21-Day Traditional Yoga Teacher Training at a Himalayan Lakeside Ashram

The course runs 21 days and is open to all levels — complete beginners alongside people who have practised for years and now want to teach. Instruction is delivered by teachers trained within established lineages, and the syllabus is traditional rather than hybridised: asana, pranayama, mudra and bandha, yoga philosophy, anatomy as it applies to posture, teaching methodology, and the ethical and lifestyle principles (yamas and niyamas) that classical yoga places around the physical practice. Expect daily asana sessions, pranayama and meditation, philosophy lectures, and practical teaching practice where you take turns instructing the group and receiving feedback.

What separates this from a typical 200-hour teacher training is the setting and the format. Bodhidham Yoga School and Spiritual Retreat Ashram is a working ashram in Pokhara, and the training is residential — you eat, sleep and study on the same site for the full three weeks. That means the schedule doesn't compete with the outside world. You practise, you eat, you study, you sleep, and you do it again tomorrow. Most people find that the repetition, not any single class, is what shifts their practice.

The lead facilitator is Swami Ananda, a teacher based in Nepal who runs retreats through this ashram. His approach is grounded in the traditional lineage method — the emphasis is on correctness and consistency of practice over novelty, and on understanding why the classical sequence is built the way it is before adapting it. He teaches in English.

Pokhara itself is a lakeside city in central Nepal, the gateway to the Annapurna circuit and a base for trekkers. Phewa Lake sits in the valley below, with the World Peace Pagoda on the ridge above it and Machhapuchhre and the Annapurnas visible on clear mornings. The ashram is away from Lakeside's bar-and-guesthouse strip, so days are quiet. On time off you can walk or take a boat across Phewa Lake, hike up to the Peace Pagoda, or visit Devi's Fall and the Gupteshwor caves.

Accommodation is on-site at the ashram, with two options: a shared room or a private room, both under the 'Swami Ananda' booking name. Vegetarian meals are served as part of the programme and the kitchen adjusts for dietary requirements if you flag them in advance. The whole thing is priced from USD 1,500 per person for the shared option.

What's included

- 21 days of traditional yoga teacher training at the ashram - Daily asana, pranayama and meditation sessions - Yoga philosophy and teaching methodology lectures - On-site accommodation for the full 21-day course - Vegetarian meals at the ashram throughout the programme - Course completion certificate

What's not included

- Flights to and from Nepal - Travel insurance - Nepal visa fees - Airport transfers - Personal expenses and weekend excursions - Optional upgrades and extras