Yin Yoga Teacher Training Retreat in Tenerife, Spain

Gayatri Yoga has been running small, personal yoga teacher trainings since 2011, and this 50-hour Yin training is one of the more specialised courses they offer. It is designed for yoga practitioners who want to teach Yin, for existing teachers who need continuing education credits, and for life coaches or bodyworkers who want a restorative practice to add to their toolbox. You don't need to be experienced at Yin – a regular Hatha or Vinyasa practice is enough to start because the course teaches you everything from the ground up. The school accepts people at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, and the small group of 12 means teachers can adapt to each student.

The curriculum is thorough. You will cover the history and philosophy of Yin Yoga, including the Taoist background and the concept of Qi. Most of the teaching time goes to anatomy – how the skeleton and fascia hold up in long poses – and to the traditional Chinese medicine view of meridians and how each pose stimulates them. You'll also spend a lot of time on teaching technique: sequencing a class, giving clear verbal cues, adjusting students with hands-on assistance, and modifying poses for different bodies. Each day there are practice sessions where you try out the poses yourself and teaching practice where you lead parts of a class. Four different teachers lead the course, each with their own style and background, so you'll see several ways to approach Yin.

The venue is in Tejina, a small village on the rural northeast coast of Tenerife, up against the Anaga Mountains. It is quiet and authentic – not a resort area – which suits the intensive nature of the work. The school itself is a simple house with an Indian feel, set around a pool and garden with plenty of chill-out corners and a library. Rooms are shared doubles or a four-bed female dormitory, with private rooms available on request. Meals are vegetarian and mostly cooked by the students themselves in small teams, which keeps costs down and builds a strong sense of community – you'll cook maybe twice a week and eat together the rest of the time. It is a working week, but the relaxed setting and the shared cooking make it feel like a proper retreat rather than a classroom.

What's included

- 7 days / 6 nights accommodation (depending on room choice) - 6 days of tuition - 3 daily vegetarian meals, snacks, and fruit - Course manual - Yin Yoga teacher training certification - Registration with Yoga Alliance/Professionals/International - Specialized workshops and theory sessions - Pre and post retreat support from the team - Use of yoga mats, blocks, straps, and bolsters - Free Wi-Fi

What's not included

- Airport transfers - Flights - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Additional treatments - Additional activities not included in the itinerary - Laundry service (optional extra)