Searching for A Yoga Teacher Training in India – My Advice to You
by Linnea Otto
Yoga has some truly magical properties when we are looking to transform, soul search and grow into a happy individuals. How has yoga been helping you to just live with more peace in your everyday life?
How long have you been practicing yoga? My yoga journey started at the beginning of August in 2017 when I joined a yoga retreat for beginners. It’s been a wonderful week of getting to know my body a little better and eating healthy vegetarian food. I didn’t know that I could feel so many different parts of my body precisely.
After the retreat, something clicked inside of me and I decided to set a foundation for a healthier and more yogic path.
I began to self-study the history of yoga and read the Patanjali Yog Sutras. After a few months of regularly practicing yoga at home (with Youtube Videos) and trying to catch a little more of the philosophy behind it all, I decided that it was time to travel to India and complete a yoga teacher training in India.
A friend of mine completed his yoga teacher training in the USA, however, he didn’t like it so much. He said there was something spiritual missing and it was only focused on exercise. That’s basically why I wanted to study in India: to get to the roots of yoga and experience culture, tradition, and rituals!
Now, if you search yoga teacher training in India, Google offers you like 5 million results. Each website offers its course and I got pretty confused about where to go exactly.
I heard that BookYogaretreats is not very trustworthy, so I decided to get some first hand info by connecting with Instagram users.
I used the hashtag yoga teacher training in India (#yogateachertraininginindia) and simply wrote direct messages to the people currently studying in India.
My search led me to the Yoga India Foundation in Rishikesh, India. A girl kept posting these amazing photos and videos full of love, laughter, and familiarity. I got in touch with her and “accompanied” her journey along until I chose to book the course myself as.
I would always recommend you to get in touch with real students who you can talk to and get an authentic opinion.
500 hours of Yoga Teacher Training in Incredible India
So here we are: enjoy reading the following lines as it’s something personal, new, and amazing to me.
I came to India as an open-minded person already, wanting to detox my body and learning something new. I had so many unanswered questions about myself and life in general.
The moment you enter to India is like a mix between culture shock and relaxation. Everything seems to be a lot more laid-back, yet chaotic in some way. I LOVE the fact that everything is colorful, even the trucks and cars have sweet decorations.
People always refer to incredible India, now I know why.
The course I did consisted of two parts: a 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training and a 300 Hour of Yoga Teacher Training (500 Hours in total according to Yoga Alliance standard).
I expected to detox my body, yes, but the amount of mental detox I received was insane. I feel a lot lighter now and at peace with many experiences from my past. It seems like I cannot get out of balance so easily anymore.
I know life is not always going the way you want it to go, there are ups and downs, but generally, I feel not so impacted by it anymore.
Learning to accept me, others, and certain situations/circumstances definitely made a huge difference.
You can always be negative and fight the things that are happening OR you can just go with the flow and take it as it is without wasting your energy in complaining or talking about the situation worse.
Do you get what I mean? If everyone was just a little more positive in life, there would be a lot less hate, bullying, war, and violence in general.
Waking up at 5:30 AM every morning was definitely something hard at first, yet I got used to it pretty quickly and even continued this routine until today. When the birds start humming in the morning, I wake up without using an alarm now, crazy!
Maybe I should tell you about the classes a bit more…the yoga teacher training in India consisted of various subjects, modules, practical and theoretical parts. Besides the amazing asana classes (where I learned to bend like a Pretzel, do handstands and splits), we learned about the correct alignment, hands-on adjustment, and benefits of it all.
Practicing so much yoga for almost 2 months makes you not only understand a lot about yoga but also feel so much more than ever before. I used to be so focused on my mind only, now I can feel my own energy, physical needs, and problems easily.
To finish this piece of sharing, I can say that if you are looking for a yoga teacher training in India, follow your heart, intuitive voice, and trust in the journey!?