Authentic yoga education | grounded, transformative, profoundly human
Yoga education rooted in decades of experience, exceptional teachers and genuine connection, where ancient wisdom meets modern insight to deepen personal and professional growth.
Courses
Choose a course
Training Paths
Choose your path
Our flagship Level 1 programme — a comprehensive, Yoga Alliance accredited foundation for both aspiring teachers and those seeking personal development.
Explore the 200-Hour →
Our highly respected Level 2 programme for 200-hour qualified teachers, allowing you to focus on your areas of interest and create your own unique learning pathway.
Explore the 300-Hour →
25 specialist courses a year from Yin to Trauma Informed Yoga, Elemental Mandala Vinyasa and Yoga Nidra.
Browse all CPDs →Immersive retreats in extraordinary locations, led by our faculty, rooted in community.
View Retreats →200 & 300 Hour
Flagship programmes
200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training
A transformative foundation including 200+ hours of asana, philosophy, anatomy, teaching methodology, pranayama, meditation, chanting and personal practice. Led by Gingi Lee and Charli Van Ness with an intimate cohort of 20.
300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training
A modular programme for qualified teachers to diversify, specialise and go deeper. Nearly 200 hours of electives means you can create your own bespoke learning pathway. Flexible, rigorous, and genuinely transformative.
Why Train Here
What makes us different
A lineage spanning three decades — from one of London's pioneering yoga centres to a thriving international school rooted in lived practice, exceptional teaching, and authentic community.
A school built on the belief that sharing yoga is a profound act of service — and that teachers need rigorous, authentic, deeply human training that builds on their own individual life experience.
Read About Us →From one of London's first yoga centres to an international school of yoga — our roots run deep. A tradition of excellence in teaching, practice, and human connection built over 29 years.
Our faculty bring decades of expertise in their specialised fields — people who don't just teach yoga, but who live it deeply and share it with genuine authority.
With just 20–24 students per course, your unique potential is truly seen, supported, and challenged to evolve.
200-RYS, 300-RYS and YACEP accredited programmes and courses with flexible, modular learning paths. Bursaries are available to support accessibility — contact us to find out more.
Comprehensive training at the crossroads of ancient wisdom and modern life — honouring the depth of the tradition while speaking directly to the world we inhabit.
A collaborative learning community where real change happens through authentic human connection — through vulnerability, co-regulation, laughter, tears, and everything in between.
The ripple effect
By teaching teachers, we are tending to the future of yoga.
The profound ripple effect of yoga travels far beyond our training
centre. A yoga teacher can shape individual lives, communities, and
the way yoga itself continues into the future — meeting people of
all ages and walks of life, often at vulnerable or pivotal
moments.
Our mission is to nurture teachers who are
skilled, confident, and rooted in lived practice. But equally
important is cultivating thoughtful, grounded, emotionally
intelligent human beings — people who can truly hold space, ask
meaningful questions, and meet others with sensitivity, compassion,
and understanding.
Faculty
Our gifted teaching faculty
Founder of The Shala and The Shala School of Yoga. Teaches from the heart with compassion, love and humour.
About Gingi →
Lead trainer on both flagship programmes, with decades of practice and teaching experience.
About Melanie →
Senior teacher across both the 200 and 300-hour programmes, bringing profound depth of knowledge.
About Charli →Testimonials
What our students say
This course has truly been life-changing. It was a journey to the depth of my soul, opening my mind and my heart... I feel incredibly fortunate to have had this opportunity of community, connection and personal transformation.
Zaynah S"A creative modern yoga teacher training programme put together by the most talented, authentic, and experienced yoga teachers... this is a yoga course for a lifetime!"
José G"The sense of community that was created throughout the course was incredible and has given me a feeling of huge support and confidence to go out into the world and spread the wonders of yoga to others."
Bianca B""The space itself is a sanctuary, the teachers are down-to-earth and warm as well as being experts in their fields, and the course content is exceptional."
Izzy H"I had the privilege to learn from the most knowledgeable, kind, and compassionate experts in the yoga universe."
Vaho V"The focus on finding my own voice as a teacher is a gift that I will forever be grateful for as it has opened up a world of possibilities and aspirations for me."
LC"10/10, you won't find another school like The Shala!"
Graduate"It allows you to find out who you are on your own terms and gives space for you to become the best teacher YOU can be without imposing any restrictions or external values on you."
Shelley G"The centre "genuinely radiates warmth, intention, and high vibrations. Every part of the centre feels like a safe space for embracing growth and deep transformation. I always come away feeling fuller, more equipped for life and for teaching"
300 hour graduate"Everyone at the Shala has been super supportive, kind but essentially great at giving teachers extra tools to go out and offer more. They literally try to give you as much of their knowledge and experience."
AG"It has been such a momentous journey and I have relished every second. I could never have foreseen how it has changed me both inside and out."
KTShala Life
Shala Life
Retreats
Escape 2027
Ulpotha Retreat 2027
14–28 March 2027Ulpotha is one of the world's most extraordinary retreat sanctuaries. This will be our 8th visit to this ancient Buddhist eco-village in the Sri Lankan jungle, where time slows and practice deepens. A setting unlike anywhere else on earth.
RetreatsClasses & workshops with Vahni
Classes and workshops in our West Norwood space are now run by Vahni. Same teachers, same community, same space — a new name with a fresh focus on wellbeing.
Blog
Insights from the blog
The Shala & Vahni | a New Chapter Announcement: January 2026 After nearly three decades — 10,227 days of holding space, teaching,…
Reclaiming the Crone | Womb Wisdom Beyond Menopause by Olivia Fallon For many women, the menstrual cycle is seen as something that…
Ayurveda & the Menstrual Cycle | Ancient Wisdom for Modern Women by Olivia Fallon How the doshas dance through your cycle, and…
Yoga Nidra if you’ve woken up in the night by Melanie Cooper We’ve all had those nights: you wake up in the…
Women’s Wellness | A Cyclical Approach To Honouring Your Body in Yoga by Olivia Fallon For many women, the message we’ve absorbed,…
The Real Reason My classes Started Filling up Again by Jennie Wadsten Sharma There was a time when I kept wondering if…