Teacher Training in India

We expect to run our next India Teachers Training in early 2015. More details will be coming soon.

Please email hita@himalayaninstitute.org for more information.

The Himalayan Institute offers yoga teacher training excursions to northern India with instruction at its campus in Allahabad, India. Both 200-hour and 500-hour training programs are available and run concurrently.

Immerse yourself in the spirit of yoga on the banks of the Ganga River in
Allahabad, the “City of God.”
Imbibe the wisdom of an unbroken spiritual lineage in its homeland.

Drawing from the traditional yoga theory, the Yoga Sutra, and modern knowledge of the body and mind, the 200- and 500- hour programs provide comprehensive, systematic training to maximize your effectiveness as a yoga teacher and practitioner.

The program includes:

All contact hours needed for certification at the 200- or 500- hour program level
A trip to the holy city of Banaras and the magnificent temples of Khajuraho
Pilgrimages to shrines and locations of interest in Allahabad and Delhi
Transportation from New York City to India and accommodations and travel within India

About Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India

Allahabad is the locus of spiritual wisdom, site of the Kumbha Mela, and the refuge of saints and sages from the dawn of time. Here the holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati meet, and the streams of devotion, knowledge, and intuition intermingle. Replete with sites of significance in the history of yoga, Allahabad is full of surprises and delights. The Ganga, on whose banks we will study, is one of the most beautiful and revered rivers in the world, worshipped by millions as a living Goddess.

Allahabad, the City of gods, is traditionally known as Tirtha Raja, the Lord of all Shrines. Embraced by the sacred rivers Ganga and Yamuna on three sides, Allahabad is the home of temples, Sanskrit schools, and monasteries. Allahabad also houses the headquarters of the Himalayan Institute of India.

From untold ages, Allahabad has been regarded as one of the seven holy cities of India. The sanctity of Allahabad inspired the ancient Vedic sages, and Hindu, Buddhist, Jaina, and Sikh masters and teachers to make this city their home. Chinese pilgrims and seekers from ancient Greece and Persia, for thousands of years, came to Allahabad to study and imbibe the wisdom that centered here. Pilgrims from Burma, Thailand, Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Sri Lanka considered Allahabad their ultimate destination.

Allahabad is also home of the Kumbha Mela. According to the legend, at twelve-year intervals, the elixir of immortality and lasting joy manifests here. The confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna serves as a vessel for this elixir, thus the confluence and the surrounding area is called kumbha, the vessel, and the gathering of millions at this auspicious occasion is called the Kumbha Mela. During the time of the Kumbha Mela, tens of thousands of adepts who otherwise live in solitude, come to Allahabad. Many of them spend the entire months of January and February here. At the Kumbha Mela, they undertake intense practice of austerity, give discourses, share their knowledge with pilgrims, and participate in group meditation sponsored by individuals and high-minded organizations who believe that collective consciousness and the consciousness of individuals are fully connected to each other.

Allahabad is also home of the Himalayan Institute’s retreat center in India. Nestled at the bank of the Ganga, the 50-acre campus of the Himalayan Institute is perhaps the most striking natural paradise in the area. The Institute’s members from all over the world come to this retreat center and enjoy the unique beauty and solitude not available elsewhere.

About Banaras, Uttar Pradesh, India

The city of eternal light and famous destination of pilgrims, Banaras is one of the oldest and holiest cities in the world. Some say it exists on the horns of Lord Shiva’s trident, and not in this world. An array of startling extremes and stark contrasts, Banaras is a world unto itself. We’ll also visit Sarnath, the auspicious site where The Buddha set the wheel of his teaching in motion.

About Khajuraho, Uttar Pradesh, India

Without exaggeration, Khajuraho is heaven on earth. Located between two rivers, Kena and Vetrawati, Khajuraho is the crest jewel of central India. For ages, Khajuraho had been a strong-hold of sages, yogis, and especially tantric masters and seekers. Under the guidance and patronage of Sage Atri, and his son Chandrama, Khajuraho and the surrounding area became one of the greatest centers of learning in India. Once most prosperous and progressive of cities, Khajuraho attracted seekers and adepts from every tradition and sub-tradition of India – Hindu, Jaina, Buddhist, Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, and the tradition of tantric masters – which is evidenced by the magnificent temples built here by people of all faiths.

Khajuraho continued to prosper all the way to the twelfth century AD, and came to a complete halt at the decline of Chandela kings, the last patrons of the Khajuraho legacy.

Over the centuries, Islamic invaders looted and destroyed these magnificent temples and monasteries repeatedly, turning this prosperous city into a ghost-town. Once deserted, over time, the jungles took over. The temples became the residence of monkeys and occasionally, wandering sadhus. It was only in 1938 when a British officer, on his way to Calcutta, learned about the “forbidden city of temples” from the bearers of his carriage. Compelled by curiosity, he dared to enter the jungle, and what he discovered is today’s Khajuraho.

Between the time when it was first discovered and Indian independence in 1947, dozens more temples further collapsed, magnificent lakes and water tanks turned into tiny ponds, the nearby river dried up, thousands of statues were looted and sold in international markets, and the deforestation took away the natural beauty and grandeur Khajuraho boasted. And still, what is left is mind-boggling.

More than twenty two magnificent temples with their sky-kissing shikharas, five foot high platforms, well-groomed gardens, and lines of hundred-year-old Mahua trees capture your imagination and throw you instantly into a state of awe and wonder. Considering the explosive population growth in India, Khajuraho is still a humble, peaceful village, and yet fitted with all modern amenities and comforts. Khajuraho is home of more than twenty hotels and is connected to all metropolitan cities of India by road, train, and air.

It is in this Khajuraho the Himalayan Institute is lucky to have a campus. The Institute’s premises is just ten kilometers from the main temple complex of Khajuraho and is surrounded by hills in three directions. Bordered by thousands of acres forest preserve, once fully developed, this campus will speak without using a word what Khajuraho would have been during its peak.

Program Details: 2011 program closed, no longer taking registration