2027 Level 2 Yin Yoga Teacher Training

This 50-hour Level 2 Yin Yoga Teacher Training is a six-night, seven-day residential intensive for yin teachers who want to deepen their teaching. It is led by Dr Karina Smith at Gaia Oasis Mountain Retreat 'Abasan' in the mountains of northern Bali, and it continues directly from a Level 1 yin training. Numbers are limited to ten participants.

What to Expect

Level 2 is a deep dive into the craft of teaching yin. The days focus on developing your language as a teacher, cultivating intuition (as a teacher and as a human), and building themes and creative ideas for class structures. There is plentiful time to practise teaching and to receive direct feedback, which is where much of the learning happens.

Alongside the teaching skills, the training studies the five elements and the sinew channel meridians of Chinese Medicine theory, bringing a second tradition into your understanding of yin yoga. The setting is part of the design: an immersive, restful mountain environment where the training can be taken in without distraction.

With a group of no more than ten, the training stays close and personal, and each participant can expect real attention on their teaching.

About Dr Karina Smith

Karina Smith is a Melbourne-based Doctor of Chinese Medicine, Yin Yoga teacher, teacher trainer and educator. She came to yoga after a lifetime of dancing and years working on productions, shows and festivals. Yoga arrived as an unexpected source of self care and restoration, and her relationship to movement shifted from performance to something private that nourished mind and body.

She trained with the Australian Yoga Academy in Prahran and at the Shantarasa Institute in India, completing a 350-hour teacher training at each. She has also studied with Bernie Clark and Paul Grilley. A teacher for more than a decade, she has taught at Melbourne studios including Yoga Flame, West Side Yoga and Estuary, and she lectures for the Australian Yoga Academy. In 2018 she launched her own Yoga Alliance Australia accredited Yin and Functional Anatomy teacher training.

The Setting

The training takes place at Gaia Oasis Mountain Retreat 'Abasan' in Buleleng Regency, northern Bali. The accommodation is unique to this place: each building was individually built by the directors of Gaia Oasis. Options include Lombok House (twin share available on request), a small private bungalow, Frangipani House and single guest rooms.

Three vegetarian buffet meals are served each day for the length of the training. Check-in is in the afternoon on the first day, and check-out is mid morning on the last.

Before You Go

This is an advanced training. Participants need to have completed a Level 1 yin yoga teacher training that included functional anatomy and skeletal variation modules. That can be Karina's own 50-hour Level 1 training or her online yin yoga teacher training, or another equivalent program. The course builds on that foundation rather than introducing the practice.

The fee includes the 50-hour Level 2 curriculum, six nights of accommodation and all meals. It does not include airfare to Bali or travel transfers. The price depends on the room you choose, and a deposit secures your place. You can pay in full or arrange a payment plan directly with Karina. Cancellation terms are tied to how far ahead of the start you request a refund, so read them before committing. A downloadable PDF on the Yin Yoga training page gives the full details.