Enrolling in the Shanti Yoga 200 Hour Teacher Training is a testament to your dedication to the practice of Yoga and your interest in diving in deeper. If you are ready to experience a powerful shift in your life that will serve you on your path to becoming a Teacher, a more serious student of Yoga, or both, this is the training for you. In this foundational training, you will join your community in the pursuit and application of life changing knowledge and deeply resonant practices. Our skilled and compassionate Teaching Faculty will be with you every step of the way, helping you to give rise to your own authentic voice and tap into all your potential as a promising teacher. The time is now!

“Whatever you can do or dream you can do, begin it! Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” ~Goethe

Who Is This Training For?

Our 200 Hour YTT is open to any dedicated student of Yoga who is interested in beginning their journey towards becoming a teacher.  This training is also appropriate for students who would like to gain a better understanding of Yoga practices, including philosophy, history, asana, pranayama and lifestyle.  You will be encouraged to ask questions and together we will explore answers, ultimately allowing you to land in the truth that is most resonant to you. Curiosity will serve you in this training as you will be presented with a variety of educators that are expert in their field.

What Will Study and Learn In This Training?

Anatomy & Physiology for the Teaching and Practice of Yoga

Our training begins with a deep dive into Anatomy and Physiology with Alex Amorosi. Armed with the information you will be given, we will continue our study of the body and it’s systems as they pertain to the teaching and practice of Yoga.

Yoga Asana & Alignment Considerations

This training will thoroughly cover all alignment considerations for the major Yoga postures, including modifications for students working with injury as well as possibilities for students interested in more advanced asana.

Teaching Methodology

Explore and learn to apply the general principles, pedagogy and management strategies used for teaching Yoga. Areas of study will include—Observation, Intuition, Creativity and Adaptability.

Sequencing and Practicum

Practice and learn to teach a foundational Vinyasa Class as well as exploring other kinds of sequencing, such as Peak Pose classes, Ladder Format & Themed Classes.

The History of Yoga

Examine the documented origins of this practice and it’s modern day implications. Where did Yoga come from and how did we get here?

Yoga Philosophy and the Eight Limbs of Yoga

Through reading, discussion and journaling, you will learn about and are invited to explore what it means to live by the teachings delineated in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

Ethical Considerations as a Yoga Teacher

What ethical implications must you consider as you take on the deeper study, practice and possible teaching of Yoga? We will expand on what is means to live as a Yogi in these modern times.

Gentle and Restorative Applications

Embrace the importance of gentle and restorative applications in your teaching and own practice.

Breath work, Meditation & Mindfulness Practices

You will learn to practice and teach foundational Pranayama practices. Additionally, you will be guided in exploring mindfulness and meditation practices for your own wellbeing and possibly for that of your students.

What are the Requirements and Expectations of This Training?

This Training will be academically thorough and also physically intensive. We ask that you seriously consider the commitment and take it on wholeheartedly. You will be asked to take all reading, writing and experiential assignments seriously and hand in all of your work on time.

While not a requirement, your regular attendance in classes at Shanti is expected and encouraged.

Attendance to all weekends and the Anatomy Primer is required. Dates that must be missed will be considered on a case by case basis and appropriate make up work will be assigned.

Additional Benefits of Enrollment 

During Teacher Training, students will have access to complimentary classes as well as 20% off all workshops. Additionally, after graduating you are entitled to two Mentorship Meetings with Jennifer, of up to 60 minutes each. You have a year to utilize them and can schedule them whenever makes sense for your development as a teacher and serious student of Yoga.

Jennifer Houghtaling

Jennifer is the owner of Shanti Yoga and has been a member of the New England Yoga community as both a student and a teacher for over 16 years. She has completed both her 200 hour and 500 hour teacher trainings, as well as being a certified Massage Therapist and bodyworker. She has also been a co-leader and curriculum developer for 200-hour teacher trainings at HYP studios in Wellesley and Needham and lead facilitator for the Shanti Yoga 500 Hour YTT. 

Her teaching draws from different styles and influences but always includes flow, strength, opportunities to be gentle, invitations to be present and a healthy dose of humor and lightheartedness! Jennifer is grateful to the Shanti students who roll out their mats in her classes, as they provide her with the opportunity to do the thing that has enriched her life so beautifully—to teach, to relate, and connect to others in a real and honest way.

Jennifer has many influences and credits her first teachers, Shawn Shaw and Rolf Gates with igniting what has been a life long commitment and appreciation of the practice. She also studies with Daniel Max and Ame Wren and is greatly appreciative for their guidance and influence. She is an avid seeker of new information as it pertains to the physical practice of yoga and successfully marries this information with the ancient wisdom of the teachings. She encourages teachers and students to find the connectedness of the human experience and to acknowledge it as the glue that holds us all together.

Esther Hogan

Esther has been guiding students in yoga for ten years, and has been a student of the practice for over 20. She was first introduced to hatha yoga but found her way to heated vinyasa after the birth of her three children. Feeling isolated at home, a neighbor reached out and asked her to attend a heated class at a local studio. The combination of physical movement connected to breath and the heat of the class made her feel invigorated and alive. She knew she had found a lifelong practice.
At the suggestion of friends and yoga teachers, Esther took her 200 hour yoga teacher training in 2011 and is currently completing her 300hr advanced yoga teacher training at Shanti Yoga in Hopkinton. Her teaching is grounded and focused on allowing the student to explore the practice at their own pace and experience level.

In the warm summer months, you can find Esther teaching SUP(stand up paddle board) yoga classes as well. This new expression of the practice combined with the peace of the outdoors and the calming effect of being on water has been a wonderful and exciting journey for her and her students.

Esther draws inspiration for her classes from local teachers such as Jennifer Houghtaling and Kevin Gale, as well as more well-known teachers Rolf Gates and Sean Corne.

Leanne Mitchell  

Leanne’s love for movement started young with dance performances for pretty much anybody that would watch; some things never change! Over her elementary and teen years it became a stress-relieving meditative practice, a good workout, and bonding time with mom.

At seventeen, Leanne enrolled in her 200 Hour YTT, led by Jennifer Houghtaling and Alex Amorosi.  She has been teaching ever since. From row to yoga to Pilates, she has enjoyed the gift of teaching in many styles and in many different places.

Leanne’s classes are described as informed and creative. She has a strong understanding of yoga and movement anatomy as well as an inquisitive mind for the every changing world of exercise science.

Neil Taylor 

Neil Taylor, LMT, ERYT-500, is a Yoga Teacher, Meditation Teacher and Bodyworker. He has studied extensively with his teachers Tom Alden, David Nichtern, Claudia Hansson and Theresa Murphy. As a teacher, Neil aims to help practitioners recognize their ability to steer themselves towards the experience of Yoga, which is the inherent well-being present within us. In his classes he draws upon his understanding of the human body to create a safe and beneficial practice that embodies, and is supported by the teachings of Yoga. He views an effective Yoga practice as something that results in greater ease in the body, clarity in the mind and peace in the heart.

Outside of the Yoga room, Neil works one on one with clients as a bodyworker. Additionally, Neil is a meditation teacher at Dharma Moon, a mindfulness based online global education platform. When he’s not working, Neil can be found enjoying the outdoors with his wife and their dog.

Molly Myers 

Molly started taking yoga classes to compliment her marathon walking, strength training, and sprint triathlons. She soon realized the practice was not only about the physical postures themselves, but that there was something deeper happening. With every class, she felt more present and relaxed and the level of stress in her life lessened. Inspired by these changes, Molly enrolled in her first Yoga Teacher Training. After completing her 200 hr. power yoga teacher training in 2014, Molly began teaching to spread the word about a practice that had given her so much. After several years of committing to one school of thought, Molly began investigating styles that allowed more freedom in movements and included mobility. She also began to explore mindfulness in her daily life and teaching. Some years later, an unavoidable surgery that could’ve been seen as a set back, turned out to be another learning opportunity. It was during her recovery that Molly finally met her body where it was at. Gradually, Molly’s meditation and restorative practice helped her return to her mat, and while her movements were slower, she grew stronger, day by day.

Molly’s classes have a lightness to them, are welcoming and inclusive to people of all shapes and sizes. She has worked with students of all ages and ability levels and will provide students with accommodations and options so that no one is excluded. Her classes are strongly rooted in Vinyasa Yoga, Restorative Yoga and Mindfulness. Molly will be graduating from her 500 hr. RYT out of Shanti Yoga in May, 2021.

When & Where will the Training Take Place?

We will be holding training at Shanti Yoga in Hopkinton, Massachusetts.  With the exception of our Anatomy Primer, we will be meeting on Saturday's from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday's from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 

Here are the dates we will be meeting from September, 2021 to May, 2022.

• September 25/26, 10 to 6 p.m.—Anatomy Primer with Alex Amorosi

• October 2 & 3

• November 6 & 7

• December 4 & 5

• January 8 & 9

• February 5 & 6

• March 5 & 6

• April 2 & 3 

• May 14 & 15

A required reading list will be made available to you after your acceptance into the program. 

The 200 Hour Shanti Yoga YTT is $2800
A $500 dollar Non refundable deposit is expected with the submission of your application. Full payment of tuition is required by August 25th, 2021, and no refunds will be given from that point. Trainees will have access to unlimited classes at the studio with their enrollment.