Imaan Abroad

For those of you who have done a yoga teacher training, it goes without saying that it is a life-changing experience. During the 21 days I spent at House of Om in Ubud, Bali, something magical was created. It fills me with joy just writing this and going back there in my mind. It’s a special thing to get a group of 25 individuals together who are all there for their own reasons but mostly solo, with open minds, eager to learn from the instructors and from each other. We moved past surface-level conversations and in a matter of days were sharing our deepest fears and innermost thoughts with one another. We were all trying new things together for the first time, and enjoying experiences which might be scary or far from our regular lives, but in an environment that is free of judgment the fear melted away and something really beautiful was created.

For those of you interested in doing a YTT or just reading about my experience, I’ll do my best to share with you some of it here, but feel free to reach out if there’s anything else you want to chat about!

A little bit of background info: I’ve been practicing yoga on and off for 12 years and had been thinking of doing my 200 hr yoga teacher training for a while. I was considering doing it in Vancouver at Yyoga, but an unexpected turn of events gave me the opportunity to go and do it overseas, so I decided to go to India, which had been my dream for many years. I booked my flights, found a yoga school (Kranti Yoga), and paid a deposit. Two days before I was supposed to leave, all Canadian visas to India were blocked due to a government dispute including my tourist visa and I could no longer travel to India. I was very ready to go overseas to do this training and had made all the arrangements. At the last minute, I pivoted my plans to do the training in Bali instead and was lucky enough to be able to travel for a few weeks on either side of the training. 

Going to a yoga teacher training is not the same as going to a yoga retreat. Days are intensive spanning 12 hours with about 10 hours of classroom time. The 200 hr YTT is a foundational course and the basic certification required to teach yoga. At the end of your course, you will be certified with Yoga Alliance (be sure that your course guarantees this- all of the ones I came across did) which is recognized across the world. There are 200 hour courses that focus on different styles of yoga- Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, or are a blend of the three, plus specialty types of yoga. All will include training practice, teaching methodologies, anatomy, philosophy and a practical and written exam at the end. Most 200 hr courses are going to cost you $2000- $3500 CAD (in Canada or elsewhere)

There was no experience level necessary for my YTT, though I have seen many others online that require you to submit a video of yourself practicing before being accepted to the course. I do wish that there had been a separation between the beginners and more advanced people in the group as we had a constant struggle of it being too difficult for the beginners and not challenging enough for the more advanced students. 

Picking a School

In picking a yoga school, the first thing you need to think about is where you want to do it. In my opinion, there is no better experience than going to India, the birthplace of yoga. However, there are other places like Bali and Costa Rica that have become well known for their yoga training and provide a more luxurious and western experience. Other countries like Thailand, Mexico, Greece, etc. have also become popular destinations for YTT’s. There are also benefits to doing it in the city you live in that you miss out on by doing it abroad such as community building and knowing how to get a job in that city if that is your intention. 

After you decide where you want to do it, I would recommend starting with some blogs (I read everything that Global Gallivanting had to say and found it a very useful resource), checking out the websites and instagram of any schools that interest you, and narrowing it down to 5 or less. Be clear on what you’re looking for- is price the biggest factor? What style of yoga do you want to specialize in? Is good food important to you? How about accommodation? Where are the teachers from and what kind of reputation does the school have? 

After completing the course, there are some additional things I would consider in choosing a yoga school. I would consider what the focus of the school is- is it a more spiritual place or more technical? What are the other things you will learn in the course- will they cover Ayurveda, Chakras, Yoga Nidra (House of Om did all of these). Do they offer any other specialty courses on top (Yin, etc.)? Are there opportunities to participate in other activities such as Kirtan and Ecstatic Dance or types of meditation? Do they offer other excursions or activities- we got to do acroyoga at the beach and a beach cleanup one morning which was great! 

Other schools I had considered in Bali included The Yoga Barn, Ulu Yoga, East + West (I kept getting ads for this but it was out of my price range), and Yoga Union.

House of Om has incredible marketing and tons of online information, as well as multiple locations and really stood out. I only had a few days between the time it became clear my visa for India wouldn’t arrive and I needed to be out of my apartment so I desperately emailed them asking if they had any availability in their Amertham location (about half an hour outside of Ubud) for a training ASAP. They responded that they had a spot free up for the October 18th session at The Mansion in Ubud instead and I happily took it. 

Yoga in Bali

Since India was no longer an option, Bali was a clear next choice- Ubud is full of yoga teacher trainings. I had been to Bali before and it was one of my favourite countries. Bali is the only island of Indonesia which is Hindu rather than Muslim. Before the arrival of Islam in the 13th century, Chinese and Indian traders and travelers arrived in Bali, bringing with them Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. By the 17th century, Arab merchants had established Islam as the major religion in Indonesia. Bali became a place where the wealthy Hindu Aristocrats ended up and today primarily Hindu Bali exists peacefully with the rest of Islamic Indonesia. The practice and teaching of yoga grew on the island due to the acceptance of yoga in Hinduism. Ubud is the spiritual center of Bali. In our training, we learned that Ubud means medicine and has been known as a healing center for people on the island. When you’re in Ubud you feel it- there are Ayurvedic clinics, yoga studios and trainings, vegan restaurants and everything feels very healthy and spiritual. 

Read part 2 of this blog where I talk about the course structure, food and accommodation at House of Om, click here!