My first Yoga Teacher Training in India at "The Yoga Institute", Mumbai 2017-2018

Once I read about the Yoga Institute in Mumbai, Santacruz and the teacher Training Course they offer, I knew I had to go there. My heart told me to go there as soon as possible. I am so glad that I listened to my heart.

When the guard at the entrance of the Yoga Institute opened the gate for me, I entered in a different world.

I came into a green garden oasis with little beautiful pathways between beautiful buildings. Calming flute music came out of the speakers and at the reception a woman dressed in white with a red big Bindi point between her eyebrows welcomed me in English. She gave me some paper sheets to fill out and then she passed me to a young man who brought me to my room.

In the room my new roommates for the next three month welcomed me. Luise from Germany and Renu from Mauritius. We had just enough time to introduce ourselves, then at 9 am the seven-day health camp week program started. Every three-month teacher training course in the Yoga Institute begins with a seven-day health camp, where mostly locals learn basic Yoga practices and philosophy to help living a healthier life.

The schedule was super packed. We had program six days a week from morning 6:30am to evening 8pm with four meal breaks every day. In the dining hall as well as in the class rooms and halls we used to sit on mats on the floor. Asana classes were all together about three and a half hours every day. One class in the morning before breakfast, one before lunch and one before dinner. Theory classes about six or seven hours with some time for self-study in between. We got 16 books to read and a script of all the lectures. 

My batch for the three-month teacher training course consisted of around 40 students. About 25 of them were from all over India, the rest was from the rest of the world. Classes were in English, but with many Sanskrit-words. In the seven-day health-camp (the first week) we were even the double number of participants (about 80 people from all ages and nationalties). When we all placed our Yoga mats in the Asana class, the big hall was completely covered with mats.

Teachers had to use microphones to be understood and six volunteers had a busy job to demonstrate and correct postures. 

After the first week we had to perform something in little groups. That was, how Nicole from the room next door became my friend. We covered ‘Lemon tree’ by ‘Fools Garden’ with the Ukulele in front of our Guru Dr. Hansaji, our teachers, our fellow Yoga teacher students and health camp participants. Some other students performed amazing dance performances. Some modern HipHop dances, some traditional Indian dances with traditional clothes. It was impressive, and I admired the beauty of the girls in their Indian skirts and Sarees and the Indian music.

Than the real Yoga teacher Training started. We got a new timetable with classes like Attitude class, Public Speaking, Anatomy & Physiology, Yoga and Samkhya Philosophy, Yoga Psychology, Bhagavad Gita study, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra study, History and Background of Yoga, Modern Physical Approach of Yoga and the Impact of Materialism, Technology of Yoga, Mystics, Mysticism and Yoga, Yoga Ideology, In depth Study of Asanas and Yoga as a way of life.

The Asana classes started easy and simple but became more and more challenging, intense and exciting with time.

We were taught in theory and practice by more than twenty different amazing teachers who all had their profession to teach. We got additional home works and group works which filled out most of the little free time and we did additional, not compulsory spiritual rituals, like full moon meditation and mantra chanting sessions.

We celebrated Birthdays together, cried together, studied together and implemented in our daily life what we learned. I learned a lot about health and life and Indian culture and of course about Yoga.

And I made so many friends (hopefully) for life. My room became like a family. Nicole, Luise and Soumya, my roommates, became my family and friends for life.

And Harsh became my boyfriend - Yes, you read it right.

I had expected to learn how to teach Yoga, but I got much more than that. My life changed completely. I met so many inspiring souls and I learned so much about life. I feel so blessed that I came here. And I am not the only person whose life changed in the Yoga Institute. We could literally see personalities changing and blooming up in our batch.

I for my part finally know how it feels when your heart is complete. I never felt this way before and I would not want to go back!

My wise friend Maike once told me:

You have to live your life forward and understand your life backward.

Now I understand why my heart had told me to go to the Yoga Institute instead of going back to Germany for a Christmas visit and then from there to Ghana and to India. Thank you, Universe. I’m glad I heard you!