Yoga is an ages old discipline that has earned a great amount of reputation among the masses, all for the right reasons. Today, yoga is booming as an industry with a population of over 2 billion practitioners worldwide, giving birth to a number of yoga gurus like Bikram Choudhary, with unique styles of their own. Here are some tips and advice to help you find the right type of yoga teacher training program in India, without having to undergo any hassles before, during, or after the course is completed.
Yoga is a beautiful art that impacts people’s lives on a deeper level. Helping them connect with themselves on a spiritual level, improving their health and flexibility, relieving their minds of stress, giving an emotional balance, and assisting in dealing with pain. In short, we can say the art of yoga gives you a new outlook towards life.
After a few months of practice, everyone reaches that phase where they start to understand the real meaning or calling of the practice. It is during this phase that people want to explore deeper into the practice, unsatisfied with what they already have, and look to step into a new phase where they can learn more, while also being able to impart the same knowledge to others in need. This thirst and hunger for knowledge of yoga lead yogis to study more, hence they opt for what we know as yoga teacher training.
However, it is a confusing path starting with questions about where you should start your classes, preferable location to start with, type of class you should take, and requirements for going ahead with the training. While the truth is that all you would require is an unrequited passion for learning yoga and an intermediate knowledge of the poses, there is a lot of research that needs to be taken to take this next step.
India, the birthplace of yoga is one of the most renowned places for yogis to look for spiritual learning and the same goes for yoga teacher training as well. The country is filled with ashrams, institutes, and teaching centers, offering classes for yoga teacher certifications. However, many of these learning centers do not offer the genuine deal and their certifications hold no more of a value than just a plain piece of paper.
So, whether you are someone from India or a tourist from abroad you need to do your bit of the digging into details a little more thoroughly. You should look for the Yoga Alliance yoga teacher training courses.
Here we have mentioned some tips to help you choose the right type of yoga teacher training program in India, without having to undergo any hassles before, during, or after the course is completed.
Tips to select Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh India
Your teacher training program should be specific to your needs and the certification provided must meet your goals. So, the following tips will tell you what you should and should not do when planning to opt for teacher training programs in India.
1. Decide Your Yoga Learning Goal
Before you step out and commit yourself to pursue a certification to become a yoga teacher, you need to ask yourself-
- Why do I want to become a teacher?
- What are my goals? Are you looking forward to enhance your spirituality or do you just want to experience yoga in India?
- Do you want to teach after the course?
Each of these questions will determine all other factors that are needed to be considered before you choose your yoga teacher training in Rishikesh.
You must understand that programs for teacher training are not only a platform for self-exploration and spiritual realization.It is an intense program to perfect your poses, learn to teach before you start teaching others. If you choose the program so that you can be certified to teach others when you are back home, then you must understand that you will be busy the entire time, mastering poses, which you will be guiding your to-be students. It is going to be a rigorous schedule for you the entire time that you are going to be there, hardly allowing you time enough to breath or even enjoy your own yoga practice outside the prescribed curriculum.
So, if you are seeking out spirituality and an in-depth experience during the time when you are learning, it is best to choose your programs at an ashram or a retreat. The difference with these places is that they do not only focus on learning or training yourselfto becoming a teacher, but they also focus on your freedom to blend in with your own practice. They are lenient and allow you the time to connect with yourself spiritually and mentally, enhancing and deepening your love for the art even more with each passing day.
2. What is your yoga style?
You might think that you can just choose any yoga school and move there, leaving the decision of choosing a style for you to them. But, that is not how it goes. Every yoga school offers numerous programs and some are even based on your dominant style of yoga. Hence, if you are not sure as yet, it is about time that you ensure this, since you are already interested in opting for the program.
Without a definite interest in one yoga style, your training will be incomplete and chaotic. After all, being adept in one style will make you more confident and will give you better clarity of what you are doing.
3. Location and Accessibility of Learning center
Indian training centers for yoga are usually located in secluded places, however there are some which are placed within the city. If the school is within the city, surely commuting will not be a problem, but if it is on the outskirts you need to find out whether the center provides modes of transport to and from the city.
You would not want to get lost as soon as you step foot in India. Most ashrams, retreats, and learning centers ensure to make this facility available for their students. Nevertheless, it is always best to be on the safe side and ensure that everything has been taken care of. Other than that, most of you would also prefer training amidst a lush and green environment. So, when you do your research, look out for this one factor as well.
4. Learning Center’s History
A very important factor to consider when choosing your school for teacher training is getting to know your school well. If you have connections with yoga teachers from India whom you have met before, you can train at their ashram or learning center. The benefit of knowing more about your yoga school is that you can decide whether your thought processes matches with their philosophy of teaching or not.
This becomes a major challenge when your ideas don’t match with the school you choose. Talk to people who might have done their training in India and take suggestions which can help you make your decisions in a better way.
5. Learning Environments and Facilities Offered
Find out the number of students that the learning center accepts per session. Why is this factor important?It’s because, the more the students, the lesser attention you might receive.As it will not be possible for the teacher to attend to each and every student individually.
A class with a smaller group is always better as the teacher can answer, give his/her undivided attention to every one of you. Other than that, look out for details of the facilities that these centers offer including wifi, personal accommodation, running water, modes of commuting, and even laundry services. Check to see if any of these services can be added as a packaged deal.
6. Experience of Teaching Staff
The experience of your teachers are as important as the reputation of your school. Check to see if your teachers are certified and can actually touch you heart-to-heart when practicing.
Furthermore, having a strong connection with a certain guru or yoga teacher can make your process of deciding on the right teacher training program quite simple. Also, ensure that your yoga teacher is RYS certified and is adept with the style of yoga that you have chosen to pursue.
7. Availability of Programs
What do you want to learn from your yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh. Every program lays a different emphasis on different element of yoga. So, choose your program as carefully as you would choose your institute or teacher. Some of the programs that are offered by yoga schools for teachers in India are as follows.
- 200 hour teacher training courses
- 300 hour courses teacher training courses
- 500 hour teacher training courses
- Iyengar yoga teacher training
- 200 hour Hatha Yoga teacher training courses
- Bikram Yoga teacher training
- 200 hours Ashtanga Yoga teacher training courses
8. Is Yoga School Accredited by Yoga Alliance
Being registered with Yoga Alliance helps you showcase in front of your students that you have completed your hours of teacher training, making you eligible to teach in all parts of the world.
If your chosen school for teacher training is registered with Yoga Alliance it means that it meets the Yoga Alliance’s course curriculum for 200 and 500 hour classes. However you must understand that Yoga Alliance does not gives you a job; it just helps you promote yourself as a certified yoga teacher wherever you go.
9. Does Learning Center Focus On Yoga Anatomy
Understanding the anatomy of your body is the first step of understanding the benefits that yoga provides. Hence, you must find a yoga learning center that focuses on human anatomy as it can change your entire perception of the functions of yoga asanas. How they work to change the chemical composition of the body, and will help you talk to your students in future, in case they have any questions related to the same.
10. Costs Involved
Every yoga class has a different fee structure according to the courses and extra facilities provided. In India, the teacher training courses can look a little overpriced when u compare to courses in south east asia.
However, if you do a little research, you will find huge differences in the courses. Number of days of stay, airport pick and drop etc. are huge facilities and costs the school. If you are able to find a good registered school, the amount spent is pretty much worth the spend. In fact, if you add up the cost of your other expenses which cheap schools don’t cover, the costlier might be cheaper in the end.
Most of the costs involved in doing your yoga teacher training program in India would also depend on the type of lifestyle that you choose. For instance if you want a separate room with certain types of personal facilities, then it will cost you more.
However, if you choose to live among your other yogi friends in a dorm and share the facilities, your costs of living there will be less. Furthermore, are you planning to moving around the place a lot? If yes, then you can also add up your travelling cost as well in your expenditures.
Conclusion
Your decision to pursue yoga teacher training in Rishikesh is just the beginning of your journey. There is so much more to explore beyond this. The tips and advice talked about above are no formula to land you in the right place. Your instincts play a large role in all of your decision making as well. With the large and growing numbers of yoga learning centers in India, chances are that you will come across more than one that is ideal for your needs. Meditate if required, but at the end the final choice is yours.
Once you have been able to make your choice, all you need to do is pack your bags, ensure your visa is ready, and get all set for a new journey in your life. If your main aim and heart’s deepest desire is to teach and spread the knowledge about yoga and its immense benefits, you will find your calling without much effort. Just keep your thoughts positive and in the right direction, keep your practice alive, and keep moving ahead. Just because things are not happening, it does not mean that your life must come to a standstill and the same can be said about Yoga as well.
Perfection is not the key to a perfect yoga life nor is it the requirement to get yourself into the best yoga school with a huge crowd for teacher training. Yoga does not ask for you to cross your limits by force, but for your dedication and growth of love for your own self. It asks of you to enjoy the journey called life even as you journey through it as a teacher. Enjoy your life and pass on the same teachings to your students as well.
Being a teacher is a great responsibility in itself, demanding you to respect the art and topass it on to others along the way. You have to ensure that your students have the same belief as you do, so that this tradition can be taken forward for generations to come, for one of your students might get inspired from your journey and choose to travel your path.
Hence, it is highly essential that your yoga school for teacher training is also able to instill that same belief and thought process in you. Your journey from being a student to becoming a teacher is a beautiful one and the right yoga teacher training program in India can help you alleviate that. Bon voyage, as you move along in this journey to finding yourself.
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