The Soul Institute: Equitable and Inclusive Yoga Teacher Training
Seems like yesterday we were announcing our first something big—Soul Yoga OHC. If you find yourself here, then chances are high that you’re familiar. But if you’ve stumbled upon this blog another way—welcome, new friend.
Soul Yoga is not your average yoga studio. We’re the premier inclusive yoga studio and a place to belong. Read more here.
And now, our newest announcement of something big—like so big it was so difficult to contain!
The Soul Institute—the evolution of the Soul Yoga mission to create empowered, diverse communities through yoga and beyond. If you’ve been part of the Soul Yoga community, you know we’re all about inclusion and transformation. The Soul Institute takes this even further by focusing on holistic leadership training for people who want to make real change in their lives and communities.
How are we different?
There are so many options out there for yoga teacher training programs. We encourage everyone considering starting a program to explore what their personal goals and values are and find a program that aligns with them.
So, what makes The Soul Institute different?
Addressing Industry Gaps
The Soul Institute was created to solve real problems in the yoga industry. See our Why in the box to the right. Where Soul Yoga is the solution for everyday community practice, The Soul Institute is working to train leaders who will learn to fill those gaps and take it into their own communities.
Accessible Yoga Education
Our goal is to make yoga training as accessible as possible. We have scholarship opportunities and offer payment plans so that no person is excluded.
Holistic Development
Beyond physical poses, we focus on personal and professional development. We give you the tools you need to integrate mindfulness, self-awareness, and stress management into your life. This isn’t just about becoming a yoga teacher—it’s about becoming a more effective leader, communicator, and change-maker.
Leadership Training
The Soul Institute also equips individuals with tools for leadership that extend beyond yoga. You’ll learn how to build emotional intelligence, resilience, and authentic leadership—all grounded in the principles of yoga. Whether you're leading a classroom, a company, or a community, the skills you gain here will support your growth.
At The Soul Institute, we’re not just training the next generation of yoga teachers. We’re building leaders who will take yoga out into the world and use it to drive real, meaningful change.
What do we offer?
At The Soul Institute, we have an option to meet your needs:
A 200-hour yoga teacher training for beginners
An accelerated 200-hour option for those ready to dive in faster
A 300-hour advanced training & CEU for deepening your knowledge
All of our programs are certified by Yoga Alliance, so you’ll graduate with the credentials to teach anywhere.
But here’s the difference: we’re not just training yoga teachers.
We’re helping you develop both personally and professionally by using yoga as a tool for growth, leadership, and—most importantly—social change. We’re training leaders who understand the power of inclusivity and are ready to create spaces where people from all walks of life feel welcome and empowered. Are you ready to join us?
Why The Soul Institute?
After nearly 15 years of teaching yoga in Cleveland, Soul Yoga founder Ylonda Rosenthal-Greene was tired of the serious gaps that existed in the yoga and wellness industry. These gaps not only affected her as a Black teacher and practitioner, but she knew (and felt) the impact on the entire population of QTBIPOC students. BTW gaps is a nice way of saying—discriminatory problems:
A real lack of diversity in instructors
A sense of exclusion created by cliques in studios
An unspoken "criteria" that you must be flexible, thin, fashionable, and white to practice yoga
Yoga as fitness-only
A lack of understanding and respect for the roots of westernized yoga origins
Too often, these problems created anxiety amongst patrons or uncertainty when walking into a yoga space for the first time. Ylonda knew that yoga should be welcoming for everyone because she had felt that exclusion time and time again.
Where she first set out to solve these problems by creating Soul Yoga OHC, The Soul Institute is the next step—building from the momentum of Soul Yoga's success. This is where we tackle those problems head-on again.
Yoga as a Tool for Social Change
At The Soul Institute, we believe that yoga is more than a physical practice—it's a powerful tool for personal and societal transformation. Integrating the principles of inclusivity, diversity, and social justice into yoga isn’t just an ideal; it’s necessary. We are not only training yoga teachers, but we're also preparing leaders who are ready to use yoga as a way to foster equity, respect, and empathy within their communities. Just as we work to bring diversity and mindfulness to the mat, we aim to create ripple effects beyond it.
Personal Transformation at Soul Yoga
We’ve seen firsthand how inclusive spaces can change lives. Take Brandt Butze, for example—a Soul Yoga member who came to us with doubts and a history of personal struggle, including the loss of his son and battles with sobriety and chronic pain. Despite these challenges, Brandt found a safe space at Soul Yoga, transforming his life through his yoga practice. His story is one of resilience, community, and self-discovery.
Read Brandt's full story here.
Where do I begin?
If we’ve piqued your interest, but want more information or just to talk through it — we’re here for you. Let’s start the conversation.
