So you’re traveling to India and wondering where to study Yoga and what to do? First of all, that makes me so happy! Traveling to India makes you embrace the possibilities for growth on all levels of the human personality, or at least it did that for me.

Like with any course or any country one travels to my first recommendation is to keep the teachings of what resonates with you and be able to leave the rest. The second tip is to deliberately do what drives you out of the comfort zone and experiment with your own limits.

Perhaps allowing the extremes to manifest so that you can find your own balance, which I believe is different for each individual journey.

To start off if you have not done Yoga and want the full Ashram experience (that is, yoga, meditation, mantra, and philosophy) I would recommend: 

• The Sivananda Yoga Vacation programs for a light and quick start to ashram life, yoga philosophy, as well as INDIA in general 🙂 They offer yoga vacation in various spots throughout India, my favorite one being in Neyyar Dam, Kerala. Check them out at: http://sivananda.org.in/neyyardam/yoga-vacation/
• Amma Ashram in Kerala: A beautiful and serene ashram in located in Kerala with the backwaters in sight  (and only a few hours from Neyyar Dam). I recommend booking a retreat if going there, otherwise, do a drop-in class if you can only go for a few days. https://amritayoga.com/
• If going to Rishikesh (see below!) try the Paramath Niketan Ashram with meals, classes, meditation and mantra all included in the daily program. https://www.parmarth.org/ashram/

 Rishikesh in North India

• Rishikesh; also called the Yoga Capital of the World. Basically offers yoga on every corner and a great place to start your journey to India
• The Pool Chatti Ashram offers great 7 day courses for getting into the flow with philosophy, yoga, mantras, kriyas etc 🙂 phoolchattiyoga.com
  
• For a more serious tone study with Iyengar Yoga’s disciple Usha. She is hardcore and might slap you, so watch out! Once in a class, she yelled at me “YOU’RE WEAK, YOU’RE WEAK!” and I had to put all my mindfulness and meditation into practice to just tell myself “let it go, life is always changing”. In other words, practicing with Usha can be quite humbling and scary at the same time. I’m glad I have done it and would practice there again for a REAL physical, mental and emotional challenge.  https://www.iyengaryoga.in/

Dharamshala in North India

Dharamshala is a terrific place to start your journey to India, and it’s “only” an 8 – 10-hour bus ride from Rishikesh (which in India is not a lot, trust me, I was once on a train for 80 HOURS from southern India to Bihar. Needless to say, it was delayed? One of the best things about Dharamshala is the amazing location surrounded by the Himalayan mountain range. The Tibetan Dalai Lama also resides in Dharamshala, making it auspicious and filled with loving kindness and endless wisdom. I would say it is a MUST place to visit when in India.

• Do the 7 to 10-day meditation courses with the Tibetan monks. Such a beautiful and serene place on earth. http://tushita.info/
• The Himalayan Iyengar Yoga Insitute in Dharamkot is a great yoga school that offers regular classes and courses in Dharamshala. https://www.hiyogacentre.com/en/

Pune in West India

• Another good place to start off your Yoga and Meditation journey is at the Osho International Meditation Resort in  Pune. Plus side is that you can get to know and practice a tremendous variety of yoga and meditation practices. I have done everything from tai-chi to different kinds of martial arts there, in addition to a meditation practice to fit every waking personality. The best part is that the program last the whole day every day, and it’s mostly all drop-in! So you can figure out what your favorite practices are and stick to them (OR challenge yourself and don’t).  They also offer some volunteer programs making it cheaper. The downside is it being westernized, so perhaps not so authentic? And costly, especially if you’re a backpacker.  https://www.osho.com/visit

• This is a 100 hrs online and 100 hrs in India at an ashram in between Pune and Bombay. I haven’t personally done it but it seems comprehensive and I have heard good feedback from friends living in Pune. This also includes all aspects of yoga from philosophy, to postures, breathwork, and meditation. https://kdham.com/yoga-instructors-course/

Bihar in East India

• Bihar School of Yoga Personally, I have completed the 4-month yogic studies course here and would recommend it to anyone who needs a real challenge and change in life, one of the most difficult and best journeys I have made in life – EVER. This is traditional Yoga, the monastic ancient way and is grounded in the yoga philosophy and scriptures. If you have never been exposed to traditional yoga before, this might not be the very first place to go.

• Last on the list of things to do in India:
  Complete a 10-day vipassana silence and breath awareness course. This is difficult, so I would not recommend it to be your first experience with meditation, silence or mindfulness. I did my first course in Bodhgaya, the birthplace of Buddha in Bihar. An amazing place for pilgrims all over the world. If you have the possibility to complete it there I would highly recommend it. https://www.dhamma.org/en/locations/directory