24 Day 200-Hour Growth and Transformational Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand, India

Certification

Students who complete the training are eligible to register with Yoga Alliance as Registered Yoga Teachers (RYT®).

Who is this course for?

This 200-hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh is for those people whose schedules demand immersion. Over three intensive weeks, students will enter the yoga world and arise ready to teach or practice with more authentic knowledge and understanding.

Eligibility to join this 200-hour yoga teacher training

Hatha Yoga World welcomes students of all beliefs, backgrounds, and ages. Below are some essential points you should consider before applying for their 200-hour yoga teacher course in Rishikesh:

• Course is conducted in English so you must speak, read, and write basic English.
• Applicant should be between 18 and 60 years old at admission.
• Applicant needs to provide medical certificate if they are undergoing any treatment or problem.

Program

Each one of Hatha Yoga World's 200-hour yoga teacher training courses in Rishikesh begins with a fire ceremony to bless a new beginning. On the first day after the ceremony, you will get a bag and t-shirt with a Hatha Yoga World logo print, a book called “Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha” by Swami Satyananda Saraswati, a course manual, a notebook, and a pen.

During the course, you will get a neti pot to clean your sinuses every morning in the kriya class. On the last day of the course, you will get a Yoga Alliance USA certificate to prove that you are now a yoga teacher. You will also get a rudraksha mala from Hatha Yoga World as a gift and blessing for your future as a teacher.

Each day’s training will be wrapped in learning asana (poses), yoga tradition, breath work, anatomy, meditation, the roles and boundaries of teachers and students, the subtle body, and much more. Learning to modify poses is significant because you can teach students of all levels about any issues. Out-of-studio hours include practicing yoga, reading, written homework assignments, and observations.

The Hatha yoga teacher, Pankaj, founder of Hatha Yoga World, is highly experienced in the yoga field, and he has been teaching since 1998 in both India and Europe.

Benefits of 200-hour yoga teacher training in India

• Learn how to build a yoga class
• Proper alignment and hands-on adjustments
• Deepen your yoga practice and spiritual relationship
• Teach yoga with confidence
• Healthy, refreshed, and flexible body and mind
• Explore Indian culture, traditions, and food
• Become a worldwide certified teacher who can teach internationally
• Experience nature, Ganga, and the Himalayas

Learning outcomes

• Teach to any student (beginner, seniors, advanced, etc.)
• Understand how to use props to make postures accessible for all students
• Teach different types of yoga classes (multi-style)
• Learn how to create specialty classes and workshops
• Teach internal yoga practices such as meditation, breathing, mantra, etc.
• Have the skills and knowledge to become an authentic spiritual mentor

Course syllabus

Hatha yoga (traditional)

This style of yoga is the original and traditional yoga. When you practice Hatha yoga asanas, you perform postures which give yourself a strong foundation and help you on the journey to self-discovery. The word Hatha is a combination of two Sanskrit words: ham and tham. Ham represents pingala nadi, the physical force, the masculine and the sun. Meanwhile, tham represents the ida nadi, the mental force, the feminine and the moon.

Hatha is the balance and harmony of these two forces so that the third force, the sushumna nadi, can be awakened. When these two energies work in balance, the sushumna starts flowing and this becomes the pathway of free-flowing energy in the body. Through practicing Hatha yoga postures, you gain benefits both mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Vinyasa yoga

In Vinyasa, the practitioners flow from one posture to another in smooth transitions. This practice helps them to gain flexibility, strength, and a feeling of a balanced body and mind. Often, the flow is fast-paced and only one breath per movement or posture.

This style of yoga is also simply known as ‘flow,’ and you move through a sequence of postures with one leg leading and then the same sequence of postures with the other leg leading afterwards. This way of practicing stands in opposition to, for example, Hatha yoga, where there is focus on one pose to practice on both sides of the body before moving to another pose.

Art of alignment (proper alignment, adjustment, and modification)

At Hatha Yoga World, they are passionate about teaching this topic because it is important to understand how being in the correct posture or adjusting a student into the correct posture gives the practitioner the opportunity to gain the full benefits of an asana. At the same time, the practitioner can be sure to be free from injuries if aligned correctly.

Pranayama (breathing techniques)

In the pranayama practices, four important aspects of breathing are utilized. These are pooraka or inhalation, rachaka or exhalation, antar kumbhaka or internal breath retention, and bahir kumbhaka or external breath retention.

The most crucial part of pranayama is kumbhaka, or breath retention. However, to perform kumbhaka successfully, there must be a gradual development of control over the function of respiration. Therefore, in the pranayama practices, more emphasis is given to inhalation and exhalation at the beginning to strengthen the lungs and balance the nervous and pranic systems in preparation for practicing kumbhaka.

Anatomy and physiology of yogic practices

There are many topics in anatomy, and it is beneficial information to gain and bring that knowledge into a yoga practice. You will understand how the body works and reacts to specific postures and techniques.

For example, it is helpful to know how the respiratory system functions when performing pranayama. And when you practice an asana, you can visualize how the skeletal system is placed when you have learned about the bones and joints.

Meditation

Meditation is the practice of being present and mindful. It could be done seated, walking, or even during gardening. An interesting fact about asanas is that one performs asanas to gain a healthy body free from disease and pain. Therefore, meditating is possible instead of only noticing the disease and pain. Meditation brings calmness to the mind, helps you to move inwards, and deepens your spiritual connection.

Yoga philosophy and history

Yoga is a lifestyle, so topics to teach and learn are endless. When studying yoga philosophy, you will be introduced to the paths of yoga like Bhakti yoga (yoga of devotion), Karma yoga (yoga of action), Jnana yoga (yoga of knowledge), Hatha yoga (yoga of the physical balance), Raja yoga (yoga of meditation / royal path), and the eight limbs of yoga, which is a guide to live well.

Teaching practice and methodology

Being a yoga instructor, it is essential to know each asana’s target areas, understand their function, offer modifications, and have dedicated self-practice to discover asanas. Other important teaching factors are clear communication with students and a gentle approach when giving instructions.

Could you observe students to see if anyone needs props? Props can be used or not at all. While teaching yoga, an instructor can adjust physically, but verbal adjustments are also a great way to guide. While adjusting physically, you can make minor adjustments like tilting the pelvis, modifying the asana, or completely changing the asana to make the same stretch available to different body types.

Self-practice

Knowledge of postures, alignment, and philosophy gives you the tools to practice and experience yoga independently. This means you can practice yoga anywhere and use it in your daily life without being dependent on anyone to guide you. Only through practice can you get better at yoga and gain more experience. When practicing yourself, you realize what you have truly learned and what you can study further. Self-practice means self-realization.

Mantra chanting

Mantras are sacred words or sentences which can be chanted in meditation or during a yoga session to set an intention. The well-known mantra AUM or OM is considered the most sacred and is chanted at the beginning and end of most ancient yogic texts and in most yoga classes. Om represents the sound of the universe. Another example of a chant is ‘OM shanti, shanti, shanti.’ Shanti means ‘peace.’

Kriyas (cleansing process)

The first kriya introduced at Hatha Yoga World during the course is neti. Kriyas helps to purify the body, and neti purifies the sinuses and nasal cavities. Shatkarma means six actions of purification. These purification practices balance the pranic flow and harmonize the three doshas to balance bodily functions.

If the body is full of toxins, the system and organs are not coordinating, and it is impossible to progress on the spiritual path. The six purification practices are neti, dhauti, basti, nauli, kapalbhati, and trataka.

Karma yoga

Karma yoga is the science of achieving perfection in action. It is based on a general understanding of karma and reincarnation. It is believed that people are born with certain tendencies, both positive and negative, from their previous lives. These tendencies push one toward performing specific actions in the present life.

Karma comes from the Sanskrit root ‘kri,’ which means to do, to act. People are active in every moment of their lives, continuously involved in action, and with consciousness, everyone can do good.

Daily schedule

• 06:30 - 07:30 Neti kriya / pranayama (breathing) class
• 07:30 - 08:00 Tea break
• 08:00 - 09:30 Hatha yoga with proper alignment, adjustment
• 10:00 - 11:00 Breakfast
• 11:00 - 12:00 Philosophy
• 12:15 - 13:15 Anatomy and physiology
• 13:15 - 14:00 Lunch / rest
• 14:00 - 15:00 Self-study
• 15:00 - 16:00 The art of adjustment, alignment
• 16:00 - 17:30 Vinyasa yoga (flow)
• 18:00 - 19:00 Mantra chanting, meditation, and yoga Nidra
• 19:00 - 20:00 Dinner