Deciding to join a 200 hour yoga teacher training rishikesh is a big step in your yoga journey. If you’re thinking about doing this training in Rishikesh, you’re choosing a special place known as the yoga capital of the world. This is an ancient city found in the Himalaya foothills and along the sacred Ganga River and has continued to draw seekers and yogis throughout the centuries. But what happens during these four weeks? Let me walk you through what you can expect at Himalayan Yoga Association.
Your Daily Schedule
Your days will start early, usually around 6 AM. It may sound difficult, but you will soon go into the beat. When the air is clear and your mind is fresh you start in the morning with pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation. This silent morning moment is something to look upon.
The morning practice will be followed by breakfast and then your first lesson. The day will be organized and divided into classes on the various components of yoga. You will have asana classes (physical postures), philosophy classes, anatomy classes and classes in teaching methodology. Lunch break allows you to relax and digest what you have learnt. Evenings tend to have one more asana session and finish with meditation or chanting. Majority of schools provide a day off each week to either go sightseeing in Rishikesh or to rest.
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What You’ll Study
The 200 hour training involves a lot more than yoga poses. You will get to know about the various types of yoga practice such as, Hatha and Ashtanga. Each posture will be broken down by the teachers where you not only learn how to do it but learn how to teach it safely to other people as well.
In Pranayama classes, you can learn different breathing practices so as to relax the mind and invigorate the body. You will train Nadi Shodhana, Kapalabhati, Bhastrika, etc. These Sanskrit names may initially baffle but you will get to know them through daily recitations.
With philosophy lessons, you are exposed to ancient yoga scriptures such as the Bhagavad Gita and the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. Do not mind, if it sounds complicated. These concepts are taught by the teachers in easy, practical means that relate with contemporary life. You will know the eight practices of yoga and how they will help you to lead a less stressful life.
The anatomy classes make you aware of the human body and its movements of various poses. You will know about muscles, bones and joints. This information can be used to teach in a safe way and avoid injuries. Anatomy is made simple in most schools, even when you have not studied it at any previous time.
Learning to Teach
Another substantial portion of your training is to learn how to teach yoga to others. You will teach in small groups, get feedback on teaching provided by teachers and classmates. This might seem frightening initially, but everybody is in the same position. You will know how to provide clear instructions, to make corrections, and a safe environment to the students.
You will also get to know sequencing, that is, the logic of arranging poses in a logical sequence. Educationists demonstrate the construction of classes of various classes such as beginners or advanced students. At the conclusion of training, you can plan and teach a full yoga session independently.
The Rishikesh Experience
Rishikesh training is something that gives your experience the touch of something special. Ganges River flows in the city and the Himalayan foothills cover you up. Most of the schools are found in less busy places that are not close to the market thus you have a good environment to learn.
In the morning and evening you will hear temple bells. The air is full of the mantra sounds. It is thousands of years that Rishikesh was a spiritual center and you can feel it. Strolling over the popular Lakshman Jhula bridge or the evening Ganga Aarti ceremony are part of your daily routine.
During your training, the food is simple, vegetarian and yogic. The schools tend to offer three meals per day. The diet will aid your training and get your body used to the intense training. Several students find that they are light and energetic when they eat this way.
Living Arrangements
Accommodation is included in most of the yoga schools. You will normally share a room with one or two other students. The rooms are basic yet clean and comfortable. There is also the aspect of shared living when you become connected with your roommates and other trainees.
Basic facilities such as hot water, WiFi, and laundry service are typical of the facilities. It is not a luxury resort, it is an ashram-like experience. This simplicity will enable you to focus on your practice and growth without interruptions.
This training is both physically and psychologically demanding, you might feel sore, especially in the beginning. You can never work early mornings when you are not used to this. In some cases the load of information can be extremely overwhelming.
Four weeks out of home and your normal routine can evoke some emotions. There are those days when you will be homesick and you will question whether you are capable of completing the training. Such emotions are not at all deviant. You are supported in troubled times by teachers and your other schoolmates.
Rishikesh can also be hot and so when training in summer, it may be difficult. The most suitable seasons are between February to April and September to November where the weather is nice.
Personal Transformation
There is more than the certificate, the 200 hour training changes you in unforeseen ways. Many students get to learn new things about themselves that they were not aware of. You will be less impatient, less absent, and more in touch with your flesh and blood.
Yoga goes beyond the mat. You will find that you have different responses to stress, you are gentler with yourself and other people and that you eat and do what you want. All these changes occur automatically as you continue practicing.
Friendships that you form in the process of training tend to be permanent. It is a unique feeling being with others when experiencing such an intense thing. Your peers know what you are going through in a manner that your home people may not be aware of.
After you finish your 200 hour training in Himalayan Yoga Association, you are issued with a certificate giving you Himalayan Yoga certification permitting you to register with the Yoga Alliance and teach yoga anywhere in the world. However, more to the point, you will also be well-grounded in yoga that will expand further.
Most of the graduates report that the training was not all. You will come home full of confidence and knowing and a daily practice that will help you. Professionally or just enriching your personal practice, the training provides you with tools that will be used in life.
Final Thoughts
A 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh is the journey which is full of learning, practice, self discovery and spiritual development. It is not easy but it is worth doing. You will work, read and emerge as a different person. Have faith in the feeling because when you are summoned to undertake this training, do it.
You are not alone, thousands of students have already taken this path and have felt that it has changed their entire life. Come with an open mind and heart.
Be prepared to learn, develop and take the ride. Without any further ado, your mat is calling you to the yoga capital of the world.
