Six Weeks in India: Lessons From Yoga Teacher Training

Overcoming Fears and Personal Challenges While Breaking Habits and Beliefs

Photograph by Aleksa Georg

Writing this article makes me uneasy. On one hand, I want to be painfully honest about the cultural shock I experienced. But on the other, I don’t want to leave anyone bewildered and discourage them from stepping into the land of spirituality.

Going to India has never been on my to-do list. But with my yearning desire to learn more about yoga and my rigidity for this to happen in a traditional environment, India was the first to choose from.

When I was searching for a place to undergo my first yoga teacher training, my requirements were simple:

• it had to follow ancient scriptures
• it had to be internationally renowned
• it had to be one of the oldest institutions

After a month of research, I narrowed it down to three options:

• Kpjay shala
• The Yoga Institute
• Gordhandas Seksaria Yoga College

Because I had deliberately persuaded my not-at-all-interested boyfriend to join me on this journey, the decision was to start with a short-term course. Such was the six- Certificate Course in…