Expressing Your Practice
200-Hour Teacher Training Program
Ready to take your practice to new heights?
You’ve come to the right place.
Our 200-hour Teacher Training Certification Program, approved by Yoga Alliance, isn’t just about learning the poses—it’s a deep dive into the rich traditions, philosophy, and practices that make yoga a way of life. Guided by our highly experienced teaching staff, each with over a decade of teaching under their belts, you’ll be supported through an immersive journey of study and self-discovery surrounded by a safe and supportive community.
We’re the longest-running yoga studio in the Lowcountry, and our Teacher Training program is no exception.
We have 24 years of experience graduating teachers and watching them shine in our local community and beyond!
Upon completion, you won’t just be handed a 200-hour teaching certificate, but more importantly, you’ll embody the confidence to actually use it. We work diligently to keep the spotlight on the whole of yoga, from breathwork and meditation to history and mindful living — so you’ll leave feeling equipped to teach, practice, and live your yoga.
Although this intensive, comprehensive program is offered in-studio, we do allow for a partial virtual experience on a need-by-need basis.
Did we mention that you get FREE unlimited yoga while you’re enrolled?
Now that we have your attention…
current Weekend Program:
June-September 2025
with Sonia Lennartz
Guest Teachers: Trace Sahaja Bonner and Staff
Required Training Weekends:
June 20 - 22
June 27 - 29
July 18 - 20
July 25 - 27
August 8 - 10
August 15 - 17
August 29 - 31
September 5 - 7
September 19 - 21
next Weekend Program:
January-April 2026
with Sonia Lennartz
Guest Teachers: Trace Sahaja Bonner and Staff
(In-studio with the option to take portions of the training virtually)
This offering consists of 9 training weekends spread throughout a little more than 3 months. Although we’d prefer you take the entirety of the training in-studio, we know that things come up, so we offer the option for you to join us virtually when needed. The entirety of the training CANNOT be done virtually.
Hours:
Class meets on
Fridays: 6:45pm-10:00pm
Saturdays: 11:00am-6:30pm
Sundays: 8:00am-3:45pm
Please note attendance is required for all training weekends. No more than 8 hours of absence is allowed throughout the entire program.
FULL WEEKEND ABSENCES ARE NOT ALLOWED!
Required Training Weekends:
January 16 - 18
January 23 - 25
February 6 - 8
February 20 - 22
March 6 - 8
March 20 - 22
March 27 - 29
April 10 - 12
April 24 - 26
***apply before December 1st to receive $250 off the cost of your tuition***
Once you’ve submitted your application, we’ll reach out via email to schedule a phone interview to discuss your application and program logistics in greater detail.
Once accepted, you’ll receive a confirmation letter via email, welcoming you into the program.
If you don’t practice with us already, we strongly encourage you swing by and take class! We’d love nothing more than to get to know you and your practice a bit more.
Looking to deepen your practice but aren’t ready to commit to the full teacher training program?
Our Grounding Your Practice Program was created just for you!
It’s the first 40 hours of our 200-hour teacher training program, and was designed to deepen your knowledge of the poses, the history, and the philosophy of the practice.
What You'll Study
Deepening Your Personal Practice
We play on the mat, learning how your own practice structures your teaching style and confidence.
Asana
We learn fundamental instruction, alignment, execution and hands-on assist to teach the poses (asanas) with clarity.
Anatomy and Movement
Hatha Yoga is fundamentally a practice of movement. We share basic anatomy and how to prevent injury.
Pranayama and the Subtle Body
Learn breathing techniques as well as Bandhas, Nadis, Chakras, Koshas.
Meditation
We will explore techniques to begin your own practice and how to share.
Yoga Philosophy and Religious Studies
The teachings of Yoga arose from ancient texts, including the Yoga Sutras and Bhagavad Gita. We will study and discuss these through in-depth lectures.
Sound Vibration and Sanskrit
Ancient Yoga was spoken in the language of Sanskrit, and we honor by learning basic poses, slokas, invocation and spiritual song in Sanskrit.
Tuition and Registration
Prospective students must fill out an application and submit a refundable deposit of $150, which will be deducted from the tuition cost.
If paying with Credit Card - $2650
If paying with Cash or Check - $2550
( option to pay in full or in installments )
First payment is due by December 16, 2025. Full balance must be paid in full by the April 1, 2026.
Tuition includes a training manual and unlimited classes at Holy Cow Yoga Center for the duration of the training.
Required & Recommended Texts
Holy Cow Yoga Center Teacher Training Manual (required + provided by the studio)
The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali by Swami Satchidananda (required + provided by the studio)
Jivamukti Yoga by David Life & Sharon Gannon (highly recommended)
The Science of Breath by Swami Rama, Rudolph Ballentine, MD, Alan Hymes, MD (highly recommended)
The Bhagavid Gita by Eknath Easwaran (highly recommended)
Yoga: The Spirit and Practice of Moving Into Stillness by Erich Schiffmann (optional)
Make a Teacher Training Payment
For Currently Enrolled Teacher Trainees Only
We’ve made it a little more convenient to make teacher training installment payments. If you are currently enrolled in our 200-hour teacher training program and you are paying your tuition in installments, you can make a credit or debit card payment right here on the website. We’re still happy to take your payments here at the studio, but now you have options.
Our Faculty
Trace Sahaja Bonner, E-RYT 500, Founder and Director of Holy Cow Yoga Center
She began her practice more than 30 years ago, and is a certified Advanced Integral Yoga teacher (influenced by Sri Swami Satchidananda). Having studied in India and the US, Trace Sahaja continues to draw from a variety of great teachers in the west. She takes workshops with a host of contemporary Yoga teachers to deepen her personal understanding of Yoga. Yoga is about having fun with the journey, so she enjoys bringing her lighthearted teaching style to all levels of Yoga classes, Teacher Trainings, workshops on Meditation, Advanced Studies and the Yoga Sutras.
Sonia Lennartz, RYT 500
Sonia discovered Yoga when she randomly attended a class in 2002 in Italy. She found the effects of the class to be similar to a massage, fitness class and therapy session all in one. She became fascinated by yoga's self-healing properties. Soon after, she moved to the United States where she pursued a career in banking. During that time, her yoga practice continued to grow while she balanced career and family. After the birth of her second child, she decided to abandon the corporate world an dedicate herself to what mattered most in her life, her family. She then decided to deepen her immersion in the practice by becoming a yoga teacher. Teacher training started in Virginia, but mid-way through, life moved her to Charleston. Determined to finish what she started, she completed her 200 hr certification in April 2012 through Holy Cow Yoga Center. She firmly believes that “obstacles are opportunities in disguise."
Heidi Crotts, RYT 500
Heidi lives the practice of yoga on and off the mat. Whether exploring the skyscraper canyons of New York City, or chasing her son Everette (her daily teacher, guru, and little love munchkin) on the beach of a SC summer, she is never without a sense of gratitude for the transformation that the study yoga has given her. Injured from youthful pursuits as a gymnast and diver, she once assumed balance and body confidence were lost to her forever. But, her first yoga class in Chicago in 2005 allayed her fears, and a resurgence of strength and vitality began. Influenced heavily by Ashtanga Yoga and David Swenson, she continues to absorb lessons of Leslie Howard and other illuminating souls into her practice and classes. “Pure joy” is how Heidi describes her return to Holy Cow, where she completed her 200-hour TT in 2010, and Charleston, where she is privileged to breathe in the healing marsh air every day.
Additional Faculty
Geshla Dakpa Topgyal
Geshle has published three practice books on Samatha meditation and teaches students year round at the Charleston Tibetan Society Dharma Center where he is also the resident teacher since 2001. Besides his years of education and experience, he brings to the teachings a kind heart and a sense of humor that is both disarming and endearing.
Rhonda Swickert-Hittner, PhD
A Professor of Psychology at the College of Charleston Dr. Swickert-Hittner has focused her research and teaching on positive & social psychology, with interests in how people may learn and grow from weathering aversive events. She will offer lectures on yoga, mindfulness, and gratitude from a psychology perspective.
“Truth is one, paths are many”