"The Qoya Intensive Teacher Training was one of the most profound experiences I’ve been blessed to have. While the weeklong Intensive was transformative, I have really begun to feel the transformation during the integration process. The energetic shifts I received began as a download straight into my heart and lovingly absorbed into every molecule of my being. My perspective of presence and participation in the world around me truly is an unfolding as the embodiment of my Divine essence. I am eternally grateful for the gifts Qoya has offered me."

LEIGAH LOCKE, Qoya Teacher   

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The Qoya Teacher Training Intensive is one of the richest experiences I've ever had. Get ready to dive deep into yourself, magic, and community. This training removed many layers of falsehood I hadn't known I was carrying. At times I felt I was running a spiritual marathon - and loving every second of it. My heart burst open. I was taken to the center of the mysterious spiral of life. Come as you are, leave as yourself unbound. Why wouldn't you?

VIRGINIA, Qoya Teacher


"Qoya Intensive was more than I could ever have imagined. Each day felt like a lifetime in the best possible way. Each individual day was worth the investment, let alone the whole week. Each exercise, ritual, discussion, lecture, and class were woven together perfectly. I went in knowing what Qoya is and I was able to teach a class. I came out feeling the spirit of Qoya in my bones - like it was alchemically transferred into my being. I know that the intentions, dreams, and desires I brought to the Intensive are being nurtured in the hearts of all the women who held space for me to plant them."

KACI, Qoya Teacher


"The Qoya Intensive Teacher Training went far beyond my expectations. I've been teaching Qoya classes for three years and the Intensive week took my teaching to a whole other level with an even bigger expansion in my spiritual growth. I feel fortunate to teach and live the message of Qoya. It would be well worth it to take this course every year just for my own personal growth."

BETSY, Qoya Teacher


"The Qoya Intensive Teacher Training week was powerful and profound. It was a turning point in my teachings. I am more aware of how to co-teach with the music and let it guide the group. I have much greater respect, understanding and tools given to harness the power of music to touch and move people. My teaching quantum leaped after the Intensive; it was night and day. I feel so confident and eager to teach now, and beyond that, I feel passionate and moved to share. What I learned about teaching Qoya was like everything in Qoya: a metaphor of how to live. It was a modern day Initiation. A rite of Passage. It marked a new Era for me. A big YES to my dreams and purpose. A seed was planted. I'm growing more free, joyful, centered, open, and ready to expand and move upwards and forward, one dance at a time."

FABIOLA, Qoya Teacher


The Qoya Teacher Training is a profound experience for personal growth that empowers you to hold space for others in your community as they dance with the blessings and challenges of their lives.


This course is not only about what and how to teach a Qoya class.  You learn  "what" Qoya is in the Intro and "how" in the Initiation. The Intensive is "why" you teach a Qoya class - specifically, why YOU teach a Qoya class.

In a moment when movement as medicine is needed, why would you call in sacred space? Why would you circle? Why would you open your heart or your hips? Why would you dance your yoga as prayer, shake, do a grapevine, free dance or sit across from another human being and share?

When you get to the heart of anything, you get to the heart of everything. When you get to the heart of Qoya, you get to the heart of yourself.

Please note: this is NOT a retreat. This is not relaxing (except to your soul, who loves this inquiry). This is not full of free time to get massages and rest. This is an intensive, and you will do better if you come well-rested and prepared, having taught at least 11 practice classes. You should come ready to do your inner work, to create and co-create experiences, and to teach for the group and shine.

Qoya's style of leadership is not to take up all the space and ask you to be like the teacher. Instead, we prefer to create opportunities for you to rise and shine your unique medicine into the circle. We are counting on you to show up fully if you enroll in this training. We also ask that you feel a big YES in your body when you sign up since the whole point of Qoya is to deepen the connection between being able to listen to and honor the wisdom in your body.

We look forward to dancing together and if you have any questions, please reach out to info@qoya.love, and we'll be happy to help.


There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening that is translated through you into action, and because there is only one of you in all of time, this expression is unique. And if you block it, it will never exist through any other medium and it will be lost. The world will not have it. It is not your business to determine how good it is nor how valuable nor how it compares with other expressions. It is your business to keep it yours clearly and directly, to keep the channel open.
— Martha Graham

The Intensive is a powerful week of personal transformation.

Qoya is designed to teach you how to keep your channel open and reconnect to the lineage of those who have come before you, those who dance alongside you, and those who will benefit from your efforts in this lifetime.  

My desire is to empower you to continue to share Qoya with your communities. The intensive is also a prerequisite for those who with to learn how to lead Qoya retreats.

Everyone in the training will lead a Qoya class and receive feedback from me and the other women in the training. We will go deep into the philosophy and metaphysical reason each pillar is needed to hold up a Qoya class through initiatory rituals. 

The days are full and magical! A sample itinerary is below, but be prepared to flow.

There are reading and homework assignments before and after the Intensive with group calls for each that are recorded to reference as you need.

The books are:
The Desire Map by Danielle Laporte
Radiance Sutras by Lorin Roche
Autobiography of an Orgasm by Betsy Blankenbaker

Any questions, please email me directly at samar@moon-yoga.com. Otherwise if you feel the call in your body, I invite you to listen to it, and live into the experience of trusting your inner knowing and your body. Trust it not only as a home where you live for this life, not only as the temple where your spirit dwells, not only as a guide that offers intuition and felt sense, but as a beloved companion for this journey.


Qoya is based on the idea through movement, we remember.
We remember our essence is wise, wild and free.


ABOUT SAMAR

Qoya has opened my heart in a way I didn't know was possible.  It has been the loving, invisible pair of hands that has braided together all the different parts of myself that were all deeply waiting to be loved and expressed.  Its a holy healing.  I will be grateful all the days of my life to this practice and to wonderful Rochelle for bringing into the world. 

On a professional level, I am a Certified Practitioner and Self-Care Teacher of the Arvigo Techniques of Maya Abdominal Therapy® and a Mayan Spiritual Healing Practitioner of the same lineage.  I have had additional training in advanced bodywork techniques and pregnancy/post-partum care with Dr. Rosita Arvigo.  I'm a Holistic Pelvic Care™ and Holistic Pelvic Energy Provider™, trained by Tami Kent, MSPT, author of Wild Feminine. 

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I've had the privilege of over 700 hours of Yoga Teacher Training over a nine year period with Ashram Yoga in New Zealand.  I have also been vastly blessed to have been mentored by many incredible healers and therapists in the Middle East, the Americas and Australasia which has provided me with a rich vocabulary in the world of energetic healing, walking with the Earth and understanding the rhythms and wisdom of the human body.  It is one of the greatest joys and honors of my life to also be a Qoya Teacher.  This path has blessed with a deep, real sisterhood and has been a reclamation of joy. 

I love teaching Qoya.  I love teaching others to teach Qoya.  I love being taught by other Qoya teachers.  All of it is a huge bowl of delicious soul-nourishment that just gets deeper and deeper.  Thank you for whatever way in which we are connected, and in all the ways that we dance.  


SAMPLE ITINERARY

December 16th, 2019
2pm-6pm: Arrive and Check In
6pm: Dinner
8pm: Opening Ceremony

Daily Schedule
7:00-8:30am: Qoya Class
9:00-10:00: Breakfast
10:00-12:00: Morning Session
12:00-1:00: Lunch
1:00-3:00: Qoya Class
3:00-5:00: Afternoon Session
5:00-7:00: Qoya Class
7:00-8:00: Dinner
8:00-10:00: Evening Ritual

December 22nd, 2019
7:00-10:00am: Closing Session
12:00pm: Lunch (optional)
12:00pm-2:00pm: Departure


LOCATION

The Intensive will be held at the Ashram Yoga Ohui Retreat Center, at a beautiful, wild, family-run yoga center on the Pacific Ocean surrounded by mountains, forests, and fields of flowers.

All rooms are shared and basic but cosy and homey with some beautiful views of the ocean and trees.
All participants are required to bring their own bedding - top sheet provided.
Vegetarian venue with beautiful hand prepared food made according to Ayurvedic principles.


PREREQUISITES

You must have completed the Introduction to Qoya (online training) and your Initiation Training (live training + take and teach 11 classes) in order to attend the Intensive. If you’d like some guidance on how to complete these requirements before an upcoming Intensive, please contact me at samar@moon-yoga.com.

CERTIFICATION

To become a Certified Qoya Teacher, you must complete the Intensive training where you will have the opportunity to teach a Qoya class to a Qoya Teacher Trainer. Upon successful completion of your Intensive and submitting your Integration form afterwards, you will be able to sign our Teacher Training Agreement, completing your Qoya Teacher journey. If you do not successfully teach your Qoya class at the Intensive and need some more support and time to work on your teaching, you can teach a class to a Qoya Teacher Trainer after the Intensive in order to complete your certification.

Maintaining Your Certification: To maintain your certification, you must participate in one Continuing Education event per year. They are low cost with a minimal time commitment, and the purpose is to help you stay current with changes in the Qoya curriculum as it continues to evolve and additions are made. 


COST + REGISTER

Pricing is per person. The Intensive is for women only, ages 18 and up.

Your tuition includes:

  • 7 nights accommodation

  • 3 meals a day of delicious, nourishing food

  • Qoya classes

  • Intensive curriculum

  • rituals

Your tuition does not include:

  • Travel to the Intensive. The center is a three hour drive from Auckland.You can look for other participants to carpool from Auckland and a small contribution for petrol to the driver is awesome.

Register for your spot today.

Payment plans are available through October 5th.

Cancellation Policy: If you need to cancel for any reason and we can find a person to take your spot, we will refund the amount paid minus a $250 administration fee. If we cannot find a person to take your spot, there are no refunds; however, you can transfer your paid spot to someone else, so you can send a friend or family member to the retreat in your place.


You were born to share yourself fully in this life.

The only thing harder than going for it is not going for it. Join us and step into alignment with your purpose, your sacred work, and finally living as the woman you were born to become.

Frequently Asked Questions

+ What time of day does the course start, and what time does it finish?

It starts at 6pm on the 16th, and ends at 1pm on the 22nd! We recommend that you arrive by 4pm on the 16th to have time to settle in before dinner.

+ Will I be a certified teacher after the training is complete?

To be a Qoya Certified teacher, all the 3 course levels must be completed (Intro, Initiation, and Intensive), and you must teach a class for a Qoya Teacher Trainer, either at the Intensive retreat or afterwards either live or via video. After the Intensive, you'll submit a self-evaluation of a class you teach after the Intensive then sign the Qoya Certified Teacher Agreement. To maintain your certification, you must keep an active membership in the Continuing Education Program (free your first year; $55/year afterwards). To be listed as a Qoya teacher and promoted on Qoya’s various websites (optional), you must teach a minimum of 11 classes per year.

+ I am interested in the teacher training itself, but I’m not sure if I want to teach. Is that okay?

If you are a regular Qoya student, Teacher Training is an amazing way to bring more structure and inspiration to your personal practice, and to go deeper into the fundamentals of Qoya. That said, the focus of the Intensive will be on teaching Qoya to others. We have many teachers who incorporate Qoya into other offerings they have, like workshops, and those who simply wish to offer it to family and friends in a ritual space, without holding formal classes to the public.

+ How do I start?

To recap: the first part, the Intro to Qoya Online Training, can be done online and is a great introduction to the principals of Qoya and teaches you how to start leading your own at-home practice.

The second part, the Initiation to Qoya Teacher Training, is completed by attending a live Initiation training, taking 11 Qoya classes online or in person, and teaching 11 Qoya classes to friends and family. The reason is that we want you to be initiated into the powerful and transformational aspects through your experience. The best way to learn to teach Qoya is by doing Qoya!

The third part of the Qoya Teacher Training is the Intensive. The prerequisite for attending the Intensive is to complete the Intro and the Initiation Teacher Trainings as well as teaching 11 practice classes to friends and family before arriving.

+ Teaching 11 classes sounds hard! How do I do it? Can I advertise and charge money?

Some women feel comfortable to teach after completing the online training, but most women find they feel comfortable teaching others after the Initiation training. When you register for the Initiation training, you'll receive access to the Qoya Portal, which has 11 audio and video classes. We recommend that you first take these classes, then teach the classes as your practice classes.

Your 11 classes cannot be advertised to the public, nor can you charge money for them; however, you can leave a basket by the door and ask for any donations for space rental and supplies so that your community can support you.

You do not need a large group to constitute a class. A class can be taught to 1 person. You can teach a class to another Qoya teacher locally or via Skype and count that as one of your 11.

The most important thing is that you arrive at the Intensive completely comfortable to teach a class to the group, so that you can focus on the real training of the retreat, which is not about the logistics of the movement, but about the deeper philosophies of Qoya and going into them first so you can then lead others. The Qoya class you teach at the retreat must also be in alignment with the pillars of Qoya as laid out in the Teachers Manual, so if too many elements are out of alignment at the Intensive, you will be asked to teach an additional class afterwards in order to gain your certification.

+ I have more questions. Who do I contact?

Any questions we haven't covered here? Email us at info@qoya.love.