• Complete online application by clicking this link. Please set aside ~30 minutes to complete.

  • If you would like to fill out your application in another way or if you have any questions, please let us know.

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Selected candidates will be contacted to schedule a phone call, video call, or in-person meeting as part of the next step in the process.

• The deadline for applications is July 1. 

  • Phone, video call or in-person outreach will be conducted to get to know selected candidates better. 

  • All candidates will be notified by July 15 of their final application status.

This addition is rooted in our commitment to making ongoing access to movement spaces more equitable, while also supporting the deeper learning that happens through consistent practice. Somatic and embodiment-based teaching is not something that can be fully absorbed through training alone; it develops through repetition, lived experience, and continued time in the body.

By offering year-round access to both in-studio and virtual classes, we aim to remove financial barriers that can limit participation and create more continuity between training and practice. This supports students in building a strong personal movement foundation, familiarizing themselves with a range of teaching styles, and integrating the work on a nervous-system level over time. It also honors the important post-training integration period, where understanding continues to settle, deepen, and become embodied through ongoing practice beyond the formal training container.

“My name is Viva. I have been a Portland-based performer for over 15 years, and a cardio dance teacher for 2 years. As a queer person of color, I have almost never seen my identities reflected in the demographic of movement teachers in the area. As such, my interest in yoga was mild and I had never felt called to deepen my study.

When I heard Portland Yoga Collective was offering the scholarship to specifically BIPOC teachers, I was intrigued. It seemed like a singular opportunity to access education I had found inaccessibly paywalled, an education I assumed would support my journey as a dance teacher, if nothing else.

The actual course was so much more than I ever anticipated, in every way. While I suspected that it would be tricky to distill a 5,000 year old system into a 200hr course, I underestimated the care and conviction with which Tizzy, Christina, and Jess had constructed a semester that would provide a foundational jumping-off point for study.

In the months since graduating it has become clear to me that few 200 hr YTT curricula take the time, as PYC did, to relate the chakra system to early-childhood neurological development, to teach about the nervous system as well as structural anatomy, or to diligently engage yoga trainees in close examination of the systems of oppression that have evolved alongside the yogic traditions, and the impact of those systems on us and the classrooms we will enter. 

I found myself struggling with the intensity of the course schedule, and every single time I availed myself of support from Christina and Tizzy they sparkled with warmth and kindness and brainstormed ways for me to thrive in this unfamiliar academic environment. Now, having taught at a few studios, I find such joy in the practice I almost can’t believe I wouldn’t have pursued this path had Portland Yoga Collective not handed me the opportunity and lovingly carried me across the final threshold. I am so grateful to have new tools, to have had the semester of self-inquiry, and the eye-opening experience of unpacking the rich cultural, scientific, and spiritual history of yoga. I know I will never be the same again and I love it. 

• Viva, 2025 Yoga Teacher Training Graduate

“Learning from Tizzy and Christina was such a pleasure! They are so incredibly supportive and knowledgeable. Getting the opportunity to learn from teachers that have inspired my personal practice has been such a dream! I feel so lucky to be a part of this incredible yoga community.”

• Veronica, 2025 Yoga Student Training Graduate

“The grounding of the YTT 200 hr. in thinking critically of how yoga has evolved in the last few centuries alongside systems of oppression gave the training a real and essential framing. Yoga has been an integral part of my life for the past 26 years and I am so grateful to Jess, Christina and Tizzy for the opportunity to deepen my understanding and connection to this ancient healing practice and in guiding my teaching! Christina and Tizzy created a skillful in depth and engaging experience which was full of joy and intense challenge and learning. We were all held with so much care and support throughout, and it has continued on!”

• Gloria, 2025 Yoga Teacher Training Graduate

Every dollar donated goes towards a full or partial scholarship. Many thanks for your consideration 🙏🏽 Please email jess@portlandyogacollective.com to donate.