Why This Course Matters

You’ve practiced yoga for years. You’re strong, and you plan to stay that way.

But through perimenopause menopause and beyond, staying strong takes more than yoga alone. As estrogen declines, women lose muscle and bone faster, and the research is clear: strength training is the best response.

This course teaches you to build strength with stability and awareness, not strain, using body weight and resistance bands, in a way that honors everything yoga has taught you.

Redefine what strength feels like from within.

Join us to become the kind of yogi who is both grounded and strong.

What You’ll Learn

  • Protect and strengthen your joints

  • Build glute and core power for postural support

  • Train functional movement patterns that carry into daily life

  • Blend somatic awareness with modern strength work

  • Move with confidence, stability, and ease



Each class also includes a hand-drawn PDF sequence by Mary that you can print and keep for ongoing home practice.

You’ll leave with intelligent, repeatable strength practices—simple, sustainable, and deeply connected to how you feel in your body.


Course Details

Six 90-minute recorded classes with Mary Richards and Lizzie Lasater.

When you enroll, you’ll receive:

  • Immediate access to the full 2022 and 2026 course recordings and materials

  • Mary’s signature PDF sequences, yours to download print and keep forever

  • One year of access to all course content

  • Certificate for 30 non-contact CE hours with Yoga Alliance


This course meets you where you are. Whether you’ve practiced yoga for decades or are returning to movement after a pause, Somatic Strength helps you rebuild confidence, connection, and control.



This Course is Safe and Functional

Created by a yoga therapist, this course is a brilliant mix of asana and strength training. 

With skill development designed to keep you safe, you’ll learn to trust your body.

Plus self-assessment modules and modifications meet you (and your students) where you are.

We’re obsessed with functional movement, which means growing our capacity in daily life. 

To that end, each of the six classes focuses on a different elemental movement pattern: 

  1. Squat and Lunge 
  2. Hinge
  3. Push and Pull
  4. Rotate
  5. Walking
  6. Integration



This Course is Somatic

Yoga is a breath practice. 

So, when we bring strength training onto the mat, we do it from a sensory perspective. 

Somatic learning means slowing down and feeling movement from the inside out. 

No timers. No loud music. No ignoring your body’s signals to stop. No pain, no pain.



What Students Say About Somatic Strength

Feedback from yogis who’ve built strength, stability, and trust in their bodies.

5 star rating

So Much Understanding

irene

I got so much understanding from the way you taught this course. I have been in physical therapy and it feels just like that...1:1.

I got so much understanding from the way you taught this course. I have been in physical therapy and it feels just like that...1:1.

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5 star rating

Excited About My Strength

Marina

I super enjoy the commentary/teaching details from Mary as I practice the strength work.

I super enjoy the commentary/teaching details from Mary as I practice the strength work.

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4 star rating

Wonderful Instructors

Sharon

Mary and Lizzie were incredibly dedicated to addressing the multitude of different bodies that were taking this course.

Mary and Lizzie were incredibly dedicated to addressing the multitude of different bodies that were taking this course.

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5 star rating

A Beautiful Path to Strength

LAURA

The exercises Mary offers have healed my body more than the 5 months I've spent in physio getting nowhere.

The exercises Mary offers have healed my body more than the 5 months I've spent in physio getting nowhere.

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5 star rating

Very Educational

Ariane

Best course I ever had online. So much knowledge, explained in such a natural manner with anecdotes that you remember.

Best course I ever had online. So much knowledge, explained in such a natural manner with anecdotes that you remember.

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5 star rating

Life-Changing Strength

Maria

This course helped me gain strength, improve coordination, and walk pain-free—so grateful!

This course helped me gain strength, improve coordination, and walk pain-free—so grateful!

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Clear & Valuable

Deborah

Mary and Lizzie’s teaching made the wealth of information both accessible and engaging!

Mary and Lizzie’s teaching made the wealth of information both accessible and engaging!

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5 star rating

Brilliant!

Caroline

What a wealth of information & so well taught & accessible. What a team!

What a wealth of information & so well taught & accessible. What a team!

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5 star rating

Inspiring & Transformative

Alison

The content was amazing, and my students have already benefited from what I learned!

The content was amazing, and my students have already benefited from what I learned!

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5 star rating

Love this course!

Kelly

Lizzie and Mary are great, I learned so much in this course and I cannot wait to start incorporating some of this into my teaching.

Lizzie and Mary are great, I learned so much in this course and I cannot wait to start incorporating some of this into my teaching.

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5 star rating

My Favorite Class

Karen

This entire course has been so valuable for me (I'm 61) and I'm integrating it into my yoga student's practices.

This entire course has been so valuable for me (I'm 61) and I'm integrating it into my yoga student's practices.

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5 star rating

Best Online Workshop

Susan

Informative, well organized, and exquisitely taught.

Informative, well organized, and exquisitely taught.

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Meet Your Teachers


Mary Richards is a yoga therapist, educator, and author of Teach People, Not Poses. She blends functional anatomy, humor, and precision to help students experience strength, mobility, and self-trust through movement. Based in Virginia, Mary teaches internationally and is known for her practical, joyful approach to learning.




Lizzie Lasater is a designer, educator, and second-generation yoga teacher who brings design thinking and somatic awareness to the study of movement. With a master’s degree from Columbia University and twenty years of teaching experience, Lizzie hosts online courses that blend Restorative Yoga, somatic strength, and intelligent self-care. She lives in Salzburg with her husband and twin boys.

FAQ

  • Will Mary be available to answer my specific questions?

    Yes. This is a pre-recorded course, and you can post questions on the course message board. Mary or her teaching assistant will answer them.

  • What props will I need?

    A yoga mat, a sturdy chair, light and medium resistance bands, a few blankets, and two blocks.

  • Is this course suitable for all levels?

    Yes. Each sequence includes clear modifications and self-assessments so you can practice safely at your current strength level.

  • What is your refund policy?

    We offer a 95% refund within one week of enrollment. Email us and we'll reverse the charge (minus credit card processing fees). No questions asked.

  • I have a different question. Who can I contact?

    Sarah Jane is here to answer your enrollment questions. Please email her directly at [email protected]

  • Can I receive continuing education credit for this course?

    Absolutely. At the end of the course, you will receive a certificate of completion for 30 non-contact hours.

Join Mary and Lizzie in this self-paced course and learn how functional movement and somatic awareness can build your strength safely, intelligently, and for life.