VISHWA AYURVEDA
Elemental Yoga Teacher Training
( RYT 200 )
While Traveling
India
Winter
January 14 - Feb 9
2 0 2 4
w/ Salwat, Kyle, Will
& other local and international teachers
! Early Bird Discounts !
Includes:
Thai Yoga Massage
Training
With option to attain practitioners certificate in Bali, Indonesia
Includes:
Opportunity to Continue journeying onward to
Bali, Indonesia
For Our RYT 300
Vishwa Ayurveda
Elemental Yoga Therapy Training
" This is indeed India; the land of dreams and romance, of fabulous wealth and fabulous poverty, of splendor and rags, of palaces and hovels, of famine and pestilence,
of genii and giants and Aladdin lamps,
of tigers and elephants, the cobra and the jungle, the country of a thousand nations
and a hundred tongues, of a thousand religions and two million gods, cradle of the human race, birthplace of human speech,
mother of history, grandmother of legend,
great-grandmother of tradition, whose yesterdays bear date with the mouldering antiquities of the rest of the nations
—the one sole country under the sun that is endowed with an imperishable interest
for alien prince and alien peasant,
for lettered and ignorant,
wise and fool, rich and poor, bond and free,
the one land that all men
desire to see,
and having seen once,
by even a glimpse,
would not give that glimpse
for the shows of
all the rest of the globe
combined. "
—Mark Twain,
Following the Equator, 1897
"20 Years from now,
you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones
you did do.
So throw off the bowlines.
Sail away from the safe harbor.
Explore.
Dream.
Discover!
Sincere inquirers should view this site from a laptop rather than a smartphone.
Y o g a T r a i n i n g & J o u r n e y O v e r v i e w :
You've come a long way! You are in !ndia. It's like the other side of another world! Were you planning to visit this other world for the classic "Yoga in India" experience -all at one cushy resort- and then just leave? Or were you thinking to maybe stick around and actually see a bit of this surreal sub-continent ...on your own! ~ Sure, it seems like a great idea, but Please, take it from someone who actually tried to do just that! Like me, they will likely tell you that, even for experienced travelers, going to India without experienced help is... well... You see that monkey on the right hanging on to that train? Oh, the stories I could tell! But this page is not about those wild stories. This page is about making the most of a deep ayurvedic yoga training in India, while making the most of traveling in India, by combining it with a deep yoga training in India.
The Vishwa Yoga Journey: Powerful Ayurvedic Yoga Teacher Training
Incredible Tour of South India & Bali, Indonesia
!COMBINED!
The Training:
5 Elements, Ayurveda & The Meridians:
This unique and powerful yoga teacher / ayurvedic practitioner training is based upon what the Indian system of Ayurveda refers to as the Panch Maha Bhuta (Five Great Elements) as well as the "Elemental Wisdom" in Traditional Chinese Medicine and other congruent "Medicine Wheel" methodologies found throughout the world. However, it is not enough to simply read and discuss the elements to realize their healing and edifying powers. They need to be experienced! Thus, we have conjoined an experiential "tour"{for lack of a better word] of the elements with the elemenatal curriculum - via several magnificent locations. Thus, it is better not to think of this as simply an exciting getaway while you do a typical yoga training. In fact, it is more like a very condensed Masters Degree program rolled into a full month of deep yogic & elemental immersion.
Nearly 20 years ago, Antioch University McGregor (AUM) was so impressed with this self-designed program that they adopted it, unrefined and incomplete, into their Masters degree options. But, meanwhile, the real creator of the program would turn down a teaching job at Antioch and opt to continue to make more than 20 learning excursions to India over nearly 20 years. In this time he added, refined, crafted and conjoined the curriculum within very regions of India that inspired it. In other words, the Vishwa Yoga Journey / Training is leaps and bounds beyond the AUM Masters program, (about $40,000 USD less), and all guided by the same Antioch graduate who created the program. Furthermore, Will has enlisted other great teachers over the years adding even more expertise. And, for 2024, Salwat Hamrah will be teaching half of the program, with Will teaching its beginning and ending portions. Salwat is from Kashmir who started his own trekking company and has a Master's degree in Yoga Therapy from Swami Vivekananda University. He brings many gifts to the program.
What follows is more about the touring aspects of the training. Please go to This Page for more about the curriculum.
It is not about touring India with Yoga.
This is about traversing India, Bali &
The Five Great Elements,
As Yoga!
Yes, this is an infauxmercial, but It really gets at the spirit of our work!
The Journey:
The surroundings themselves are an integral part of the curriculum.
Goa Though there are amazing things we can say about all of these places, I think the thing many people that are escaping a cold northern winter will be happy enough to know is that our first destination is that of a warm tropical beach! Here we will have a rest from our long travel to India and a detailed orientation to Goa, India, the training, and to one another. Goa is a great for this, as it welcomes adventurous yogi-travelers from around the world. It will ease you into India comfortably; as opposed to what could be a shocking plunge elsewhere in the country. And, speaking of plunges, it is in Goa that we Study and experience the Water Element
Bhakti Kutir is a unique eco lodge, just one beautiful hiking minute from Goa's famous Palolem Beach. Here you can experience the luxuries of nature. Here the trees are not removed to build huts. The huts are built around the trees. Literally, some huts have trees growing right up thru them, and some (not all) have outdoor showers that, though still enclosed and private, allow you to shower under the sun or stars. (However, you can also opt for a more "normal", less adventurous, room).
The food is also amazing, with many delicious vegetarian, vegan and raw food choices. BK has its own organic farm from which the food comes; including a green smoothie bar!
Study nature, love nature,
stay close to nature. It will never fail you.
~ Frank Lloyd Wright
Please Note: All lodging throughout the tour is eco-friendly and double occupancy (unless you pay additional expenses for a separate room well ahead of time). Rooms with outdoor showers are limited and may all be taken. All Meals are vegetarian (with vegan options). Also, this training should not be used as an opportunity to detox. Alcohol, Tobacco or similar products are not allowed and such addictions should be overcome before coming.
Dudh Sagar (Milk Sea) is a 2-3 hour (optional) excursion from Goa. Yes! thats a train going in front of the falls! We will be taking that train to Hampi...
HAMPI
Training / Adventour
is NOT for everyone!
If you know you are prone to complain often ~ though knowing it probably isn't going to change anything;
if inconvenience & moderate discomforts disturb you to no end;
if you literally need air-conditioning;
if a dozen ants at the entrance of your bamboo hut can keep you from entering; if mosquito's throw you into conniption fits; if sleeping overnight on a rickety train sounds like punishment for a lifetime of bad karma; if using a squat-toilet illicit's a sense of horror in you;
if you're a shop-a-holic and cannot pass a great bargain, even though you already have more than you can carry alone; If barking dogs, crowing roosters, heat, traffic, crowds...
...you get the idea!
And all of the above is inherent in the nature of this experience:
the challenge, the unexpected,
the unknown,
stepping outside your comfort zone.
This is not a vacation!
Nor is this simply a tour.
We really mean it when we say Training; and we really mean it when we say Adventour!
One of our many Earth Element classrooms
"Hampi is located within the ruins of the city of Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. Predating the city of Vijayanagara, Hampi continues to be an important religious centre, housing the Virupaksha Temple and several other monuments belonging to the old city. The ruins are a UNESCO World Heritage Site." (Wikipedia). Legend also declares it as the birthplace of Hanuman, the monkey god. I would add that the Hindu Flinstones must have lived here as well. Pictures really do not do the place justice, nor does the adjacent video (though a decent attempt at the landscape).
It is at Hampi that we will find our greatest classroom for studying and experiencing the Earth Element.
Besides ancient stone ruins, Hampi is also considered the world's Mecca for Bouldering (a type of Rock Climbing). Therefore we had to make it an option. Nevertheless, it is entirely optional! If so, our guide is likley to be Vikas. Since I met him back in 2010 (when he was only 16) he has become a rock climbing rock star. We knew he was potentailly a great climber even back then -before he was discovered- and back when he did it with bare feet!
Meet Vikas....
Climbing OPTION (...on your day off!)
Though climbing is an incredible root chakra (earth element) practice that is about overcoming ones fears; with every movement being an intensely focused asana; that must rise above ones fears to conquer the task at hand; that naturally evolves into intense meditation; that inevitably cultivates into blissful exhileration; and probably the closest to NIrvana most people, yogi or not, will ever come; climbing is, nevertheless, just a 1 day option. And for those who are not up for it, they will find many equally amazing things to do there. But you might want to watch the video anyway just to see the amazing landscape.
Mysore Palace
Although this is an optional excursion on one of your days off, it is still a very important place of pilgrimage for the asana-inspired yogi. In fact, the palace is where Sri Krishnamacharya first taught (declared) asana as a form of yoga; attracting students from around the world who would in turn spread this form or yoga throughout the world.
(And for those on our journey from Cincinnati, you might be interested to know that Mysore is our sister city!)
Pyramid Valley is home of the worlds largest meditation pyramid. Though the pyramid has symbols for all 5 of the great elements, a pyramid primarily represents the transformative power of the Fire Element (as the word Pyramid comes from Pyr (fire) Amid (in the midst). Here we will practice learn and practice Vipassana Meditation for 3 days in silence. However, if after clicking this link on Vipassana Meditation it seems a bit overwhelming for you, it can be enough just to Be Here on the pyramid grounds enjoying the peace and silence! As one Trip Advisor commenter put it:
Every time I visit this place I realize my mind is running 100 times faster than i ever imagined. This place gives me time to interact with my inner conciousness, most of the problems are solved when you find a solution within. Life runs real slow here... If you are troubled with lots of thought, this is a definite visit, to meet yourself, yes yourself! The Calm meditation gives you space [which kindles fire] to escape from a rushing life, slow down a little bit, and clear your mind of clutter. This place is worth visiting again and again.
For more information about pyramid valley and the power of meditation in a pyramid go to: www.pyramidvalley.org
This is only half of the Vishwa Yoga Training - Adventour!
If we put the whole thing on one page, it might take some browsers too long to load.
To See The Remaining
Training Locations
Pondichery
**&**
Auroville
Or are you wanting to see the cost of this investment before you get hooked any further? No problem, we have nothing to hide. In fact, youŕe likely to be very surprised with our