Yoga has been a part of India’s culture and history for over 5,000 years. Better known as the birthplace of Yoga, it is no surprise that it is the preferred choice for students looking to learn or excel their Yoga skills today. If that isn’t convincing you, here are our top reason why one has to learn Yoga in India.

Discover the birth place of Yoga: India is an ancient land, rich in cultural heritage. Apart from learning Yoga, one can explore the length and breadth of this vast country and get a better understanding of its history, architecture, geography, traditions as well as discover its many ancient wellness systems including Yoga.
Yoga postures can be learnt anywhere but when it come to the spiritual aspect of Yoga – that benefits mind and soul, this can be experienced only in India.

Most visitors who come to India take back with them spiritual and philosophical learning that comes with Yoga. The country offer different schools offering different styles of Yoga, across different cities and different topographies.

Experience living in Ashrams:

Most of the Yoga schools in India are located in Ashrams. Ashrams are similar to monasteries, designed with simplicity in mind. Surrounded by positive energies, one could gain self-control living in an ashram.
Studying yoga in India and especially in ashrams prohibits smoking, drinking and consuming meat and encourages a holistic lifestyle with their meditation and Yoga classes and Saatvic food. The positive changes one experiences here is sure to encourage students to continue these healthy habits when they return home.

Learn your Mantras:

Mantras are hymns chanted to increase positivity around oneself. The combination of sound, breath and rhythm are called chants and they have a significant impact on your internal emotions and also provide with ample health benefits. Learning Yoga in India also means learning these Mantras that will strengthen your immune system, nervous system and reduce stress. These mantras are Sanskrit phrases that are arranged in a particular manner to increase the energy level of the chakras and body.

All Yogasutras are in the form of the shlokas or such Sanskrit phrases. One must experience the rhythm of Mantras to understand the power of the same.

Learn Yoga from the Gurus:

Yoga is not a course but a culture that runs through India, like a river. Yoga is the union of one’s body, mind and soul. The basic understanding of Yoga is learnt from its birth place and from the Gurus or spiritual leaders in India.
Today, Yoga might have become a health trend but its roots are strong and in India one may be fortunate enough to learn from the best. The Gurus are known to conduct daily satsangs where students can gather and have various discussions with the guru. Some of the Yoga schools here still offer the Guru-Shishya parampara. Here every student is given equal importance and personal attention from their teacher. Besides asanas there is a lot of emphasis on understanding the Yoga philosophy. Students can choose a Yoga school in India according to their style of Yoga.

Some of the popular Guru-led schools in India are Swami Shivananda Yoga School in Rishikesh, Ramamani Iyengar Memorial Yoga Institute in Pune, Sri K Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Institute in Mysore, Krishnamacharya Yoga Mandiram in Chennai and Kaivalyadhama Yoga Institute in Lonavla (Pune).

Learning Yoga is economical in India:

Traditionally Yoga was taught by a Guru who considered his student worthy of his learning, for free. While that has changed, India still offers excellent value with Yoga training programs that to suit all budgets. The value of a package goes beyond its price as only in India can you experience Yoga and meditation on the banks of the holy river Ganges – an experience of a lifetime.

A Yoga journey in India promises to be enriching and rewarding. With English widely spoken, a strong air, rail and road transport network in place, easy mobile/wi-fi networks in place, travelling and experiencing India is easy and fairly safe. Whether in India or elsewhere one must always remain vigil about their surroundings and take care of where they go, what they eat and how they behave. Visitors can also meet like-minded, yoga students from different parts of the world at their Yoga school.

Remember to keep your mind open for the country is like a box of surprises filled with knowledge, wisdom, spirituality, humbleness and hospitality and much more. One will never regret his journey to India to learn the beautiful science of Yoga.

To explore our various Yoga Teacher Training programs in India, Click here or contact us at cs@ayuruniverse.com