Dear Vira Bhava Yogis,

I have some big news to share with you all.  After 21 years of teaching Yoga and 16 years of training teachers, I have decided to retire. It is time for me to step down from the position of training Yoga teachers and make space for new, energetic, and inspired teachers to rise and share their knowledge.  

My hope is that Vira Bhava Yoga will continue on, and that the face will evolve into what it has always been, YOU. My prayer is that all of the work we’ve done will continue to touch and educate others, and that the body of work and brand of Vira Bhava Yoga will continue on without me.  Only Ma knows what will transpire, but my hands are folded in hope and surrender. I trust that what is impactful and meaningful will continue on, and what we have built together will continue to grow and thrive through the curriculum of the trainings, the teachings of our graduates, and the sharing of our inspired students.

I will run one final round of trainings (both 200 Hour–in collaboration with the amazing Rachel Durben & a 300 Hour with Mentor support), and then I will pass on the torch of training teachers on to others. So, if you’ve been waiting to do a VBY training with me until the time is right, now is the time. I intend for this to be my last two training offerings, and hope to move my future teaching away from the certification arenas.

If you are a graduate of a VBY training and want to participate in the teacher training sangha with me one last time, we will be discounting repeated training for all grads by 35% (please email me to receive the discount code).  As always, we have financial aid and payment plans available for all of our trainings, including this final round.  I never teach the same training twice, and this time will be no exception.  I feel more inspired and more anchored than I have in years, and I am excited to share what I know as it translates one last time through our teacher trainings. 

Over the course of the next six months, I will be moving a small portion of my creative content to kellygoldenyoga.com, where I will be shifting my focus more toward writing and non-certification offerings, as well as stretching into new possibilities of service through this work. I am not done, only ready to shift and change, to evolve into something that is more true to my heart and my growth. My book, Yoga of Resilience: Embodying a Practice to Thrive Through Hardship, will be released in the fall, the Yoga of Resilience podcast (@yogaofresilience_pod) will continue, and I have another book in the hopper, which I hope to begin next year. I will continue to lead retreats and share my offerings in new ways. I desire to continue to teach in some fashion, in more intimate spaces with more devoted intentions. If you would like to join me on retreat in 2022, there are still a few spots remaining for our Spirit of Relationship Retreat to the Sacred Valley of Peru in October. I am still planning on leading retreats to India in the years to come. The next Goddess Temple retreat is tentatively planned for December 2023/January 2024.  If you would like to receive more information about this retreat, please send me an email directly–kelly@virabhavayoga.com. 

It is my deepest intention to continue the work of Yoga and Tantra in the world, and I will continue to serve where I am called. This work has always been much bigger than me, and now I hope it will have the chance to expand beyond the container I built. It’s time. It’s time for VBY, it’s time for Kelly Golden, and it’s time for all of us. Vira Bhava is the essence of a warrior, a warrior’s heart. It’s in all of us. As much as it’s in me, it’s in YOU. May the spark of Vira Bhava continue to inspire, ignite, and engage.