Leading Through Quality Instruction
We were the very first hot yoga studio in West Michigan. Together with our students, we’ve been learning, refining, and innovating movement and mindfulness since 2010. And we’re so glad you’re here for it!
Because of our deep love of yoga and education– and our need for well-trained teachers, we developed an intimate and focused curriculum to train and support our teachers’ growth; our Yoga Alliance Certified, Funky Buddha 200-Hr Teacher Training Program was originally created in 2011 specifically for our teachers, though we quickly realized this program could benefit so many more people! Now, this program is not just for yogis desiring to become teachers, but also for those who want to deepen their practice and learn from within.
Working within the Yoga Alliance certification framework–and utilizing adult learning theory, decades of experience, and deep study with world-renowned yogis–our team has intentionally crafted Teacher Training Programs of our own. We’ve trained hundreds of yogis and have grown to become a regional leader in yoga teacher training. Whether you feel called to teach or simply want a way to deepen your practice, there’s a place for you in the Funky Buddha Teacher Training Programs.
We love having a platform to share our growth, knowledge, and experiential wisdom with you. We know that you’ll see it, too, as our training programs teleport you into a new level within yourself.
Developed by Us, to Develop You
Personally developed by our long-time Director, Larissa Link, Funky Buddha’s Teacher Training Programs are a carefully and obsessively designed yoga education, focused on deepening a teacher’s yoga practice first, and then giving them the tools to teach that practice effectively.
Even better, we’re proud our curriculum exceeds Yoga Alliance and industry standards. We include communication training that you can take with you into relationships, both personal and professional, as well as deep dives into yourself through ancient wisdoms like the Yoga Sutras and Buddhist teachings, as well as modern tools and science. Teachers – and all humans – need tools that work, we believe students deserve the best of what we can give them.
Our Offerings
200 Hour Yoga Alliance-Certified Yoga Teacher Training: A curated, 6-month foundational study designed to deepen your practice and prepare you for teaching yoga. Perfectly structured to earn a 200hr YA certification through both contact hours and supported, independent learning; fret not! You will receive a full 200 hours of training.
300 Hour Yoga Alliance-Certified Yoga Teacher Training: Broken into 3 major 8-Day Intensive modules, designed to be taken independently in any manner that suits your schedule. This program is allows 200Hr certified instructors to earn a 500hr YA certification in 18 months!
Ready to Go?
Please reach out to larissa@yogahothouse.com and jenm@yogahothouse.com if you have any questions about training, what to expect, or are ready to get started.
What We Believe
We value growth above all else. That’s why our guiding vision statement is “Cultivating Growth Through Practice.” This statement is a direct reflection of the environment we envision for ourselves and our students. It is an environment that prioritizes and normalizes the ebbs and flows, as well as the pains and gains inherent to practice. So, how does this manifest in our Teacher Trainings?
- Science-based: Our teaching is based on science, the wisdom of the yoga system and philosophy, and personal experience wherever possible.
- Free will: We will not recommend any religious, organizational, political, or nutritional affiliations, nor will we offer personal opinions unrelated to the 8 Limbs of yoga, Buddhist psychology, or the system of yoga in our teaching.
- Practice-focused: There is no “right” or “one” way to practice yoga. A student’s individual results are not up to us; we teach the practice, not the results.
- Growth mindset: We are committed to creating and growing our accessible and professional environment every single day. Growth through practice and Know better, do better.
- Clear boundaries: Clear, kind, and professional boundaries create optimal conditions for staff and student growth. Clear is kind!
- Kind words: We believe in being impeccable with our words and encourage intentional and kind speech.
- Invested in feedback: Candid and constructive feedback are essential to overall growth, quality, and supporting our professional development.
- Balance: Striking the balance between process (clarity and consistency) and fun (novelty and play) will make our organization long-lasting and sustainable.
Finally, we believe that the benefits of a regular hot yoga practice sell themselves. We believe students who commit to regular Funky Buddha Yoga practice will experience transformative growth in body, mind, and spirit, whatever that means to each individual.
The Funky Buddha seeks to be an organization that supports this transformative process from the moment a student walks through our doors, to the moment they exit. We believe that being this kind of organization begins by delivering consistent, fun yet professional, friendly, accessible, high-quality programming, and classes that our community of students will want to experience over and over.
200hr Training:
What's Included?
- Tailored training: A high quality, Yoga Alliance certified training, tailored to you and your cohort.
- Communication skills: Tons of communication skills that will benefit you whether you choose to teach or are taking the training to enhance your practice.
- Yoga education: A rich understanding of the system, history, and philosophy of yoga along with a deep dive into the physical and mental practices of yoga.
- Practice teaching: Practical application of teaching skills and teaching practice.
- Support: Optional 1:1 and group practice and support available between training weekends and access to support community. (We see so many beautiful friendships flourish in our training groups.)
- Membership: An unlimited 8-month membership is included with your teacher training from November 1st, 2027 thru June 30th, 2028.
- Guided journal: A workbook written by our guiding teacher, Larissa Link, designed specifically for your optimal learning, as well as a journal and other fun swag surprises.
- Unlimited benefits: We’ve heard from many past trainees: as you awaken your own inner teacher, there are more benefits than what we could possibly list.
A Couple of Details
We take these classes to heart, and we expect you to, too. We require the following:
- Four books as pre-reading; find them at a local bookstore or online: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, Teaching Yoga by Donna Farhi, Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews, and The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali of which there are many translations–we recommend the versions from Sri Swami Satchitananda (excellent story orientation) or Edwin Bryant, PhD (this one is great if you want to dive deep into the Sanskrit). You can also find free versions of the sutras here (by Swami Vivekananda) or here (by Chip Hartranft).
- Up to 20 hours of monthly homework during your six-month training period
- Participation in-person at our Grand Rapids’ locations
Schedule
Funky Buddha Yoga’s 2027-2028 200hr Yoga Teacher Training schedule:
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November 5 (2-7PM) & 6 (11AM-7PM), 2027
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January 22-23, 2028
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January 29-30, 2028
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February 25-27, 2028
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March 24-26, 2028
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April 28-30, 2028
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May 19-21, 2028
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June 13-17, 2028 (first-ever built in retreat! 8AM-6:30 PM, daily)
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June 18 graduation & celebration!
January – May Meeting times are Friday: 6-9p | Saturday: 8a-6:30p | Sunday: 8a-4p
All scheduled meeting hours and our final retreat (a new offering we’ve added this year!) meet and exceed the required 200 live contact hours needed for certification.
Cost
Full tuition for this course is $3,900 – OR sign up by August 31, 2027 to save $400 off this price with our early bird special!
INCLUDED in the cost of our teacher training:
- An unlimited membership for the duration of the program
- Monthly guest pass to share for the duration of the training
- 10% off retail purchase
- Access to all special events and workshops that are required as part of the training
- Curriculum material (note: this does not include the required reading book list)
- Various snacks and bubbly waters available during training times
Curious about accessibility scholarship? Check out our community offering! Our scholarship application deadline is August 15, 2027, and we’ll make our final scholarship decisions by September 15th, 2027.
300hr Training:
What's Included?
- Flexible Learning: Split into 3 Modules, these 8-Day intensive sessions offer you the opportunity to take them independently and in any order that fits your schedule.
- Compassion Module: Spines, Breath, Compassion, & Boundaries
- Curiosity Module: Hips, Brains, Curiosity & Feedback
- Creativity Module: Shoulders, Systems, Creativity & Sequencing
- Tailored training: A high quality, Yoga Alliance (YA) certified training, tailored to you and your cohort. You are not required to register with YA, however it is the individuals responsibility to do so, should you want to complete a 300Hr supplement for a 500Hr YA Certification.
- Communication skills: Tons of communication skills that will benefit you whether you choose to teach or are taking the training to enhance your practice.
- Community Support: 1:1 coaching sessions, group practice, and teacher-led study groups to ensure your learning flourishes.
- Personal Support: Our 8-day intensives and workshops are in-person, plus a few live Zoom sessions (no required prerecorded classes).
- Mix, Match, and Master: These do not need to be taken in a specific order! We host the larger 84-hr modules twice per year, in August and February; these are rotated, so you may finish your 300hr training in 18 months or take one per year to finish in your time.
- Membership & More: An unlimited 1-month membership & access to required events is included for each Intensive’s respective month.
A Couple of Details
We take these classes to heart, and we expect you to, too. The following are prerequisites to participation in our 300-hour program:
- Completion of any 200Hr Yoga Teacher Training (if desiring 300Hr Certification) or, at least, 1 year of consistent yoga practice.
- Participation in-person at the following locations: The Hive location in Sparta, MI, and the Funky Buddha studios.
- Reading of Funky Buddha Yoga’s 200Hr workbook, to be shared after sign up.
- Four books as pre-reading; find them at a local bookstore or online: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, Teaching Yoga by Donna Farhi, Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff & Amy Matthews, and The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali of which there are many translations–we recommend the versions from Sri Swami Satchitananda (excellent story orientation) or Edwin Bryant, PhD (this one is great if you want to dive deep into the Sanskrit). You can also find free versions of the sutras here (by Swami Vivekananda) or here (by Chip Hartranft.)
Schedule
Funky Buddha Yoga’s upcoming 300hr Yoga Teacher Training schedule is as follows:
Held from 8:00am-6:30pm each day
- February 13-20, 2027 | Compassion Module: Spines, Breath, Compassion, & Boundaries
- July 31-August 7, 2027 | Curiosity Module: Hips, Brains, Curiosity & Feedback
- February 12-19, 2028 | Creativity Module: Shoulders, Systems, Creativity & Sequencing
These modules do NOT have to be taken in order or altogether! Each Intensive consists of 84 contact hours, with 28+ hours of personal study and required event attendance- for those that would like to complete their 300Hr YA Certification. Each Modules curriculum outline can be found here.
Additional Participation Requirements for Yoga Alliance 500Hr Certification:
- Attendance at 3 of the 4 teacher-led study groups
- Held once per quarter, via Zoom, on Wednesdays 3:00-6:30pm
- Attendance at 1 Myofascial Release workshop
- Held twice yearly in May and October
- Attendance at 2 Kirtan Sessions
- Held twice yearly in November and March
- Participation in one 3-hour session with one of our teacher coaches
- To be scheduled individually prior to graduation
- 20 Hours of personal study; including but not limited to required reading, sequencing, 1:1 coaching requirement, and optional 10 hours of prerecorded video learning for review/support.
Cost
Tuition per module is $1750, or join us for all 3 for $4500 ($750 off!).
Early Bird Pricing! Sign up early and take advantage of $1600 per module or $4500 for all 3! Yogis must apply by the following dates to receive Early Bird Pricing:
- Compassion Module: November 13th, 2026
- Curiosity Module: June 1st, 2027
- Creativity Module: November 12th, 2027
Tuition grants each student an unlimited membership for the entirety of the month of any module attended, access to all required workshops/events, and curriculum material (sans required reading).
If taking all 3 Modules with intent to complete Yoga Alliance 500 Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification, this tuition cost includes the scheduled 1:1 with teacher coaches.
Your Teacher
Larissa Link,
Director
Larissa believes teaching anything well is all about the Art of Communication and how we communicate, changes everything. In addition to yoga and functional movement, her main areas of study are mindfulness, communication, personalities, and the science behind why we interact the way that we do. Teaching yoga allows the intersection of all of these things. This practice keeps her curious, a reminder to listen well, and offers continued learning. Growth through practice, every day.
Her Education
- Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher with Yoga Alliance (E-RYT500)
- Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP)
- 1,500+ hours of training in yoga, mindfulness, meditation, anatomy, and body-movement mechanics
- 20+ years teaching and training in multiple fields
- 15+ years of teaching yoga and 13+ years of training yoga teachers
- Studied yoga with some of the greats, including Baron Baptiste, Stacy Dockins, Philip Urso, Kathryn Budig, and Jason Crandell
- Studied meditation and mindfulness with leaders like Sharon Sarlzberg, Rodney Smith, Mark Coleman, Christopher Germer, Kristen Neff, Dan Siegel, Rick Hanson, Ram Dass, and more
