gianna and the Siddhi School
An International Yoga Teacher, anatomy and movement enthusiast, death doula, Ayurvedic coach, and Asana Champion, Gianna (she/they) travels the world leading workshops, trainings, retreats, and classes, offering grief and death coaching for the living and the dying.
“My mission is to help people get interested in themselves and excited about healing, feelings, and gettin’ dirty.” Gianna has classes geared towards all leveled practitioners and provides intimate guidance on how to live a yogic lifestyle. Her emotionally based classes include pranayama and meditation, long-held active and passive positions for beginners to movement, and veteran practitioners looking for sublet bodywork. Workshops on the 26&2 BIKRAM series, hatha yoga poses and techniques, Ashtanga yoga, meditation, and functional anatomy are her specialties. She is the creator of the Maha Hatha series and owner of the Siddhi School of Yoga.
“If I help everyone see that they have the power to tap into their deepest truths to experience liberation in their lives, then I have done what I am here to do, which is to simply offer another way.”
Gianna is an LGBTQ+ family member who supports acceptance, freedom, and power to POC queer and trans lives and is a supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
Live Schedule
Upcoming events
MAY 1 - 30, 2024 | PORTUGAL - D'ALIJO RETREAT CENTER
TUITION RATES START AT $7,489 USD*
*includes tuition, accommodations, all meals (3 vegan/vegetarian meals per day), training materials, Original Hot Yoga Association application and initial annual registration fees.
In 300 hours, you will learn to teach the classic 26+2 hot yoga series. Our team of asana and anatomy experts, including Gianna Purcell, Kathy Durham, and Erin Frank will provide you with the tools you need to effectively deliver a precise, informative, and therapeutic class. Alignment, benefits, and language for safely presenting the postures will be covered as well as teaching techniques and methodology, anatomy and physiology, yoga philosophy and ethics, and the business of yoga with practical application.
Currently Accepting Applications for 105F’s ONLY 26+2 Hot Yoga Teacher Training in 2024:
Teacher Training classes and lectures will be held at the breathtaking D’Alijo Retreat Center in Northern Portugal. D’Alijo is located in the village of Cabeceiras de Basto in the province of Minho with the city of Porto (the second largest city in Portugal) just one hour away. D’Alijo’s studio and accommodations are cohesively blended with nature — the perfect place to journey inward and learn to teach the 26+2.
Accommodations and Pricing
Sprawling across twelve acres of land, the D’Alijo Retreat Center consists of the main house which offers five bedrooms, kitchen, and restaurant. Additional accommodations of beautifully designed wooden chalet style rooms and cabins are spread across the property. All rooms have outside verandas and large terraces that offer undisturbed views of the breathtaking area and premises. Other D’Alijo amenities include: a swimming pool, a peaceful meditation cave, garden, massage/healing services, and so much more.
Teacher Training pricing starts at $7,489 USD. EARLY BIRD RATES ARE LISTED BELOW AND ARE VALID THROUGH 12/31/2023 (prices increase by $200 on 1/1/2024).
Click here for more details!
I am setting up this GoFundme for a family that pours their heart into their work and welcomes every visitor in as their family. Over the last six years, I have worked with the Ram family in India with yoga and cultural retreats. It is a way for people to experience the culture that many of us teachers and eastern knowledge practitioners benefit from daily. As well we can give back and support a local family working to create and build their business and support their growing family in India.
Chappe Ram is from a Farming Family. His Father and Grandfather grew apples in Vashistha without crop from their first 15 years of work.
At age 20, Chappe started work in local tourism, specializing in Indian Himalayan High Altitude treks as a guide. In 2011 he held his first yoga Retreat in the Himalayas, incorporating asana, meditation, trekking, and camping. In 2016 he opened a small travel agency, trained in Himalayan Kundalini, and was joined by his yogi son Ganesha.
His goal now is to create a yoga center with a guest house for people to stay in for retreats and training. Using part of the apple orchard that has access to the main road leading out from the village, a yoga center here would have more availability for local travelers to stay and could more easily house yoga events for international visitors to experience this mountain village culture. Here, visitors can partake in the beautiful local trekking, hiking, festivals, food, family, yoga, and meditation seated in the glory of this sacred Himalayan village of Vashisht, near Manali where 3 Vashisht temples sit, Rishi Vashisht meditated long ago, and blessed the area with natural flowing hot springs.
This fundraiser is raising money to support Chappe and his family in their next endeavor. We are hoping to raise 15,000 USD to create the guesthouse and yoga shala. I have been to the build site. When I was there last they did puja for blessing in this space and now we are apple to offer our blessing from afar.
Anything you can donate is so greatly appreciated. You can follow @openlotus_yoga and @yogi___ganesh to meet the family, stay connected, and hopefully plan your trip to a beautiful new yoga space.
The 200 hour Maha Hatha teacher training is an intensive course meant to purify the consciousness develop ones sadhana to prepare the practitioner for yoga teaching.
The Maha Hatha study consists of asana, functional range movements, pranayama, mantra, and meditation to create a practice that is both transformational and sustainable.
The curriculum for the Maha Hatha course will cover ethics of teaching, teaching methodology, asana anatomy, general anatomy, FRC techniques, pranayama, mantra, and meditation study, nadis, chakras, the koshas, and pranic anatomy, philosophy, history, and deity study, and dharma development. Students will learn to teach the full series that will be practiced every day and given ways to adjust the series to fit their unique student base.
Your teachers include:
Gianna has been teaching bodies for the last 15 years and visiting and studying in India since 2009. She will share the anatomy of Hatha yoga, teaching techniques and methodology, ethics, asana, pranayama, and meditation, and functional range conditioning techniques to ensure you leave training with the tools to teach and practice healthfully and effectively.
Ganesha, who is from and lives in the village of Vashistha is passionate about sharing the healing benefits of asana, pranayama, and meditation and has been teaching all over India for 5+ years. He will be sharing pranayama, mantra, and meditation practices with you.
Sheetal has a masters of science, is a global mental health consultant, certified embodiment and life coach, sex educator, and traditional Himalayan hatha yoga and Ayurvedic practitioner that will share her knowledge of the Bhagavad Gita, yoga philosophy, the gods and goddesses, and chakras.
See the teacher page for more details on your teachers.
Your tuition includes one night in Chandigarh and transportation to Vashistha. 18 nights and 19 days in Vashistha, vegetarian brunch and dinner, local transportation to and from the airport, and your training materials.
*Things to note:
You must be free to travel all of September. It takes a few days to travel to India depending on where you are coming from. Training starts on the 4th in the morning, so you will have 2 days of local rest and transport scheduled into your trip.
The single occupancy rooms are offsite accommodations. Please contact for pricing.
Your flights are not included in the training cost.
You fly into Chandigarh and out of Delhi with option to add on 2 nights to go see the trip to the Taj Mahal.
You must arrive on the 2nd, rest one night in Chandigarh and drive to Manali/Vashishtha on the 3rd (about a 6 hour bus ride) and rest for the day.
Tips for the hotel staff etc. are not included
Extra days and extra activities like extra night in Delhi or trip to the Taj Mahal are separate costs
Deposited are due 60 days prior to the start of your teacher training and are non-refundable
Your flights out of Delhi should be for after 4pm on the 23rd
Final payments are due 30 days before training starts
There are no refunds 30 days prior to its start
You will need to attain an e-visa 30 days before training
Travel insurance is highly recommended
If you are local to India and do not need transport, night in Chandigarh and Delhi, or would like a cheaper guest house, we can arrange a lower price for you. Please email info@giannayoga.com.
Schedule:
Monday - Friday
7:30 - 10:30 asana practice with Gianna
11-12:30 brunch
1 - 3:30 classroom session
4:30 - 5:30 pranayama and mediation with Gianna and Ganesh
6 - 7:30 dinner
8 - 9:30 classroom session
Saturday
7:30 - 9:30 asana practice with Gianna
Sunday
Off
Please APPLY HERE!
Tuition:
Double room/ 2 twin (3 available) - $4765
Three twin bed shared (6 available) - $4640
Off site single room price available upon request.
*If you are interested in staying 2 extra nights in Delhi to see the Taj Mahal it is $200 addition for a double room and $300 addition for the single room. This does not include your entry fee into the Taj Mahal. This price changes according to the government and is best to pay for it upon arrival.
Final payments are made via check, venmo, or bank transfer. If a payment plan is needed, please email info@giannayoga.com. Remember, your final payments are due 30 days prior to your training.
This retreat will be in conjunction with the 2024 200-hour teacher training and is focused on yoga asana, pranayama, mantra, village life, trekking, and basking in the beauty of the Himalayas.
Participants will fly into Chandigarh and spend one night to rest before taking the journey up to the small yet bustling village of Vashistha. Here you can see and experience the temple baths fed by natural hot springs, hike to the local waterfalls, visit the neighboring villages, and learn about the local culture.
Once you arrive in Vashishtha, you will practice a daily morning 2-hour asana practice with the teacher training group and have the option of joining in on their evening pranayama practice.
The Himalayas are known for their incredible views having the world’s highest peaks, holding and feeding some of South Asia’s major rivers, and being central to the stories, myths, legends, and scriptures of countless cultures. You have the opportunity to trek and camp out in the Himalayas with local guide Ganesh who will lead you in meditation and pranayama to connect with the glory of the mountains. You are welcome to partake in whatever you see fit to get the most out of your time in the north of India.
From Vashishtha, we will make the journey to Delhi where we will stay 2 nights to rest and practice asana together before taking a day trip to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. You will fly out of Delhi on the 25th.
Total Cost:
Double bed/twin bed room - $1990
Single room - $2340
3-person room with 1 twin bed and 1 double bed - $1790
Please email info@giannayoga.com for the daily schedule and additional details.
*Please note:
You fly in and out of two separate locations. You want to be sure to arrive no later than 10 pm on the 14th into Chandigarh and leave no earlier than 4 am on the 25th from Delhi. For booking assistance you can call Arjun Travel 312-702-5524.
Flights are not included in your retreat price.
Tips are not included in your trip price. (Please bring $50 - $100 USD for Ganesh, your daily guide throughout this trip).
Entry to the Taj Mahal and other historical sites are not included.
Your local transportation to and from the airport and to and from Vashistha are included in the retreat price.
Your room and board, brunch, and dinner are included in most locations.
Local Tuk Tuk rides and additional night stays are not included.
Your trekking, trekking guide, and food on the trek are included in your price.
You are required to secure an e-visa 30 days before your trip begins. These are easy to attain for US passport holders. Please check to see if your country can travel to India with ease. This cost is not included in your price. Gianna will send you details on how to attain this with ease.
Your deposit of $500 is nonrefundable.
Your remaining payment of $1490 (double room) or $1290 (three sharing rooms) is due through bank transfer directly to open Lotus retreats in India and must be made 30 days before the trip.
Email info@giannayoga.com for a daily itinerary and further details.