Dance until you shatter yourself
Enter the embodied, transformational realm of feminine sacred practices. The Mystical Dance® Teacher Training Course is a rare and precious opportunity for women from around the globe to unite in a unique 200-hour immersive journey – a weaving of:
- Movement medicine & oracular dance
- Modern tantric techniques for women
- Creative meditation & ritual
- Self-inquiry for deep personal awakening
Here, body, mind, and spirit merge in a full-spectrum celebration of the mystery and power of Shakti – awakening the priestess in every woman.
Mystical Dance® Teacher Training Overview
An Initiation into Feminine Wisdom, Movement, and Mystery
Step into a transformative journey that honors the body as temple, movement as prayer, and the feminine as a sacred path to awakening. Now in its 11th annual spiral, the Mystical Dance® Teacher Training offers a rare immersion into the embodied arts of the Divine Feminine – a fusion of dance, ritual, energy work, and sacred leadership.
A Feminine Mystery School in Motion
Rooted in the traditions of Shakta Tantra, Tibetan Buddhism, Sufism, Shamanism, and Western alchemy, this holistic program weaves together:
- Sacred dance & embodiment practices
- Chakra alchemy & tantric meditation
- Feminine energy cultivation
- Ritual, ceremony, and rites of passage
- Earth-based spirituality & Nature connection
- Mindfulness, heart presence, and somatic wisdom
Each participant is supported to find her own voice, trust her intuition, and craft a unique offering style – whether through classes, workshops, women’s circles, or retreats.
A Training for Women Called to Serve
Created by Monika Nataraj, a pioneer in feminine embodiment training, Mystical Dance® is both a personal initiation and a professional empowerment path.
Whether you’re here to:
- Facilitate Mystical Dance® spaces
- Deepen your spiritual embodiment
- Integrate sacred dance into your offerings
- Or simply remember the wild beauty of your own feminine soul…
You’ll emerge with tools, confidence, and a living connection to a lineage of feminine wisdom that honors the body, awakens the heart, and nourishes the soul.
Held in Devotion and Depth
We co-create a safe, intimate container where compassion and wisdom are the foundation. Every woman is seen, heard, and honored.
This program responds to the call of our times:
- How do we awaken feminine truth, leadership, and artistry in a world longing for remembrance?
- The Mystical Dance® TTC is not only a certification – it is a portal of transformation.
Monika Nataraj
Monika Nataraj has personally trained 300 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 in India. Monika has also brought Tantra, Yoga, and Mystical Dance® to 26 countries and thousands of people. She has dedicated the past 25 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.
“Satyam Shivam Sundaram.. Truth, Beauty and Divinity are One.”
Mystical Dance® Teacher Training Syllabus
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.
Dance and Movement Exploration topics include:
- Ritual belly dance
- Nature-based movement and prayer
- Goddess invocation dance
- Sufi whirling
- Chakra and five elements dance
- Trance and shamanic dance
- Archetypes in dance
- Polarity dance (Shiva/Shakti exploration)
- Oracular dance
- Movement-activated ceremony
- Guided and free dance journeys
The movement practices of Mystical Dance® are not technique or choreography-based. It’s about accessing the essence of various sacred dance traditions. Sometimes, Mystical Dance® is 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, shamanic healing dance, igniting and subliming creative energy through movement, 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, coaches, healers and women’s empowerment facilitators will find a treasure trove of exercises and approaches to incorporate in their current work.
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
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
- Womb blessings and clearing with the Crystal Wand
- Cycles of the feminine (maiden, mother, crone, dark goddess)
- 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 Mystical Dance® transformational process. We also hold pre-announced 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. A culminating prayerformance is a special highlight of the process.
Dates for the Live Immersion and On-Line Integration
Auspiciously, we gather from 7 September (Full Moon) → 22 September (New Moon/Equinox) 2025! This 16-day live immersion is followed by a 4-week online program to deepen the integration, expand upon the curriculum, and to provide one-on-one support. The online segment consists of two pre-recorded video lessons per week for the month of October 2025 (8 sessions total), plus an additional live online Full Moon and New Moon ritual on October 7 and October 21, respectfully.
In addition, each participant will receive two private, hour-long 1:1 mentoring sessions with Monika, to be completed before December 2025.
16-day live Shakti immersion · 4-week online integration · 1:1 mentoring · 200 hours
Course Details
The Flow of Our Live Immersion
We gather in the temple space for approximately six hours per day, with occasional variations announced in advance.
Days off (about every 5 days – currently September 12 & 18) allow us to rest, integrate, and enjoy the magic of Koh Phangan.
Our rhythm:
- Core sessions: 9:00 – 12:00 and 17:00–20:00
- Special ceremonies & events: Later gatherings, sometimes concluding around 22:00
- Evening offerings: Rituals, meditations & optional activities (video shoots, local dance adventures)
- Supplementary time: Support circles, note review, self-practice, integration
- Our purpose-built, spacious shala temple is dedicated entirely to our group for the full immersion.
The balance:
This is a demanding yet beautifully-paced journey, weaving:
- Physical movement & embodied practice
- Transformational exercises & deep discussions
- Meditations & rituals
- Lectures & teaching preparation
- Solo time in nature to rest, reflect, and rejuvenate
Teaching practicum:
Each participant will lead and share in movement, theory, and self-development — embodying the art of guiding others on this sacred path.
Tuition Fees
The Mystical Dance ® Teacher Training Course tuition is $3,300 USD plus a $300 USD deposit due with the application. ($3,600 USD in total.) The tuition fee includes lunch but does not include other meals or accommodation. Housing can be arranged in advance, via our host resort, booking apps or dedicated facebook groups which share available bungalows and houses.
An early-bird discount of $300 USD is granted for full payment received by August 11, 2025.
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 booking accommodation, 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 Mystical Dance® 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 MDTTC applicant must submit a deposit in the amount of $300 USD alongside her application, in order to be considered for acceptance to the program. If Mystical Dance® does not accept a student for participation, the full MDTTC deposit amount actually received will be returned to the applicant. For specific details on payment, dates and refund policies, please write to monikanataraj@yahoo.com
Before applying, please make sure you have read the information concerning :
- Fees
- Terms of Agreement
The Legendary Sanctuary – Thailand
The course takes place at the Legendary Sanctuary, an eco-conscious retreat center located on the luscious jungles ~ beach of Haad Tien – the scenic tri-bay of Koh Phangan, Thailand. It feels off-grid as the Sanctuary is only reached by long-tail boat or specially arranged taxi. This oceanfront location brings an intimate slice of serenity, held by crystalline water, coconut groves, sand, tropical jungle and night-sky magnificence. The Sanctuary is truly one of the most magical gems of the entire island and well removed from the hustle and bustle of Sritanu, Thong Sala and Haad Rin.
The Sanctuary has held very affordable jungle bungalows for our group which are perfect for single occupancy. There is also a wide-range of accommodation possibilities both at the Sanctuary and neighboring resorts. The restaurant and detox spa is renowned.