Tatyana Souza always wanted to help others. She pursued a career in research science to help find cures for diseases through the creation of new medicines. After her career in the pharmaceutical industry took off and following the birth of her son, she started to become disillusioned with the goals of the industry.

“Many decisions were driven by profits and not based on good science and helpful medicine,” she said. “Most research that the company would focus on would only alleviate symptoms without solving or curing the true cause of the disease.”

So Souza, now owner of Coolidge Corner Yoga and Sadhana Yoga, turned to yoga, which she discovered while pregnant.

“No matter how tough my day was as a new mom, after a good yoga class, I was refueled, reset and ready for whatever else my day would bring with a new, better attitude.”

Souza described her time on the yoga mat as “transformational.”

With her newfound love for the discipline, Souza decided it was time to make a change and began the intensive yoga teacher training program to open her own yoga studio.

The basic training for a yoga teacher starts with 200 hours, Souza said, and the next level requires 300 additional hours. The trainings, she said, teach soon-to-be yoga instructors the yoga poses and how to teach them, how to plan a complete yoga class, yogic philosophy, breathwork, meditation, anatomy, how to work with injuries and ayurveda. Ayurveda is described as the science of life, which includes the essential belief that the mind and body are inextricably connected and that nothing has more power to heal the body than the mind.

Souza said she highly recommends the training, even if someone isn’t interested in teaching yoga.

“The training in itself is a highly transformative experience and can help you to hone in on your life’s mission and purpose,” Souza said.

Julianna Curtis, owner of The Energy Barre studios, agrees. Curtis, who recently began her own yoga training, said she is already feeling the benefits.

“When I (practice yoga) I am better,” she said. “To be honest, before I started the training, I couldn’t tell you why I felt this way, it just was.”

Once Souza finished her training, she opened her yoga studio in Boston, which emphasizes making “yoga accessible to everyone in the community.”

“We have students that range from college students to retirees,” she said. “The atmosphere is welcoming and noncompetitive, and the instructors are ready to meet the students where they are and help them establish and continue a safe and strong yoga practice.”

Through her community-based business she continues to focus on helping others through yoga and its powerful effects.

“Most of us are very disconnected from sensations in our body. Once you tune in, though, it’s very hard to tune back out again. You start to listen and you notice what feels good and what doesn’t.”