Frequently Asked Questions

You can either start with level one Shake Your Soul Level 1 Teacher Training or SomaSoul^®: Somatic Therapy Foundations. Choose what fits with your schedule the best, or what you feel most interested in, and start there! Feel free to contact us at info@leveninstitute.com to discuss your specific interests.

Trainings and workshops are open to everyBODY! At times, there may be a more intense physical component, depending on the workshop or training that you are participating in, but movements are facilitated in a way that lets participants determine the level of intensity that suits them. Please contact us at info@leveninstitute.com if you have specific concerns.

Dan Leven was one of the originators of Kripalu Danskinetics, the model out of which most YogaDance methods were born. A variety of teachers have created their own unique flows and named their personalized approaches according to their own concepts. Dan’s method, Shake Your Soul^®: the Yoga of Dance, is based in fluid embodiment. Fluid-based movement ranges from the looseness of moving from our joint fluid to the powerful and sensual movements that emerge from the fluid between our muscle cells, to the dynamic pulsing and rhythmic power of blood-based movements. The more fluid our body is, in these dynamic and natural ways, the more our life force, our prana, our chi moves our body. Shake Your Soul^®: the Yoga of Dance classes allow participants to loosely follow guided choreography, as well as to break out in free-flow motion!

We have a number of teachers and practitioners throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. Please check our RESOURCE section for teacher listings and to determine if there is someone in your area. The list is updated frequently.

Sage teaches Shake Your Soul^®: the Yoga of Dance classes at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health regularly on weekends, as part of the lunchtime offering. If you’re planning to visit the area, please reach out to Sage at sage@leveninstitute.com and she will let you know when she is teaching so you may book a day pass at Kripalu.

Absolutely! LIFE Movement faculty occasionally go on the road with training and workshops. If you’re able to guarantee a suitable number of participants, Dan or another faculty member may be willing to travel to your area. 

If you already have a background in any of the areas our trainings cover, you will find it helpful and supportive for the learning experience. However, we don’t have any exemptions available for level one modules due to the fact all of our trainings have a unique method and flow that builds upon itself. Participants begin working from the place they’re at – either building on prior education and experience or starting right from the beginning.

Yes, there have been some changes over the years. As the body of work developed for Shake Your Soul^® and SomaSoul^®, it has shifted and transformed into its present incarnation. For the most part, the content has remained similar or expanded; the training structures have shifted according to student feedback and teacher experience. If you are trying to determine what level would be equal to the training you’ve received in the past, please contact us directly so we can help you figure that out!

Some organizations allow continuing education credits with a copy of the certificate or curriculum alone, and others require official registration by the certifying body, which we do not have at this time. 

Payment plans are available for all of our programs except those held at Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health. Scholarships are not available for our introductory training.

For programs held directly through the Leven Insitute, 10% discounts are offered for early registration on many (but not all) workshops and trainings. “Early” means at least six weeks prior to the training date. This discount is generally only available on courses offered directly through the Leven Institute. If it is available, the discount will appear in your shopping cart when you go through the registration process online.

If you have an issue with a SomaSoul practitioner or Shake Your Soul Instructor that you would like to bring to our attention please send an email to our Educational Director, Sage Brody, at sage@leveninstitute.com

• Cancellation more than 30 days prior to the start of the program will result in a full refund on monies paid minus a $25 processing fee. 

• Cancellation between 30 days and 2 weeks prior to the start of the program will result in a full refund minus a $25 processing fee only if another student can attend in your stead to fill the spot. If the spot remains unfilled, no refund is available and the agreed payment plan remains in effect for tuition for the program. 

• Cancellation 2 weeks or less before the start of the program will result in no refunds and any agreed payment plans for tuition remains in effect.