Feb 16 - Mar 14, 2025 | Thailand

Shakti Spirit® Teacher Training
Apply Today

Enter the mystical, transformational world of women’s sacred practices. The Shakti Spirit® Teacher Training Course (SSTTC) is a special opportunity for women from around the globe to unite in a unique four-week, 200-hour immersive program, weaving together modern tantric techniques for women, movement medicine and dance, meditation, ritual, and feminine empowerment. Body, mind and spirit merge in a celebration of the creative force of Shakti and the goddess in every woman.

The approach to the program is holistic and expansive – from the secrets of energy work, to the potent exploration of the chakras, the role of ritual and ceremony in rites of passage, delving into mindfulness and tantric meditations, to experiencing a variety of exercises and dance styles for expression and spiritual embodiment. It’s all here for you… plus you’ll learn how to share these joyful tools of evolution with others. Each participant finds her own voice and style to adapt these priestess practices for the communities she chooses to serve, evolving her own signature classes, circles, workshops and retreats.

Shakti Spirit® offers a rare, one-month immersion into a rich portfolio of practices of the Divine Feminine. Created by Monika Nataraj, a pioneer in teacher trainings for women, Shakti Spirit® is an integration of women’s traditions stemming from Indian Tantra, Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism, Shamanism and western alchemy. We emphasize connecting the creative, sexual energies with the awareness of the heart and stillness of the mind. Compassion and wisdom serve as our foundation. We strive to manifest a safe space where each person is honored, seen, heard and supported.

Whether you aspire to lead Shakti Spirit® groups and workshops, or simply desire a sacred space to reveal your feminine potential, this teacher training reflects the current, pressing issues of our times and how we can magnetize sacred inspiration into every aspect of life.

While a program conceived for women, Shakti Spirit® addresses our innate longing to balance our inner polarities into a state of harmony and Oneness. We also emphasize connecting with Nature, embracing an earth-based perspective, and accessing portals of inner revelation.

“You will not be the same after this course; I loved this Teacher Training! If you want to live in a Goddess Temple in Thailand studying Sacred Dance and Ritual, this is for you.” ~ Nischala, USA

“Let the beauty that we love be what we do.” ~ Rumi

Monika Nataraj has personally trained 280+ Mystical Dance® and Shakti Spirit® teachers from 46 countries and 6 continents since 2011. She is co-founder of a tantra yoga and meditation school in Dharamsala, India, which operated seasonally from 2007 – 2016 and hosted more than 1,300 students and two advanced teacher trainings.

Monika has also brought Tantra, Yoga, and Mystical Dance® to 26 countries and thousands of people. She has dedicated the past 24 years to working primarily with women and leads workshops and residential retreats in Asia, Europe and North & South America. Most recently, she co-led sacred pilgrimages to Peru, Egypt and Greece.

Monika has a long teaching arc, collaborating over many years with prestigious groups such as Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY; the Four Winds Society in Olmue, Chile; Osho Nisarga in Dharamsala, India; Karakaya Retreat in Bodrum, Turkey; Shanti Retreat in Wolfe Island, Canada and Deva Dasi Studios in Tokyo, Japan.

Please visit Monika’s YouTube channel for a sampling of videos highlighting this sacred women’s work.

“If you feel that your conditioning have out-shined your feminine essence, your authentic power and that you want to re-claim it all back, this is the one for you!
Jai Shakti Ma! Sisterhood in eternity  Monika! Thank you for all you have given me and so many other women around the world. ” ~ Meric

“I was doing the Mystical Dance Teacher Training in 2013 with Monika and it was such an amazing beautiful experience!!! Join her and go on a deep, mystical, powerful and life-changing journey!” ~ Stephanie

“Shakti Spirit!!! A teacher training I did with our teacher Monika Nataraj and 19 other Shaktis. Loved it! Dance, movement, embodiment. Rituals, women’s
practices, sharing…” ~ Miriam
“What a magical, transformative, and empowering training it was! I feel so blessed to be part of this global sacred sisterhood and to have crossed paths with such an extraordinary teacher. Words can’t capture how amazing she truly is—you simply have to meet her and experience it for yourself!” ~ Aida
“…The insights and training I received with Monika Nataraj will be carried forth into my future offerings for women. I am profoundly changed after all the transmissions I received during that time.” ~ Fenixx
“I took the Mystical Dance Teacher Training two years in a row. That’s how good it is! Monika is a supreme shakti creatrix, weaving her unique experiences into an empowering feminine temple arts immersion. Blessed be the Goddess!” ~Melissa

Curriculum

2025
The course covers a vast number of inter-related topics: some elements are very specific to sacred dance traditions and techniques and others fall within the broad category of women’s self-discovery, wellness, spirituality, tantra and teaching methodology.

Shakti and self-discovery topics include:

• Power of ritual and synchronizing with astrological moments and moon cycles
• Feminine archetypes and tantric goddesses
• Rites of passage
• Self-inquiry
• Presence and surrender
• Mystical beauty
• Meditation and visualization techniques
• Vocal toning
• Transfiguration
• Journal writing and an introduction to sacred photography
• Breathwork
• Plant allies including cacao, blue lotus and essential oils

Dance and movement exploration topics include:

• Ritual belly dance
• Goddess invocation dance
• Sufi whirling
• Chakra and five elements dance
• Trance and shamanic dance
• Archetypes in dance
• Polarity dance (Shiva/Shakti exploration)
• Guided and free dance journeysThe movement practices of Shakti Spirit® are sometimes referred to as fun feminine yoga-dance fusion! Specific subtopics include sacred shapes and energy activation, dancing with props such as veils, candles and dakini nails, modern temple dance, use of mudras and symbols, shamanism and dance, igniting and subliming creative energy through dance, and much more!

* The course is designed for all women who like to move – no previous formal dance training is required. Women new to this path finish with a fantastic foundation on which to continue their dance exploration, and both newcomers and more advanced dancers alike leave with a broader and deeper understanding of the complex facets of dance as a mystical art form and transformational tool.

Yoga teachers, therapists, healers and women’s empowerment facilitators will find a treasure trove of exercises and approaches to incorporate in their current work.

Tantra for women topics include:

• Esoteric information on the chakras and the evolution of consciousness
• Polarity and balancing of our yin/yang energies
• Curves of pleasure and orgasm
• Igniting and subliming our sexual energy
• The path of love and compassion
• Awakening the senses
• Pelvic exercises to unlock our potential and womb wisdom
• Secrets of the Jade Egg practice, a Taoist tradition
• Cycles of the feminine (maiden, mother, crone, dark goddess) and healing techniques
• Integrating spirituality and sexuality

Teacher training methodology topics include:

• How to plan and structure classes, workshops and retreats
• Finding your unique voice and style of sharing
• Compassionately “holding space” for participants
• Icebreakers, energy practices, meditations, and exercises
• Levels of mastery and continuing education
• Teaching ethics
• Introduction to marketing, collaboration and public relations

Ritual is the daily underpinning of the Shakti Spirit® transformational process. We also hold preannounced formal ceremonies, sometimes just with our course members, and sometimes with an invited group of selected men and women from the community. Guest teachers, with world-class experience, may be asked to lead some specialty modules.

“My dream called and I followed. Mystical Dance Teacher Training! And here I am after a six weeks long journey honored and blessed to experience the divine beauty anchored in the light of mystical invocation through sacred movement. The more of Shakti I embrace, the more embraced i feel by Shakti. Delighted by the amazing Goddess energy all around and bowing to the presence of the source.” ~ Christina Kattori

Course Details

Shakti Spirit

We meet approximately seven hours per day, five days per week, with some exceptions that are announced in advance.

Generally, except when noted, Saturday and Sunday will be a “holiday,” but the exact two days off per week will be “floating” — meaning they will change week-by-week, depending on our energy levels and the events that we plan.

There are additional evening gatherings (rituals, meditations, etc.) as well as other optional activities such as video shoots and local expeditions. Supplementary hours are scheduled for more informal sharing, support circles, reviewing notes, etc.

Days off are primarily opportunities to rest, relax, rejuvenate, integrate and enjoy the island. There are a plethora of interesting activities offered all over Koh Phangan.

Your month will be rich and exciting!

Our course days are divided into two sessions. Typically, we meet from 9:00-12:00 and 17:00-20:00 as our core hours.

Two days per week, our morning sessions run until 13:00. On some days we vary these hours to accommodate special events, etc. On Fridays we may go until 22:00 for the ceremony.

Additional independent hours are incorporated into the training for self-reflection, practice and preparing for teaching modules.

A teaching practicum schedule will be devised so that each participant has the opportunity to lead movement, theory, and self-development exercises.

Overall, the course is demanding but the days will be well-paced, balancing the physical
movement portion with complementary activities, transformational exercises, discussions, meditations, and lectures.

Tuition & Accommodation

Shakti Spirit 2025

The next four-week Shakti Spirit ® Teacher Training is on February 16 – March 14, 2025.

The tuition is $3,600 USD (including a $300 USD deposit which is due with the application.)

The tuition fee does not include meals or accommodation. Housing can potentially be arranged upon arrival, or best in advance, via booking apps or dedicated Facebook groups which share available bungalows and houses.

The course takes place at Ocean Experience, an eco-conscious retreat center located on the luscious beach of Haad Khom, on the north shore of Koh Phangan, Thailand. This oceanfront location brings an intimate slice of serenity, held by pristine waters, sand and stars. Ocean Experience is truly one of the most magical, hidden gems of the entire island and far removed from the hustle and bustle of Sritanu, Thong Sala and Haad Rin. It’s a 7 minute motor scooter ride from Chaloklum beach where there are many small resorts, bungalows and restaurants. As it will still be high season, there is limited accommodation in walking distance (or at Ocean Experience itself) and housing would be best arranged as soon as possible.

Upon acceptance to the program, a detailed Orientation Guide is sent to each participant. You will also be invited to a private facebook group where more information is posted about accommodation (including resort recommendations), travel tips, visa information, highlights on food, shopping, local transportation and community events. We place a lot of emphasis on supporting your journey – from the logistical to the metaphysical. Always feel free to reach out with questions.

It is worth noting that this course fee is either on par with or below market rate for other, similar women’s intensive programs offered in Asia and the West.

In addition, the teachings of the Shakti Spirit® Teacher Training Course – due to their uniqueness in scope and length, and their recognition on the world map of women’s empowerment over the past decade – already have a great deal of intrinsic value which participants can offer to their communities. The potential for these types of classes, workshops and retreats is growing and is needed now more than ever.

As mentioned, every SSTTC applicant must submit a deposit in the amount of $300 USD alongside their application, in order to be considered for acceptance to the program. If Shakti Spirit® does not accept a student for participation, the full SSTTC deposit amount received will be returned to the applicant.

For specific details on payment, dates and refund policies, please write to monikanataraj@yahoo.com

Feb 16 - Mar 14, 2025 | Thailand

Shakti Spirit® Teacher Training
Apply today