Santosha Yoga began with yoga and surf retreats in Byron Bay and is now the Santosha Yoga Institute, a teacher training school with its own shala on Nusa Lembongan in Bali. It also runs courses in Sri Lanka, Byron Bay and online, and it's best for people who want to train as yoga or Pilates teachers.
What it's like
If you remember Santosha Yoga as a Byron Bay yoga and surf retreat, you're not wrong. That's where it started. The old website now forwards to the Santosha Yoga Institute, which has grown into a full teacher training school working across several countries.
The story, as the institute tells it, runs like this. Its founder, Sunny, was a professional surfer who went deeper into yoga and meditation while taking time off to have children, then travelled to India in 2003 to study. The first Santosha yoga surf retreat ran in Byron Bay in 2006, and the first teacher training followed there in 2007. Trainings later moved to Thailand and Bali, a Level 2 course ran in India, and in 2014 the school offered one of the early online teacher trainings.
In 2017 Santosha opened its own place, the Santosha Yoga Village, on the island of Nusa Lembongan off Bali. It's an oceanfront shala and it's now the heart of the in-person program. Byron Bay trainings came back in 2021, and Sri Lanka has since joined the list, with courses in the Hiriketiya Bay area.
The programs
This is a school first, so most people come to study rather than to unwind. The main options are:
- Level 1 (200-hour) yoga teacher training in Bali, Byron Bay and Sri Lanka
- Level 2 (300-hour) training in Bali, or both levels back to back over about two months for a 500-hour qualification
- Short courses in Bali, including Yin Yoga, Yoga Nidra, Sound Healing, yoga therapeutics and the business side of teaching
- Pilates teacher training, with mat Pilates in Bali and mat and reformer Pilates in Sri Lanka
- Online courses, from a self-paced 200-hour training to shorter courses in Yin, Ayurveda, meditation, pre- and postnatal yoga and kids' yoga
The institute is registered with Yoga Alliance, and the website also lists Yoga Alliance Australia. The founder is listed as a Yoga Alliance ERYT-500 teacher.
Who it suits (and who it doesn't)
Santosha is a strong fit if you want to become a yoga teacher, deepen your practice in a structured way or add a specialty like Yin or Pilates. The Bali and Sri Lanka locations also make it easy to pair study with time by the ocean, and the school's surf roots still show in its choice of places.
It isn't a drop-in retreat or a spa break. The current website doesn't list short holiday-style retreats, so if you just want a relaxing week of yoga with no homework, look elsewhere. Training days are full, and you'll be learning, practicing and teaching.
Getting there
Nusa Lembongan is a small island off Bali. Byron Bay is on the far north coast of New South Wales in Australia. Each course page on the institute's website has location details, so check there for the venue and travel tips for the course you choose.
Frequently asked questions
Is Santosha Yoga still running retreats in Byron Bay?
It now runs as the Santosha Yoga Institute. Byron Bay hosts 200-hour teacher training, but the website doesn't currently list holiday retreats there.
Where's the main campus?
The Santosha Yoga Village, the school's own oceanfront shala on Nusa Lembongan in Bali.
Are the trainings recognized internationally?
The institute is registered with Yoga Alliance, a widely used international registry for yoga schools.
Can I train online?
Yes. There's a self-paced online 200-hour course plus several shorter online courses.
Where can I see course dates?
On the official website, which lists current trainings by location.
