The Sacred Circle Cohort: A Year Long Immersion Dedicated to the Art of Personal Practice

I originally designed this program with 200hr certified yoga teachers in mind.

If you’ve taken a yoga teacher training (YTT), you know what an intense and transformative experience it can be. But you also know that it barely scratches the surface of all there is to learn. Most 200 hr YTT programs take anywhere from 3 weeks to 6 months to complete, which is no time at all. And most of that time is focused on helping new teachers learn to safely guide asana practices.

While personal practice might be talked about, it’s not usually emphasized. And while there’s probably a quick introduction to the Yoga Sutras, most YTT grads have very little grounding in the ancient teachings of yoga. And so, in the past few years, I’ve been feeling an inner urge to support yoga teachers interested in going deeper.

But the universe kept whispering in my ear… “It’s bigger than that. It’s for everyone who’s ready.”

This training is for anyone ready to make a serious commitment to study and practice. If you’re ready to dive into the deeper teachings of yoga, then I invite you to join us. If you’re ready to explore practices and build rituals that will help you connect with body, breath, source, and heart, then I invite you to join us. If you’re ready to be deeply supported in your life and practice, then I invite you to join us. This program is online, so you can join no matter where you live.

I invite you to join us for a spiritual journey through the ancient wisdom of yoga.

Photo of several important yoga scriptures on a shelf, filled with bookmarks

I’m a huge scripture nerd. I’ve spent almost my entire adult life poring over the ancient texts of yoga. And I’ve been lucky to study with some master teachers. As a trained seminarian, I’ll share some tools to help you understand the context and history of any given text, but this program isn’t about academic mastery.

This program is designed to help you build a personal relationship with the ancient scriptures of yoga.

These teachings are profound and transformative. But they’re also complex. Over and over again folks have shared what a hard time they’ve had trying to study the Yoga Sutra (or any ancient scripture) on their own. And so I started inviting folks to study together. For over a decade now—in my Yoga for Transformation course—I’ve had the pleasure of watching these teachings come alive for people! It’s so much easier to study and practice in supportive community.

And so I’ve built this program on personal relationship.

“As great as the infinite space beyond is the space within the lotus of the heart. Both heaven and earth are contained in that inner space, both fire and air, sun and moon, lightning and stars. Whether we know it in this world or know it not, everything is contained in that inner space.”

-Chandogya Upanishad

“And now the teaching on yoga begins. Yoga is the settling of the mind into silence. When the mind has settled, we are established in our essential nature, which is unbounded consciousness.”

-Yoga Sutra 1.1-3

“Kriya yoga is self-reflection (svadhyaya), discipline (tapas), and establishing a relationship to the highest (ishvara pranidhana) for the purpose of reducing the seeds of suffering and actualizing the highest potentials of the mind.”

-Yoga Sutra 2.1-2

“Take the great bow of the sacred scriptures, place on it the arrow of devotion; then draw the bowstring of meditation and aim at the target, the Lord of Love.”

-Mundaka Upanishad

“When the breath is disturbed, the mind is unsteady. When the breath becomes focused, the mind becomes focused, and the yogi attains steadiness. Therefore, the breath should be restrained.”

-Hatha Yoga Pradipika 2.2

Together we’ll focus on:

Scripture Study

  • Through the practices of textual analysis, sacred reading, sacred writing, by-hearting, and mantra japa we’ll dive deep into the first two chapters of  the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, a few of the key Upanishads, and the Bhagavad Gita.

Ancestry, Land, and Lineage

  • As we show up to these ancient scriptures of yoga we’ll ask: “Who am I as the reader?”

Kriya Yoga (tapas, svadhyaya, ishvara pranidhana)

  • Everything we do will be held in the balance of kriya yoga: discipline, self-reflection, and devotion.

Meditation

  • Meditation is mind training; it’s the practice of learning to focus the mind in one direction. In this program, we’ll be focusing on the sacred scriptures of yoga. We’ll nurture a connection with the Cave of the Heart and experiment with tools like mantra, yantra, mudra, and mala beads. We’ll practice listening for the voice of inner wisdom.

Ritual

  • The practice of ritual allows us to pause and bring our awareness to the sacred nature of being in any given moment. Together we’ll experiment with weaving the ritual of small practices into the tapestry of our daily lives.

A few key concepts we’ll explore throughout the year 

  • Purusha and the nature of Self
  • Ishvara and the nature of Divine Mystery
  • Citta, vritti, samskara, and the nature of Mind
  • Prakriti, triguna (rajas, tamas, and sattva), and the nature of material existence
  • Prana, the prana vayus (prana, apana, samana, vyana, and udana), and the nature of energy

This is a pretty epic list. But rest assured everything flows together. Over the course of the year, we’ll start small and continue to build. Rather than moving from one practice to the next without enough time to experience transformation, we’ll start slow and build throughout the year.

Remember this program isn’t about academic mastery. It’s about personal relationship and transformation.

This program is about personal practice. It’s about deepening our understanding of self, mystery, mind, nature, and energy. It’s about becoming more aware of our difficult thought patterns, and through consistent and dedicated study and practice, moving in the direction of healing.

Monthly Workshops

We’ll meet on the 2nd Friday of the month throughout 2025 (except August), from 10am-1pm Pacific Time. All the workshops will be recorded, so you can revisit them as often as you’d like.

  • January 10 (will run an extra hour: 10am-2pm PT)
  • February 14
  • March 14
  • April 11
  • May 9
  • June 13
  • July 11
  • No workshop in August
  • September 12
  • October 10
  • November 14
  • December 12

Monthly Private Sessions

We’ll schedule a 90min one-on-one session in the month following each workshop (at a time that works for you). The consistency of this kind of personal support means that no one gets lost. I’m able to meet with each person where they are.

Every month, you and I will sit together and look at what’s real in your life. We’ll dive deeper into the teachings you’re finding confusing in search of clarity. And we’ll dive deeper into the teachings you’re finding the most relevant and bring them further to life. Together we’ll co-create a practice that’s truly personal. One that supports you in the flow of your actual, everyday life.

This level of personal support is unique. I don’t know of another program that offers it. 

“As for you, do the work that comes to you–but don’t look for the results. Don’t be motivated by the fruits of your actions, nor become attached to inaction. Equanimity of mind is Yoga. Do everything, Arjuna, centered in that equanimity. Renouncing all attachments, you’ll enjoy an undisturbed mind in success or failure.”

-Bhagavad Gita 2.47-48

“The practice of yoga is the commitment to become established in the state of freedom. The practice of yoga will be firmly rooted when it is maintained consistently and with dedication over a long period.”

-Yoga Sutra 1.13-14

“Yoga is breaking the bond with suffering. This yoga is to be practiced with determination and with a mind that is not discouraged.”

-Bhagavad Gita 6.23

“Ishvara is expressed through the sound of the sacred syllable OM. It should be repeated and its essence realized. Then the mind will turn inward and the obstacles that stand in the way of progress will disappear.”

-Yoga Sutra 1.27-29

“When consciousness is unified, however, all vain anxiety is left behind. There is no cause for worry, whether things go well or ill. Therefore, devote yourself to the disciplines of yoga, for yoga is skill in action.”

-Bhagavad Gita 2.50

Certification

If you’re interested in earning Continuing Education credits with Yoga Alliance, this program will offer you 50 contact hours and over 50 non-contact hours.

Investment

The cost of this year long, online immersion program is $2500.

This includes: 

  • Eleven 3hr workshops, 
  • Pop-up bonus classes (based on what the cohort is excited about),
  • Ongoing access to the workshop and class recordings, 
  • Eleven 90min private sessions, 
  • An online classroom full of written teachings and resources,
  • and space for ongoing conversation with me and the cohort.

Small Cohort

Because of how much personal time I invest in every member of this cohort, there are only 6-8 available spots every year. If you’re interested in participating, don’t delay.

If you’re ready to dive deep, I hope you’ll join me for this year of scripture, sandhana, and sangha.

Scripture is the map.

  • The ancient scriptures of yoga are gifts handed down from sages of the past. They offer us travel notes from the journey inward. They give us a map, light the way, and invite us into our own exploration. Through the practices of textual analysis, sacred reading, sacred writing, by-hearting, and mantra japa we’ll explore sections from the Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, and several key Upanishads.

Sadhana is the spiritual path.

  • Sadhana is dedicated practice over time. In this program we’ll focus our study and practice beyond postures. We’ll turn our attention toward the three aspects of kriya yoga, pratipaksha bhavana, mantra, meditation, and ritual. Over the course of the year, we’ll start small and continue to build. Rather than moving from one practice to the next without enough time to digest and assimilate our experiences, we’ll remember that understanding comes through consistency. We’ll move slowly. We’ll stick with things long enough to experience their transformative power.

And Sangha is spiritual community. 

  • This program is built on personal relationship. We have a beautiful online classroom for ongoing study and reflection. We’ll gather virtually in real time as a cohort every month. And you and I will meet one-on-one every month as well. Because of how much personal time I’ll be investing in every member of this cohort, there are limited spots available.

If you’re ready to renew and deepen your commitment to your practice of yoga, I invite you to join this cohort.

Is this your year?