True Nature: Self-Discovery through Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras with Izzy Shurte, April 4-6
Please join Izzy Shurte LPC, E-RYT 500 for True Nature: Self Discovery through Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. In this course, all curious yogis are welcome to explore Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, a foundational classical yoga text. While PYS is 2000 years old the text is relevant for anyone interested in practicing yoga asana, developing a meditation practice and / or working with the challenges presented by the human mind.
Join with other yogis to create a community for exploration that includes dharma talks explaining key sutras and vocabulary, time for introspection through journal and contemplation, guided meditation, moving with the wisdom of the sutras with daily asana, supportive group discussion and Kirtan (chanting accompanied by harmonium).
Schedule:
Friday: 5:30-9:30p
Saturday: 9:30a-7:30p
Sunday: 11:30a-5p
This course is approved (and required for our 300-hour trainees) for 22 lead trainer core hours (20 contact hours, 2 non-contact hours) for our modular 300-hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training program.
Investment: $300. Register HERE.
Forearm Stand 101 with Lauren Nottingham, April 12, 12:30-2:30p
Learn the foundations of forearm stand (Sanskrit : Pincha Mayurasana) in this two hour workshop. We will begin by exploring foundational postures to build the strength and flexibility necessary to support forearm stand in your practice.
We will go over the ins-and-outs of proper set up and alignment, as well as tips and tricks to help you access the posture. Expect "activities" (AKA drills) for both strengthening and stretching, partner work, and focused time on and off the wall... But we will NOT be flinging ourselves up! Learn how control is the name of the game, and why force is not our friend.
We will also dedicate time to learning how to safely exit the posture, because learning to be confident in falling is one of the keys in learning to fly!
We will also explore different shapes like L/split leg, stag, tuck, and straddle, because sometimes changing up the shape can help access more balance in your body. For those that feel ready (and time permitting), we will introduce other shapes like pike/7, scorpion, and hollowback, as well as other entrances like hop and press.
The workshop will end with Q&A and a bit of myofascial release to support your hard work. Expect to leave with knowledge to support your inversion journey!
Prerequisites: If you feel OK holding Dolphin pose (down dog, but on the forearms) for 30 seconds, this is for you! This workshop is designed for the advanced beginner student that is looking to build an inversion practice, to the intermediate student that wants to get some hot tips to build strength and confidence that will help them take their inversions to the next level.
This course is approved for 2 YA CEUs.
Investment: $40. Sign up HERE.
Wim Hof Method Fundamentals Workshop with Brian Eremita, Sunday, April 13, 11:30-2:30p
Explore the three pillars of the Wim Hof Method: Breath, Cold Exposure & Mindset, and discover how you can utilize these practices to optimize body & mind. Along the way, you’ll learn a bit about the physiology and science around what makes it so effective, and you’ll leave with the tools to safely practice it on your own, should you accept the challenge.
Whether you are looking to improve mental or physical performance, potentially relieve symptoms related to an illness, or are just curious to find out what the Wim Hof Method is all about— this WHM Fundamental Workshop offers something for everyone.
The program kicks off with an introduction to the Wim Hof Method, followed by a breathing session, and then a dip in the ice bath. Brian will touch upon topics such as eustress/hormesis (stress that has a positive impact), benefits of each practice, and tips on how to incorporate these tools into your routine throughout the workshop, and is there to answer questions. There will be time at the end for reflections from participants.
This workshop is for anyone who is seeking ways to unlock the potential within through the breath and the cold. Due to the potential intensity of the experience, participation is discouraged during pregnancy or if you are epileptic. People with cardiovascular issues, or any other serious health conditions should always consult a medical professional before starting the Wim Hof Method. Please see below for a list of known contraindications.
It is advised against practicing the WHM if any of the following pertain to you:
● Coronary heart disease (e.g. Angina Pectoris; Stable Angina)
● Cold urticaria
● Epilepsy
● Kidney failure
● Pregnancy
● Raynaud’s Syndrome (Type II)
● High blood pressure (in case of prescription medication)
● A history of serious health issues like heart failure or stroke
● Shortly after an operation
If you suffer from migraines, you are urged to be cautious about taking ice baths.
Please bring clothing in layers, towels, a journal, pen, and optional yoga mat.
Your instructor: Brian Eremita is a certified instructor for the Wim Hof Method and has been guiding breathwork for over 15 years. He recently moved to Richmond from Guatemala where he had opened and operated La Caja Azul, a center for movement, health, and wellness. He is passionate about circus arts & men’s work and is a lover of music and animals.
Investment: $45. Register HERE.
Flow and Glow with Parham Neal-Pishko and Liz Bowden, Friday, April 18, 5:30-6:45p
After four years of collaborating around the world, Parham and Liz are bringing their retreat style offering to the studio. P will guide a breath-led vinyasa flow to open the heart and prepare the spine. Then, Liz will guide a two-part breathwork journey to quiet the mind, activate the body’s wisdom, and unearth subconscious holds in a deep meditative state.
A little flow, a little glow. Let’s clear the lens and recalibrate.
Investment: $30. Register HERE.
Aura Theory pop up, Saturday, April 19
Discover the colors of your energy with a personalized aura photo session with Aura Theory. This experience includes:
✨ Aura Photo
✨ Yurt Read Interpretation – An insightful breakdown of the meanings behind the colors in your aura
✨ Take-Home Study Guide – A comprehensive color guide to further explore and understand your aura at your own pace
Option for Single Session or Trio of Energies (3 people, 1 pic per person). $60. Register at Aura Theory X Yoga Dojo 4.19.
Chair Yoga Teacher Training with Jess Geevarghese, April 19-20
Chair Yoga is an accessible practice for students, clients or patients who need the support of a chair for a number of reasons, including age, weight, temperament, ability or situation. The 14-hour Chair Yoga Teacher Training is an opportunity for yoga teachers and those in allied professions to build skills related to teaching students of varying abilities in three settings:
• Yoga Studio (more mobile seniors/individuals)
• Nursing Home/Retirement Facility, and
• Corporate/Workplace Settings.
The training is accompanied by a 100+ page printed manual.
What you will learn:
1) Students will learn to teach chair yoga in a trauma-informed and accessible manner.
2) Students will understand the considerations for teaching a variety of students, including in an active yoga studio setting, corporate environment and retirement facility.
3) Students will learn the basics of injury and condition management.
4) Students will become competent to teach resistance training and use props in their practice.
The training is broken up into Discussions, Posture Labs, Anatomy & Physiology, Practice and Practice Teaching.
*Discussions include Creating a Safe and Inclusive Environment, Balance/Proprioception and Considerations for Workplace Yoga.
*Posture Labs cover seated and standing sun salutations, back bends, forward bends, hip openers, low-impact movements, lateral flexion, and savasana.
Please bring a yoga mat and a set of light-weight dumbbells (1-3 lbs). We will provide chairs and blocks.
Schedule:
Saturday, 4/19: 12-7p
Sunday, 4/20: 11:30-4:30p
This training is approved for 14 lead trainer core hours (12 contact, 2 non-contact) for our modular 300-hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training program.
Investment: $400. Register HERE.
Creative Coping: Shaping Grief with Yoga, Meditation, & Clay with Holly Zajur, April 26, 1:30-3:30p
Grief is an emotional response to any loss—whether it’s the absence of a loved one, the shifting of a dream, or a change that reshapes our lives. Rather than something to “get over,” grief is something we can learn to move with and build a relationship with.
In this two-hour workshop, we will come together in the fullness of grief to explore new ways of moving through it. We will engage with grief through movement, mindfulness, and making, honoring what we carry and creating space for healing and connection.
Our time together will include:
Yoga & Breathwork – Movement and breath techniques to regulate the nervous system and support emotional release.
Meditation & Meridians – Grounding practices and acupressure points related to grief
Journaling & Reflection – Thoughtfully guided reflections to name, explore, and transform your relationship with grief, as well as shared moments for connection in community.
Clay Play – Hand-building a grief vessel—a small ceramic form to symbolize what we are holding, releasing, or honoring. This vessel may become a space for written reflections, a place to hold treasures from loved ones lost, or simply a tangible reminder of your ongoing relationship with love and loss.
You are welcome to bring a small object, photo, or symbol of your grief to press into the clay, embedding its presence in the form you create.
Creativity allows us to express what words cannot. As we shape clay with our hands, we shape our understanding of grief—not as something to be overcome, but as something to integrate.
No prior experience with yoga or clay is needed—just an open heart and hands ready to create. You are welcome to bring a small object or photo that holds meaning for you.
Who is this for? Anyone navigating grief in any form, looking for a supportive space to move, create, and connect.
Investment:
$65 early bird/accessibility rate until 4/1. Please email hello@theyogadojorva.com if after 4/1 earlybird cut off but the accessibilty rate will help support your attendance.
$75 after 4/1.
$85 supporter rate (for those who can contribute more to help others attend).
Register HERE.
Community Acupuncture with Sarah Coghlan + Elizabeth Mastropierro, Sunday, April 27, 12-3p
Community Acupuncture is designed as a way of offering Chinese medicine in an accessible format. It's a means of giving back to our hardworking, overstressed community in a way that is affordable to all. It's ideal for both first time and seasoned acupuncture clients.
Community (or group) acupuncture is offered in a room with several zero-gravity chairs, where individuals can join each other in holding a healing space. Please wear loose-fitting clothing to your session, as most points will be from the elbows and knees down. There will be a short intake form and you will speak with our practitioner for a few minutes, have your pulse taken, and after points are inserted, your will be able to rest for about 30 minutes. People seek acupuncture for a variety of reasons, including (but not limited to) physical injury, acute and chronic pain, colds flu and immune support, reproductive health, allergies and respiratory issues, digestive health concerns, mental and emotional wellness, auto-immune conditions, insomnia, and more.
We will hold healing sessions once a month at The Yoga Dojo with Dr. Sarah Coghlan and Elizabeth Mastropierro. Relax and receive a 45-minute treatment for a sliding scale amount of $20-50 sliding scale. Pre-registration is required, either by emailing hello@theyogadojorva.com or through our online booking system. Our next events are also available for booking on 5/25 and 6/22.
Reserve your space HERE.
Body love : A Somatic Experience with Molly Bienstock, Monday, April 28, 7:15-8:45p
Together we'll explore what it means to be in a body through the lens of somatic experience, parts work, and the importance of slowing down. Come enjoy an evening of yoga, movement, and dance as a ritual for forgiveness, belonging, and collective care.
Investment: $30. Register HERE.
Molly Bienstock (they/them) is a nonbinary, queer somatic therapist and educator whose passions lie in helping people find safety in their bodies so they can experience their most playful, authentic selves. After a traumatic accident in 2014, Molly became a scholar of somatic and spiritual methodologies as a channel to better understand the body's survival responses as well as how it can thrive. Molly now offers a unique combination of tools in their private practice Magic With Molly that stems from the wisdom of yoga, breathwork, somatic experience, movement and dance therapy, traditional talk therapy, and parts work. Molly's focus is on helping people feel their most expansive, human selves by honoring our reflections in Nature and integrating contradictory aspects of the self to support the feeling of Wholeness. Molly works with clients of all ages and backgrounds in both 1-on-1 settings and groups.
Elemental Sound healing with Juju Desta
Dates/Times:
Friday, May 9, 6-7:15p
Friday, June 13, 6-7:15p
Sound healing is an ancient practice that uses sound to relax the body and mind through allowing the vibrations of the various instruments to put one into a “yogic sleep.” In yogic sleep, the individual is neither fully asleep nor fully awake. In Aboriginal culture, it is referred to as the “Dream Time” state. The sounds vibrate with every cell of a living organism which in turn activates a natural healing process working through any physical, mental, or emotional blockages within the body.
Julian J. Desta is 200hr certified yoga instructor residing in Richmond, VA. Always having a passion for the creative arts, he was introduced to the practice of Sound Healing and Therapy when given his first singing bowl as a birthday present from a friend. Julian began researching the depths of sound and it’s powerful healing techniques. After a few years practicing Julian received his Sound Healing Certification from Mentor and friend Mark Toregson in 2019.
Specializing in a variety of instruments from the didgeridoo, to flutes, singing bowls, and drums, Julian has created a unique Sound Healing Experience called Elemental Sound Healing. Discovering relationship between sound healing and nature, he calls on the 4 elements of Air, Wind, Water, and Fire to channel through each practice to bring balance to the human system or what he likes to refer to as homeostasis.
Investment: $30. Link to sign up HERE. Be sure to bring what you need to rest comfortably on the ground - a blanket or two and pillow are recommended.
Mallorca Retreat with Adrian McCavitt and Lauren Nottingham, May 10-17
We had a last minute cancellation and have ONE spot available on our retreat to Mallorca. Drop us a line if you want to snag it at retreats@theyogadojorva.com!
Let’s Get Down To Business with Lauren Nottingham, June 6-8
Whether you are a newer instructor, seasoned yoga or fitness professional, or even a yoga practitioner with a wellness hustle looking to grow your personal brand, this weekend is designed with you in mind. We will dive into what it looks like to be a creative wellness professional, and what it takes to successfully take the leap to the center of the dream Venn diagram - blending purpose, passion, and performance in your professional life.
This weekend will include mini-modules in:
*“What the heck am I doing anyways?”: Meditation, brain dump, and mind mapping to build focus and organize your thoughts
*Life as a wellness professional: Teaching channels, important business aspects (the boring stuff like insurance, business formation, and taxes), professional organizations, ethics, and voice
*Marketing 101
*Designing your brand
*Building a website and social media presence
*Creating collateral : logos, business cards, posters, and merchandise
*Designing and pitching workshops
*Building your dream retreat
*Individual and group work to build and pitch a project
*Movement, meditation, and pranayama practices to foster and focus the mind-body-spirit connection.
Schedule:
Friday, 6/6: 5:30-9:30p
Saturday, 6/7: 10-7p
Sunday, 6/8: 10-7p
This course is approved (and required for our 300-hour trainees) for 25 lead trainer hours in our Modular 300-hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training (22 contact hours, 3 non-contact hours), OR for 25 hours of Yoga Alliance-approved Continuing Education. It may apply for CEUs for other professional organizations, as well. Please contact trainings@theyogadojorva.com to inquire.
Investment: $300. Register HERE.
About your instructor: With over a decade of experience teaching yoga, and nearly 10 years after co-founding and operating The Yoga Dojo, Lauren’s life and professional experience has led her to building this labor of love to share with you. She holds a BA in Fashion Merchandising from Virginia Commonwealth University, is an E-RYT 500 and Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider, a certified Meridian Yoga Technique practitioner, and is the Programs Director here at the Dojo for our 200 and 300-hour Yoga Teacher Trainings.
ROCKET VINYASA INTENSIVE WITH STEVE PYKA, LAUREN NOTTINGHAM + ADRIAN MCCAVITT, JULY 23-27
WHAT IT IS:
The 5-Day Practice Immersion is designed for any person at any level in their practice who is interested in learning more about Rocket Vinyasa Yoga. Through daily practice and group discussions, your existing concepts of what yoga is and what it is for will be challenged and expanded. Live a life in the week of a Rocket Yogi. See how a simple, gentle, systematic and powerful approach to yoga can transform how you relate to yourself and the world around you.
Schedule:
Wednesday (evening practice only): 6-7:30p
Thursday: 9a-7p
Friday: 9a-7p
Saturday: 9a-7p
Sunday: 11:30a-7p
WHO SHOULD TAKE IT:
Anyone! Of course, it is helpful to already have a consistent yoga practice, but it is not essential. The immersion might light a fire for you! Students and teachers are welcome, but this program does not confer any authority to teach yoga generally or Rocket Yoga specifically. The authority to teach yoga comes from your own experience, dedication and enthusiasm to share what you practice.
WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE IT:
We take a common-sense approach to the practice and the philosophy. Yoga need not be complicated. In fact, it's very natural- it's moving and breathing with awareness. Forget about what you can do, have or become through yoga. Yoga is most useful in demonstrating that you have what you seek. Having an enjoyable and familiar yoga routine that you can do anywhere and at anytime will inspire you to develop the consistency and dedication which bring forth the gifts of the practice.
YOUR INSTRUCTORS:
Steve Pyka, a direct student of Larry Schultz, the creator of Rocket Yoga, opened AstaYoga with Rene Henley in 2009 as a place where people could find a genuine sense of strength, peace and community. Steve has been teaching for nearly two decades and has trained hundreds of people (including Adrian, Lauren, and other Dojo instructors!) who are practicing and sharing the Rocket all over the world.
Lauren Nottingham + Adrian McCavitt, co-founders of The Yoga Dojo, will be co-facilitating this training.
WHAT IT COSTS AND HOW YOU CAN SIGN UP:
The training costs $995. You can reserve a space in the training with a $300 deposit, with the balance due before training commences. Or feel free to pay in full upon registering. You may register HERE.
Returning students who have previously completed a Rocket training with Asta / The Yoga Dojo can take $420 off the training price and enroll at a discounted rate of $575- the Larry Schultz Special - and can sign up by emailing hello@theyogadojorva.com.
This training is approved for 45 lead trainer core hours (40 contact, 5 non-contact) for our modular 300-hour Advanced Yoga Teacher Training program. This course is also approved for 45 YA CEUs (40 contact, 5 non-contact) if you are registered with Yoga Alliance and NOT enrolled in our 300-hour program.
Winter 2026 Retreat to Nosara with Adrian McCavitt and Lauren Nottingham, January 17-24, 2026
Details coming soon, but mark your calendars!!! Drop us an email at retreats@theyogadojorva.com if you want to be the first to know info!