200 hours yoga teacher training in Goa Archives

13Apr

Yoga Teacher Training: Consent and Safe Touch in Modern Yoga Practice ( adiyogam)

Yoga Teacher Training: Consent & Safe Touch in Modern Yoga Practice

Yoga as a global wellness movement inculcates instruction, student-oriented teaching and most importantly Consent in Yoga Practice.

Even though yoga is a traditional and an ancient practise, consent and safe touch have always been important aspects and remain to be relevant in today’s time more than ever. Although hands on adjustments is a major part of teaching in yoga, the contemporary times acknowledge the need for conscious touching.

This means that touch cannot always be neutral. It carries psychological, emotional as well as physical implications. Therefore it becomes a responsibility of the teacher to include consent and safe touch in the modern yoga practice, not just as his ethical responsibility but also as an able teacher.

What is the Importance of Consent in Yoga?

Consent in layman terms means to take permission from someone. In the field of yoga it is applied in the sense when the teacher asks consent from his students to engage in physical touch.

Although it is essential to understand that consent need not be a one-time question. It is a dialogue that remains ongoing throughout the session. May be the first day the student may not be comfortable with you on an emotional as well as a physical level.

So giving clear instructions and verbal cues could be helpful. But may be with time when the student starts trusting you and he is comfortable around you he or she may ask you for physical assistance in correction of the alignment or in hands on adjustment.

Yoga Teacher Training Ethics Involves Respecting the Fluidity of the Students Choice.

Touch – Defines the Integrity of Teaching

It is perhaps one of the most sensory experiences. Touch is in fact the only experience that delivers comfort intention, safety, discomfort and withdrawal.

Safe touch in Yoga therefore becomes one of the most important tools to inculcate as a teacher to define your integrity.

Whether your class group consists of children, women, elderly or even people of your gender and your age. Practicing safe touch and consent based teaching is what will help you grow both professionally as well as enhance deeper connections with your students and clients.

How to Ensure Consent as a Teacher

Verbal Consent – As a teacher you should make sure that the consent is clear and accessible. So you can take verbal consent from your students by directly asking them if they would like a hands on adjustment in the posture or asana they are into.

Or maybe just take a simple permission before touching the student’s body while offering him guidance in any of the poses. A simple question such as –

May I touch you?
Is it ok if I place my hands here?
Should I help you with this?

Tokens/ Cards – In many yoga schools as well as studios, there are tokens or consent cards. For instance the green cards usually signal a go ahead and a red card signals a no. The communication is clear even without the verbal interference.

Nonverbal Signals – The non-verbal signals would basically include body movements.

For instance a student can simply respond in a nod or raise a hand as a gesture of approval or denial. So observing the student’s body language is important in teaching.

Check ins – Lastly in spite of all the above methods of consent you should still observe the student and see if they are comfortable despite offering you approval to touch them. You can consciously adjust your interference based on their hesitation or comfort levels.

Possible Alternatives for Physical Adjustments

Say your student is not comfortable with the physical touch at all, but he needs assistance in posture correction or asana guidance. You can still effectively teach by including alternatives such as clear verbal instructions, demonstrations, encouraging to use props like bolsters, straps, blocks etc. as well as visual references.

All of these alternatives are powerful and effective and they will allow the student to grow independently.

Respect the Cultural & Physical Boundaries of Students

Respecting the cultural and physical boundaries of your students is perhaps one of the most potent tools for you. This is because your class group can come from varied cultural and personal backgrounds. So it is important to respect and value their cultural norms as well as gender based interactions.

Work on Trust Building

Trust is one of the most important bridges that will help you connect with your student. Often the students will be more physically comfortable around you when they start trusting you.

So make sure that right from your first class you are able to offer a space to your students where they can naturally unfold themselves and begin to trust you to help you guide them in their yoga journey.

Legal Considerations

Consent includes legal considerations. So if you do not take proper consent or your touch feels wrong or unsafe to the students, you may have to face complaints and encounter liability issues. This is the reason why many professional yoga institutes include consent policies and offer guidelines for safe touch.

Trauma Informed Yoga & its Necessity in Today’s Time

Touch is a unique bodily sensation that carries emotional and psychological experiences. Sometimes these experiences are good and sometimes they are trauma based. Involving in safe touch and consent based teaching help you become an able teacher.

Today many Yoga courses offered by certified yoga schools like the 200 hours yoga teacher training in goa include the importance of safe touch and consent based teaching. This is in addition to offering you Yoga philosophy, Asana practice breath work sessions, teaching methodology etc. This is because the course should not only give you professional certification, but also enable you to grow overall.

05Mar

Cost vs Value: Why 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Goa Is More Affordable than the US & Europe

A yoga teacher training is one of the most amazing ways to uplift not only your personal yoga journey. But also pave a professional pathway for yourself that helps your career bloom.

In this regard, the 200 hours Affordable yoga courses in Goa have become really popular and has emerged as one of the most opted Yoga courses globally.

Today, there are many global destinations that offer certification courses. But Goa has topped as a global favourite in terms of offering not just an attractive location. But also an authentic learning in something like yoga.

India is not only the birthplace of yoga, but also happens to be a safe haven for Yogis who want to experience yoga beyond the physical levels. This is where Goa along with its coastal beauty, amazing infrastructure, a supportive community and a multicultural environment offers you the right atmosphere. This is what brings balance between cost and value offering.

Let’s dive into understand how the 200 hours yoga teacher training in Goa is more affordable and better than the US and Europe.

Why the World Prefers 200 Hours Yoga Teacher Training in Goa over Bali & Rishikesh

It is no surprise that a yoga course that you will receive in India will be way different from the ones you will receive in Bali or other global destinations. This is because India is the birth place of yoga. Therefore, the atmosphere and the serenity that you will experience in your classes will be unmatched.

Now when it comes to Goa, on top of being a coastal beauty it is also the new favourite Yoga hub for Yogis across all age groups and backgrounds. This is because of the various offerings and facilities Goa can offer.

One cannot just come here as a student who wants to take up a serious and committed yoga teacher training lesson. But also as someone who wants to enjoy his vacation while practicing yoga, Or wants to work while randomly dropping in for a few yoga sessions.

Goa vs Rishikesh vs Bali

Selecting the right destination becomes a really important part of your training journey. This is because the right location will not only elevate your overall experience, but it will play a major role in deciding how you experience yoga beyond the training purposes.

Rishikesh is also popularly known as the yoga capital. Even though it has a spiritual atmosphere and an ashram style learning model. Yet it may not be most favourable in terms of its climate.

Also, sometimes the discipline required to follow its routines can be difficult. Especially for beginners or people who want to experience yoga as an additional activity in their everyday life.

Bali on the other hand is also famous for its Island beauty and luxury Yoga facilities. It has Wellness retreats that feel like luxury. Yet the training cost in Bali could be really high as compared to Goa or Rishikesh. So it may not be best for people who are running on a budget.

Also if you are someone who wants to take a traditional philosophy based training course then Bali may not be the best place. Although it is really cool for its retreat experience.

Goa – The coastal beauty of India is the perfect blend of Rishikesh as well as Bali. This is because it not only offers the authenticity in its training courses along with following the classical yoga philosophies under instructors who have grown up living the yogic way of life.

But it also offers a beach kind of environment. So whether it is the beautiful mystical Energy of the ocean inspires you to meditate and unwind. Or be it the local activities in Goa that allow you to experience other aspects of being a yogi, Goa offers you everything.

It is also growing popular as a yoga destination because it caters to a multicultural yoga community and it is safe for international travellers as well as solo tourists and women.

In terms of fees and the cost of living, it is very much affordable and it blends traditional learning along with a lifestyle that invites deep transformation.

How Yoga Alliance Certification from Goa Impacts Your Career

Yoga Alliance Certification

Most of the yoga schools offer Yoga Alliance certified course in Goa. The Yoga Alliance is an international organisation that certifies and sets global standards for Yoga teacher training. This not only ensures that the certifications you receive are authentic, but are also eligible to help you establish a global career.

International Teaching Opportunities

Receiving a certification in yoga teaching from Goa will benefit you in expanding your career opportunities. It will not only help you grow as a yoga teacher. But it will allow you to grow as an international yoga teacher.

You can not only explore teaching at various global studios. But you can conduct private classes, online yoga classes, collaborate with workshops and wellness centres to offer meaningful retreats.

Freelance + Retreat Career Growth

In addition to teaching, you can also grow as Freelancer. You can practice yoga teacher training in addition to your personal practice. Also, you can explore various other fields like physiotherapy or become a fitness coach or even go into consultations for mental health. The certifications help you teach confidently as well as the skills will allow you to attach with wellness and retreat centres.

Conclusion

The reason Goa stands out in terms of offering you a 200 hours YTT Course in Goa is not just in terms of the cost and value. But also in terms of the overall experience, spirituality, personal growth, and authenticity that you will experience being a student in this coastal beauty.

Goa not only is affordable but is also globally accessible and supports a holistic environment that will help you develop and transform from a student to a teacher.

14Jan

Discover 5 Transformative Benefits of Traveling to India for Yoga Training

Discover 5 Transformative Benefits of Traveling to India for Yoga Teacher Training

“To other countries I may go as a tourist but to India I come as a pilgrim” – Martin Luther King Junior.

Truly, visiting India is not just about check listing a certain destination, but it is about opening yourself to a journey of transformation, possibilities and deep healing and introspection for yogis and wellness lovers across the globe. Visiting India especially for yoga teacher training in India is more than just an educational decision. But it is about opting a transformative and deeply healing life experience

India is the birth place of yoga. Which other place to go for learning authentic yoga than India? The country not only offers a supportive environment but it creates a ecosystem where yoga is intertwined with everyday life, philosophy, practices and culture. Coming to India for a YTTC course will allow the yoga students move beyond the surface level understanding and techniques and to implement the teachings of the yogic philosophies and experience yoga as a way of life.

Whether it is the inspiring Ganges of the Rishikesh, or the tranquil beaches of Goa, the Ashram’s yoga schools and retreats in India offer an immersive experience where yoga becomes a journey to self-discovery and helps you find your why in life.

Let’s dive into discover 5 transformative benefits of traveling to India for yoga teacher training.

Enjoy the Opportunity to Learn Yoga the Authentic Way

One of the best parts about visiting India for undertaking a yoga teacher training course is about learning yoga in its most authentic and raw form. Since India is the birth place of yoga, you will first hand experience the benefits of yoga.

You will find the perfect amalgamation of the yogic philosophies, everyday rituals, asana practice and other core elements of yoga that make the Yogi someone who actually understands yoga beyond the physical aspect.

The best part about drawing in a certain yoga school in India is that –

You would be learning the philosophical knowledge from classical yogic textbooks that have been preserved over centuries.
In addition to engaging in alignment based physical asana practice, you would also engage in breath work techniques such as pranayama and learn the importance of breadth as the core of yoga.
Apart from this, you would engage in spiritual practices such as meditation and mindfulness that open up the gateway to your inner self and make you more aware about your body and mind.
Additionally, you will also experience therapeutic sessions of Sound healing, mantra chanting, Kirtan and living life with the yogic principles.

Find Deep Transformation Through Practice

Yoga is all about practice and consistency. Nobody turns up on the mat and suddenly achieves a certain asana. Any particular posture or transition is a result of dedicated engagement to your practice and awareness about how your body and reacts to movement.

When engaged authentic style yoga teacher training course in India, you will find deep transformation both at personal level and in the physical practice. Throughout the routine of your yoga school, your day would start early with the sun and you would have to inculcate disciplined practice, mindful eating, ethical living and clarity to experience the cultural and spiritual immersion offered in India.

Experience the Right Technique with the Diverse Yogic Traditions

The best part about coming to India for yoga is the diversity you will find in various styles of yoga and the various lineages you can pick your style from. Different parts of the country follow different yoga styles and traditions and the students have the freedom to pick whatever suits the best for them. For instance,

Rishikesh is popular for hosting Hatha Yoga style. This yoga style is the foundation of all yoga styles and offers as a foundational course for advanced styles.
Mysore is home to the Ashtanga style of yoga which has been made popular by K Pattabhi Jois.
Pune is home to the Iyengar style of yoga which has been made popular by BKS Iyengar.
Goa has become one of the most loved destinations in India for its coastal beauty authentic yoga schools that offer 200 hours yoga teacher training in Goa. The 200 hours YTT is a foundational course that introduces students to the right way of learning and teaching yoga. In addition to this, Goa is popular for retreats tranquil beauty that the Yogis seek.

Have a Certified World Class Training that Offers Global Credibility

The entire purpose behind enrolling for a yoga teacher training course is to gain credibility and certification that allows you to share your yoga knowledge with the world. Any kind of teacher training course is learning the right way and mastering that skill along with gaining professional credibility and certification that allows you to establish yourself in that niche. India offers certified YTTC courses recognized both by the Yoga Alliance as well as AYUSH. You can pick the course depending upon your needs budget and timeframes.

Come as a Practitioner, Return as a Yogi

In India yoga is not just a physical practice that people follow to remain fit. But it is a way of life. There is a reason that for centuries the traditional rituals, ceremonies, mindful living and yogic life has been preserved over generations.

When you come to train here as a student, you get a chance to experience the ceremonies associated with yoga, traditional rituals, local customs, community learning and mindful living. This allows you to shift your perspective from the commercial and technical aspects and view yoga as a more grounded and mindful way of living.

What makes India unique over other destinations?

The reason that India is unique when it comes to yoga is because of the authenticity factor. And most importantly for the fact that the authenticity does not gets compromised in spite of aligning with the modern day requirements, certifications and challenges such as over commercialization of yoga.

Who can consider training in India?

Anyone and everyone who wishes to practice yoga consider training in India. Whether you are a beginner in yoga or an advanced practitioner who wants to take up professional yoga teacher training courses. Or whether your goal is to simply enhance your personal practice and learn the yogic principles, India happens to be just the perfect place.

26Dec

Explore Sound Healing Vibes: Singing Bowl Tones, Mantras & Frequencies

Sound healing has been an an ancient form of healing that holds spiritual significance. For instance, the Anahat Naad, the powerful vibration associated with Lord Shiva is believed to be the ultimate source of the Brahman (Universe) – that is cosmic sound. It is basically a hum or a vibration that is linked with the core being and is believed to deeply connect us to the univer that personifies Shiva’s presence.

It is believed in yogic philosophies that Mantra chanting creates powerful sound healing vibes and resembles a vibration of consciousness, awakening and peace. As per the Hindu philosophy, Lord Shiva is believed to be the source of creation and the Anahat Naad resembled by the Om Chant is a personification of his divine energy. It is believed that the entire universe was created with this naad and therefore the entire idea of healing one’s physical and cosmic body through sound makes sense.

Even though we live in a modern world, practices such as Singing bowls, Mantras and their healing frequencies create resonance and act therapeutically to relax the body, mind and heal one’s energy. Practicing Meditations on various sound frequencies further elevates the benefits of Meditation. Therefore sound healing has today become a powerful addition to yoga and other wellness practices.

What is Sound Healing? How Vibrations Work as Therapy?

Sound healing can be understood with the simple understanding that everything in the universe is based on vibrations. Even the way sound reaches our ears is through a certain medium where it vibrates on a certain frequency to travels to us. Our bodies are made up of natural elements such as energy, cells, water, the seven chakras and marma points etc. All are based on frequencies. When we are happy these vibrations ring with harmony and when we are upset or ill, these vibrations fall out.

The sound therapy frequencies and study of vibrations has always been an integral part of the ancient Indian yogic philosophy. But Science today proves us, that vibrations not only heal our nervous system. But also shift our states of mind, transports us from stress to peace. Unlike the physical practice of Yoga, sound healing does not require an additional effort. Simply sitting back with a clear mind and giving in to absorb the vibrations will do the Magic.

Notes of the Singing Bowls & the 7 chakras

The Singing bowl healing is one of the most effective ways to heal physical as well as the cosmic body. It is believed that our body has seven chakras and each chakra is a store of energy. From Hindu to Buddhist traditions, the ancient sages have practiced meditation along these seven chakras to find physical, spiritual and emotional balance. These are placed from the crown of the head to the base of the spine. The 7 Chakras and their mantras are –

Mooladhara – Root Chakra – Lam
Svadhishthana – Sacral Chakra – Vam
Manipura – Solar Plexus Chakra – Ram
Anahata – Heart Chakra – Yam
Vishuddhi – Throat Chakra – Ham
Agya – Third Eye Chakra – Om
Sahasara – Crown Chakra – Om

Using the single singing bowl while you are meditating with the mantras on your 7 chakras can be a truly therapeutic and deeply spiritual experience.

Mantras – The Cosmic Channel

Mantras are nothing but sounds or phrases which hold meaning and when pronounced in a certain vibration and frequency affects our body beyond its physical state. Basically mantras are like affirmations and is associated with vibrational signs. It carries deep meaning, energy and rhythm. Mantras not only help you enhance your breathing but also allows you to step in a calm, meditative zone and activate your energy points. Different mantras hold different meaning.

For instance the Om Mantra is called as the sound of the universe and it helps to balance the nervous system. The Gayatri mantra is supposed to bring clarity and inner awakening. And the Shanti mantra brings peace on physical and emotional levels.

Importance of Sound in Yoga & Meditation

Today’s lifestyle is highly stress based. Our lives revolve round shuttling between long hours of work to unhealthy lifestyle patterns, poor nutrition and physical, mental and emotional burnout. Inculcating sound healing alongside yoga and meditation in everyday routine will not only help people to overcome burnout, fatigue and trauma. But naturally lower down body’s cortisol levels, reduce anxiety, help one to better manage their emotions and also improve sleep quality. The best part about sound healing is that, literally anybody can practice it regardless of age, fitness background or medical history.

Conclusion

It is said that listening is an art. But listening deeply is a truly transformative act. Whether it is using singing bowls, chanting sacred mantras or connecting with frequencies to align ourselves, our body responds instantly. Sound healing is one of the most compassionate ways of restoring inner balance and harmony.

If you are someone who enjoys practicing yoga and exploring new locations, enrolling in a 200 hours yoga teacher training in Goa, can be a meaningful choice. The coastal beauty of Goa attracts wellness seekers and Yoga lovers from various corners of the world. 200 hour YTTC is a comprehensive package that offers alignment based yoga postures, teaching methodology, lessons on yogic philosophy, mantra chanting and meditation alongside offering you a professional pathway in the yoga industry.

Cost vs Value: Why 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Goa Is More Affordable than the US & Europe