STUDYING YOGA IN INDIA
Choosing your yoga school:
It is very easy in the modern internet age to get a good impression about an organisation through its website. However, same may be true also that you may get a larger-than-life impression too about the yoga teachers and yoga schools. Our Advisory Board of yoga experts with scholastic and experiential knowledge have come up with these checks to help you decide:
A Good Teacher
1. What are the qualities of a good teacher?
A. Practise:
An ounce of practice is better than tons of theory!
A good yoga teacher is one who regularly practices at this point in time. Many teachers stop 'walking the walk' and continue 'talkin the talk'.
You may ensure currentness of teachers by seeing the latest pictures of the courses and the classes. If the pictures contain the photos of the main / lead teachers, then you can rest assured. A good yoga teacher should have a Guru, someones who takes him or her to knowledge from ignorance, to reality from unreal, to light from darkness, to immortality from mortality!
2. Continued practice / Application of yoga in daily living:
A good yoga teacher becomes a better yoga teacher with experience.
A good yard stick is to see if the teacher has done any long term 'academic' program in yoga! A Bachelor's degree, a Master's degree, a PhD Degree or Diploma or Post Gradiuate from a Yoga University or a Yoga Diploma from a Department of Yoga in a University can be an easy benchmark. This is because a degree or diploma takes one to three years to complete. This is a good time-frame to ensure that the teacher is grounded firmly in the path of yoga! Be wary of 200-hour, 300-hour, 500-hour RYT certifications only!
3. Dedication:
Ensure the lead teacher is with the students 70% of the time. And more! The lead teacher should have the dedication for the holistic growth of the students, during the course and after course too! The teacher should genuinely love and care for the student!
4. Strength:
The capacity to carry on till the end!
5. Intuition or Higher Wisdom:
The teacher should show a gradual growth towards spiriuality and liberation!
A cardinal rule: Ensure none of the teachers from the school have any immoral feedback about them.
About Yoga School:
1. Organisation:
A good school or academy should have semblance to any education structure. The school or academy should have a group of people with rich yoga backgrounds and reputations who act as the advisors or 'guiding lights' willing to guide the direction of the institute. Ideally, the school should have a board of studies and should have many teachers, some of them main and some of them adjunct or assistants.
2. Faculty Profiles / Other Profiles:
1. It has been noted that many schools may simply post the profiles of teachers even if they are not their main teachers or are not any more teaching with the school. You may ensure currentness of teachers by seeing the latest pictures of the courses and the classes. If the pictures contain the photos of the main / lead teachers, then you can rest assured.
3. Venue:
Ideally, classes must be conducted at the same premises as your accommodation.
4. Alumni:
You may wish to talk to any of the older students to get 'reality-check'
The website give away:
1. Many Websites for One Organisation:
It has been observed that many yoga schools have floated multiple websites for the same school. Though differing domain names, they refer to the same school in them. If you notice this about any school you are thinking of registering with, you must be on guard. Reputed organizations do not need to float multiple websites with keywords. This is an attempt at manipulation of search engines to gain higher visibility in search rankings. But more importantly, it speaks poorly of any sincere and reputed education institution.
Similarly, each organisation should not nned to have multiple Facebook and other Social Media pages to project just one of its activities.
2. Disproportionately high graphics or 'testimonials':
While pictures speak larger than words, you cannot read 'in between the lines'. Ensure that the school website that you are considering has a healthy balance of information and pictures. Likewise, couple of testimonials supporting their endeavors. See if the testimonials, pictures support the information provided
So, take a piece of paper and score on the above points to find a course suitable to you!
Spiritual and Philosophical Aspects:
Yoga took birth in India centuries ago and to this date India has traditionally been regarded as the citadel of Yoga learning.
As the benefits of Yoga are being scientifically validated every day, yoga has gained popularity in other nations of the World including the West.
But yoga has only taken baby steps in the West so far. It is for this reason that Yoga is mainly perceived for its physical fitness aspect as opposed to its wholesome benefits.
Looking at Yoga as purely a physical exercise is actually demeaning this great science.
In this scenario, it is strongly suggested that one who wants to study Yoga, makes it a point to do so by learning it at the source – India where the yoga knowledge and tradition flourishes in its wholesomeness.
Yoga study In India will touch upon not only the physical part – the Asanas but also the deep rooted philosophy, and mental (psychic) practices that are seamlessly intertwined to get the most out of the physical ones and vice versa.
Yoga is a consummate way of life and that can be best appreciated and imbibed when one learns yoga in India.
This rich yoga tradition of India has also resulted in several yoga aspirants who have mastered scriptures, techniques and practices as passed on through generations.
In the true tradition of Yoga, these young masters are involved in the further dissemination of this science through informal Yoga schools set up in India for this purpose.
In such a situation, with the world shrinking to a size where we can reach almost anywhere within a day or two, it is a great opportunity for sincere students anywhere in the World to experience this purist Yoga learning at the source.
Moreover, in addition to the purity, learning Yoga in India is still far more economical than almost anywhere else. The living costs are also far lower, making for an opportunity to “live and learn Yoga”.
To sum up the
great advantages of learning Yoga in India are:
- Availability of quality teaching
- A healthy ecosystem of Yoga learning
- Economical learning and tuition
- Low living costs, making the whole process extremely affordable
The Western Influence and its benefits to Yoga Teaching
The West with its emphasis on formal systems and standardization has had a positive effect on yoga teaching.
With the advent of organizations such as Yoga Alliance, traditional yoga teaching has taken over a new form; a form where rich knowledge has been blended with structured learning.
This structured mechanism has helped devise formal teacher training programs of 200 hours, 4 week durations, which enable students to get a healthy capsule of learning, sufficient for them to further their own practice as well as to teach Yoga in their own communities.
These 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training Programs are helping in no small measure to churn out young teachers who can go back to the West and propagate this science without losing its purity.
Ajarya Yoga Academy’s
Yoga Teacher Training in India incorporates this philosophy through its Yoga Alliance Registered status.
Through these 1-month long residential programs at Ajarya, you can experience the best of yoga learning in the traditional environment and at economical costs, yet in a manner that blends seamlessly with the Western Cultural perspective of learning.
For any sincere yoga student, undergoing this yoga learning in India is an invaluable experience that will pave the way for individual growth in Yoga.
E-VISA
E-VISA Facility is available for holders of passport of following countries:
Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, Cook Islands, Djibouti, Fiji, Finland, Germany, Guyana, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Luxembourg, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Myanmar, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue Island, Norway, Oman, Palau, Palestine, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, UAE, Ukraine, USA, Vanuatu, Vietnam.
Please note: List of countries is being increased continuously.
Get updated list at https://indianvisaonline.gov.in/visa/tvoa.html
Regular Visa:
- Please note that the time for issue of Regular Visa can vary from country to country. So, it is best advised to apply for a Regular Visa a month before the start of your journey to India if not sooner.
- If you are not in your country of issue of passport, you should approach the Indian Embassy in your present country for Visa to India. You may experience some delays in these situations and so it is better advised to get in touch with them soonest you can.
Please note: Our Group transfer to Rishikesh is scheduled to accommodate your arrival a day before the start of the course to ensure your timely arrival in Rishikesh for the yogic fire opening ceremony. Please avail this facility to avoid any inconvenience.