I did not begin yoga as someone who looked like the yoga teachers I saw in studios, magazines or advertisements. I came to yoga in my forties while navigating health concerns and living in a body that did not fit the narrow image many people associate with yoga.I was not exceptionally flexible or athletic. I was not searching for another way to criticize or change my body. I was searching for a way to come home to it.Yoga gave me a place to breathe. It taught me to listen to my body rather than treat it as something I had to conquer. It helped me experience myself as more than a diagnosis, a limitation or a list of things I could not do.As my practice deepened, I began to feel called to teach. I wanted to share yoga with people who might also feel excluded from traditional yoga spaces. When I expressed my desire to enter yoga teacher training, however, I was told that I was too sick to participate.Those words hurt because they seemed to confirm a fear I already carried: perhaps my body would prevent me from answering the call on my life.I could have accepted that moment as the end of my journey. Instead, I found another teacher and another path.I entered an intensive yoga teacher training through White Crow Yoga with my teacher, Mary Irby. At the time, I was teaching college and working full days. I made a long commute to training, studied when I was exhausted and continued even when the process demanded more from me than I thought I had to give.I completed my 200-hour teacher training and continued into advanced study. I pursued yoga therapy, restorative yoga, Yin yoga, aqua yoga, Thai Yoga, meditation, somatic yoga and other approaches that allow the practice to meet people where they are.Eventually, I understood that my body had never disqualified me from becoming a yoga teacher. The problem was the limited definition of what a yoga teacher was supposed to look like.I did not need to force myself into someone else’s image of yoga. I needed to become the teacher I once needed.<h2 id="10068c2b-96f5-4aa3-99eb-ce02881f24b7" data-toc-id="10068c2b-96f5-4aa3-99eb-ce02881f24b7" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">Why I Created Rose Temple Yoga School</h2>Rose Temple Yoga School was created for people who do not always see themselves represented in traditional yoga spaces. It welcomes older adults, beginners, people in larger bodies, people with disabilities or limited mobility, people living with chronic health concerns and anyone who has wondered whether they are young, thin, strong, flexible or experienced enough to practice yoga.You do not have to perform advanced poses to belong here. You do not have to prove that your body can fit into someone else’s version of yoga. You do not have to become a different person before you are worthy of beginning.Rose Temple is not built around physical perfection. It is built around presence, compassion, accessibility, wisdom and spiritual depth.Our training includes gentle yoga, chair yoga, restorative yoga, Yin yoga, somatic movement, meditation, breathwork and Yoga Nidra. Students will study yoga history, philosophy, ethics, anatomy, sequencing and teaching methodology. They will learn how to use props, variations, consent-centered language and trauma-aware approaches to create practices that welcome different bodies and abilities.My lineage is rooted in Thirumoolar’s Ashtanga Therapeutic Yoga through my teacher, Mary Irby. This tradition recognizes that yoga can be adapted to support the individual. The individual should not be forced to fit the practice.<h2 id="ccb1be68-e14f-410a-b30d-6ee58d7541c9" data-toc-id="ccb1be68-e14f-410a-b30d-6ee58d7541c9" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">Two Ways to Walk the Path</h2>The Rose Temple 200-Hour Inclusive Yoga Teacher Training offers two pathways.The professional teaching pathway is for students who want to complete the requirements to teach yoga. It includes class planning, sequencing, observation, practice teaching, ethics and the development of an authentic teaching voice.The personal and spiritual enrichment pathway is for those who want to study yoga deeply without becoming professional teachers. This path allows students to explore yoga philosophy, meditation, personal practice, spiritual reflection and a more compassionate relationship with their bodies.Sometimes we begin yoga teacher training because we want something for ourselves. Along the way, we may discover that our experiences have prepared us to help someone else. You do not have to know your final destination before taking the first step.<h2 id="c37baadc-9c7f-448b-a906-ea4bc318e246" data-toc-id="c37baadc-9c7f-448b-a906-ea4bc318e246" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">The First Rose Temple Cohort Begins in 2027</h2>The inaugural Rose Temple 200-Hour Inclusive Yoga Teacher Training begins in January 2027 and continues through November 2027.Training will be offered in person at Cosmic Connections in Nashville, with a hybrid Zoom option for students who cannot attend every session in person. Some live Zoom lectures and gatherings will be required for all students.Rose Temple Yoga School is accredited through the American Yoga Council and is awaiting a decision regarding Yoga Alliance accreditation.Early-enrollment tuition is $2,500 through November 30, 2026. Tuition increases to $3,000 beginning December 1. A $250 nonrefundable deposit reserves your place and is applied toward tuition. Payment plans are available. Books, supplies, props, travel and lodging are not included.Class size will be limited so that each student can receive personal support, feedback and mentoring.<h2 id="13bafa77-66bb-4bda-9a9c-285fc10129a7" data-toc-id="13bafa77-66bb-4bda-9a9c-285fc10129a7" style="text-align: left; font-size: 24px; line-height: 1.2;">Is This Your Invitation?</h2>If you have ever wanted to study yoga or become a teacher but believed your body, age, health or experience made you ineligible, Rose Temple was created with you in mind.You do not have to decide everything today. Your next step is simply to learn more.Visit the Rose Temple Yoga Teacher Training page and request information about the complete schedule, curriculum, book and supply list, payment plans and enrollment process:<a target="_blank" href="https://www.bertena.org/en/yoga-teacher-training">https://www.bertena.org/en/yoga-teacher-training</a>My journey began when I refused to allow someone else’s opinion of my body to become the final word about my calling.Rose Temple Yoga School is my answer to that experience.Your body belongs in yoga. Your wisdom belongs in the room. Your path can begin here.

I did not begin yoga as someone who looked like the yoga teachers I saw in studios, magazines or advertisements.

The Yoga Teacher I Was Told I Could Never Become

The First Rose Temple Cohort Begins in 2027

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The Yoga Teacher I Was Told I Could Never Become

The Yoga Teacher I Was Told I Could Never Become

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