If you love yoga and you’re looking to become a teacher, there is no better place than India. Dharamsala in particular as it’s home to the Tibetans and also to the Dalai Lama. It is a place of pure bliss, peace, and tranquility. Life there is rich in yogic culture and you will feel inspired as you learn the ancient art of yoga and all it’s depth. Here are five good reasons to do your yoga training in Dharamsala, India.
1. The Birthplace of Yoga
What better reason to go to India and take yoga teacher training than the fact it is the birthplace of yoga. If you live in the West, the true meaning of yoga has perhaps been lost in translation. There tends to be a competitive nature in the practice. Yoga is seen as a means of exercise or stretching because you sit at a desk for too long. We push ourselves past the limits, which is nothing like the nurturing practice it is meant to be.
To really learn what yoga is about, going to the source is the best way. In Dharamsala, the people that will teach you how to be a teacher know an abundance of information that includes the Yoga Sutras, Bhagavad Gita, and the essential texts. Yoga is holistic and includes many facets of life. This includes a specific diet and philosophy.
2. Yogic Philosophy
Yoga in itself can make one healthy and give you a good body but it’s so much more. It’s about how you live and treat others. This is the importance of studying the deep roots. The philosophy of yoga. Within the philosophy of yoga lies the depths of how people are. When you are in India, and especially Dharamsala, you experience the open heartedness of people. They truly understand and embody the full concept of yoga to it’s deepest core. When you experience this, you will take it with you and give it to your students later on.
3. It Costs Less Than Other Places
Despite all of the rich benefits you gain from taking yoga teacher training in India, it is going to cost less than other places in the world. You’ll get food and boarding for the time of your immersion too. Even when you consider the cost of the plane ticket to get you there, it’s still going to be less money than you’d spend in other places. Not only that but you get to spend time in a brand new country while getting your yoga teacher training certification.
4. The Opportunity to Really Let Go
Let’s face it, in Western society, we are pretty spoiled. We have so much and yet tend to ruminate about things we don’t have. It’s easy to become depressed and feel a sense of emptiness. Spending some time in a place like India will make you see that not everyone has it so good. There is something so raw about seeing the kind of poverty that exists here. In a way, it strips away the part of you that feels empty, the ego.
When you see that people are happy despite their poverty, you will begin to realize that there is no need to feel greedy or worry about material things. There is something about the reality of India that makes you see that. The competitive nature just falls away and all of a sudden, you’re living the philosophy of yoga. For most, they are never the same again.
5. You’re connected with Life
There is an energy that exists amongst the air of the Himalayas that can’t quite be explained. You have to experience it yourself. The people have warmth in their hearts and you’ll always get smiles wherever you go. The people have a vibrancy and aliveness to them. You’ll have the opportunity to have conversations about the depth of life and spirituality. With everyone being so open, the possibilities of new friendships exist around every corner. Other people coming here from abroad are usually on a very similar journey so it’s easy to connect and make lifelong friends.
If you feel like going out for dinner, you may just end up at a live music jam session full of life and energy. There are a lot of musicians that come to the area. If you just want to be with yourself, you can always find a place outdoors. There are a thousand places to sit down and meditate or just self-reflect.
What you will experience during yoga teacher training in Dharamsala will give you an incredible foundation to inspire your future students. You will form everlasting bonds with wonderful people and when you return home, you will feel a brand new person. This has been a common answer to anyone who has ever had the chance to take their yoga teacher training in the birthplace of yoga.
Author Bio: Meera Watts is a yoga teacher, entrepreneur and mom. Her writing on yoga and holistic health has appeared in Elephant Journal, CureJoy, FunTimesGuide, OMtimes and others. She’s also the founder and owner of SiddhiYoga.com, a yoga teacher training school based in Singapore. Siddhi Yoga runs intensive, residential trainings in India (Rishikesh, and Dharamshala), Indonesia (Bali). You can take a look at her website here.
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