5 Elements Yin & Restorative Yoga Teacher Training

This 5 Elements Yin & Restorative Yoga Teacher Training is a 50-hour Yoga Alliance certified course led by Kali Basman, an internationally celebrated Yin and Dharma teacher. It takes place at Haramara in La Yesca, Nayarit, Mexico, and is open to yoga practitioners, inquirers and facilitators who want to deepen their own practice and learn to teach Yin and Restorative Yoga through the lens of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

The week blends Buddhist concepts with the Eight Limbs of Yoga and moves through the Five Element Theory of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Earth, Water, Fire, Metal and Wood. Each day is given to a deep exploration of the elements.

What to Expect

The work is hands-on, anatomical, structural and energetic, aimed at restoring the body and mind. Over the week the group touches on resetting the nervous system, healing from past traumas, dissolving tension, building musculoskeletal resiliency, strengthening joint stability and cultivating elasticity. Teaching draws on embodied anatomy and alignment, scientific bases for sequencing, and psychological self-inquiry grounded in Buddhist practice.

The days follow a repeating rhythm:

- Morning: Noble Silence, waking to the sounds of ocean and jungle, followed by a vinyasa flow practice.
- After breakfast: Silence is broken with learning modules on asana principles and alignment, Buddhist and Eight Limb yoga philosophy, meridians, sequencing and adjustments.
- Through the day: Yin and Restorative practices for your own embodied experience.
- Evening: Mindfulness modules, Yoga Nidra, restorative practice and teaching practicums.

Teaching practicums run throughout, so you can find your own voice as a space holder and mindful movement facilitator. The training also gives particular attention to Pratyahara, the Great Withdrawal. Boundaries around retreat life support stillness, spaciousness and quietude, and stepping away from devices and ordinary social contexts is recommended so the nervous system can settle into deep restoration. In the jungle, the devices go off.

About Kali Basman

Kali Basman of Kali Durga Yoga is an internationally celebrated Dharma teacher of teachers. She blends Buddhist mindfulness with Yin and Restorative Yoga based on Traditional Chinese Medicine and Taoist practice. Her teaching draws on Buddhist mindfulness, the pranic pathways of the meridians, the physiology of the nervous system and individual-informed anatomy. She offers this integrated practice as a way to return to your intrinsic baseline of tranquility, recall your capacity for spaciousness, and remind your system of its anatomical, structural and emotional wholeness. Students describe her as eloquent, concise and deeply grounding.

The Setting

The training is held at Haramara, in the jungle of La Yesca, Nayarit, with the sound of the ocean part of the morning. Accommodation comes in five room types: dorm, quad (shared by four), triple (shared by three), double (shared by two) and single (private). Three meals a day are served, and participants have access to Haramara's facilities.

Before You Go

The training is offered as continuing education for yoga practitioners, inquirers and facilitators, and no formal prerequisites are listed. It is taught in English.

Tuition, accommodation in your chosen room type, three meals a day, a student manual, the yoga and meditation practices, workshops and lectures with Kali Basman, Buddhist philosophy and meditation, and access to Haramara's facilities are all included. On completion you receive a 50-hour Yoga Alliance certificate. The cost can be split into multiple payments.