200 Hour Traditional Hatha Yoga Teacher Training Retreat in India

One month Yoga Teacher Training in India, to experience the intensive and spiritual teachings and practices of traditional Hatha yoga – with more emphasis on breathing, awareness, meditation and a practical philosophy to live an enlightened life in society. Also, you will be presented with a professional Yoga Teacher Certification diploma, recognized by Yoga Alliance, with which you can start teaching yoga professionally around the world.

This 200 hours Yoga Teacher Training covers all the basic techniques and skills to get started on the noble path of sharing your practical knowledge of yoga – both physical & intellectual – in a professional way. Even if you are not interested in teaching yoga, the practices and philosophy have a detoxifying effect to enrich your body, mind and intellect, and also to understand the purpose of life and know-how to live a sane and peaceful life in this crazy world.

Who Can Come?

• Practicing Yoga regularly for at least one year.
• Physically fit to handle four hours a day of practice. Test yourself with 10 rounds of Sun Salutation at one go and comfortable to hold the basic asanas for at least 30 seconds.
• Mentally eager to listen to two theory classes a day and write an exam!
• Spiritually focused to wake up early for meditation and ready to handle all the emotional roller coaster this intense course might cause.
• Passionate to question and challenge your own beliefs on who am I, purpose of life, cultural attitudes and ready to raise above petty judgments of society.
• Having no chronic illness, recent surgeries, pregnant, or under medication for severe psychological disorders.

06.00 – 06.40 am: Meditation
06.40 – 07.00 am: Neti / Kriyas
07.00 – 09.15 am:  Yoga  & Pranayamas
09.15 – 10.30 am: Brunch & Free time
10.30 – 12.30 pm: Yoga in Big Picture / Yoga Therapy
12.30 – 02.00 pm:   Free time / Private coaching
01.30 – 02.30 pm: Fruits/Snacks
02.30 – 04.00 pm:  Yoga Sutras / Ayurveda
04.30 – 07.00 pm:  Yoga Anatomy Workshops / Teaching Practice
07.00– 08.00 pm: Dinner
08.00 – 09.00 pm:  Video Shows or Chanting, on 3 nights a week
10.00 pm – 10.00 am: Silence / Self-Reflections

This time table is subject to change as per weather conditions.
Classes are held 6 days a week. The 7th day is for optional Day-Trips.

• Practices led by traditional teachers: Asanas, Pranayamas, Neti, Meditation, and Chanting Mantras.
• Teaching Workshops: Demonstration of Asanas and their variations. Classification and sequencing of yoga asanas as per traditional understanding based on Chakras. Adjustments of common mistakes and hands-on techniques.
• Yoga Anatomy: Therapeutic benefits of Asanas and Pranayamas, precautions, and contraindications. Anatomy and Physiology of 7 systems of body.
• Philosophy: Introduction to Yogic Lifestyle in modern times, Historical Evolution of Yoga, Paths of Yogas, Patanjali Yoga Sutras.
• Teaching Practice: Testing and sharing your teaching skills with your co-teachers.
• Career: Business/Career of a yoga teacher, communication skills and safety norms.

• Techniques Training / Practice — 117 Hours

  Includes asanas, pranayamas, kriyas, chanting, mantra, meditation, and other traditional yoga techniques. These hours are a mix between (1) analytical training in how to teach and practice the techniques, and (2) guided practice of the techniques.

• Teaching Methodology — 26 Hours

  Includes principles of demonstration, observation, assisting /correcting, instruction, teaching styles, qualities of a teacher, the student’s process of learning, and business aspects of teaching yoga.

• Yoga Anatomy & Ayurveda— 26 Hours

  Includes both human anatomy and physiology of bodily systems, organs, etc. Anatomy of Pranic body: chakras, nadis, bandhas etc. Includes both the study of the subject and application of its principles to yoga practice (benefits, contraindications, healthy movement patterns, etc). Basic introduction to Ayurvedic three doshas, diet and lifestyle based on seasons and constitution.

• Philosophy, Lifestyle & Ethics — 26 Hours

  Includes the study of Yoga Sutras, Yoga in a Big Picture, historical evolution of yoga, four paths and various techniques for Self-Realization, yogic lifestyle in a modern society, and ethics for yoga teachers.

• Practicum — 20 Hours

  Includes practice teaching, receiving feedback, observing others teaching and hearing/giving feedback.

Krishna Chaitanya
Krishna Chaitanya is a professional Yoga Trainer and Spiritual teacher, with a special expertise in the field of meditation, philosophy and psychology of Yoga-Vedanta. He lived and practiced for more than twelve years in some of the best ashrams in India – such as Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Order (Calcutta), Bihar School of Yoga (Munger), Himalayan Tradition of Swami Rama (Rishikesh) and Sivananda Ashram (Kerala).

Embracing the monastic life at the age of 19, Krishna is a born social rebel and revolutionary thinker who doesn’t want to be brainwashed by books, teachers, or spiritual traditions – so naturally the result is, a roller coaster life in search of Unknown – that took him to various teachers and traditions in many parts of the world. After being a spiritual vagabond for years, he is now a living encyclopedia on Indian spirituality – and he is still a soul-warrior on a pathless path, experimenting with life and waiting for one real flash of life (eternity)!

Krishna will be teaching the morning philosophy class on Yoga in Big Picture and Anatomy and Teaching Methodology classes in our Teacher Training Retreats. 

Swami Prabodh Chaitanya
Swami Prabodh Chaitanya is a Yoga-Vedanta Scholar who also holds a Masters Degree in English literature, besides his traditional studies in Sanskrit under his teacher H.H Swami Bodhananda Saraswathi of the Chinmaya Mission.   He also took his Bramacharya initiation from H.H Swami Chinmayanandaji, the founder of Chinmaya Mission.  After his initiation Prabodh Chaithanya furthered his studies of the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita and Brahmasutra (aphorisms) under the guidance of H.H Swami Dayananada Saraswathi of Arsha Vidya Gurukulam. Since completing his traditional studies in Yoga and Vedanta under these great teachers, Prabodhji has been lived and taught in Rishikesh and Varanasi for several Years.

Prabodhji will be teaching Meditation and Yoga Sutras during our YTT retreats. 

Vinod Rajan
Raised up in a farming community on the countryside of Kerala, Vinod is a hardworking Yogi who loves to dream big and smile big. His always-be-positive attitude is a great solace for all our students going trhough intensive transformation in our ashram.

The encounter with his spiritual master, Sri Tathata (http://sritathata.org/) changed the course of his live, to embrace Yoga and Spirituality as a personal Sadhana and selfless service to teach Yoga classes, since 2000. Eventually Vinod had the fortune of learning various classical traditions of Siddha Vidya from Swami Sachidananda, who is a direct disciple of Sivananda Paramahamsa of Siddha Ashram. After completing 500 hours of teacher training and working at Sivananda Ashram, Vinod taught Sivananda Yoga in Gurgaon, near Delhi, North India for five years. Since 2011 he is also teaching in Vietnam and Russia.

Vinod is now one of the resident teachers at AyurYoga Eco-Ashram, leading the morning yoga practice for advanced students and also training new  yoga teachers in traditional Hatha Yoga, Pranayamas, Kriyas, and meditation.