With our 200 hour training, you can become a certified yoga teacher and lead your community.
With our 200 hour training, you can become a certified yoga teacher and lead your community.
The phrase comes from the 1806 poem “Character of the Happy Warrior” by William Wordsworth. The Happy Warrior is a brave, generous, and moral person, who is able to remain virtuous even in the midst of distress. Their noble ideas and deeds are “an inward light” that, despite their inwardness, make the path before the warrior “always bright.”
The Happy Warrior is a diligent student, eager to amass whatever knowledge comes their way; furthermore, and as a result, their principal concern must be their own moral being. A Happy Warrior is a person who is undaunted and cheerful, even in the face of adversity. All fearsome challenges they transcend, subduing what negative qualities they may have, and learning from what good they have to offer.
The Happy Warrior is “skillful in self-knowledge”, living by the famous injunction to “know one’s self” and understands that the true purpose of “suffering and distress” is to grow in compassion and tenderness. Happy Warriors are just, fair, and honest. Their law and dearest friend is reason; they owe all of their triumphs to virtue. More than anything, the Happy Warrior is able to stay optimistic and to thrive amidst conflict. Adversity makes the Happy Warrior even more joyful. When called upon for any task, the Happy Warrior is always equal to it.
Yoga In Our City has created our Happy Warrior® program to train diverse cohorts of local leaders, educators, and health equity advocates to become yoga teachers.
Our trauma-sensitive model is designed to inspire growth, healing, and mindful engagement in our communities. Our goal is to achieve greater inclusivity in yoga leadership to more accurately reflect the diversity of the communities we serve.
Demographics of Yoga Teachers from
Yoga in the World Research Study.
In addition to becoming 200 hour certified yoga teachers, Happy Warriors learn essential leadership skills to be advocates of marginalized communities.
Our teachers are leading the transformation of yoga in the United States from a luxury commodity to a matter of public health and community wellness.
Upon becoming a certified yoga teacher, new teachers will advocate for action — bringing their yoga and leadership expertise into new neighborhoods and community spaces.
Happy Warrior training is a comprehensive program grounded in social justice principles and anti-oppressive practices designed to equip teachers with the necessary skills to create an inclusive and just world.
Learn the foundations of yoga, the origins of Happy Warrior, our practice, poses, and teaching techniques.
Understand anatomy, breath, sequencing, and how to see your students’ strengths and success.
Study anatomy, assisting, balance, and how joints and muscles enable movement.
Advance your awareness of asanas, breathing, meditations, and transitions.
Establish your knowledge of yoga ethics, sequencing, standing poses, and sun salutations with our trauma-sensitive approach.
Challenge yoursef with backends, folds, hand balances, inversions, and twists.
Discover how to design classes for all levels and how to teach inclusive yoga classes in public parks and spaces.
Recognize the qualities of a great teacher, strengthen your self-reflection, and celebrate personal growth.
Experience a guided tour of the Capitol Building, the epicenter of our democracy.
Enrollment is open! Training runs from October 2024 through May 2025.
Training will be both virtual and in-person at locations in Hartford and New Haven, Connecticut.
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.
Financial Support
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 elise@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:
Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and registration is first come, first served until we reach our maximum enrollment.
Upon application and acceptance into Happy Warrior, a form for those requesting financial aid will follow. Please wait until you receive this email before inquiring further.
Yes, the training is hybrid. We will be in-person two Saturdays per month and online Wednesday evenings every week. Students must be present all Wednesday online and Saturday in-person training days, they are not optional.
We understand conflicts with the schedule will arise from time to time, we have a make-up policy for missed hours. Missed training material will be made up through both Faculty office hours and individual study.
Yes, we encourage all 18 and above to apply. Accommodation information is available upon request, please email elise@yogainourcity.com
Yes, upon successful completion of this program, you will be a 200 hour certified yoga teacher. Additionally, you’ll be eligible to apply to become a Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance if desired. For more information on becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher, please visit www.yogaalliance.org
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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.
