Our renowned 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Program has had hundreds of graduates over the years. The best part? There’s many ways to use your experience and training from YTT. This blog post shares the path of one of our program graduates, Bella Caspersen.
Bella graduated from Purple Yoga’s 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in 2023. Here’s a look at how she got there and where her certification has taken her (so far).
PY: How did first you get into yoga?
Bella: When I was 13, I took a movement class for actors. In it, we learned to utilize breathwork and yoga poses in order to help you memorize your lines. I fell in love with the art of practicing and how it related to acting.
PY: What was your path to teacher training?
Bella: In high school, I took a yoga class at my school and had to teach an hour long yoga class as my final. I found Purple Yoga in 2022 as a freshman in college and began classes with Gina and Danny. Danny asked if she was interested in Yoga Teacher Training, which I was. I was a part of the scholarship program, so I worked at the front desk as a part of that. During training and immediately after, I began teaching friends and at parks, then did the Purple Protege Mentor program and applied to teach at the studio.
PY: What has your teaching journey looked like?
Bella: I started with small groups, subbed classes at a jiu jitsu studio, taught 6:00am classes, subbed constantly and taught as much as I could. It went super fast from small groups to big crowds.
PY: How has teaching yoga impacted your career?
Bella: Yoga has taught me that I’m a lot stronger than I think I am. The practice teaches you how to keep going in uncomfortable situations and to really test your strength mentally and physically. In teaching, it has taught me how to be a leader and how to care for other people and to be of service. It’s such a meaningful thing to learn in my twenties, because a lot of people don’t recognize the importance of community and taking care of each other and your health.
PY: How do you see yoga playing a part in your career moving forward?
Bella: As I get older, I want to be able to teach the best classes I can and to prioritize quality over quantity. I want to teach for the rest of my life, so I want to prioritize balance. I think it’s important to keep my own practice first and to stay authentic to yourself, because it translates in your classes.
PY: What were your favorite parts of Teacher Training?
Bella: I needed it more than I even knew. I felt so lost in many ways, I felt really disconnected from my body. I didn’t realize how much it would impact my physical and mental health. I have a better relationship with my diet. Having Alex as a mentor inspired me to be the best version of myself and I’m so grateful for that. Being around all these inspiring people at Purple Yoga has inspired me to want to be like them.
PY: What is your favorite part of teaching yoga?
Bella: When you explain a pose to someone and it clicks for them. When you see them experience the posture. To unlock something in someone that they never knew was in them.
Our Fall 200 Hour program begins in August 2026. There are no prerequisites to join and payment plans are available. Join now for only $425 down.