About The Retreat
Dates
2024
Spring 9th – 30th March
Summer 27th July – 17th August
Autumn 12th October – 1st November
This three week intensive Yoga Teacher Training with Frog Lotus Yoga at Suryalila, Spain is an exceptionally high quality, fully comprehensive, profoundly life transforming retreat. It is passionately, and skilfully, led by Vidya Jacqueline Heisel, E-RYT 500, SYT, the founder and director of Frog Lotus Yoga International and the owner and director of Suryalila.
Vidya is a Master teacher with 40 years of Yoga teaching experience, a deep and experienced knowledge of Yogic philosophy and meditation, as well as being an inspiring practitioner and gifted communicator.
The Frog Lotus Yoga Teacher Training Course is a professional, established, comprehensive, well-organised and highly effective programme. For many it is a profoundly transformational and life-affirming journey.
A 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training is considered to be the industry standard for a foundational Yoga Teacher Certification. We have found that removing the student from the distractions of their everyday environment, and putting them in a beautiful, peaceful place enhances and optimises their learning ability.
For three whole weeks, you will be fully immersed: talking, thinking, and breathing Yoga with fellow yogis. During the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Retreat you are taken on a magical journey and given all the nurturing and support you need to be successful
The Space
Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre is especially designed Suryalila to be the perfect environment to hold Yoga Teachers’ Training Courses. The qualities that are important to Vidya Heisel, Suryalila’s Director to enhance and optimise the Yoga Teacher Training experience are:
- A beautiful and spacious yoga hall
- Organic, local, varied and abundant vegetarian feasts
- Excellent Customer Service
- Comfortable and cozy accommodation
- A peaceful atmosphere with no traffic or other noise or distractions
Vidya desired to fully orchestrate the whole experience of her Yoga Teachers Training intensive by creating the perfect environment for the trainings. Suryalila is home to the magnificent Om Dome, which is a magnificent large and spacious Yoga Shala purpose-built for these trainings.
What to Expect
Expect to leave the FLY yoga teacher training completely ready to teach and brimming with inspiration and enthusiasm for your new career. You will be given all the tools you need to become an excellent teacher and by the end of the course you will have taught two full 75 minute classes to some of your fellow trainees.
By the end of the FLY Yoga Teacher Training you will not only be qualified to teach Vinyasa Flow Yoga but will also have the tools to create other styles of yoga classes, such as more basic Hatha, prenatal and restorative yoga.
Curriculum
During the training we more than cover the requirements of Yoga Alliance USA and Yoga Professionals UK. We offer a fully comprehensive curriculum, covering an in-depth study of around 100 poses, studying form and alignment, hands on assisting and teaching practice for each of these poses.
We have very talented anatomy teachers and the anatomy section is applied to understanding how to teach safely and how to accommodate for various limitations and injuries.
The history and philosophy and Sanskrit names of poses, are also covered very thoroughly by Vidya, who is expert in these subjects.
Also included are sessions on how to be a good Yoga Teacher, the business of Yoga and Yoga Lifestyle.
Teaching Methodology or “how to teach Yoga well” is one of our main focuses and by the end of the training you will have had plenty of teaching practice as well as having taught two complete seventy-five minute classes to a small group of your fellow trainees, which will also have been critiqued by the teaching staff. Evening hours are also offered for private one-on-one help from the teachers.
Daily Schedule
6.30 – 7.00 – Morning tea and fruit
7.00 – 7.30 – Meditation
7.30 – 9.45 – Morning Yoga Practice
9.45 – 10.15 – Breakfast Groups
10.15 -11.00 – Break
11.00 – 13.30 – Morning Classroom Session
13.30 – 15.30 – Lunch break/homework
3.30 – 7 – Afternoon Session
19.00 – 20.00 – Dinner
20.00 – Office Hours when announced/homework
Prerequisites
You need to have been practicing a more dynamic form of Yoga (Vinyasa, Flow, Power, Jivamukti, Ashtanga etc) for a minimum of one year, at least three times per week, or two years, two times per week. After registering for the course you are required to start practicing six days per week until coming in order to be prepared.
You need to be in good health both physically and mentally. Injuries can be accommodated. You need to read the Yoga Sutras and purchase the other books required for the training.
How to Qualify
You are required to attend all sessions (unless ill) and participate in all exercises. You must be on time. There will be on-going quizzes throughout the training on the material covered.
You will be required to teach two 75 minute classes by the end of the training, but don’t worry, you will be well prepared to do that when the time comes.
You are required to be attentive and respectful of the staff and your fellow students at all times.
Yoga Alliance – World Recognised Certification
Our Yoga Teacher Training Programme is registered with both Yoga Alliance USA and Yoga Alliance Professionals UK. These two bodies are not related. They are both international bodies which recognise Yoga Teacher Training Programmes, which meet the required standards for a foundational 200 hours of study.
You may choose to register with either or both of these bodies on qualification. Whether you register with them or not you will still be the holder of an international certification to teach Yoga.
The Frog Lotus Yoga Teacher Training program has been successfully running for sixteen years, with three to four Yoga Teacher Trainings offered every year at Suryalila. It has been registered at the 200 Hour and 500 Hour level with Yoga Alliance USA since 2001. Since its inception there have been well over 3,000 successful graduates of the Frog Lotus Yoga Teacher Training Program.
For many students the 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training program becomes a highlight in their life and an important turning point. It is usually the beginning of a new and wholesome relationship to life and a budding career doing something they love. The Frog Lotus Yoga Teacher Training Course is a professional, established, comprehensive, well-organised and highly effective training program. For many it is a profoundly transformational and life-affirming journey.
Yoga
Suryalila has three Yoga halls. Ganesha Yoga Shala has a gorgeous wooden ceiling as well as a wooden floor and is filled with light from windows on both walls as well as a skylight. It also has a lovely balcony with benches for enjoying the expansive views.
The Om Dome has been dubbed the most magnificent Yoga Hall in Europe. The sacred geometry creates a cathedral-like space, which is awe-inspiring.
The Dome overlooks rolling hills, olive groves and a ruined convent. Inside, the Dome boasts underfloor heating and cooling and two long walls for practicing inversions. The walls have been beautiful decorated with colourful murals of Indian gods and Tibetan imagery. There is a state of the art sound system as well as atmospheric lighting.
Teachers
Vidya Heisel Lead Teacher
E-RYT 500, YACEP
Vidya is a master yoga teacher with over 45 years of teaching experience as well as a deep and experienced knowledge of yogic philosophy and meditation. She is an inspiring practitioner and a gifted communicator. She founded Frog Lotus Yoga International in 2000. Since, she has trained thousands of yoga teachers and led over a hundred 200 hour Yoga Teacher Trainings around the world.
Lisa Dunn Asana Teacher
E-RYT 500
Lisa is a yoga teacher and self proclaimed life-enthusiast whose serene and playful approach to her practice mirrors her compassionate free spirit. Recently hitting the pause button on a fast paced life in London, she now calls the glory of the Italian Lakes, home.
A believer in following your dreams, this mother of three left a successful career as a television producer to pursue a passion for yoga. Keen to share the liberating effect this 15-year practice had on her life, Lisa became a certified instructor with Frog Lotus Yoga and has been a well-loved teacher for 6 years now.
Her journey has taken her all over the world, most recently Suryalila Yoga Retreat Centre. Lisa’s heart-centered approach is a reflection of her radiant personality and vibrant instinct. She brings a fresh and faithful eye to time-honored traditions and draws on the universal teachings of yoga, both on and off the mat. With an emphasis on the breath and intelligent sequencing, her classes are crafted to empower her students to develop their practice, and have a safe life-long yoga experience.
Katrina Petney Anatomy Teacher
E-RYT 500, YACEP
Throughout her life Katrina has been fascinated by the human body and mind. A combination of science, philosophy, yoga, and meditation guide and inspire her professional and personal life. Her background in biochemistry, biology, education, and yoga, along with her interest in mindfulness, neuroplasticity, and the body-mind connection, serve as the foundation for her teaching.
Accommodation
Suryalila is a beautiful old renovated olive farm consisting of eight houses that form the cortijo. In typical Spanish style there are two inner courtyards, one of which blooms with orange and lemon trees.
The property sits on 45 acres of land and is still a working olive farm with 350 olive trees. We also grow organic vegetables and fruits and keep chickens for eggs.
We are nestled serenely in a large open valley in the foothills of the Sierra de Grazelema. This majestic mountain range can be seen looming large on the horizon behind Suryalila. A striking part of the natural beauty of the property is the breathtaking vista extending in all directions: rolling hills, fields of sunflowers, and lakes. The sense of vastness and expansiveness is very uplifting.
We provide different levels of accommodation to suit every budget. From glamping in the olive grove to relaxing in the luxury of our deluxe doubles, we will make sure you have the experience of a lifetime!
Our accommodation packages are all inclusive, which means that whether you are sleeping in a dorm or in our deluxe room, you will enjoy three gourmet vegetarian buffet-style meals per day and have full access to all of our beautiful common areas and facilities.
Cuisine
We pride ourselves in offering sumptuous banquets of delicious gourmet vegetarian and vegan-friendly organic food. We grow as much of our food as possible and we keep our own happy chickens who provide us with eggs.
Our goal is to provide the perfect space and environment for retreats with excellent customer service, whilst creating a real sense of family style intimacy.
Our kitchen is a happy and bustling environment and the cooks are all very creative and talented. The Suryalila Kitchen specialises in gourmet international vegetarian cuisine, using the freshest seasonal, locally-sourced organic fruits and vegetables available, artfully prepared in a varied and truly eclectic international menu. Eggs are gathered daily from our own happy chickens and when the season allows you will enjoy the freshest of fruit picked from our own orchard of apricot, peach, fig and pear trees!
We regularly accommodate vegan, gluten-free, and non-dairy diets, so if you have any special dietary restrictions, just let us know!
If you are a little nervous about going vegetarian – don’t be! Our gourmet vegetarian cuisine will be one of the greatest food experiences of your life and we promise you, you will be raving about the food long after you return home!
What past guests have said
“I warmly recommend both the retreat centre and the course, the 200 hour YTT with Frog Lotus Yoga at Suryalila was everything it advertised and more! The course was intensive in a really good way. It was clear from the beginning that this is a serious course and that the teachers really wanted us to feel confident when we leave, which I think all of us did! There are many different teacher trainings out there and I am really lucky I narrowed it down to this one. It’s hard to explain how three weeks can be so life changing. I left Suryalila feeling sure I will return to the beautiful place. There is something so special about the place and I’m sure everybody who has walked down to the Om Dome in the early morning, gazing up at the stars; watched the sun rise above the mountains after meditation, would agree, not to mention the glorious sunsets. Also there is no question about it that I am already looking forward to attending Frog Lotus Yoga’s Advanced Training in the future. “ – Amanda Homstrom, Vasa, Finland
“After completing the Yoga Teachers Training with you, there was an obvious and immediate impact. Between graduation and my first class as a teacher, my personal practice and appreciation for the yogic lifestyle expanded considerably. Those three weeks opened up such a unique and beautiful relationship with myself, and my understanding of being human has shifted completely. I am so in touch with myself, and it is so obvious and amazing to be able to approach difficult situations without the anxiety and emotion I had before. Your training was superb, and that has really proven itself to me within the last 7 or 8 months of teaching and practicing. I genuinely feel confident and good as a teacher, so thank you for sharing your expertise with me.” – Bethany Platenella, Margate, New Jersey, USA
“I would just like to say thank you for the wonderful experience I had on the training. Aside from the beautiful surroundings, lovely atmosphere and phenomenal food, I was so impressed with the structure and content of the course. Even when it felt like there was so much work to do, I always felt secure and confident that we would be provided with everything we needed to achieve what we set out to. It was exciting to practice so intensively, and to feel my body get stronger and more able each day. The amount of information we absorbed is really mind-blowing, and the course was, as it should be, doing 200 hours in three weeks, rigorous and demanding. I also really felt there was time and space to listen and be attentive to the physical and spiritual changes that were happening, which was wonderful. “– Caroline Mathias, Leominster, Herts, UK
“I’m not sure what forces brought me here, but words fail to describe the beautiful experience you’ve put me through. When I signed up for this course I did not realize that I had signed up for this magical journey. You are a passionate, dedicated and inspiring lady, and you have deeply motivated me to firmly ground my practice in a holistic way. You radiate such warmth and positive energy; you are soft and assertive at the same time; I’m blessed to have had you as my first Guru. Thank you for everything. – Anjalika Bose, Mandala Retreat Centre, Mandrem Beach, Goa, India
“The 200 hour intensive course is exactly that – it is total immersion into yogic living. Early meditation and challenging practice begins each day, followed by a plentiful and nourishing breakfast. The days are comprised of yogic history, learning Sanskrit, philosophical debate, teaching & assisting, anatomy studies and planning lessons. The course is intelligently structured so that you are confidently teaching and assisting small groups before you know it! Vidya is an incredible and inspiring yogi who is inviting you into her home to share with you her vast knowledge and passion. She is efficient and dedicated while being warm and caring. Overall, the course gave me confidence in my own practise, great anatomical knowledge and a solid teaching ability to go out and begin teaching Vinyasa Yoga straight away.” – Joanne Cone, Sheffield, UK
Course price
Receive a complimentary one hour thai or deep tissue massage when you book through Soul Seed Travel.
Prices are in Euros
Tuition cost (Including VAT and Training Manual) – €2000
Enroll up to three months prior the training and get a 10% extra discount.
Accommodation
Includes three delicious organic meals daily and the use of the retreat centre facilities
Twin: 1,890 Euro
Superior Single (Shared Bathroom): 2,310 Euro
Deluxe Single (Own bathroom): 2,625 Euro
Yurt: 1,575 Euro (triple)
Dormitory: 1470 Euros (single sex — shared with 3 others)
Dormitory: 1,365 Euro (single sex – shared with 7 others)
Bell Tents: 1,365 Euro (twin)
*For the total cost of the training add together the tuition cost plus the cost of your choice of accommodation.
How to get here
Travel Arrangements
There are a few airport options close to us. The best airport to fly to is Seville (75 min away), then Jerez de la Frontera (50 min). Malaga is also an option (2 hours by transfer/car or 3 hours by bus). We recommend Skyscanner to search for the best airfares.
Should you decide to travel by bus, we can send you the bus timetable closer to your arrival. Otherwise, organise transfers from the airport to Suryalila. The cost from Seville is €90, from Jerez – €70 and from Malaga – €150. Usually we group people arriving at similar time together, so you can share the cost of the transfer.
Alternatively, there are buses running to Villamartin from where we can pick you up. The cost of a pick up form Villamartin to Suryalila is €10.
Booking
To make an enquiry or book this 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Frog Lotus Yoga International at Suryalila, please complete the form below. Receive an exclusive €50 discount when you book through Soul Seed Travel.
