Yoga teacher training in ashrams is a lifestyle approach to becoming a yoga instructor. It gives aspiring instructors the chance to deepen their practice by being immersed in the practice, with instruction from yoga masters. Since the 1950s, yoga ashrams and teacher training centers have emerged all over the world. Being trained in an ashram can authenticate your yoga instruction and give you a competitive edge in some circles.
Price Range
Yoga teacher trainings in ashrams vary greatly in price. Some ashrams are volunteer services and charge little, or nothing at all, beyond the cost of food and lodging. Other teacher trainings cost $2,000 or more, in addition to food and lodging, as well as airfare if you have to travel. Most teacher trainings are intensive, and last about four weeks, depending on the ashram.
Satchidananda Ashram
Satchidananda Ashram trains aspiring instructors in "Integral Yoga," a style that combines Hatha, Raja, Bhakti, Jnana, Karma, and Japa Yoga. The ashram, located in New York City, started in 1966. It offers basic Hatha Yoga training, but also has a wide variety of advanced teacher trainings, including yoga for cancer patients and prenatal yoga.
International Sivananda Yoga Centers
The nonprofit International Sivananda Yoga Centres were named after Swami Sivananda, and founded by his disciple, Swami Vishnudevananda. Their mission is to "spread peace, health and joy through yoga". Originally started in 1959 in Montral, Canada, they have since become international and are offered in many different countries. Their yoga teacher training program is accredited by the Yoga Alliance, an organization that sets unofficial standards for yoga instructors in the US, and other parts of the world.
Ananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram
The Ananda Yoga Vedanta Ashram is an educational organization founded by the nonprofit Divine Educative Trust. It is located in India and offers a 200-hour teacher training program. The training program is intended to emulate the yogic lifestyle. The curriculum offers more than what a traditional yoga teacher training would; in addition to the daily satsangs and lectures, it also introduces Ayurveda, Reiki, and Reflexology healing modalities to its students. The programs run as much as 1,650 euros, or about $2,445 U.S. dollars as of January 2011.
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