continuing education

50 Hour Mentorship Program

Soma’s Mentorship Program will help you transition from a beginning level teacher to one that is confident, self assured, and owns their own personal style of teaching. We are here to provide valuable guidance and support.

This program is designed for graduates of both 200-hour and 500-hour Yoga Teacher Training programs who are eager to refine their teaching abilities and continue their yoga education.

Our mentorship program runs from October through May, with a minimum commitment of four months. You can join us at anytime between October 1st and January 1st. You have the flexibility to complete the program within an eight month timeframe.

You will have the opportunity to select your mentor and work closely with them. Additionally, you will receive direct feedback from Amy Leydon, Director of Soma and Soma Yoga School, and gain access to workshops led by other experienced Soma teachers. All mentors hold a 500-hour RYT certification and/or possess at least five years of full time teaching experience.

Please fill out the form below to get matched with a mentor.

register here

The Program

This is the only mentorship program of its kind in Boston. We will focus on improving both your own personal practice as well as honing your teaching skills. You will receive a certificate for 50 hours of continuing education upon completion.

  • Choose one Soma teacher to mentor with. See below for a list of participating teachers. You will assist one class a week for a total of 12 class assists. Please make sure their schedule aligns with yours when picking a mentor.

  • (2) One on one conversations with your mentor for one hour

  • Teach one community class during the program. Your mentor will take your class and give you notes after your class.

  • Attend (2) YTT modules where you will participate in Posture labs and/or Hands-On Adjustment Labs plus two lecture topics. You will offer assistance to the trainees while learning at the same time.

  • Participate in (2) 2 hour Workshops - Asana Clinics, Hands on Adjustments, or Philosophy - Workshops held the 3rd Saturday of every month from 1-3pm. *

  • You will participate in (2) group teaching labs with other mentees and get direct feedback from Amy. There will 4 teaching labs offered within the 8 month period.

  • Reading assignments and sequencing assignments suggested by your mentor. 

  • 4 small group classes with Amy designed to improve your alignment and focus on postural imbalances. Classes held the first Tuesday of every month at 7:30pm from October-May.

  • The cost of mentorship is $1100. Payment plan is available.

This is a 50 hour program and you will receive a certification verifying 50 hours of CECs upon completion.

  • Assisting - 12-15 hours

  • (2) one on one conversations with your mentor - 2 hours

  • Community class teaching and feedback - 2 hours

  • YTT modules - 6 hours

  • Teacher Workshops - 4 hours

  • Teaching labs - 4 hours

  • Advanced Teacher’s Class  - 5 hours

  • Creating Sequences/Independent Study - 12-15 hours

Mentorship price includes all of the above but does not include the price of any other Soma programming, regularly scheduled classes, or additional workshops/master classes.    

Schedule of Required Classes

Workshops

Saturdays 1-3pm

Oct 18 | Nov 1 | Dec 13 | Feb 14

March 14 | April 4 | May 9

Please see Events Page for detailed descriptions of workshops.

Monthly Advanced Teacher’s Class with Amy Leydon

1st Tuesday of every month from October - May

7:30-8:45pm

Teaching Labs with Amy Leydon

Tuesdays 7:30-8:30pm

Oct 21 | Dec 16 | Feb 10 | April 14

  • Natalie is a farmer, in life and in her yoga teaching. She finds meaning in being an assistant to growth, whether it’s through gardening or helping individuals thrive in their own unique yoga practice. Natalie is dedicated to the cultivation of self discovery, curiosity, empowerment, and joy through yoga.

    Natalie’s yoga classes are a balance of joyful and challenging. Her sequences offer a dynamic, powerful, and light-hearted vinyasa flow rooted in traditional yoga asana with modern anatomy and physiology integrated into a thoughtful class. Her teachings create a fluidity that allows students to shift their awareness internally and observe their true nature while discovering their own strength. Natalie practices yoga everyday (sometimes on the mat, sometimes off the mat) to cultivate gratitude to her teachers, kindness to herself and others, and support students in deepening their connection to themselves.

  • Owen believes in taking yoga seriously, but not too seriously. His classes are fun and upbeat, mixing physical challenge with equal doses of levity and lightness. In his teaching, Owen strikes a balance between technical instruction and minimalist cuing that allows students to dive inward during their practice.

    As an on-camera Athlete for the rowing-based fitness company Hydrow, he has filmed yoga classes around the world. He is also a Registered Dietitian and holds a Masters in Nutrition, working for years within the Harvard Medical School network

  • Amy (E-RYT 500) is the the Co-founder and Director of Soma Yoga.

    She is a pioneer in the Boston yoga scene and is one of the most sought after teachers in the city. She utilizes mindfulness meditation and somatic techniques in her teaching to help students connect their minds with their bodies. She makes the practice accessible and uncomplicated so everyone can benefit from this vital work.

    Along with her many yoga certifications, Amy is an Intermediate Somatic Experience Practitioner with Peter Levine and a certified Postural and Movement Analyst with Tom Myers. Her private yoga therapy practice caters to individual needs from reducing stress and anxiety to healing chronic pain. She has studied extensively with Barbara Benagh and Shiva Rea and credits much of her teaching style to their influence.

    Amy has been teaching yoga, movement, and mindfulness for over 20 years. She was awarded Best Yoga Teacher in Boston by Boston Magazine, hosts 200 hour trainings through Soma Yoga School and is a contributing teacher at Harvard.

  • For me, yoga is a life path and the choices that I choose along the way. It is about connecting to the body, to the heart, to nature, to Mother Earth, to Spirit - to something much larger than this life. The practice is our greatest teacher inviting us to slow down, breathe, to move inward in order to observe, listen and investigate the fabric of our being - our light and our shadows, our joys and our fears, our humanity and our divinity.

    Yoga is how we live our lives. It is in how we communicate and connect, how we take care of ourselves, how we take care of others and how we take care of our planet. It is our ability to look beyond the physical, connect to the soul, to love and be loved with compassion, empathy, understanding and joy. It is an ever-evolving, unfolding, intimate and exquisite love story.

    I feel truly blessed to be able to share my love for the practice with others through teaching. It has changed my life completely and continues to do so each and every day. My intention as a teacher is to meet every student exactly where they are on their path and hold space for them to feel what needs to be felt and allow it to move through them - physically through the body, and emotionally and spiritually through the mind & the heart. My hope is that through this journey, my students are able to discover their own inner strength, and that place of stillness, peace and home within.

    I believe my role as a teacher is to plant the seed, help to water that seed, and allow my students to grow and evolve in their own unique and beautiful way. My classes are soulful, explorative and creative, emphasizing intuitive movement, a deep listening, connection to oneself, to nature, to spirit and to Source.

    I am beyond grateful to be a part of such a beautiful, supportive community here in Boston and beyond. My work continues to grow and evolve thanks to the ongoing support and inspiration from all of the wonderful teachers, mentors, students and friends who continue to awaken and heal me in ways I could never have imagined.

  • I dabbled in so many forms of movement growing up (skating, dance, volleyball, etc), but it wasn't until a friend dragged me to a yoga class in the early aughts that I was able to fully connect with myself.

    I remember feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, and profusely sweaty in that heated/branded power class, but I also remember being incredibly tuned into the sensations I was experiencing, and the patterns of my thoughts. Since then, yoga has been a way to center myself during even the most tumultuous times of my life. It reminds me to practice compassion, everyday, for self and for others.

    In terms of the physical, I love that postural yoga provides a chance to work all areas of the body, to practice building strength at end ranges, and connects us to the rhythms of our breath and our heartbeat. I’ve taught nearly 3,000 hours since earning my 200-RYT in 2016 with Mimi Loureiro and will complete my 300-RYT in 2022 under Daniel Max and Ame Wren.

    My classes are often inspired by the structure and shapes found in the Ashtanga system, and usually center around an area or action of the body. I like to partner strength and mobility work, explore ways to reset the mind-body connection, and infuse a sense of play into sequences. My continued studies usually focus on the anatomy and mechanics of yoga and I strive to convey that knowledge during practice to help students build a better understanding of their own bodies.

  • Aileen has been discovering yoga for over 30 years.

    Trained in Ashtanga Yoga, Yin Yoga, Svastha Yoga, LifePower Yoga, and Tibetan Buddhist meditation, Aileen guides students of all levels with a maturity of movement and stillness. Her classes are meant to take the practice to the next level with intelligently ordered postures and educating cues. Her vision is that each student leaves the mat with a bit more wisdom and inspiration necessary to safely discover a yoga practice for their body, mind, and self.

    An E-RYT500 YACEP-educated teacher, Aileen has led classes at her own studio space, large gyms, studios, private elementary schools, outdoor spaces, and homeless shelters in Virginia, Pennsylvania, and, most recently, Massachusetts. Her ability to modify the practice to incorporate the needs and goals of her students has made Aileen a sought-after private instructor. She is the founder of Laugh Lines and Lotus, a private yoga platform that encourages students of all bodies, regardless of age or ability, to discover yoga.

  • Michael was introduced to yoga while working at a start-up where an instructor came on Wednesdays to teach a lunchtime yoga class; he’s been hooked ever since.

    He teaches creative yoga sequences that allow practitioners to inhabit the poses and to feel the movement in the body. Michael draws on early experience in gymnastics and other movement modalities to inspire students to test their limits. He believes yoga is endlessly challenging; whether it be learning yogic breathe, respecting the limitations of the body, taming the mind to be where the body is, or simply being less competitive, it offers something new every time you step on the mat.

    Michael completed his first 200-hour teaching certification in Vinyasa and Hatha yoga at Frog Lotus Yoga, and did his second 200-hour certification at O2 Yoga. Michael has been quoted in the New York Time and Newsweek on the pitfalls of yoga competitions.

  • IPronounced Jer- ad -me ("Jera")

    Yera is a reiki practitioner, thai therapist, restorative + yin yoga and meditation teacher, as well as a licensed Gyrotonic® trainer.

    Teaching slower practices has become Yera’s signature style as she is very passionate about guiding her students to feel calm and rejuvenated through intentional movement and stillness. Her greatest desire is to offer a space for connection, ease and support in your journey. Her classes are for all body types and no experience is necessary. All of the modalities Yera practices are within the breathe, heal, love vision which essentially translates to breath, body/mind + spirit. Integrating the three is her holistic approach to supporting and embodying harmony within.

    Yera received her 200 hour certification in 2014 through Boston Yoga School. She is currently studying with Josh Summers to complete 500 hours in Yin Yoga and Meditation. She is also a beginner Somatic Experiencing Practitioner and a Doula in training. Yera hosts and leads annual retreats in Santiago, Dominican Republic where she manages a vacation home year-round

  • Since taking her first class at 15, yoga has become a foundational pillar in Meredith's life. Through developing her practice over the last 17 years, she's discovered a more embodied sense of self and a profound connection to the everyday moments that make life meaningful. Her practice and teaching draws upon her varied studies in vinyasa, Katonah yoga, yin, myofascial release and functional movement, and is interwoven with a creative spirit that stems from her work as a ceramic artist. Her classes are a nourishing blend of foundational yoga and fresh, creative sequencing with traditional asanas that nurture strength and expansion, mediated by functionality-informed instruction. Meredith seeks to guide students in spreading their awareness from the gross to the subtle, from body to spirit, from what is experienced out in the external world and how we show up in it to what is experienced in one's inner world-- so that a well-integrated self can emerge. Alignment that offers structure, stability, and mobility is woven together with breath and imagination. An attitude of playfulness and boundless curiosity is always present, believing that through practice we find community, connection and a greater capacity for joy.

    Meredith is grateful to all her teachers with whom she has studied directly and indirectly. She completed her 200hr Vinyasa training in 2020 through the Sacred Fig with Anton Brandt, Tony Lupinacci, Grace Dubery, Stu Clark and Matt Corker, and completed her 300hr through Back Bay Yoga Union with Tim Kelleher, Emily Jonas, Caitlyn Graham Visconte and Sandy Klemmer. She is certified in the Roll Model Method founded by Jill Miller and holds a 50hr Yin certification through Arhanta Yoga. She is certified in Katonah Yoga, founded by Nevine Michaan, which has been a great influence on her personal practice and teaching since 2022. When not teaching, Meredith can be found in her home pottery studio in Melrose, creating functional forms that continue to play with the themes she explores in yoga. 

  • Emily first found the mat during a time of transition in her life.

    Having danced competitively for many years, she yearned for a class that offered dynamic movement in addition to the mental benefits of the practice. As time progressed, Emily realized how much she craved the sense of community that yoga has to offer.

    For her, yoga has evolved into an experience that illuminates the benefits of the mind body connection but also the power of community. Emily's classes will enable students to establish a relationship between the body, the mind and the breath. Through thoughtful sequencing and a strong focus on alignment, her classes will challenge you to use your body in a mindful way. Placing high value on the sense of community yoga brings, she offers hands-on assists and adjustments, plenty of indie and folk music and little nuggets of wisdom she's picked up along the way. No matter where you are when you walk into the studio, Emily aims to meet you where you are on the mat, in hopes that you can carry some newly found awareness when you leave the studio.