Rishikul Yogshala 200hr Yoga Teacher Training – Pokhara, Nepal FAQ

August 17, 2017April 16, 2018 by Katie | 1 Comment

Hiya! WTF is this post about? Let me decode that title. Rishikul Yogshala is the school in India where I was formally trained as a yoga teacher. I’m an RYT or registered yoga teacher with a 200-hour certification. Although Rishikul’s founding school is in Rishikesh, India, the birthplace of yoga, Rishikesh holds teacher trainings in many places. I completed my training in Pokhara, Nepal in 2015.

Since that time, I’ve written a post about my experience during the 200hr teacher training. I get dozens of emails each year from prospective students, all over the world, asking all kinds of things. I thought it’d be cool to outline them all here as a guide for future students and a reference for anyone thinking about participating in a yoga teacher training. The following are all questions I’ve received. If there’s something you’d like to know that you don’t see, just ask and I’ll add it to the list.

My 200hr Yoga Teacher Training Experience with Rishikul Yogshala in Pokhara, Nepal

April 19, 2017April 23, 2017 by Sarah | 12 Comments

I first published this post a year ago, but I woke up dreaming of Nepal this morning, so I wanted to share it again.

Want more yoga and exercise? Become a woods warrior, try this lower body workout, then end the day with bedtime stretches that relieve lower back pain. Check out my 200hour yoga teacher training experience and read about the school I attended here.

PEOPLE! I’m officially a yoga teacher. What does that mean? Well, last night I registered and paid my dues with the Yoga Alliance. The Yoga Alliance is the largest nonprofit association representing the yoga teaching community. Basically registering with the Yoga Alliance gives one credibility because they review the certificate of completion from your yoga teacher training course work and all that other good stuff. It’s a seal of approval and something to make you sound super official when you prance into a studio looking for a job. I haven’t started that part of the process yet, even though if you recall, one of my New Years resolutions was to teach a class by the end of January. Lay off, I have one more week!

Should I pursue a yoga teacher training?

With that mini hurdle (shelling out $105.00 for a figurative stamp of approval) out of the way, I’m feeling pretty official over here and I wanted to share my experience beginning to end with you just in case you’re contemplating a 200 hour course. First you have to ask yourself all those hard questions like, “Am I willing to put my body through mild forms of torture for 28 days?” “Am I that into yoga?” “Do I plan on teaching?” “Do I value my self practice enough to pay upwards of $2,000-$4,000 to improve it?” All these extremely valid questions that honestly, I did not ask myself until after I put down the $200 deposit with my school. I just went for it and then my mind threw all these questions at me immediately after I confirmed my payment method. That’s how I handle life altering decisions, you too? Continue reading …

Yoga Teacher Training Packing List

September 20, 2016June 22, 2017 by Sarah | 2 Comments

Namaste. Ready for your yoga retreat? Freaking out because you’re so excited and don’t know what to pack? Sweet. I gotcha covered. You basically need nothing except a great attitude, but I’ll round out the list with a few other essentials.

Ever since posting about my experience at Rishikul Yogshala’s 200hr Yoga Teacher Training in Nepal, I received emails from prospective students asking, ‘WTF do I pack?!’ and the answer is so simple. You don’t need much. Imagine what you take to a yoga studio each time you go to practice. Imagine all the things you leave at home. Now pack accordingly.

Yoga Teacher Training / Retreat Packing List:

Yoga mat
Drink bottle
Hand towel
Full sized towel / yoga towel if you use one
Light blanket or sarong (this is really more of a travel in general must, but it’s very useful if your retreat is going to incorporate Yoga nidra or if you get cold during savasana.)
A few yoga outfits – whatever that means to you.
Slip on shoes – flip flops or something similar since you’ll be slipping in and out of your shoes each time you enter the studio.
A notebook and pen
A light read or an ipod with some calming tunes. Sometimes you’ll need to fall asleep (teacher training starts early!), but you’ll still feel energized from all the asana so bring a tool that drifts you off to dreamland.
A snack to quell hunger at inconvenient times. I usually take raw pine nuts, almonds or walnuts or a box of these fig bars.

Things To Leave At Home:

Expectations
Extra Work (including your blog, sorry!)
Social Media & Your Love of Wifi

That rounds out the essentials. Here’s the complete Yoga Teacher Training Packing List that I used specifically for the Rishikul Yogshala 200hr YTT in Pokhara, Nepal.

If you are contemplating a yoga teacher training, I highly recommend Rishikul Yogshala.

*This post contains affiliate links, but don’t worry, I only link to products I currently use and love.

Rishikul Yogshala Yoga Teacher Training Schedule

September 11, 2015September 20, 2016 by Sarah | 3 Comments

Take a look inside Rishikul Yogshala’s 200 hour yoga teacher training in Pokhara, Nepal.

Sarah here :

Today marks my fourth full day of yoga teacher training in Pokhara, Nepal. Only one more day and then I have a whole half day to myself on Sunday! Because we’re squeezing a 200 hour training into 28 days, the schedule is absolutely packed. I thought it would be fun to share it here to give you an idea of what I’ve been up to the past week.

5-5:30AM Morning Tea
5:30-7 Hatha Yoga
7-7:15 Tea Break
7:15-8:15 Pranayama aka breath work
8:15-9 Yoga Nidra
9-10:30 Breakfast
10:30-11:45 Yoga Philosophy
11:45-noon Tea Break
noon-1PM Mantra Yoga aka chanting sanskrit
1:15-3 Lunch & Rest aka Lunch and shopping at my new favorite store
3-4 Yoga Anatomy
4-6 Ashtanga Yoga
6:15-7:15 Meditation – Today the theme was self love. It was so amazing.
7:30-8:30 Dinner

So that’s that. Lots of learning, practicing and tea all day long. Each teacher is inspiring and full of knowledge. I feel extremely lucky to be here and that feeling carries me through the long days. If you’re wondering how we fill three and a half hours of asana practice, just imagine holding each pose for an excruciating amount of time and then repeating that four or five times. As much as I hate holding wheel for ten breaths, it’s kind of nice to go into each pose slowly with so much detailed instruction. Today we worked on handstands and arm balances in the morning and in the afternoon so. many. down. dogs.

I’m pretty sore, but as of today, I can honestly say I’m having the best time of my life. The days are long, but they’re powerful and magical and I cannot say enough wonderful things about my teachers. Each and every session I am reminded why I chose to train in the east with Indian teachers, my new yoga family. I can’t wait to share more about this trip, if you have any questions, just ask!

A nature-inspired lifestyle blog.

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