26 Day 200-Hour Traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga Teacher Training Course in Agonda, Goa

Facilities

Om Yoga Shala believes that the philosophical understanding and practice of yoga go together. Yoga is not merely a physical practice and you will understand the true aim and purpose of yoga practice during this course. They lay great stress on realizing the self in light of the practice and philosophical understanding.

• Plant-based living foods for vitality, beauty, and wellness
• Purification, regeneration, and emotional balance
• 25 days in the heart of tranquil South Goa
• Daily sessions of yoga, meditation, and pranayama, bringing mind and body back to balance
• Learning yoga from accomplished Indian masters
• Self-discovery through traditional yoga practices
• Teaching traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa practices to set you apart from the crowd
• Vegetarian food nutrition and daily yoga practice with Indian teachers, who have been trained by masters of yoga and seek to bring the light of yoga to your life

Training highlights

• Equal emphasis on philosophy, anatomy, and physical practice
• Yoga Sutras, Vedanta, Samkhya, and other modern philosophies
• Traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga course
• Primary series taught with Sanskrit counting
• An intensive course hosted by an international team of yogis and yoga masters
• Practice yoga in the land of its origin and experience true Vedic culture
• Learn the full primary series
• Learn traditional pranayama and meditation techniques
• Learn from authentic and experienced Indian teachers
• A well-balanced course designed for the Western mindset
• An intensive and rigorous practice that will get you ready to start teaching

The course covers not only primary series but other Vinyasa sequences and preparatory practices including micro exercises to handle raw beginners classes as a teacher.

• Pranayama practices and breathing techniques
• Mantra recitation and Karma yoga
• Relaxation and meditation practices
• Yoga anatomy and physiology
• Yoga practicum or practice teaching as a yoga teacher in a real-world environment
• Healthy nutritious vegetarian three-time meals along with teas (breakfast, lunch, and dinner)

Your 200-hour Ashtanga yoga teacher training course is a traditional Ashtanga Vinyasa course. Designed to suit the Western yogi or yogini, this Ashtanga Vinyasa course will be your opportunity to learn primary series as taught by Sri Krishnamacharya and Sri Pattabhi Jois (Mysore style).

You will also learn hands-on adjustments and correct body alignment for the asanas covered in the primary series. You will learn more than what is taught in Mysore. They do not believe in following any path blindly but encourage self-awareness and self-exploration in practice.

Along with learning the physical side of yoga practice, you will also learn the philosophy behind the practice like concepts of Tristhana and Yoga Sutras. You will also deeply study the connection between asana, pranayama practice, and the overall philosophy of yoga. At Om Yoga Shala, philosophy and practice go together.

For them, Ashtanga Vinyasa practice is a meditation by itself, where you learn to live life in 'here and now'. The course is designed in such a way that you will not only learn postures of yoga but also learn how to practice yoga mindfully and safely with full awareness of body, mind, and breath.

The course curriculum is designed to recognize the international requirements, Om Yoga Shala aspires to give you authentic knowledge so you can spread the light of yoga around the world. This is an internationally recognized qualification and will help you get insurance and a job to teach anywhere in the world.

Is this course for you?

This course is for anyone who has a commitment to their practice. If you are a qualified teacher with regular practice, they will help you deepen your practice and facilitate your growth. They are always committed to your personal and spiritual development.

Are you a beginner full of energy and hope to enter the world of learning yoga and possibly teaching? They will give you an informed introduction to yoga practice and start you off on your yogic journey. Whatever is your level and goals we are here to facilitate your spiritual development and growth.

What will you learn?

The first step of learning is to unlearn. They like to start from a position of 'not knowing' and then diving into the practice with a fresh mind and practice what resonates with you and your body-mind complex. Ashtanga Vinyasa is a fixed practice but during this training. You will learn many other techniques that will help you improve your physical and spiritual abilities.

These techniques are specially designed by them to help in identifying and removing obstacles to your practice. You will learn the art of connecting one posture to another. The practice of moving from one posture to another with breathing is called Vinyasa.

This knowledge will enable you to formulate your own sequences in a safe and systematic manner. Pranayama and meditation are an integral part of this course. Every morning, you will learn the correct techniques of breathing. You will also be introduced to safe practices of pranayama to teach your students. You will also learn the Sanskrit mantra chanting.

The most important part of being a yoga teacher is to have a full understanding of the philosophy and aims of yoga, which starts with understanding the meaning of yoga in its true sense. The next important part is adequate knowledge of anatomy and physiological systems of the body. With a proper understanding of these aspects of yoga, you will have a blissful personal practice as well as teaching practice. You will get sufficient teaching practice during the course.

Primary series asana practice

Your main focus will be on asanas covered in the primary series. You will practice these on a daily basis along with sessions on correct alignments for these asanas as suited to your body. You will learn Vinyasa, breathing, Drishti, and bandhas for each asana. There will be dedicated sessions for alignment, Sanskrit counting, and teaching practice of the asanas of the primary series. Following is the list of asanas that you will learn depending on your individual capacities and master a few of them.

Ashtanga primary series asanas

1. Surya Namaskar A

2. Surya Namaskar B

3. Padangushtasana

4. Padhastasana

5. Utthita Trikonasana A and B

6. Utthita Parsvkonasana A and B

7. Prasarita Padottanasana A - D

8. Parsvottanasana

9. Utthitahasta Padangusthasana

10. Ardha Baddha Padmottanasana

11. Utkat asana

12. Virabhadrasana A and B

13. Dandasana

14. Paschimottanasana

15. Purvottanasana

16. Ardha Baddha Paschimottanasana

17. Triangmukhaikapada Paschimottanasana

18. Janu Sirsasana A - C

19. Marichiasana A - D

20. Navasana

21. Bhujpeedasana

22. Kurmasana

23. Suptakurmasana

24. Garbha Pindasana

25. Kukkutasana

26. Badhakonasana A and B

27. Upvistha Konasana A and B

28. Supta Konasana

29. Supta Padanguthasana

30. Ubhaya Padangusthasana

31. Urdhavamukha Paschimottanasana

32. Setubandhasana

33. Urdhava Dhanurasana

34. Sarvangasana

35. Halasana

36. Karna Pidasana

37. Urdhava Padmasana

38. Pindasana

39. Matsyasana

40. Uttana Padasana

41. Sirsasana

44. Baddha Padmasana

45. Yoga Mudra

46. Padmasana

47. Uthplutih

Other asana practices

Apart from these asanas, you will also learn asanas used in various Hatha yoga practices, like the Pawan Mukta asana series and Hatha Vinyasa yoga. Apart from asana, Vinyasa, and meditation practices, you will also learn the history and philosophy of yoga including but not restricted to:

Patanjali yoga sutra - Samadhi and Sadhan pada

Through discussions and critical analysis, you will explore this ancient text. Patanjali yoga sutra is the text which provides practice guidance to the philosophy of yoga. You will understand the concepts of the Chitta (mind complex) and Vrittis (thought patterns) and ways and means to control them, which is the definition and aim of yoga. This could also be called the oldest book on psychology. Patanjali lays out the whole philosophy and practice of yoga for them. You will study the first two chapters of this text. These chapters detail yoga philosophy and the practice of eight limbs of yoga called Ashtanga yoga.

Advait Vedanta - the yoga of knowledge and Upanishads

You will dive briefly into this exciting discussion on this fascinating subject about the reality of the self. this is also known as the yoga of knowledge or yoga of self-inquiry. You will study one of the principles of Upanishads namely Mandukya Upanishad.

Hinduism Vedic knowledge and yoga anatomy

A factual study of what the term Hinduism means and what constitutes the Vedic Hindu philosophy called Sanatan Dharma. Through interactive discussions and group sessions, you will explore the following concepts of Vedas and yoga:

• The chakra and Nadi system
• Kundalini energy
• The panch kosha
• Mudras
• Ayurveda
• Mantra recitation (mantra - Japa)
• Daily joints and glands practices (Sukshama Vyayam)
• Yoga energy locks (Bandha)
• Meditation (Dhyana)
• Yogic sleep (Yoga Nidra)
• History and philosophy of yoga (yoga Darshana)

As per the criteria set for the 200-hour Ashtanga yoga teacher training course, your day will start early and you will be on six days week practice. Despite being on such an intensive schedule, you could find this training an enlightening and interesting process of transformation.

Why this course is for you?

From ancient times sages, swamis, seekers, priests saints, and sadhus have been coming to India to experience the divine promise, the nectar of spirituality, and a flavor of authentic spiritual practice from Indian masters. Many masters went to the west and took with them the knowledge of yoga to the whole world. But, how do you choose a yoga school that can live up to this divine promise in this new age India?

If you are looking for a traditional yet evolving yoga practice, this is the course for you. What they mean by traditional but evolving? They take inspiration from the tradition but, without the dogmas and without putting your own minds in a box. A fixed tradition is a dead tradition. They experiment and evolve, they like to see things as they really are without accepting anything and without conforming to anything. They like to see what resonates with us before accepting it.

If you are looking for a yoga course that is unrestricted and taught by some very enthusiastic and energetic Indian yoga teachers then this is the course for you. If you are interested in questioning your own conditioning, your false sense of reality, and your acquired ideas about who you are? This is the yoga school for you. Yoga is freedom. They invite you to come and discover the real self you.

A typical day

The yoga training schedule begins at 6:00 a.m. with morning prayer followed by a pranayama and silence (Antar Mauna) session. Then you move on to the morning session for the traditional yoga postures and preparatory practices to address specific areas of focus before breakfast. These preparatory practices have been specially designed by them to help students in the practice of the primary series of Ashtanga Vinyasa. After breakfast, there are two main sessions: philosophy and yoga anatomy followed by lunch at noon.

Then there will be some self-study and self-practice time before you begin the afternoon sessions of theory and evening sessions of Ashtanga Vinyasa practice. There will be some inspirational cultural activities, such as Satsang (devotional songs), mantra chanting, and lectures on yoga-related subjects. The module-wise assignments will be a part of the training as that is conducive to gain in-depth knowledge of the subjects and experience through your yoga practices. They encourage the students to go to sleep early at about 10:00 p.m. as that is conducive to the yoga training.

Sample daily schedule

• 05:30 Wake up
• 06:00 Morning prayer, silence, and pranayama
• 07:00 Morning yoga asana and Vinyasa practice
• 09:00 Breakfast
• 11:00 Yoga philosophy, lifestyle, and yoga ethics
• 12:00 Yoga anatomy and physiology workshops
• 13:00 Lunch
• 15:00 Yoga philosophy, teaching practices, or mantra chanting
• 16:00 Ashtanga Vinyasa asanas (practice ends)
• 18:00 Relax and refresh
• 19:00 Dinner
• 20:00 Self-study
• 21:00 Go to sleep

Please note that the daily schedule is subject to change.

Om Yoga Shala venue for Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga teacher training in Goa is two minutes' drive from the beach in beautiful Agonda. The yoga shala is located on Canacona Agonda Road near Leopard Valley. Agonda has many undiscovered beaches and untouched nature waiting to be discovered, where people come in search of peace, far away from the party scene of North Goa. A place to relax and rejuvenate. It is only a 90-minute drive from the airport. You can expect this to be on a journey of pure joy, bliss, and transformation.

Distances

• Agonda beach - 2 minutes
• Goa International Airport (GOI) - 90 minutes

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You will be served three vegetarian meals with tea every day, Sunday excluded. If you have any special dietary requirements, please communicate it to Om Yoga Shala when making a reservation.

• Ayurvedic massage
• Beach - 15 minutes walk
• Bike rental
• Hiking
• Jungle safari
• Emotional Mindfulness sessions

In Agonda, you will find all types of spa treatments to suit all budgets.

• Course fee
• Course manual and material
• 25 nights accommodation
• 3 vegetarian meals with tea per day (Sunday excluded)
• Certificate upon completion

• Any special activities like day trips
• Flight tickets
• Airport pickups

Recommended Airports

• A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
• The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
• The rest of the payment should be paid on arrival.