500-Hour Yoga Teacher Training and Ayurveda Therapy in Rishikesh

This is a full 500-hour yoga teacher training course that runs for 57 days in Rishikesh, India. It's designed for beginner to intermediate students who want to build a complete foundation in yoga and go on to teach. The curriculum is exhaustive — you'll cover traditional Hatha yoga, the Ashtanga primary and secondary series, pranayama, mudras, bandhas, meditation, anatomy, yoga therapy, and a substantial amount of Ayurveda.

The teaching team is large and varied. Lead teacher Dhruvaji has a Masters in Physical Chemistry from IIT Bombay and has been teaching yoga for 30 years. He's joined by teachers like Naveen, who has trained over 1000 teachers, and Akshay, who holds a PhD from the University of Patanjali and is also a sound healer and kirtan artist. Each teacher brings a different specialty — anatomy, alignment, philosophy, Ayurveda, or meditation.

One thing that makes Nirvana distinct is the depth of Ayurveda it offers. Most yoga schools cover Ayurveda superficially, if at all, but here it's a dedicated part of the daily schedule with topics like dosha diagnosis, disease-wise food guidance, and Ayurvedic pharmacy. The school also has a strong musical side — evening kirtan is optional, and students can learn to sing, play the harmonium, or the djembe.

The campus is made up of a few buildings near the mountains, which means you'll be around other teacher training students doing the 200-hour and 300-hour courses. That makes for a lively community, although if you're looking for a very small, intimate group, this school runs larger. The daily schedule is demanding: you're up at 5 AM and in class until dinner at 7:15 PM, with breaks for meals and a short rest after lunch.

The 500-hour course is more didactic than a personal wellness retreat — the focus is on learning the material so you can teach it. You'll get plenty of teaching practice, and you'll leave with the skills to sequence and lead your own classes. The school's management is known for being responsive to feedback, and graduates consistently rate the food, accommodation, and quality of teaching highly.

What's included

- 56 nights accommodation - 3 daily satvic meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Airport pickup (from Dehradun or Delhi) - Daily yoga and pranayama classes - Teacher training course and certification - Yoga Alliance registration - Course manual and study materials - Yoga mats, blocks, straps, and bolsters - Group excursions and activities - Evening kirtan and movie nights - School t-shirt and tote bag - Professional event photos - Wi-Fi connection

What's not included

- Flights (international and domestic) - Travel insurance - Visa fees - Extra nights accommodation - Air conditioning and heater charges - Personal expenses (shopping, additional meals, spa treatments)