50-Day 500-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in India's Spiritual Heartland

The day starts at 6:15am with mantra chanting, then moves into pranayama and cleansing practices before the first physical yoga session. Mornings cover Hatha yoga with practice teaching, followed by philosophy and anatomy lectures. After lunch and a few hours of self-study, the afternoon Ashtanga Vinyasa session runs until 6pm, then meditation and yoga nidra before dinner. It's a full day, every day, and you'll be tired.

The curriculum goes well beyond asana. You'll learn Sankhya and Yoga philosophy, study the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and spend time on Ayurvedic principles. The anatomy workshops cover each body system and how yoga affects it. Pranayama instruction is detailed — you'll practice nadi shodhana, ujjayi, kapalabhati, bhastrika, and several others with proper technique. Meditation sessions build from five-minute sits to longer practices using so-ham and spinal breath techniques.

The teaching faculty includes Yogacharya Sandeep Pandey, who was sent to a Gurukul at age eight and later studied Raja Yoga under Swami Veda Bharati. He holds a Master's Degree in Yoga and Indian Philosophy from Uttarakhand Sanskrit University and teaches at the International Yoga Festival. Subhash Petwal handles the asana instruction — he trained in Mysore and Kaivalyadhama Lonavala and has taught both Hatha and Ashtanga Vinyasa internationally.

The location is in the heart of Rishikesh, a 3-5 minute walk from Laxman Jhula market and about 15-20 minutes on foot from the Ganges riverbank. The school organises half-day excursions to nearby temples and shrines on rest days. This is not a resort-style retreat — it's a training programme for people who want to teach yoga seriously or deepen their own practice substantially.

What's included

- 49 nights accommodation in shared or private rooms - 3 daily vegetarian meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Filtered water, herbal tea, and snacks - All yoga instruction (Hatha, Ashtanga Vinyasa, pranayama, meditation) - Philosophy, anatomy, and Ayurveda lectures - Textbooks, printed study handouts, and 500-hour training manual - Practice teaching sessions with feedback - Shatkarma (cleansing practices) instruction - Mantra chanting sessions - Yoga nidra and relaxation sessions - Half-day excursion to temples and shrines - 500-hour Yoga Alliance USA certificate

What's not included

- International and domestic flights - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Airport transfers - Air conditioning (available at extra cost) - Extra nights before or after training - Personal expenses - Additional activities not in the programme