Become An In-Demand Yoga Instructor In 25 Days

 While Living In Mystical South India

What our students are saying:

"The teachings were broad and they were delivered incredibly well. I feel that I have gained so much, not only in my understanding of yoga, but also in the development of myself spiritually and physically. Truly excellent. The ashram experience was one that I will hold onto in my memories forever."

Thomas Hallam, London, UK (YTT India)

"This training was invaluable to my self-practice and my path as a yoga teacher. I would and have recommended this training to all friends and fellow trainee yoga teachers. I left the ashram confident in all aspect taught in the course."

Siobhan Power, London UK (YTT India)

"This course was more than I ever imagined. The level of detail in the theory and asana training and practice was fantastic. I have walked away more enlightened that I could have hoped. Every aspect was wonderful."

Allyson Johnstone, Melbourne Australia (YTT India)

Practice yoga outdoors while enjoying the views and scents of the tropical flower garden surrounding the villa, the song of exotic birds and breathe the pure sea air as you prepare for a lifelong journey of discovering and sharing the manifold benefits of yoga and meditation.

You will leave this teacher training course feeling exuberant, full of joy and enthusiasm, highly inspired to put into practice what you have learned, ready to pass on the practices of yoga to your future students. At the same time you will leave with the tools to prepare and teach intelligent classes generating energy as well as relaxation, strength as well as calm.

An ancient scripture, the Svetasvatara Upanisad, cites:

"The precursors of perfection in yoga are lightness and health of the body, the absence of desire, a clear complexion, a beautiful voice and a fragrant odour of the body."

Auroville near Pondicherry, is the ideal place to devote yourself to the practices and experience these results for yourself.

The Himalayan Yoga Institute offers an authentic approach to yoga. While providing a thorough training in asana, mudra, bandha and kriya it probes beyond mere physical practice into the realm of higher yoga and meditation. Most importantly you will come away with a broad palette of tools and skills to develop yourself as a yogi/ni and to teach others with confidence and competence.

Dates include arrival and departure days

• 3 and a half weeks (or 4 weeks in case of the advanced course) of theoretical and practical training in all aspects of yoga
• Internationally recognised certificate accredited by Yoga Alliance

Course language

The course will be taught in English.

For the YTT course curriculum >>

Click on the button below to apply for the course. After filling out the application form you will be prompted to pay a deposit of £200, which will reserve your place. Once received we will send you a confirmation of reservation and further information on travel, the course and anything else you need to know prior to the course.

Yoga Villa  

Our yoga retreat venue is a beautiful villa near the model community Auroville in South India. It is located nearly 2 miles away from the Auroville Beach. A long private driveway leads you to the 4500sq ft villa set in grounds of 1.5 acres. The villa is built in the traditional Kerala style using rammed earth. This eco-friendly method of construction results in a structure that is naturally cool throughout the year.

The large central courtyard acts as a focal point of the villa allowing in natural light and ventilation. The villa is simply decorated yet has all the comforts of home. The house is sufficiently away from the main road to keep out the noise and ensure almost total silence.

Accommodation

• Shared accommodation (up to 5 people of the same gender sharing a room)
• Triple accommodation (3 people sharing one room)
• Double accommodation (2 people sharing one room)

Travel information

Visa

You will need a valid Tourist visa to enter India. To obtain this you will need to contact your local Indian High Commission, fill in the application form, which is usually available to download online, and take it to them or send it in along with the required fee. This can take up to 10 business days (i.e. two weeks) and your visa is activated from the day you get it rather than upon entry into the country. When stating your purpose on your visa form it is best to say Tourism. Your passport has to be valid for at least another six months.

How to get to Pondicherry?

By flight

If you are travelling from London, you can find inexpensive flights to Chennai and New Delhi via the Ebookers website:

www.ebookers.com

The best way to travel is to take a direct international flight to Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. If you arrive by 12 noon you can be part of our pick up, which we will organize from Chennai to Pondicherry. In case you are arriving a day prior to the arrival day, you can stay one night in Chennai and we will recommend a guesthouse where you can spend the night.
The other option is to fly to Delhi and then take a domestic flight from Delhi to Chennai. You will have to get to the domestic airport from the international Indira Gandhi Airport, which is easy as both airports are next to each other. You can book your internal flight via cleartrip:

www.cleartrip.com

Arrival and departure

• You would want to arrive on the first day of the course by 12 noon at Chennai airport, and depart on the last date in the evening.
  When you arrive you will have a chance to relax, unwind and recuperate from your travel. In the evening you’ll get to meet others on the training over dinner and your yoga trainings' programme will start the following morning.
• We will organize a group transfer from the airport in Chennai on the arrival day at about 12.00 noon. In case you are arriving later on that day you would have to make your way to the yoga house on your own, however we can help with contact details of a taxi company we use.

Books

A reading list will be sent to you upon registration

Special programmes

Visit to Mahabalipuram

You will have a chance to see Mamallapuram (or Mahabalipuram) on the way from Chennai to our venue. Mamallapuram is a UNESCO protected heritage site, displaying gorgeous stone carvings and temple structures of great beauty. Mahabalipuram is an ancient historic town and was a bustling seaport during the time of Periplus (1st century CE) and Ptolemy (140 CE). Ancient Indian traders who went to countries of South East Asia sailed from the seaport of Mahabalipuram.

By the 7th century it was a port city of the South Indian dynasty of the Pallavas. It has a group of sanctuaries, which was carved out of rock along the Coromandel coast in the 7th and 8th centuries: Rathas (temples in the form of chariots), Mandapas (cave sanctuaries), giant open-air reliefs such as the famous 'Descent of the Ganges', and the Shore temple, with thousands of sculptures dedicated to Shiva.

Excursions to Auroville, Pondicherry and Tiruvannamalai

We will visit Auroville (City of Dawn) is an experimental township in Villupuram district mostly in the state of Tamil Nadu, India with some parts in the Union Territory of Pondicherry (Puducherry) in South India. The city is dedicated to the vision of Sri Aurobindo.It was founded in 1968 by Mirra Alfassa (known as "the Mother") and designed by architect Roger Anger. As stated in Alfassa's first public message in 1965,

Auroville wants to be a universal town where men and women of all countries are able to live in peace and progressive harmony, above all creeds, all politics and all nationalities. The purpose of Auroville is to realize human unity.

— Mirra Alfassa

Pondicherry will be another destination. Pondicherry, called Puducherry in the local language, is a unique town, which used to be a French colony, hence it combines French and Indian architecture. The town is divided into two sections: the French Quarter (Ville Blanche or 'White town') and the Indian quarter (Ville Noire or 'Black Town'.) Many streets retain French names, and French-style villas are a common sight. In the French quarter, the buildings are typically colonial style with long compounds and stately walls. The Indian quarter consists of houses lined with verandas and with large doors and grilles. These French and Indian style houses are preserved as they are considered heritage buildings. The French language can still be heard in Puducherry. We will visit temples, the promenade and the Aurobindo ashram in Puducherry.

The second excursion will be to the little town of Tiruvannamalail, which has a longstanding spiritual history and inhabits the famous Arunachala hill, considered to be the heart centre of the Earth. Here the legendary sage Sri Ramana lived and guided many spiritual seekers. One of the largest temples dedicated to Shiva has been built here.

• Annamalaiyar temple: Shiva is worshiped as Annamalaiyar or Arunachaleswarar, and is represented by the lingam, with his idol referred to as Agni lingam. His consort Parvati is depicted as Unnamulai Amman. The presiding deity is revered in the 7th century Tamil Saiva canonical work, the Tevaram, written by Tamil saint poets known as the nayanars and classified as Paadal Petra Sthalam. The 9th century Saiva saint poet Manikkavasagar composed the Tiruvempaavai here. The temple complex covers 10 hectares, and is one of the largest in India. It houses four gateway towers known as gopurams. The tallest is the eastern tower, with 11 stories and a height of 66 metres (217 ft), making it one of the tallest temple towers in India. The temple has numerous shrines, with those of Annamalaiyar and Unnamulai Amman being the most prominent. The temple complex houses many halls; the most notable is the thousand-pillared hall built during the Vijayanagar period.

• Ramanashram: This ashram is dedicated to the contemporary sage Sri Ramana. As a boy of sixteen in 1896, he challenged death by a penetrating enquiry into the source of his being. Later hailed as Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi he revealed the direct path of practice of Self-enquiry and awakened mankind to the immense spiritual power of the holy Arunachala Hill, the spiritual heart of the world. An ashram did not spring up immediately. At first there was only a shed with bamboo poles and a roof of palm leaves. Through the ensuing years the numbers grew, donations came in and regular ashram premises were built – the hall where Ramana sat, the office, the bookstore, the dispensary, the guest room for male visitors and a couple of small bungalows for guests who made a longer stay. A group of sadhus made a colony at Palakottu in a grove to the west of the ashram. Over the years the ashram has seen a growing number of visitors. A special highlight is the room where Sri Ramana used to spend most of the time – today it is open for those who want to meditate or simply sit there in silence.

Prerequisites

A high degree of self-motivation is required for all aspects of the course. A basic knowledge of yoga postures and philosophy is helpful but not essential. A sincere desire to learn and openness to the teachings of yoga is required. Training to be a yoga teacher requires dedication and faith in the process of yoga.

The practice and especially the teaching of yoga demand a high degree of self-discipline and purity. To ensure the success of the program, participants are required to attend all spiritual activities, meditation sessions, lectures and asana classes.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to cater to personal dietary preferences beyond the yogic-vegetarian meals.

For further information please get in touch.

Call us on +44 (0)7969157994

Email: info@himalayanyogainstitute.com

Please contact

Our European office, Himalayan Yoga Institute in London:


Himalayan Yoga Institute
3rd Floor
86-90 Paul Street
London
EC2A 4NE
Tel: +44 (0)7969157994
Email: info@himalayanyogainstitute.com

YTT application and payment

ONLINE APPLICATION >>

Deposit payment: £200

The outstanding balance is due 8 weeks prior to the beginning of the course.


We recommend the following hotel for your extra night in Chennai:

Lakshmi Nest
No. 6, 1st Canal Cross Road,
Gandhi Nagar, Adyar,
Chennai, 600020
Tamil Nadu

Reservation:

Phone: +91 44 4233 7497
Mob: +91 98411 55561
Email: guestcare@lakshminest.com / management@lakshminest.com


We recommend the following hotel for your extra night in Delhi:

Hotel Alka
Block: P-16,
Connaught Circus
New Delhi-110001


Reservation:

Tel : 0091-11-47626600
Fax : +91 11 23742796
E-mail : info@hotelalka.com or reservation@hotelalka.com

Airport pickup: 800 Rupees / 12* €, £ 10 (* Prices are approximate)

Please contact the hotel directly to arrange for an airport pick up

Already in South India?

If you are already in the South India, please let us know well in advance. The meeting place will be the Chennai International airport or Lakshmi Nest.

What to bring?

• Yoga mat - please, bring your own mat with you
• Alarm clock
• Money: It is best to exchange cash to rupees, the Indian currency, at the airport, and there are also some ATMs within a 15 minute taxi ride from our venue. You would want to have some funds on your arrival, which you can purchase at your airport of departure, however rupees are not to be taken out of India on your return. For the up to date exchange rate see www.xe.com
• Electrical adaptors: South India operates on 220V, the same 2 prong plugs as Europe, which are different from the UK ones, so you may want to bring an electrical converter plug.
• Torch / flashlight: Power outages are frequent in India and part of the charm but you might want some help seeing in the dark.
• Earplugs: If you are a sensitive sleeper, you may want to bring them along, even if it is just the snoring of your room mate, that may make its way to your ears.
• Sunscreen: You will need to take care against the strong sun, especially when arriving from winter.
• Clothing: please be sensitive to the local culture and dress modestly. Always cover your legs (long trousers, no skirts), your belly and wear short- or long-sleeved upper body clothing.

Also remember to bring:

Meditation cushion, flip flops (one pair for indoors and another one for outdoors), trainers, writing pad, alarm clock, towel, sleeping bag, private toiletry items, soap, clothesline, detergent, money belt.

A copy of your visa, passport and plane ticket should be kept separately from your luggage.

Cancellation terms

The cost of this course includes administration, tuition and a teacher's manual. Students must bring a sleeping bag, mat for asanas, towels and toiletries. We regret that it is not possible to make refunds or issue credits on this course. Bank transfers and card payments are accepted. A valid Travel Health Insurance policy must be shown upon arrival.

The initial deposit of £200 will reserve your place. The full remainder will have to be paid 8 weeks and latest 6 weeks (in case of hardship) before the commencement of the course. In some cases arrangements can be made by contract to pay in 3 installments - if you let us know well in advance that you would require this option, i.e. this option has to be requested at the time of submitting the application and cannot be accommodated if not indicated in the application. Please note: There will be no transfer of fees to another course for any reason, except for bereavement that must be proven providing us with legal documents. Under no circumstances will there be transfer of fees within 4 weeks of commencement of the training course. We regret that it is not possible to make refunds on our teacher training courses.

We reserve the right to cancel the training in which case we will refund the entire fee for the teacher training paid to us.

For more information regarding the YTT you may contact us:

Tel: +44 (0)7969 157994
Email: info@himalayanyogainstitute.com