14-Day Soma Yoga Immersion Retreat in Costa Rica’s Blue Zone: Playa Coyote, Guanacaste

Liz Heffernan, MA, E-RYT 500, C-IAYT is a gifted international yoga teacher, a certified Yoga Therapist and long-term practitioner. She combines her in-depth knowledge of anatomy and bio-mechanically safe alignment principles with insights and practical wisdom gained from over 26 years of yoga teaching & immersive study. She is the Founder and Director of Soma Yoga Institute, a world-wide yoga teacher training school that embraces a therapeutically-oriented, heart-centered approach. These programs, heralded by many as truly inspirational, combine modern day biomechanics and research driven science with ancient teachings and serve to teach adaptive Yoga for all BODIES as a practice for vibrant health, self-transformation and personal empowerment. Liz's dynamic teaching style is influenced by many, many wonderful yoga teachers. These include Ashtanga Yoga’s Shri K. Pattabhi Jois, Tim Miller, Nancy Gilgoff and Bhavani Maki; Anusara Yoga’s Desiree Rumbaugh, Jenny Otto, Noah Maze, and Jim & Ruthie Bernaert; Integrative Yoga Therapy’s Joseph Le Page; and yoga philosophers Ram Das, Douglas Brooks, and Carlos Pomeda. Liz is known is for her ability to bridge the gap between the ancient perspectives of yoga and contemporary daily life. In her work as a yoga therapist, Liz specializes in helping seniors age gracefully and is highly skilled in adapting practices to meet the complex health challenges associated with aging. In collaborative partnership with Yoga 4 Brain Health she has co-founded the Memory Maintenance Yoga Teacher Training program that certifies Yoga teachers to help their communities delay the onset of memory loss related diseases through Yoga. Liz also serves as a faculty-mentor for the Kripalu School of Integrative Yoga Therapy supporting professionals on their journey to become yoga therapists. Liz believes that the path of Yoga brings greater ease, not just to the individual, but to all beings everywhere, and ultimately uplifts planetary consciousness one conscious breath at a time.

nnately perceptive beyond her years, and wildly passionate about everything in her path, Molly applies a level of determination and delight that is truly one of a kind.   Her unique teaching style is both intense and focused but lightened with creativity, compassion, and humor.  She is known for her ability to facilitate and create a masterful symphony of yoga asana, pranayama, philosophy and inspiration in every class she teaches. She has extensive knowledge in physical alignment and the energy body and how to intertwine the two and the gift of perception which allows her to really see bodies /beings and shepherd them into their greatest expression of balance and peace. A serious student of yoga for the past 15 years, Molly has studied intensely with Chuck Miller, and completed teacher trainings with Annie Carpenter and Don Stapelton.  She credits Annie for giving her the skills to teach intentional alignment and sequencing, Don for the ability to encourage self-inquiry and Chuck for finding the unity in all things.  In addition to leading teacher trainings, workshops and retreats, Molly also owns Yoga Centered Studio and Boutique in Hilo, Hawaii. She is an influential member of her yoga community and serves as a mentor to both students and other teachers.  Ultimately she hopes to inspire others to share the practices of yoga that have so positively impacted her life.