200 hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh, India

This theoretical session will cover the history and philosophy of yoga and the development of yoga from ancient times with an analysis of the most important books on yoga, until the present day. Such perspective will offer you an understanding of the main goals of yoga and how the variety of practices that sprung from the original discipline aims to fulfill those goals. This will give you an understanding of the purpose of every yoga practice so that you could apply this understanding in your own personal practice and class. Connecting one’s yoga practice to roots makes it more meaningful and gives us better instruments to evaluate progress.

The classes will include lectures on –

Vedic Philosophy – Four great statements, four stages of life and their relation, the importance of the relation between student and teacher, practical way of understanding of vedic wisdom, etc.

Upanisadas – Four steps of meditation, four bodies and their four states, Brahman and maya, etc.

Sath Darshanas (Six Indian Philosophical Schools) –

(i) Shankhya – purusa and prakrati (supreme consciousness and matter) and their manifestations
(ii) Patanjali Yoga Darshan – yoga sutras and eight limbs
(iii) Nyaya – knowledge through logic and regioning
(iv) Vaiseshik – Vishesha and Avishesha (form and formless)
(v) Karmamimansa – knowledge of karma theory (action and reaction)
(vi) Vedanta – Cause and reality of the universe, etc.

Bhagwatgita – karma yoga, bhakti yoga, gyan yoga, etc.

Philosophy of Hatha Yoga and its practical aspects –

Tantra Philosophy – Elemental principle, prana principle, kundalini principle, Chakra principle, lotus principle and other symbols of tantra.

While gaining an understanding of the goals and philosophy of yoga and having overviewed the practices that ancient yogic used to meet these goals, we will look at the same practices from the perspective of modern science. We will see how the effectiveness of yogic practices is explained in traditional, anatomical, and physiological terms. This topic will also give you an understanding of safety during practice. Being aware of how the body works, what are the most vulnerable points, how diseases originate, and how they affect systems of the body, you will learn how to build the practice safely for all students and adapt it for specific needs.

The lectures on Yogic Anatomy and Physiology will include lectures on –

Skeletal system – Bones and joints. Types of joints, their range of movement and application of this understanding to safe yoga practice. Spine: anatomy, safety. Keeping the spine healthy with yoga.
Muscular system – Anatomy of muscles and tendons. The principle of work of agonist and antagonist muscles and its application in yoga. Avoiding and dealing with common problems of muscles and tendons in yoga (muscle strains, tears, ruptured tendons, carpal tunnel syndrome).
Cardiovascular system – High and low blood pressure. Practice that keeps the heart healthy. Practice with heart disorders and hypertonia/ hypotonia.
Nervous system – Somatic and autonomic nervous system. Sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomous nervous systems. How yoga affects the nervous system. Special yoga practices for diseases of nervous system. Dealing with stress.
Respiratory system – Design of the respiratory system, muscles of respiration. Neuromuscular regulation or breathing and impact of breathing on the nervous system. Physiology of respiration. Hypoventilation and hyperventilation. Analysis of types of breathing: thoracic (constricted and empowered), paradoxical, abdominal breathing, diaphragmatic, full yogic breath. Analysis of different yogic breathing exercises (kapalabhati, bhastrika, ujayyi), with their impact on cellular gas exchange and nervous system.
Digestive system – Yogic practices that keep the digestive system healthy. Contraindication to practices for certain disorders of the digestive system.
Endocrine system – Contraindications and special yoga practices in cases of hormonal imbalance and endocrine diseases.

Ayurveda is an ancient vedic science that is closely related to the practice of yoga. Understanding ayurvedic concepts will help you deepen the practice of yoga and compose a diet and lifestyle that will suit your individual requirements.

The lectures of Ayurveda will include the study of –

Basics of Ayurveda (elements, dhatus, doshas, and tastes)
Kapha, Vatta, and Pitta. Knowing your body type.
Daily routine, seasonal routine, diet regime, and much more.

45 to 60 minutes daily. The classes of shatkarma will include lessons of practices like jala neti, sutra neti, dhauti, trataka, kapalbhati, nauli, etc. There will also be 2 hours specially dedicated to a full body cleansing practice – shankprakshalana during the course.

45 minutes daily is devoted exclusively to meditation practices. You will learn the following meditation techniques during the course – yoga nidra, vipasana meditation, nad brahma meditation, kundalini meditation, tratak (light) meditation, sakshi dhyan, so-ham mantra meditation, chakra breath meditation, nada yoga meditation, mantra meditation, sufi meditation, etc.

Though you will have pranayama practices on each daily practice class, you will specially have some classes dedicated to pranayama in which you will learn the following breathing techniques –  anulome-vilome pranayama, nadi sodhan pranayama, sitkari, ujjayi, kapalbhati, etc. We will also have lectures on the philosophy of pranayama, philosophy of panch prana, etc.

You will have 3 to 4 hours of daily yoga practice. 1.5 hours in the morning and 1.5 hours in the evening.  In this section, we will cover all poses and will practice both static and dynamic regimes, will learn vinyasas and basic warm-up and joint loosening/strengthening sequences such as pavana muktasana, surya namaskar, chandra namaskar, etc.

In alignment classes, you will learn asanas in every detail. First, the instructor demonstrates the asana and explains its geometry and alignment principles.

You will learn the purpose of the asana, indication, and contraindications, main muscular engagement, area of release, points of stability and grounding, the effect on the spine, joints, and internal organs. Then you will look at the modifications and tiny changes of alignment and will learn how these changes affect the overall effect of asana and are especially effective on the spine and joints.

In this way, you will create an understanding of asana geometry rather than learn “how it should be” and teach the only possible way without discrimination. Then we will analyze the alignment of asana in an environment of “asana laboratory” where one student performs the pose and other students analyze it according to the information they learned.

After analysis of all the points and offering their cues and adjustments, all students try to perform the asana with an understanding of its geometry, weight distribution, and internal muscle work.

Along with all the yoga practices, you will also get the opportunity to learn vocal (bhajan, kirtans, mantra chanting), nada yoga, and Indian music lessons from the top musicians and nada yoga masters of Rishikesh, India.

After the completion of the course, you will be provided with a yoga alliance certificate of 200-hours, which will grant you the right to teach yoga Internationally.