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Open House #2 for 200-Hour BIPOC Yoga Teacher Training 2025

Online | Free

Book now/Online
Please register in advance; a Zoom link will be emailed 1 hour before the session, or join Zoom directly via your Momence dashboard.

Join our live-online Open House to learn more about our third bi-annual scholarship-based 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). In an effort toward dismantling imbalance, IYISF is offering this Yoga Teacher Training in a two-module format: Module 1 with 100% BIPOC teacher trainers and participants and Module 2, for anyone who has taken Module 1 within the past 2 years or yoga teachers who want to certify as an Integral Yoga teacher.

The program’s lead trainers are Mia Velez and Rukmini Ando. The guest trainers in Module 1 are Marc Morozumi and Kamala Damaris Berrio, and in Module 2 Swami Ramananda and Arturo Peal.

Visit our website for more information about the 200-hour BIPOC Yoga Teacher Training.

Our curriculum is based on 40 years of Integral Yoga teacher training tradition coupled with harm-reductive and anti-racist practices. Students will learn skills to become knowledgeable yoga teachers for in-person and online classes.

At the 2 open houses:
⋅ Meet the members of this all-BIPOC teaching staff
⋅ Explore the importance of a program specifically designed to address systemic racism and lack of equity in the yoga community
⋅ Have all of your questions about the training answered

This high-quality training meets the Yoga Alliance standards.

Our first open house is being held on Tuesday,February 11, from 5:30–6:30 pm PT.

Book now/Open House #1

About our 2-part training:
Module 1, Yoga Immersion Program, provides a strong foundation for personal and spiritual development. Whether you want to teach others or take your own practice to a deeper level, this module will offer an authentic experience of living Yoga which includes well-rounded, in-depth yoga studies. Click to learn more

Module 2, Yoga Teaching Essentials, provides further understanding of Hatha Yoga and a thorough training in developing the skills necessary to become a confident, knowledgeable Integral Yoga instructor. This module has a newly expanded curriculum in anatomy, teaching methodology and professional development. Already certified teachers are welcome to join to refresh or deepen their teaching skills. Click to learn more.

Testimonials:

“This has been an amazing journey for me. It has helped me to be more accountable to myself and help me to hone my reflective skills even better.” – Jennifer

“Being in a space with everyone and getting to know everyone on a connected, deeper level, going through an intensive yoga training, and knowing that everyone is connected to you on some level is the most exciting part of the training.” – Rachel

“Feeling the benefits in my life, I’ve noticed my interpersonal relationships have been changing and even my relationship with myself. Those are influences in my life that I owe to this training.” – A.G.

Mia Velez, E-RYT 500, entered the Integral Yoga Sangha in 2016 through the kitchen by helping to cook Thursday community lunches and silent retreat meals. In 2018 she was certified as an Integral Yoga teacher to learn more of the IYI approach and be part of the lineage. Mia is a disciple of the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu lineage and is highly influenced by her martial arts training. After completing her first 200-hour teacher training in 2008, she began to see undeniable parallels in Yoga and Kung Fu. When she began teaching Kung Fu in 2014, she incorporated Yoga insight and principles in her classes. Her goal in teaching is to connect with the students and to facilitate a safe space for exploration and self-inquiry. Yoga and Kung Fu are integrated into her daily life as a mother, a preschool teacher, and an advocate for gender, race, and class equality through multiple non-profit groups.

Nathalie Rukmini Ando is a Yoga teacher, trainer, and graphic designer, Brazilian of Japanese descent. She lived in Yogaville, VA, where she served as a Yoga teacher, program development director, leadership team member, online courses administrator, DE&I (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) Committee member, and Anti-Racism Task Force member. She has been practicing Yoga since 2004, teaching since 2010, and has been a Yoga teacher trainer since 2022. She is certified in Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Integral Yoga, Raja Yoga, Adaptive, Stress Management, Yoga of Recovery, Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Basics of Ayurveda, and Neuroscience & Yoga. As a teacher, she’s known for her clear instruction and her classes include fun, level-appropriate challenges. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and is a fine artist specializing in oil-on-canvas. You can see her artwork at natiando.art.

2024-12-16T21:51:31-08:00December 16th, 2024|Tags: , , , , , |

Ripples for Change, 1-day Retreat

In-person | $200 or $185 Early bird, extended to Oct 11! Use promo code RIPPLES.

Your participation is a direct contribution to a scholarship fund that makes yoga training accessible to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) teachers.

All BIPOC and allies welcome!

Book now/In-person

Your participation directly contributes to making yoga trainings accessible to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC). Come together for day of rejuvenation and community action on a beautiful private estate among the redwoods in Woodside, CA. Lunch and snacks will be provided. Activities include:

    • Hatha Yoga
    • Drumming and Dance
    • Yoga Nidra and sound bath
    • Community empowerment
    • Henna
    • Intuitive reading
    • Poolside & more!

Can’t make the Retreat?  You can support diverse representation of Yoga Teachers in Yoga and wellness communities by donating to the BIPOC 200-Hour Teacher Training BIPOC Yoga Teacher Training Scholarship Fund. Thank you!

Ripples for Change reminds us that everything is connected and has long lasting effects. The lotus symbolizes resilience, emerging through the mud out of the water. The frog symbolizes a complete lifecycle and transformation, which reflects our ongoing journey. The lily pad is deeply rooted and grounding the frog, giving it space to heal and reflect. The ripples in the water represent action/change, whether big or small it affects the self, the community, and our surroundings. We look forward to sharing a day of relaxation and activation with you all.

Hosted by

Andreína Maldonado (She/her) is a Venezuelan artist, consultant, and registered Integral Yoga practitioner. She’s the driving force behind BienStar Consulting, a hub that’s been fusing Performing Arts, Wellness, and Language Justice for over 6 years in the Bay Area and beyond. With a knack for bridging cultures and weaving connections, Andreína’s all about blending art, wellness practices such as yoga, and social justice into powerful actions. Currently, she’s sharing the joys of beginner-level Hatha yoga in Spanish, where mindfulness and self-care take center stage. Join her every Friday at Integral Yoga San Francisco for a revitalizing class that’s equal parts fun and intentional – you’ll leave not only refreshed but also more connected to yourself and those around you.

Mia Velez, (she/her), E-RYT 500, entered Integral Yoga Institute (IYI) in 2016 through the kitchen as a volunteer cook. She completed her first 200-hour teacher training in 2008 and certified with IYI in 2018. Mia is a disciple of Sifu Pete Pajil of the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu lineage and is highly influenced by her martial arts training. To teach is a privilege and believes that learning is a reciprocal process between student and teacher. Her hope is to liberate herself and others from oppressive social conditioning. She teaches Ving Tsun Kung Fu, offers yoga to incarcerated men, and stress management techniques to new parents. She is a trainer for the Basic Teacher Trainings at IYI, including the BIPOC Yoga Teacher Training, and mentors new teachers. Yoga and Kung Fu are integrated into her daily life as a wife and mother, a preschool teacher, and an advocate for gender, race and class equity through multiple organizations.

K. Muktidevi Demafeliz is a born and raised San Franciscan and has been a yoga practitioner for 15 years. Her yoga practice began with her mentor Anthony “Tony” Garcia who guided her in the study of yoga in 2012. He encouraged her to pursue yoga teacher training, which she did, in the Integral Yoga tradition. She is certified in Basic Hatha I and Intermediate Hatha II, Accessible Yoga (Gentle) and her most recent certification, Mindful Resilience Training through the Veterans Yoga Project to teach trauma-informed yoga. She wishes to pursue future trainings in Prenatal Yoga and Yoga for First Responders as she is the Well-Being Champion for the San Francisco Police Department. YOGA IS HER PASSION, as she expresses her enthusiasm and love for the practice with those she comes in contact with, on and off the mat. Yoga has impacted and changed her life in such a positive and healthy way that she truly believes it is the saving grace for all. She is a Yogini who also lives with the diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for 25 years and uses the tools from yoga to help her maneuver through life’s challenges by continuing to live one breath, step, and day at a time – she would always say that she is still “learning and growing” every day, living her best life.

 Rasmi Lorrett, a San Francisco native, whose love for yoga began more than twenty years ago. Through consistent dedication to daily practice, she always found a sense of balance and harmony. In 2019, she completed her teacher training at IYI. It was during this transformative experience that she delved even deeper in her Hatha yoga practice and unlocked new levels of self awareness. Committed to lifelong learning, her purpose is to share the invaluable benefits of yoga with others, guided by the wisdom of Patanjali, ” If you can control the rising of the mind into ripples, you will experience Yoga”. She hopes to inspire and guide others in their own journey towards physical, mental and spiritual well-being.

Amanda Vigil, is a San Francisco-born and raised filmmaker, educator, & performance artist. Her work has been seen locally and internationally; Amanda believes in the power of the audience, through her work as a facilitator, director, and curator. Amanda is a recent graduate of IYTT 200 BIPOC teacher training program.She proudly focus her talents on making art/film, intergenerational impact and healing in the city of San Francisco.

2023-10-09T10:14:46-07:00August 24th, 2023|Tags: , , , , , , , , |

Open House #2 for BIPOC 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training

Enroll

Free | ONLINE | Please register in advance, a Zoom link and passcode will be provided via confirmation email.

Join our live-online Open House to learn more about our second BIPOC 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training (TT).
This TT will consist of 100% BIPOC teacher trainers and participants. Our curriculum is based on 40 years of Integral Yoga teacher training tradition coupled with harm reductive and anti-racist practices. Students will learn skills to become a knowledgeable yoga teacher for in-person and online classes.
At the open house you will have the opportunity to:

  • Meet the members of this all BIPOC teaching staff.
  • Explore the importance of a program specifically designed to address systemic racism and lack of equity in the yoga community.
  • Discuss how this training has been effectively transitioned to online and how we use modern technology to support the ancient technology of the yogic teachings.
  • Have all of your questions about the training answered.

This high-quality training meets the Yoga Alliance standards.

Visit our website for more information about the BIPOC 200-hour Yoga TT.

 

If you are unable to attend this open house, please join us sooner, Mon. April 11 @ 5:30 pm – 7:00 pm PDT for Open House #1 for BIPOC 200-hour Yoga TT.

Meet the trainers

Nitika Achalam, E-RYT 500, earned her first 200hr certification through Yogaville in 2000 and is a graduate of the Living Yoga Training Program. She’s certified to teach yoga for arthritis and chronic pain, therapeutic yoga, trauma informed yoga, and much more.  Nitika currently serves as the Executive Director of Project Yoga Richmond, a nonprofit organization working to provide affordable and accessible yoga and mindfulness classes in and around Richmond, VA. In this role, Nitika forges partnerships throughout the community to bring yoga to those who may not otherwise have access. She studied anthropology, specifically focusing on how ancient cultures and societies used plant medicine and ancestral remedies to prevent and treat disease. She founded True Grit Wellness in 2014 as a means of employing her 2+ decades of experience as an herbalist and to advocate for holistic wellness. Find out more at www.truegritwellness.com

Rukmini Ando, E-RYT 200, RYT-500, YACEP
Nathalie Rukmini Ando, a Yoga teacher, fine artist, and graphic designer of Japanese descent, recently moved back to Brazil where she was raised. Prior to this, she lived in Yogaville, VA, where she served for 7 years as a Yoga teacher, program development director, and leadership team member. She continues to serve the Ashram’s Program Development Department as well as the DE&I (Diversity Equity and Inclusion) Committee. She has been practicing Yoga since 2004 and has been teaching since 2010. She is certified in Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Integral Yoga, Raja Yoga, Adaptive, Stress Management, Yoga of Recovery, and Yin Yoga. As a teacher, she’s known for her clear instruction and her classes include fun, level-appropriate challenges. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering and is a fine artist specializing in oil-on-canvas. You can take her online classes at iytv.online and see her artwork at natiando.art.

Rev. Kamala Itzel Hayward
After practicing law for 13 years, Kamala Itzel Hayward left her successful legal career to pursue social justice and antiracism work through the lens of mindfulness and wellness. Today, she is a Yoga teacher, Yoga therapist, and Yoga teacher trainer. She has shared Yoga with trauma survivors—including underhoused individuals, combat veterans, and survivors of human trafficking—since 2010. She was a Stress Management Specialist for Dr. Dean Ornish’s Program for Reversing Heart Disease and currently teaches for Dr. Ornish non-profit organization, the Preventive Medicine Research Institute. In addition to sharing Yoga and other transformational practices, Kamala is also a mindful communication trainer, an antiracism educator, and a fierce and compassionate advocate for love. You can learn more about Kamala at attunedliving.com.

Mia Velez entered the Integral Yoga Sangha in 2016 through the kitchen by helping to cook Thursday community lunches and silent retreat meals. In 2018 she certified as an Integral Yoga teacher to learn more of the IYI approach and be part of the lineage. Mia is a disciple of the Moy Yat Ving Tsun Kung Fu lineage and is highly influenced by her martial arts training. After completing her first 200 hour teacher training in 2008, she began to see undeniable parallel in Yoga and Kung Fu. When she began teaching Kung Fu in 2014, she incorporated Yoga insight and principles in her classes. Her goal in teaching is to connect with the students and to facilitate a safe space for exploration and self inquiry. Yoga and Kung Fu is integrated into her daily life as a mother, a preschool teacher, and an advocate for gender, race and class equality through multiple non-profits groups.

Arturo Peal has spent over 30 years inspiring and educating yoga teachers, body workers, and movement specialists across the globe through his classes in Anatomy, Kinesiology, and Therapeutic Touch. With a unique gift for translating complex scientific concepts into tangible teachings for his students, he raises awareness of how the body works.

Arturo holds a Master’s degree in Chinese medicine, and has practiced therapeutic massage for over 40 years. He has a 6th degree black belt in Aikido and is certified by the United States Aikido Federation as a Shidoin (Instructor) and is the Chief Instructor at Aikido of New Orleans.

In 2019 he started the New Orleans Light Academy with Brian McCormick. The initial idea was to teach the principles of sword work to kids using lit sabers. Kids & family and separate adult classes are regularly on the schedule.

2022-02-25T12:57:31-08:00February 23rd, 2022|Tags: |

Student of the Month: Ankita Jasuja

Dayalan: Tell us a bit about yourself, what you like to do, work, and/or things you are most interested in and passionate about, and anything else you may wish to share.

Ankita: Hari OM! My name is Ankita, in Sanskrit it means “One with auspicious marks.”

I was born and raised in India and moved to the USA in 2013. I’ve studied electronics and communication engineering in my undergrad and have worked in different industries both in India and USA.

In my free time I like going for long walks in nature and my favorite spot is Tilden park in Berkeley. Besides this, I indulge myself in pursuing my hobbies and interests like taking weekly yoga classes, riding my bike, and cooking vegan & vegetarian meals. I have followed a vegetarian diet since childhood and also relish vegan food.

For a long time, I spent hundreds of hours imbibing knowledge regarding my varied passion towards sustainable and more compassionate being, devoting time to learn the various practices of ayurveda, nutrition science, spirituality, learning food and  farm industry practices, and animal welfare. I am trying to bring more and more conscious living choices in my lifestyle and I’m trying to replace the automatic ones passed by fast-paced modern life.

I believe one day I will contribute this back to the society and help our future generation to come back to their roots and realize the health benefits and inner peace that can be ingrained by practicing Yoga.

Dayalan: Who has inspired you most in your life as a teacher(s) or mentor(s)?

Ankita: There are so many brilliant teachers in the world and there’s so much to learn from each one of them. I’m taking a few classes every week at IYSF apart from my YTT training and meeting so many inspirational teachers.

Currently I’m enjoying Diana Meltsner’s Therapeutic Chair yoga class at IYSF. It has been kind of revolutionary for me. It gave me an awareness regarding how yoga can be accessible to every age, body shape, or even for someone recovering from an injury, or just looking for more ways of mobility and relaxation. She’s a phenomenal teacher.

I love my Wednesday and Friday morning dose of Mia Velez’s mixed level yoga classes which are a wholesome package for mind & body. I love how her classes help to ground my body and mind into the present moment and prepare me for meditation.

I’m also enjoying talks by Swami Ramananda, Divyananda Ma and Karunanda Ma; kirtans with Astrud Castillo and noon meditations with Snehan Born at IYSF.

Out of my personal interest in specifically understanding Indian food and nutrition, I love listening and reading books of Rujuta Diwekar (India’s leading sports science and nutrition expert) as she emphasizes a blend of traditional food wisdom and modern nutritional science for a healthy body and mind.

Dayalan: What has been one of the most valuable learning experiences you have had?

Ankita: I believe working through difficulties in my life has taught me many lifelong valuable experiences. All of the experiences have been valuable for my growth till now. But if I have to pick one, I would give my first 200-hour BIPOC YTT with Integral Yoga SF a complete credit. The most exciting part of the training was learning the difference between knowing yoga and understanding yoga. The true learning for me out of this training was to understand that yoga is just not about a perfect body or about perfectly memorizing sutras and mantras in Sanskrit but the value that a yoga practice and community bring to your life. This training certainly has increased my quest to dive deeply into it.

Dayalan: What drew you to yoga and meditation?

Ankita: Listening to the experiences of a few friends. Also, I’m always captivated by the music and chanting and I find it to be a profound way of being joyful.

Dayalan: What benefits have you found in your personal practice?

Ankita: It is a work in progress. Overall, I would say, it has benefitted me at all levels, but I’ll have to practice more insightful self-observation to explain the benefits more clearly.

Dayalan: I understand you are in the 1st BIPOC Teacher Training offered with Integral Yoga Institute. How has that experience been?

Ankita: I must say I’m fortunate enough to be part of it. Along with deepening my own personal practice for yoga I had a strong desire to deepen my understanding of yoga as a whole and no better place other than with my wonderful BIPOC community. I will offer a brief insight; maybe it can inspire others to be part of it in the upcoming years.

In the beginning we all got books on Hatha yoga, science of breath, meditation, the yoga sutras, anatomy, yogic diet, breath of life, and a few others.

We explored all 8 limbs of yoga – the Yamas and Niyamas (yoga ethics), Asanas (physical postures), Pranayama (breathing practices), Pratyahara, Dharana (mindfulness), Dhyana (meditation), and Samadhi (freedom and living joyfully).

Apart from our main program teachers, Mukunda Marc Morozumi, Mia Velez, Rev. Kamala Itzel Hayward, and Arturo Peal, we also had a diverse background of speakers sharing on various topics, like cultural appropriation of yoga, yogic diet, building equity, yoga and body coalition, and a conversation about gurus. Along with hatha yoga it has also focused on other branches of yoga- Raja yoga, Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, Jnana yoga, and Japa yoga. These are a few names to mention but there were so many subtopics shared and explored further.

Enabling conversations around yoga and race, hosting different BIPOC speakers, and focusing on healing from ancestral trauma— this part of our training has been super inspirational for me, since it has focused on celebrating diversity and wellness by making yoga accessible to everyone.

There has been consistent 1:1 support of teachers who have been highly approachable and it was very easy to reach out to them after the hours of the training through emails and appointments. There has always been a Q&A time after every session and recordings of each class have been a huge resource. Breakout room practice sessions were crucial to the learning process.

Three months already into the training and one more month to go, I feel like one of the reasons I got so much out of the experience is because I went into it with no hard expectations from training and myself. I’m taking it day by day. It really is a journey and not a destination. I will always be eternally grateful for everyone associated with this training and IYSF for providing this platform.

Dayalan: What are your future aspirations?

Ankita: I want myself to be immersed in yoga while honoring its root and also to step up and serve others while exploring my own journey and all of this while also being an animal welfare activist. I’ll continue to travel and focus on strengthening my own practice.

असतो मा सद्गमय ।

तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय ।

मृत्योर्माऽमृतं गमय ॥

ॐ शान्तिः शान्तिः शान्तिः ॥

Lead us from unreal to real

Lead us from darkness to the light

Lead us from the fear of death

To knowledge of immortality

OM peace peace peace

2021-09-16T06:28:02-07:00September 14th, 2021|Tags: , , |
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