Review: Rishikesh Yogis Yogashala Teacher Training

Rishikesh Yogis Yogashala offers drop-in yoga classes and teacher trainings. To further my studies, I joined the September 200-hour teacher training for five days in Rishikesh, India. Below is my review of my experience, detailing my thoughts on the program.

Sent to Delhi on a work project, I reached out to Parveen Nair regarding his teacher training program at Rishikesh Yogis Yogashala. I completed my teacher training with him seven years ago in Goa. His approach to yoga established the foundation for the way I like to teach, and I have continued to study with him online since our first meeting. He offered to let me join his group for the days I was available, and I quickly agreed.

Rishikesh is considered the yoga capital of the world. It gets this identification because it is thought to be the birthplace of yoga and houses extensive spiritual and meditative benefits in its Himalayan location on the Ganga (Ganges) River. There are countless yoga trainings, retreats, and classes on offer in Rishikesh, but what makes this particular program special?

Accommodation

Planning my arrival and registration were easy. The coordinator Karin answered my questions and made me comfortable with the decision to attend the school. Upon reaching the yogashala, I was greeted and shown my room at a nearby homestay (a room with a lock and private bathroom in a local home). The accommodations were simple, but located about 15 meters from the school, so quite convenient. Veenita, the proprietor, was welcoming and helpful. Next time I hope to be more prepared for this type of accommodation, though, as mine didn’t provide a towel, blanket, or toilet paper. It took me a day or so to obtain these and other necessary items.

All meals were included in an onsite dining room, except on Sundays. I follow a gluten free diet, and I was told right away about foods I should avoid. Throughout my stay the staff accommodated my dietary needs, even making gluten free noodles for me one night we had pasta with paneer—it was good but definitely different from anything I have had before. The food was delicious. Meals were generally Indian dishes with rice and/or chapati. Breakfasts included fruit and oatmeal porridge and one day my new food love, idli, which is a fermented rice patty. It may not sound appetizing but, seriously, it is delicious with a flavorful chutney or sambar.

Classes

Each day consisted of two asana classes, a philosophy discussion, satsang and bhajan, anatomy and pose lectures, pranayama, and meditation. Though one of the main lessons from yoga is learning dispassion, I still have favorites and comments about each class.

The hardest practice for me is pranayama and meditation. My anxiety makes it hard for me to settle into a quiet and still place. Working with the breath usually makes my heart rate rise, and I feel heat or heart palpitations with most pranayama, even those meant to be cooling or calming. Uttam, our teacher for these classes, was excellent; he gave me options and helped me work on these aspects of my yoga practice that are usually shortened due to lightheadedness or anxiety. He was able to guide me though meditations that I wouldn’t have been able to do on my own.

Practicing satsang and singing bhajans—spiritual or devotional songs and instruction—allowed for meditation and a spiritual connection to the inner vibrations of our bodies. Though I couldn’t understand much of what was being chanted or sung, I could feel it. The students of the course had manuals with the lyrics and were able to read translations and sing along. Though at times I was able to share, I was a little disappointed not to have my own copy. After the fact, I searched the internet for the song we sang but couldn’t find it. I can still hear the beauty of one student’s voice and I wanted to hear the song again.

The anatomy and pose review classes were taught by a long-time student of Parveen, and he explained both traditional and embodied movement approaches to asana. The anatomy lessons were taught in a way that were applicable to the movements you would make in yoga postures, so you could understand how the body moves and how yoga works with the body and vice versa. My previous yoga teacher training was not as pertinent to the poses and yoga, and so this was highly valuable to my practice.

Parveen taught the philosophy class and his approach was nonjudgmental and respectful. He provided clear examples for what he was trying to convey and I felt a connection to the history and fundamentals of yoga study beyond asanas.

There was one asana class in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning class was generally quite full with additional people not attending the course. Parveen taught this class and another instructor taught the afternoon class. Parveen’s approach to yoga has changed in the seven years since I first met him, but his instruction is still clear and his classes are well structured and sequenced. His teaching has matured to be more flexible to the range of people who practice yoga with him. From the first class I took with him to the last one at this training, he is still the model upon which I establish my own teaching technique. He focuses now more on embodied movements than Iyengar Yoga methods, but his deep understanding of body movement and effective sequencing is why I think he is such a successful asana teacher.

Though I still enjoyed the afternoon asana class, it is hard to compare. It wasn’t as good as the morning class, because the afternoon asana teacher doesn’t have the same leadership skills as Parveen. Put another way, Parveen is an educator and the afternoon teacher was an instructor—a subtle but important difference. An educator helps students grow outside of the classroom—beyond the mat—and that is what the goal of yoga is.

Excursion

There were no yoga classes on Sundays, but the training included local excursions. On the Sunday that I was there, Uttam took us to two caves along the Ganga: One of them, Vashishta Cave, is said to have been where Sage Vashistha meditated, and several yoga texts are attributed to him. His wife, Arundhati, had a separate cave about five minutes’ walk down the river. Though these caves could look vastly different now than when they were first used, I preferred hers—it was more open and directly faced the Ganga. It was light and was surrounded by natural beauty. However, some may find the dark dampness of Vashishta Cave more conducive to meditating. 

The beauty of the location and its sacred essence made this excursion memorable and valuable to my own study of yoga and its history. 

Advantages

·        Excellent teaching and allocation of classes

·        Delicious food adapted to my diet

·        Memorable and impactful excursion experience

·        Safe and beautiful location and experience

Drawbacks

·        Not located on the water

·        Homestay accommodation was sparse

·        Was not provided with the course manual or other relevant materials

Though I was only there for five days, I learned a lot, and I have every intention of returning. This school offers valuable training and will advance your yoga study no matter your level. I highly recommend Rishikesh Yogis Yogashala for classes and teacher trainings. Not only will you learn foundations of yoga asana, anatomy, pranayama, and meditation, but the staff will help you discover more about your true nature—the real reason to practice yoga.