A practical guide to beginning well
Clear Entry Points | Practical Guidance | A Coherent Path
Medicine Wheel FAQ
Shamanic Yoga is the living evolving practice of yoga placed within shamanic sacred space. This invites and invokes transformation and deepens the heart of our spiritual practice. Nature and landscape are woven into the dialogue, invoking the students and the natural world to co-create their relationship to one another and thus to power and unity.
Mountain Shamanism is an intimate relationship with the land founded upon direct experience. When we are able to listen to and commune with the wise energies and spirits of the mountains and the nustas, we can live in a way that is nature-informed.
The Medicine Wheel guides participants on their personal healing journey and reconnects them with nature.
The Mountain Shamanism journey begins in the South, this is the Healer’s Journey. Here we have the Serpent archetype from which we draw the inspiration to shed the past, begin to detach from wounds and personal stories as acts of power and love.
In the West, we embark on the Warrior’s Journey. We meet Jaguar, who teaches about life, death and rebirth. We gather our courage and face our fears by learning about love.
Our third direction is the Teacher’s Journey. In the North, we meet Hummingbird who teaches us we are enough. Learn to taste knowledge directly, to manifest the impossible, and to receive ancestral knowledge.
The Visionary’s Journey is our last direction of the Wheel. In this final gathering of the East we explore Eagle, who teaches us about destiny and daring to go where we have not gone before. We also learn how to see with our hearts and create a vision of peace
The Medicine Wheel program will help you to transform your practice, gather tools to facilitate your connection to nature and spirit, your relationship to self, transmute your fears and limitations into love and help you learn how to truly be with yourself and deepen the heart of your work.
Ultimately medicine people are space holders, we cannot hold space for others unless we have walked through the fire of personal transformation ourselves. This is what makes this course unique. By engaging in the work of the Medicine Wheel, you will learn to source from your direct experience and timeless teachings.
Mexico Retreat FAQ
This is a week-long Shamanic Yoga community retreat in Sayulita, Mexico, led by Dr. Christine Selda, founder of the Shamanic Yoga Institute. It weaves daily deep-dive yoga practices with spacious time for rest, exploration, and connection in a warm, ocean-side village setting.
The retreat takes place in Sayulita, a vibrant coastal village in Mexico, at Hotelito Los Sueños, affectionately called the “little house of dreams.” The hotel is one block from the surf beach and within walking distance of local artisans, dining, and the town centre.
Hotelito Los Sueños is a boutique retreat hotel with bright rooms, two swimming pools, and a welcoming front desk team. Guests enjoy a daily breakfast buffet on the terrace and access to yoga shalas on-site for practice.
The retreat is guided by Dr. Christine Selda, creator of Shamanic Yoga and founder of the Shamanic Yoga Institute. Christine brings decades of experience in yoga, shamanic practice, and ceremony, holding a grounded, heart-centred container for practice and community
You can expect two in-depth Shamanic Yoga practices each day with Christine, typically in the morning and late afternoon or evening. Afternoons and evenings are mostly open for rest, beach time, excursions, or quiet integration.
The retreat offers Shamanic Yoga – a ceremony of movement, sound, and breath that integrates asana, mantra, mudra, and meditation with shamanic teachings. Practices tend to be dynamic, devotional, and grounding, with an emphasis on personal and collective healing.
Yes. All levels are welcome, including beginners, long-time practitioners, and those returning to practice after a break. Christine offers options and guidance so you can meet yourself where you are each day.
Yes. The retreat welcomes singles, partners, friends, and families. It is designed as a community space where a range of ages and relationships can share practice and downtime together.
Rooms are typically offered in single, double, and family occupancy options. Availability is limited, so room types are confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis when you register and pay your deposit.
The Hotelito Los Sueños front desk can help you book massages, acupuncture, zip line tours, and other local excursions if you wish. Sayulita itself offers surfing, swimming, shopping at artisan markets, and a variety of cafés and restaurants.
The hotel is about one block from the surf beach and a short walk from downtown Sayulita. This makes it easy to move between practice, the ocean, and town without needing a car.
Most guests fly into Puerto Vallarta (PVR) and then travel by taxi or shuttle to Sayulita. Detailed travel suggestions, including shuttle recommendations, are typically sent after registration so you can coordinate your arrival and departure.
In some years, airport transfers may be organized as an add-on or included depending on the group plan; in other years, guests arrange their own transport from the airport. Please see the current retreat details or confirmation email for the exact transfer plan for this retreat.
A deposit of approximately 1000 CAD (or as listed on the retreat page) is required to reserve your spot. The remaining balance is usually due closer to the retreat start date; check the current registration details for exact timelines.
Retreat deposits are typically non-refundable and may be non-transferable, due to the small group size and limited rooms. Please review the cancellation and refund policy on the registration form before you commit.
Because space is limited and bookings are made well in advance, payments often follow a strict no-refund or limited-refund policy after certain dates. You are strongly encouraged to purchase travel insurance that includes “cancel for any reason” coverage.
Yes, travel insurance is highly recommended, especially for international travel that includes flights, retreat tuition, and accommodation. Insurance can help protect your investment if unexpected circumstances prevent you from attending.
Breakfasts are typically fresh, nourishing, and can often accommodate vegetarian, gluten-free, or dairy-free preferences when requested in advance. If additional meals are included, dietary notes will be collected during registration so the kitchen can support your needs.
The retreat itself is held in a sacred and intentional container; participants are asked to honour the spirit of the work, which may include minimizing or avoiding alcohol during the program. Specific alcohol guidelines will be shared in your welcome materials.
Group size is intentionally limited to help create an intimate circle and ensure individual support. Exact numbers can vary by year based on room allocations and registration.
Many people attend with varying physical needs, and practices are often adaptable. Please consult your healthcare provider and share any injuries, conditions, or pregnancies with the team in advance so we can advise whether this retreat is an appropriate fit.
You can register by following the instructions on the Mexico retreat page or events listing and submitting your deposit. Once your registration is received, you will get a confirmation email with next steps, payment details, and travel information.
Shakti Nidra Training FAQ
This training is best suited to participants with an established contemplative, yoga, or facilitation practice, or with adjacent professional experience in healing or therapeutic settings.
Yes. Sessions will be recorded and housed in our online course portal.
Yes. Participants who complete the training requirements will receive certification as a teacher of Shakti Nidra through the Shamanic Yoga Institute and may apply these 50 hours toward Continuing Education with Canadian Yoga Alliance.
Yes — where appropriate to your scope, background, and professional context.
The training is equally valuable for committed practitioners seeking depth, whether or not they intend to teach.
General FAQ
For many students, the Medicine Wheel is the foundational place to begin.
The Medicine Wheel is the root structure through which many of the wider trainings and pathways are understood.
No. The school serves practitioners, seekers, helpers, leaders, artists, counsellors, (Community/Allyu) and those called to serious inner work
Mountain Shamanism, Shakta/Shaiva Tantra, Bhakti Yoga, Hatha Yoga, and Expressive Arts form the methodological field of the school
Yes. The school offers trainings, mentorship, retreats, public gatherings, and continuing pathways of practice
Yes. Guidance is available for students discerning the most aligned next step
Trainings FAQ
We offer multi-month Shamanic Yoga Teacher Trainings as well as shorter programs and continuing education immersions rooted in shamanic practice and yoga. These may include a 300-hour teacher training, the Medicine Wheel program, and specialized workshops or retreats that deepen practice and teaching skills.
Our trainings are for practitioners called to deepen their spiritual, shamanic, and yogic path, whether or not they plan to teach. They are also for current yoga teachers and healing practitioners who want to bring trauma-informed, earth-honouring tools into their work.
Most longer trainings recommend a solid foundation in yoga practice, and some shamanic or spiritual experience is an asset but not always required. Each program lists its own prerequisites, such as minimum years of practice, previous trainings, or specific introductory courses
Shamanic Yoga is a ceremonial approach to yoga that integrates asana, mantra, meditation, and ritual with shamanic teachings, earth-based wisdom, and the medicine wheel. It invites personal and collective healing through movement, inquiry, and relationship with the natural and unseen worlds.
Trainings are led by Dr. Christine Selda, the founder of the Shamanic Yoga Institute, along with a small faculty of experienced facilitators and guest teachers. The team brings backgrounds in yoga, shamanic practice, counselling, and trauma-informed work
Trainings are typically hosted in British Columbia, in places such as Squamish, Nelson, Ucluelet, or other retreat-style venues aligned with our earth-based work. Some components may be offered online or in hybrid format; see each training page for exact location details
Tuition varies by program length and location; each training page lists the full tuition, what’s included, and any early-bird pricing. Typically, a non-refundable deposit is required to hold your spot, with the balance due according to a payment schedule outlined at registration.
You can apply or register by following the instructions on the training page, which may include an application form, interview, and deposit payment. Once accepted, you will receive a confirmation email with next steps, orientation details, and any pre-work or reading.
200 Hour Shamanic Yoga Teacher Training FAQ
This is a foundational yoga teacher training program designed to build a strong base in personal practice, teaching methodology, and embodied study. It integrates traditional yogic principles with the Shamanic Yoga Institute’s unique approach, supporting students in developing both practical teaching skills and a deeper relationship with the work.
Yes. Graduates are certified as 200-Hour Shamanic Yoga Teachers through the Shamanic Yoga Institute, which has been a Canadian Yoga Alliance member school since 2015. This ensures the training meets recognized standards while also offering a distinct, lineage-informed methodology.
This program is ideal for dedicated students, emerging yoga teachers, and practitioners who want a credible and well-rounded foundation. It’s particularly suited for those who are ready to move beyond casual practice and are considering teaching, deeper study, or future advanced certifications.
The 200-hour training may be offered in-person or in a hybrid format, depending on the specific cohort and location. This allows for both immersive, place-based learning and flexible participation options.
Upcoming cohorts are being prepared in locations such as British Columbia and Mexico. To stay informed about dates, locations, and application details, you can join the waitlist or contact the school directly for updates.
300 Hour Shamanic Yoga Teacher Training
This is the Shamanic Yoga Institute’s central professional training, designed for practitioners who are ready to deepen their teaching, expand their practice, and engage in a more transformative and immersive field of study. It builds on foundational training and supports the development of greater skill, confidence, and depth as a yoga teacher and practitioner.
Yes. Graduates receive a 300-Hour Shamanic Yoga Teacher certification through the Canadian Yoga Alliance. As part of a member school since 2015, this ensures the training meets established professional standards while also offering a unique, methodology-based approach.
The program is offered in a hybrid format, combining in-person retreat intensives with ongoing online mentorship. This structure allows for immersive, experiential learning alongside sustained guidance, integration, and support throughout the training cycle.
Students engage a comprehensive curriculum that includes yoga philosophy, sequencing, energetic and subtle body practices, ceremony, and teachings within the framework of the Medicine Wheel. The training emphasizes embodied learning, encouraging students to teach from direct experience rather than memorized or borrowed material.
Beyond certification, graduates develop stronger leadership skills, deeper discernment, and an increased capacity to hold space in both group and one-to-one settings. The training supports not only professional advancement, but also meaningful personal transformation and integration within the practice of Shamanic Yoga.
500 Hour Advanced Teacher Training FAQ
This is an advanced yoga teacher training pathway designed for returning students and experienced practitioners who are ready to deepen their specialization, refine their teaching approach, and step into more developed leadership roles. It builds on prior training and focuses on professional growth, mentorship, and applied practice.
This program is intended for graduates who have already completed foundational and intermediate training—typically within the school or an equivalent pathway—and who have established a level of experience in practice and teaching. It is best suited for those ready to move beyond foundational learning into more self-directed and specialized development.
The training includes a combination of self-directed research, one-to-one mentorship, advanced sequence development, and solo practicum. Students work closely with faculty while developing their own body of work, with an emphasis on creating offerings that can be practiced, taught, and meaningfully shared in community settings.
The 500-hour pathway may be delivered through a flexible format that includes online mentorship, independent study, practicum development, and select in-person or cohort-based components. The exact structure can vary depending on the training cycle and cohort.
Graduates become eligible for 500-Hour certification through the Canadian Yoga Alliance. In addition, they step forward as senior practitioners within the Institute’s ecosystem, with expanded opportunities for mentorship, teaching, leadership, and contributing to the broader field of Shamanic Yoga.
Leadership FAQ
The Shamanic Yoga Institute is led by founder and visionary Dr. Christine Selda, Ph.D., a medicine teacher, yoga teacher trainer, expressive arts therapist, and registered clinical counsellor (E-RYT Gold). School Director Rochelle Quarry (M.Ed., B.A., E-RYT 550) supports the vision and day‑to‑day leadership as a medicine teacher and yoga teacher trainer.
Our approach is intentionally post‑lineage: we honour the teachers who came before while consciously stepping away from lineages and pedagogies that carry patriarchy and violence. This allows our faculty to teach from lived practice, integrity, and accountability rather than relying on inherited authority structures.
Our pedagogy rests on three interwoven pillars: Yoga, Shamanism, and Expressive Arts. These modalities come together as a technology of the soul, supporting personal healing, social change, and embodied spiritual practice.
Shamanism is woven through song, ceremony, elemental connection, and nature‑based practices that root students in the “songs and bones of the earth, the mountains and the medicine peoples.” This shamanic orientation invites students to relate to the more‑than‑human world as teacher and ally.
Classes and training sessions attend to the layers of self—from the superficial to the deep—through singing, devotional contemplation, meditation, scriptural study, embodied prayer, and breath. You can expect practices that balance masculine and feminine energies as consciousness and light, always returning you to nature and your own heart.
Our faculty name and address the histories of patriarchy and violence in yoga and spiritual communities, including dynamics revealed through movements such as #MeToo in yoga. We commit to training safe teachers, unlearning harmful patterns, and creating structures that support equity, accountability, and trauma‑informed practice.
“Post‑lineage” means our lead teacher does not claim or rely on a singular lineage for authority, and instead leans into her own ongoing work, study, and accountability. This stance supports a living, evolving practice that is responsive to contemporary realities, social justice, and the well‑being of students.
Christine’s intent is to train safe, grounded teachers capable of working skillfully with underserved and marginalized communities. She emphasizes “being yoga and living yoga,” inviting students to carry their practice off the mat and into the world with integrity.
Rochelle Quarry is the School Director, a medicine teacher, and yoga teacher trainer with a Master’s in Education, a Bachelor’s in Arts, and E‑RYT 550 certification. She has a long‑standing interest in the teacher–student relationship and brings experience in philosophy, spirituality, social justice, and the arts.
Leadership Pathways FAQ
Leadership Pathways are apprenticeship, assisting, and teaching opportunities that support graduates to deepen service, expand professional capacity, and grow into greater responsibility within the wider field of the school. Leadership here is built through practice, humility, mentorship, return, and sustained relationship rather than fast-track visibility.
Leadership is earned over time through continued participation in the life of the school: assisting, studying, mentoring, and learning how to hold the work with greater steadiness and integrity. It is a relational pathway grounded in return, responsibility, and the willingness to be shaped, rather than advancement for its own sake
Graduates may return as assistants within the Medicine Wheel and Shamanic Yoga Teacher Training pathways, entering a long-form apprenticeship rooted in service, repetition, humility, and sustained relationship to the work and its teachers. Assistants support logistics, space-holding, ceremony, and mentoring newer students, and over time some may be entrusted with increased responsibility, including selected teaching opportunities and deeper ceremonial roles.
Many assistants and emerging leaders continue with online mentorship, small-group preparation, or one-to-one work, sometimes including private mentorship with Dr. Christine Selda as they grow into greater responsibility. For a select number of qualified leaders, the pathway may also include licensed access to established curriculum, manuals, and teaching resources for the Medicine Wheel and Shamanic Yoga Teacher Training within approved contexts.
The strongest candidates are grounded practitioners with humility, practice maturity, continuing education, and a demonstrated willingness to keep doing their own work. The school looks for steadiness, self-awareness, and the capacity to serve without projection, to remain in relationship, receive guidance, and grow into responsibility with care as they help carry the work forward.
Mentorship FAQ
Mentorship at Shamanic Yoga Institute is an online doorway into the life of the school, offering ongoing study, integration, and relationship-based learning. It supports students who want to deepen practice, study in relationship, and stay connected to the work through guided circles, contemplative learning, and ongoing inquiry.
Current mentorship pathways include Mentorship Circles, Integration Circles, Online Study, and one-to-one mentorship. Together, these offerings create an online relational field where students can enter the work, continue after major trainings, and deepen over time.
Mentorship Circles are online group circles rooted in foundational texts, satsang-style teaching, expressive arts, and integrative practice, and are often a first entry point for new students from around the world. Integration Circles typically follow a completed course, retreat, or major arc of work, supporting students to digest, ground, and continue what has been opened.
Online Study is a developing evergreen pathway for on-demand learning, guided practices, and digital courses, including both lighter meditations and fuller online courses for ongoing study beyond live cohorts. One-to-one mentorship with Dr. Christine Selda is available through her founder-led private practice for students seeking deeper private guidance or a more individualized container, including, in some cases, those preparing for leadership.
If you are seeking the right entry point into mentorship, the school can help orient you toward the stream that best matches your current season of practice. School-based mentorship inquiries, including circles, integration, and online study, are best routed through Rochelle Quarry, while deeper one-to-one mentorship with Dr. Selda is accessed separately through her private practice.
Mentorship Circles FAQ
Mentorship with the Shamanic Yoga Institute offers ongoing guidance from senior faculty to help you deepen your study, refine your practice, and continue your personal and professional inquiry as a practitioner.
These mentorship streams are intended for practitioners who have completed foundational training and are ready to engage more seriously with Shamanic Yoga, energy work, and medicine teaching in a supported, relational way.
Current mentorship opportunities include private sessions with Christine Selda, a private mentorship program, a group mentorship series, and small group mentorship designed to prepare you to take the seat of the Medicine Teacher.
In the 5‑month, bi‑weekly Medicine Wheel mentorship, you apprentice with lead teachers, gain access to four Medicine Wheel Teacher’s Manuals, and workshop and practice-teach primary energy techniques for each direction, all within a small group of apprenticing lead teachers.
Through structured sessions, access to teacher manuals and resources, and apprenticing with senior faculty, the mentorship helps you deepen your understanding of curriculum, practice main processes, and cultivate the skills and integrity needed to hold circles and teach Medicine Wheel or Mastery level work in your own community.
Integration Cricles FAQ
Integration Circles are online spaces that typically follow a completed course, retreat, or significant arc of work. They support students in digesting what has opened, grounding insight, and staying in relationship with practice after an intensive experience.
These circles may include guided reflection, expressive integration, gentle practice, relational inquiry, and support for metabolizing the emotional, spiritual, and practical effects of deeper work. The tone is slower, steadier, and more digesting than directive, creating room to process rather than rush ahead.
Integration Circles are especially supportive after the Medicine Wheel, teacher training, a retreat, or a major season of transformation. They are ideal for students who need time, relationship, and ongoing support more than new input or another immediate training.
Integration Circles are almost always offered online so students can stay connected to the school from wherever they are. They act as a post-course support space, helping translate insight into lived change, relationship, and next-step coherence while maintaining an ongoing connection with the wider school field.
If you need a gentler next step after a completed course or retreat, you are invited to ask about Integration Circles as a way to ground the work before moving on too quickly. School-based integration inquiries, including Integration Circles, are best directed through Rochelle Quarry, or by using the “Ask About Integration Circles” or “Request Mentorship Guidance” buttons on the site.
Online Study FAQ
Online Study is a developing evergreen pathway for on-demand learning, guided practices, and digital courses from the school. Over time, it will offer lighter meditations as well as fuller online courses that extend the teachings beyond live cohorts and into more accessible ongoing study.
Online Study is being built as a quieter but significant digital doorway into the school, supporting students who want access to meaningful teachings between live offerings. It helps create a longer life for practices that begin in cohort-based study and later become available on demand, so students can return to them whenever they need support.
This pathway may grow to include guided meditations, contemplative prompts, recorded teachings, text-based study, and fuller digital courses. Some offerings may begin as live online programs and then be recorded for future on-demand access, creating a growing library of shamanic and yogic study options.
Online Study supports a more accessible relationship to the school for global students, offering lighter entry points for new students and ongoing support for returning ones. It also creates evergreen pathways that can deepen over time into Mentorship Circles, retreat participation, and more sustained study within the school’s broader field.
If you want to be the first to hear when on-demand meditations, courses, and digital study pathways begin to open, you are invited to join the interest list. Online Study questions are best directed through Rochelle Quarry and the school, or by using the “Join the Interest List” or contact options provided.
Request Mentorship Guidance FAQ
If you’re unsure where to begin, you’re not alone. Choosing between mentorship circles, integration support, online study, or private mentorship depends on your current experience, goals, and level of readiness. Reaching out for guidance can help clarify the most aligned next step based on your unique path.
We offer several pathways, including text-based mentorship circles rooted in foundational teachings, post-course integration circles, flexible online study options, and more personalized one-to-one mentorship for those seeking deeper support
For most school-based offerings, including mentorship and integration circles, you will be guided by Rochelle Quarry, MEd. She helps both new and returning students find the most appropriate pathway based on their interests and stage of practice.
Private mentorship with Dr. Christine Selda is offered through her founder-led practice. If you’re seeking individualized support or a deeper container, the best next step is to book a consultation directly through her website.
Yes. Mentorship—especially private one-to-one work—can be part of the preparation process for advanced training or future leadership pathways. It supports deeper integration, clarity, and readiness for more committed roles within the school.
Retreats FAQ
The school offers a range of retreat experiences, including destination retreats, place-based immersions, pilgrimage journeys to sacred lands, and seasonal or local gatherings. Each retreat is designed to support practice, restoration, ceremony, and meaningful connection with land and community.
Some retreats are restorative and accessible, while others are more devotional or pilgrimage-based, designed for deeper immersion and commitment. If you’re unsure where to begin, you can request guidance to find the retreat pathway that best matches your readiness, intention, and level of experience.
Retreats often focus on rest, practice, and renewal in a supportive environment, while pilgrimages involve traveling to sacred or source lands for deeper spiritual engagement. Pilgrimage journeys are typically shaped by relationship with place, lineage, and direct transmission from teachers and traditions.
Retreats and immersions are held in a variety of locations, including Sayulita, Mexico; Chá7elkwnech (Gambier Island) in Howe Sound; the Okanagan; and international pilgrimage destinations such as Peru and India. Each location is chosen for its connection to practice, beauty, and sacred geography.
You can explore current retreats, join the mailing list to receive updates on upcoming gatherings, or request retreat guidance if you’d like help choosing the right experience. This ensures you stay connected to new opportunities, including pilgrimages, guest teachers, and community events.
Guest Teachers | Wisdom Keepers FAQ
The Shamanic Yoga Institute hosts medicine carriers, wisdom keepers, and lineage-based spiritual teachers from around the world. These include Indigenous elders, ceremonial leaders, and traditional yoga teachers connected to living lineages in places such as Peru, India, Mexico, and Costa Rica. Each relationship is built through direct experience, long-term connection, and mutual trust.
Guest teachers are not invited based on visibility or popularity, but through established relationships shaped by pilgrimage, study, and reciprocity over time. The school curates these connections carefully, ensuring that students are introduced to credible, respected teachers within authentic traditions rather than having to navigate this landscape alone.
Students can engage with wisdom keepers through a variety of pathways, including hosted workshops, online gatherings, ceremonial events, and guided pilgrimage experiences to source lands. Some offerings are designed to be accessible locally or online, while others involve deeper immersion through travel and direct study.
Learning from lineage-based and Indigenous wisdom keepers offers access to living traditions that are grounded in place, culture, and generations of practice. These teachings provide depth, context, and integrity, supporting students in developing a more respectful, informed, and embodied approach to spiritual practice, ceremony, and healing work.
While the school maintains relationships with teachers and traditions around the world, it remains rooted in its home context through the Siyám Smánit Dharma Mesa Path and a commitment to right relationship with local lands and First Peoples. Global connections are approached with care and accountability, strengthening—not replacing—the school’s local grounding.
About FAQ
Shamanic Yoga Institute is a founder-led school offering shamanic training, yoga training, expressive arts, and transformational programs rooted in a place-based path on the West Coast of Canada. The school weaves together shamanic practice, yoga, healing arts, ceremony, and leadership development to support deep personal and spiritual transformation
Shamanic yoga is a practice that combines the physical postures and breathwork of yoga with shamanic principles such as sacred space, ceremony, and direct relationship with Spirit and the land. At Shamanic Yoga Institute, yoga is held within shamanic sacred space, inviting personal growth, healing, and non-ordinary states of awareness in a grounded and embodied way
Programs are designed for people who feel called to shamanic practice, yoga, and earth-based spirituality, whether they are beginning their journey or seeking to deepen an existing path. Students include yoga practitioners, healing arts professionals, community leaders, and those simply longing for meaningful spiritual practice, connection, and transformation.
Shamanic Yoga Institute offers a range of trainings including Medicine Wheel programs, shamanic yoga and movement practices, mentorship, retreats, and leadership pathways. Many programs unfold over time, guiding students through experiential teachings, ceremony, and integration so the work can be lived in everyday life and in service to community
Through a combination of shamanic practices, yoga, breath, ritual, and community, this work can support emotional healing, nervous system regulation, spiritual connection, and a deeper sense of purpose. Students often report feeling more grounded, resourced, and aligned, with practical tools for navigating change, processing old stories, and walking in closer relationship with the land and Spirit.
Who We Are
The Shamanic Yoga Institute is a small, grassroots, female-owned school and collective of teachers and mentors focused on training practitioners in the technologies of the soul through shamanism, yoga, and expressive arts.
The school is based in Squamish, British Columbia, and our work is rooted in the local mountains, rivers, and trees. We also co-create retreats throughout the world.
At the Shamanic Yoga Institute, Shamanic Yoga is a nature-informed approach that brings together shamanic practice, yoga, and expressive arts to support healing, awakening, and right relationship with self, community, Earth, and cosmos.
Our work draws from Mountain Shamanism, the medicine teachings of the Andes, Himalayas, and coastal mountains of the Pacific Northwest, as well as sacred yogic and tantric texts such as the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, Yoga Sutras, Devi Mahatmyam, Prtyabijnahrdyam, and Vijnana Bhairava Tantra.
Our Approach FAQ
Our approach describes how we weave together yoga, shamanic practice, expressive arts, and ceremony to create a living practice of Shamanic Yoga that supports deep personal transformation, healing, and remembrance of one’s essential nature
In this lineage of work, a Shamanic Yoga class is held as ceremony and often includes mantra, breathwork, intention, storytelling, and shamanic elements such as journeying, energy work, and nature-based teachings alongside asana and meditation
Key principles include working in right relationship with self, others, and the more‑than‑human world; honouring the land and medicine peoples who inform the work; centering experiential learning; and holding yoga and shamanic practice as tools for healing, awakening, and collective responsibility.
Our approach “knits together” the power of asana, pranayama, mantra, mudra, and meditation with shamanic practices such as journeying, working with the elements and directions, and ceremony so that students can access insight, guidance, and healing on physical, emotional, and spiritual levels.
Nature and landscape are central to this work: practices, teachings, and ceremonies are oriented to the mountains, rivers, and beings of place, inviting students to remember themselves as part of the living world and to cultivate a reciprocal, respectful relationship with the land.
Ayni FAQ
Ayni is an Andean principle often translated as “reciprocity,” but it goes beyond simple exchange. It is the practice of investing in relationships so that everyone — including the giver — receives, and the universe mirrors that collective intent.
Since 2005, SYI has consistently offered full and partial scholarships to First Nations, BIPOC students, and those in financial need, with at least two scholarship participants in every course. In total, the school has provided close to $60,000 in funding to help remove financial barriers to this work.
SYI donates to local and international organizations whose missions align with its values, including the Andean Research Institute, a humble yoga centre on the Ganga, Greenpeace, Doctors Without Borders, Plan International, Kirtan Vancouver, Howe Sound Women’s Centre, the Wheel of Life Society, the Sk̲wx̲wú7mesh Lil̓wat7úl Cultural Centre, and inclusive, nature-based camp programs. These partnerships reflect a commitment to indigenous communities, environmental stewardship, anti-violence work, children’s rights, spiritual community, and accessible healing spaces.
Community/Ayllu FAQ
Ayllu is a community of spiritual practitioners connected through the teachings of the Medicine Wheel and the Shamanic Yoga Institute. In Quechua, the word ayllu is a term for “kin group,” with its specific meaning shaped by the context.
The Ayllu grew organically from the Medicine Wheel and Shamanic Yoga trainings offered by Christine Selda in Squamish, British Columbia, beginning in 2005. Over time, students, assistants, and teachers who walked this path together formed an extended web of relationships and ongoing community.
Since 2005, more than one hundred students have walked the four directions of the Medicine Wheel with the Shamanic Yoga Institute, becoming Full Mesa Carriers. These shared initiatory experiences are the foundation of the Ayllu and the common thread linking many community members.
A Full Mesa Carrier is someone who has completed the full cycle of the Medicine Wheel teachings in this lineage and carries a medicine bundle, or mesa, rooted in the Q’ero tradition of Mountain Shamanism. Many Ayllu members describe this work as profoundly transformational and central to their ongoing spiritual and professional lives.
Within the Ayllu are shamanic practitioners, medicine song keepers, shamanic yoga teachers, psychopomps, mastery teachers, ceremonial space holders, and many other kinds of healers and community weavers. There are also naturopathic doctors, bodyworkers, counsellors, artists, yoga teacher trainers, elders, and cultural ambassadors whose work is informed by these teachings.
While the school is rooted in Squamish, British Columbia, the Ayllu is scattered across the globe. Members live and work in places such as British Columbia, Manitoba, Quebec, the United States, Mexico, India, Nepal, Peru, Greece, and beyond.
