
