India is the birthplace of yoga. Yoga has been practiced in India for thousands of years by our seers and sages. There are detailed manuscripts on yoga of those times which clearly show how well developed was this science. The understanding of the human system and beyond it, of the mental and consciousness domain was so profound that it is only today that we are in a position to verify the scientific facts associated with it. As India and the world has awakened to the benefits of this ancient practice, it is gaining widespread popularity and is being adopted as a way of life. To this end, there has been a growing demand of learning yoga from India. To meet this demand, a number of yoga schools in India have been established in last three decades. Although these have come up in all States, some cities or towns are particularly noted for providing the teacher’s training courses in yoga (YTTCs).
Major Yoga Training Hubs
Some cities of India have long been popular for yoga because yoga centers were established there long before and were run by popular teachers. Rishikesh, Haridwar, Pune, Mysore, Chennai and Dharamshala are examples of these types of cities.
Some cities where yoga centers have come up are major urban or tourist center, such as Delhi, Gurugram, Noida, Goa, Bengaluru and Mumbai. The reasons for these becoming yoga hubs is because of the high level of attraction among the people for practicing yoga in order to be have healthy body and mind which can meet challenges posed by fast-paced lifestyle of these cities.
So, when you decided to joining a TTC or a yoga class in any of these cities, you can expect to find some elements quite commonly. These are discussed below.
5 Major Components of A Yoga TTC
- Hatha yoga
- Ashtanga Vinyasa Flow yoga
- Anatomy and Physiology
- Pranayama
- Meditation
The Hatha Yoga: The word ‘Hatha’ means ‘force’. Therefore, Hatha yoga means doing certain physical exercises with due stubbornness in order to make physique strong. The traditional practice requires performance of certain asanas under Hatha yoga which can be graded as per different levels of difficulty. These asanas or postures are required to be done at proper time and with right alignment and posture. This is the most ancient form of yoga which was
Ashtanga Vinyasa Flow yoga: Literally, ‘ashtanga’ means ‘eight limbs’. This yoga style is a modern version of the ancient yoga. It was developed by K. Pattabhi Jois during the 20th century. It is also popularly called the Mysore style of yoga. In this, a sequence of asanas and movement is to be remembered and practiced. It is taught in three series of yoga classes-primary, intermediate and advanced. Many consider Pranayama, Bandhas and Mantras to be a part of Ashtanga Yoga.
Anatomy and Physiology: Instructions about the anatomy and physiology are central to practice of yoga to understand the effect of each and every posture and movement on body and mind. Knowledge of different organs and body systems is provided so that these can be correlated with impact of yoga exercises.
Pranayama: In yoga classes of India, you will surely have sessions on breathing exercises. These are called ‘pranayama’ collectively. Inhalation, exhalation and holding of breath are three components which are practiced in these exercises.
Meditation: Meditation is helpful in brining calmness to mind and making it stable. Lessons are given on how to do meditation and what are the impacts of meditation on our body and mind.
These teacher training courses also impart training on holding classes in a systematic manner. This is to make it easier for the new teachers to conduct and manage their classes. Every minute detail is taken care of so that the teachers do not face any issue. These classes instill confidence among the new trainers.