22-Day 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh: Ayurveda, Hatha, Ashtanga & Vinyasa

The training runs six days a week, with one rest day (usually Sunday) for laundry, rest or a trip into Rishikesh town. A typical day starts around 5:30am with a herbal tea or lemon water before the first practice at 6:00am. The morning block is the longest and most physical: pranayama, then 90 minutes of asana, alternating between Hatha (slower, held postures, alignment-focused), Ashtanga (the Primary Series, counted vinyasa) and Vinyasa (flow, breath-linked movement). After breakfast there is a theory block — yoga philosophy, the Yoga Sutras, the history of the tradition — followed by functional anatomy, where you learn the muscles and joints involved in each posture and, crucially, what the common injuries are and how to avoid them. Lunch is the main meal of the day, followed by a rest period.

The afternoon is when teacher training actually happens. You learn to give verbal cues, to demonstrate, to sequence a class, and to use hands-on adjustments safely. You practise on each other in small groups while a teacher watches and corrects you, which is uncomfortable at first and much more useful than watching someone else do it. The last block of the day is often a gentler practice — restorative, yin, yoga nidra or meditation — before dinner at around 7pm. Evening sessions a few times a week cover Kundalini concepts, chakra work, mantra chanting or Ayurvedic daily routine, and lights are usually out by 10pm because the 5:30am start does not move.

What separates this course from the many other 200-hour trainings in Rishikesh is partly the small intake and partly the depth of the syllabus. Three asana traditions are taught properly rather than one being the main event and the others mentioned in passing, and the Ayurveda component — diet, daily routine, constitution types, basic herbal knowledge — is taught as a practical system you can apply to your own life and eventually to students rather than as theory. Anatomy is taught by someone who works with bodies, not read from a textbook. The result is that most graduates leave able to teach a safe, well-sequenced class, and having actually practised teaching it in front of a group multiple times before they qualify.

Yogi Arvind Singh leads the training. He comes from a family of teachers in Rishikesh and has been teaching Hatha and Ashtanga for well over a decade, with a particular reputation for adjustment work — he is the person who will show you where your hands should be and why. The school runs several other trainings and retreats in Rishikesh, including a 300-hour yoga therapy course in Ashtanga and Vinyasa, a 100-hour meditation and Hatha training, a 14-day breathwork and Ayurveda retreat, and a 7-day yoga and sound healing retreat, so the teaching team is experienced at holding long residential courses. Classes are taught in English, and the school takes students from all over the world.

The ashram itself is in a forested area on the outskirts of Rishikesh, away from the traffic and noise of the main town. The grounds are green and quiet, with practice spaces looking out over trees. It is a 20–30 minute trip into Rishikesh town centre by auto-rickshaw when you want it, which many students do on their day off, along with visits to the Ganges and the evening aarti ceremony at Parmarth Niketan. Accommodation is on site — private single rooms, shared twin rooms, and female-only or mixed four-person rooms — and all meals are served in the dining hall. Because everyone lives, eats and studies together, the group tends to bond quickly, and most people describe the three weeks as feeling like living in a small, focused household rather than attending a course.

Assessment is ongoing: you are observed and given feedback throughout the three weeks, and there is a final practical assessment where you teach a class to your peers, plus a short written component. On successful completion you receive a 200-hour certification that meets the standards set by Yoga Alliance, the international registering body, meaning it is recognised by studios worldwide. Prices start from USD 649 for a shared four-person room and rise with the level of privacy you choose. Rooms and exact dates are confirmed with the school directly when you book.

What's included

22-day 200-hour yoga teacher training (Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa) On-site accommodation at Gurukul Yogashala for the duration of the course All meals — vegetarian breakfast, lunch and dinner Daily asana, pranayama and meditation classes Yoga philosophy, anatomy and Ayurveda tuition Hands-on adjustment and teaching methodology workshops Practice teaching sessions with feedback Course materials and study notes 200-hour certification on successful completion

What's not included

International flights Travel insurance Indian visa fees Airport transfers Personal expenses and shopping Optional spa treatments or massages Excursions on rest days