5 Reasons You Should be Doing your Yoga Training in India

There are many beautiful stories about people who take their yoga teacher training in India. It is a magical place that exudes the true spirit of Hinduism and is the birthplace of yoga. Places like Goa, Dharamshala, and Rishikesh offer high quality yoga teacher training.

Dharamshala is home to the Tibetans and of course the Dalai Lama. In Rishikesh, this is the original birthplace of meditation and yoga. The Ganges River runs through it and many people will spend their time meditating beside her (the river). There is also the towering cliffs of the Himalayas. Of course, Goa is a beachside town that has long attracted soul searchers and hippies.

There are many expats that are looking to take in all the spirituality that exists here. If you’re dedicated to the practice of yoga and looking to become a teacher, India is the place to go. Here are five reasons you should do your yoga teacher training in India.

1. It’s Where Yoga Came From

It’s true. Yoga was born in India thousands of years ago. Only recently, has it come to the West but it has long been developed in India. In the West, if you do your yoga teacher training, it is far removed from the ancient practice of yoga. The important spiritual aspects and how to live life the yogi way might not be as pronounced if you get training in the West. They are just as important as stretching, finding physical strength, and balancing better.

To truly understand the fundamentals of yoga, it is easy to see when you come to India. The people around you will teach you how to be a great teacher. You will learn about the diet, the philosophy, and the way of being that your teachers will exude consistently.

2. Learning the Full Philosophy of Yoga

One of the important aspects of yoga is the philosophy that built it. Yes, it can make you healthy and you can live a long life but there is so much more. In India, yoga is heavily connected to your soul, spirit, or Shakti. How you live and how you treat others is a big part of yoga that is slightly disconnected in the West. We are competitive even in the practice of yoga.

In India, you will be inspired by the openness of locals and how willing they are to help you. Even if they have very little, they would share it with you. Many people who have visited India said it changed them. They saw the way of being was different and it caught on. When you do yoga teacher training in India, you don’t just learn how to teach poses, you understand a new way of being.

3. It’s Often Less Than What You’d Pay Elsewhere

India is a country that is affordable and so it goes that you can take your yoga teacher training for less here. The education you get is extremely quality despite the appealing cost. You can stay on the yoga teacher training grounds, eat, and get your training for much less. So when you arrive to do your training, you don’t have to add extra costs to it. You get to experience all the beauty that India has to offer for much less than taking YTT in most places around the world.

4. Letting Go Truly

In a country like India, everything you thought you knew about life goes out the window. So the things you thought were important, you will see that they really aren’t. You are fortunate to come from the Western society where you can pretty much have whatever we want. It isn’t that way in many places around the world, India being one of them. There is poverty here that you cannot imagine until you’re there. It may affect at first. You may feel sorry for people but you will see that they don’t need your pity. They smile and they live in a beautiful mind frame regardless of what they have.

In the West, we can have whatever we want and still there is a sense of dissatisfaction. This is why seeing the happiness despite the poverty in India can allow you to let go. They don’t have what you have but they have a sense of fulfillment. Spending the time in India during your yoga teacher training will allow you to let go of the material items and clinging thoughts you’ve been holding onto. There is a magic in India that makes it easy to let go of what doesn’t serve you.

5. The Connection to Stunning Nature

Areas of India that have yoga teacher training are incredible. Nature is like something out of a dream. The sound of tropical birds in the morning, the mist coming through the mountains in Dharamsala or Rishikesh are a perfect backdrop for meditation. As you learn how to teach yoga, you will be inspired by the rich foliage and constant connection to nature.

You can meditate by the Ganges, go for hikes, and experience the beautiful countryside in a variety of places in India. A place will help your practice and keep you centered. The connection to nature is abundant.

Yoga teacher training is a rich and fulfilling experience. It also sounds incredibly good when you’re looking to work at a studio or gain students. India has a reputation around the world for yoga and the high-quality teaching standards that derive from the country. If you love yoga and you’re looking to make a career out of it, get to India.