28 Day 200-Hour Holistic Vinyasa, Ashtanga, and Hatha Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India

Certification

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

About the course

Mimamsa Yogashala's teacher training courses are comprised of small groups of up to 12 people, in order to provide intimate classes where the teachers can give proper personalized attention to each student. Small groups also generally connect and interact better and create a cool, friendly atmosphere that tends to generate special bonds between the students and the staff.

This 200 hours of holistic yoga teacher training course includes classes on meditation, mantra chanting, shatkriya (cleansing process), Hatha yoga, Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, anatomy, yoga philosophy, yoga teaching methodology and adjustment, and Ayurveda.

During your stay, you will experience a gratifying transformational and personal growth opportunity, and share some of the most memorable moments in your life with fellow like-minded people, connected in the path of yoga, uplifting consciousness, and healing humanity.

During the opening (welcoming) ceremony, you will be provided with a complete yoga kit which includes a book for study, notebook, neti-pot, rubber neti, school t-shirt, and bag. The course is structured so that all levels of yoga practitioners can learn and develop their practice and teaching abilities. On the final day of the course, you will be awarded a certificate of completion.

All yoga class materials such as yoga mats, bolsters, bricks, and belts will be provided by Mimamsa Yogshala, but you can bring your own personal yoga mat if you want.

What you will learn

This course is tailored to meet the needs of experienced beginners and intermediate yogis who want to pass on their passion for yoga to others, or simply enhance their practice to a whole new level and deepen their knowledge on the subject. You will be immersed in and living the yogic lifestyle for 28 days and experience the real Indian yogic culture firsthand.

This course is also a big opportunity for personal growth, for you’ll be developing self-discipline, self-control, stamina, endurance, and resilience, and learn spiritual and physical purification techniques, along with learning a new set of skills that will help you if you choose the yoga teaching profession.

A big emphasis is given to yoga teaching techniques and principles, as well as to the correct alignment of asanas, and you will learn not only how to prepare and conduct a class from beginning to end, but also how to demonstrate, adjust, and help your future students to reach their maximum potential and get the most benefit from the asanas performed.

Your level of fitness will improve significantly, and you will feel your body and mind much stronger, more flexible, more balanced, and overall healthier because of the intense daily practices.

Pranayama

Pranayama is a set of yogic techniques and practices generally defined as breath control and is on its own considered a science. Here is what you will learn on the subject:

• Introduction of pranayama
• Benefits of pranayama
• The Pranic body
• Prana and lifestyle
• Breath, health and pranayama
• Pranayama and the spiritual

Bandha (energy lock)

Bandhas are energy locks provoked by the contraction of certain groups of muscles and are widely used in yoga practice. Here's a glimpse of what you’ll learn on the subject:

• Preparation for Bandha
• Benefits of Bandha
• Mula Bandha
• Jalandhara Bandha
• Uddiyana Bandha

Mantra chanting

Mantras play a big role in daily yogic life. Mantras are sounds and prayers that carry huge energy and vibration. They’ll teach you to sing:

• Opening mantra
• Om chanting
• Gayatri Mantra
• Guru Vandana (prayer to Guru)
• Student and master mantra
• Patanjali mantra (ashtanga mantra)
• Completeness mantra

Kriya and Shatkarma (the six purification methods of Hatha yoga)

Shatkarma is the Sanskrit term for one of the six yogic purification techniques (kriyas) as outlined in the "Hatha Yoga Pradipika." The purpose of these cleansing techniques is to keep the body strong, clean, and healthy. They remove toxins and anything blocking the flow of prana in the body.

Practicing shatkarmas internally purifies the body and makes pranayama and meditation practice easier by preparing the body to perform these practices without distraction, discomfort, or fatigue. This is a traditional yogic cleansing technique that is very effective and good for removing many illnesses and opening the body blockages. You will learn:

• Jal Neti
• Ruber Neti
• Sutra Neti
• Kunjal Neti

Hatha yoga

Indian traditional yoga style is called "Hatha" (“ha” means sun, “Tha” means moon), unifying the sun and the moon within (Yin and Yang). It's a physical method for preparing and maintaining the body, providing stamina, flexibility, balance, and strength. This is the most traditional, popular, and beneficial yoga style.

What you will practice:

• Joints warm-ups ( pawanmuktasana series a, b, and c)
• Surya Namaskara (sun Salutation) and Chandra Namaskara (moon salutation)
• Yoga Mudrasana
• Matsyasana
• Gupta Padmasana
• Baddha Padmasana
• Kukkutasana
• Garbhasana

Backward bending asanas:

• SaralBhujangasana (easy cobra pose)
• Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
• TiryakaBhujangasana (twisting cobra pose)
• Sarpasana (snake pose)
• ArdhaShalabhasana (half locust pose)
• Shalabhasana (locust pose)
• SaralDhanurasana (easy bow pose)
• Kandharasana (shoulder pose)
• Ardha Chandrasana (half moon pose)
• Setu Asana (bridge pose)
• Gomukhasana (cow’s face pose)

Forward bending asanas

• Paschimottanasana (back stretching pose)
• GatyatmakPaschimottanasasna (dynamic back stretch pose)
• PadaPrasarPaschimottanasana (legs spread back stretch pose)
• JanuSirshasana (head to knee pose)
• Ardha Padma paschimottanasana (half-lotus back stretching pose)
• Hasta PadaAngushthasana (finger to toe stretch)
• Padahastasana (hand-to-foot pose)
• SirshaAngusthaYogasana (head-to-toe pose)
• Utthitajanusirshasana (standing head between knees pose)

Spinal twisting and advanced asanas

• ArdhaMatsyendrasana (half spinal twist)
• ParivrittiJanuSirsasana (spiralled head to knee pose)
• Poornabhujangasana (full cobra pose)
• Kurmasana (tortoise pose)
• Poornashalabhasana (full locust pose)
• PoornaDhanurasana (full bow pose)
• Dhanu-rakarshan-asana (archer’s pose)
• Chakrasana (wheel pose)
• Hanumanasana (leg splitting pose)
• Poornamatsyendrasana (full spinal twist pose)
• Mayurasana (peacock pose)
• Padma mayurasana (Lotus or bound peacock pose)
• Gorakshasana (Yogi Gorakhnath’s pose)
• Astavakrasana (eight-twists pose)
• Vrischikasana (scorpion pose)
• Inverted pose, balancing pose, and core pose

Teaching methodology and adjustment

During these classes, you will learn how a perfect posture should be. You will also learn how to connect with your future students through correct class verbal guidance and touch adjustment, recurrent yoga injuries, and how to prevent them. The teaching methodology is one of the most important parts of the course, as students will learn the following:

• How to conduct a class
• Classroom management
• How to get in and come out of the posture
• How to assist and help while teaching the class
• Which kind of words you should use as a yoga teacher
• What makes you different than other teachers in terms of teaching
• Which kind of asanas you should recommend for different health issues
• How to use belts, bolsters, bricks, and a chair during class adjustments

Yoga philosophy

The history of yoga, the Sutras of Patanjali, and the importance of yoga and its origins in India are the subjects of these classes and lectures. Questions will be addressed, and you will deepen your knowledge about yoga.

Yoga anatomy

Anatomy classes expose how the body, bones, inner systems, and respiration are affected by asanas and the flow of breath. Knowing the basic structure and function of the organs and systems is very important to practitioners so that their work as yoga teachers can be safe and beneficial to future students. This is what you will learn:

• Complete body anatomy
• Skeleton system
• Muscular system
• Circulatory system
• Nervous system
• Respiratory system

Ashtanga Vinyasa

An intensive and integral part of yoga, the Ashtanga yoga style requires deep commitment and self-practice to achieve the goal. The Mimamsa’s yoga instructors are experienced teachers and advanced practitioners of the Ashtanga style and will guide you safely through the hardest postures. You’ll learn the complete Led primary series:

Standing poses

• Hasta Padangusthasana and Pada Hastasana
• Utthita Tri Konasana
• Parivrtta Tri Konasana
• Utthitan Parsva Konasana
• Parivrtta Parsva Konasana
• Prasarita Padottanasana A, B, C and D
• Utthita Parsvottanasana
• Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana
• Utthita Parsvasahita
• Utthita Eka Padasana
• Ardhabaddha Padmottanasana
• Utkastasana
• Virabhadrasana A, B and C

Primary asanas

• Paschimottanasana A, B and C
• Purvottanasana
• ArdhaBaddha Padma Paschimottanasana
• Tirieng Mukha Eka Pada Paschimottanasana
• JanuSirsasana A, B and C
• Marichyasana A, B and D
• Navasana
• Lolasana
• BhujaPidasana
• Kurmasana
• GarbhaPindasana
• Kukkutasana
• BaddhaKonasana A and B
• Konasana A and B

Intermediate asanas

• Salabhasana A and B
• Dhanurasana
• Ustrasana
• Kapotasana A and B
• SuptaVajrasana
• Bakasana A
• Bakasana B Jump
• ArdhaMatsyendrasana
• Yoga Nidrasana
• Tittibhasana
• PichaMayurasana
• Vatayanasana
• Gomukhasana A and B
• Hasta Sirsasana (head stand)

Advanced A (optional)

• Kasyapasana
• Bhairavasana
• UrdhvaKukkatasana A
• Galavasana
• EkaPadaViparitaDandasna
• VipritaSalabhasana
• GandhaBherundasana
• Hanumanasana
• Natrajasana
• Raja Kapotasana

Sample daily schedule

Monday to Friday

• 05:45 Wake up call
• 06:15 Pranayama and shat kriya
• 07:20 Hatha yoga
• 08:50 Sattvic breakfast
• 10:00 Alignment and adjustment
• 11:15 Yoga philosophy
• 12:15 Mantra chanting
• 12:45 Lunch and rest
• 15:00 Yoga anatomy
• 16:10 Ashtanga vinyasa
• 17:50 Meditation
• 19:15 Healthy dinner
• 21:00 Lights off (silence)

Saturday

• 05:45 Wake-up call
• 06:15 Pranayama and shat kriya
• 07:20 Hatha yoga flow
• 08:50 Breakfast
• 10:00 Alignment and adjustment
• 11:15 Yoga philosophy
• 12:45 Lunch
• 15:00 Cooking class
• 16:45 Restorative yoga
• 19:15 Dinner

Sunday

• 08:30 Healthy breakfast
• 09:30 Rest day / self-care
• 13:00 Community lunch
• 19:30 Dinner