Yoga course for beginners?

Greetings,

Can anyone recommend a good yoga centre or school which is not a tourist trap, please? I would like to follow a 4 or 5 week course which offers a few hours of daily teaching of asana practice with some individualised attention. I have been learning yoga by myself from a book by BKS Iyengar and I'm aware that his institution has a school in Pune, but that is only for proficient students, which I'm not. I am interested in learning the basics of asanas and proper body alingnment, I don't wish to do the type of 'yogaerobic' that has become so popular in the West nor the type of yoga taught at the Bihar school.

From what I've seen, the main yoga spots are in Rishikesh, Dharamsala and then various places in the South. I don't wish to go to Dharamsala. Elsewhere I could travel either north or south, stay at an ashram or find some accommodation near it.

So, that's my wish list. If you have any recommendations they'll be most wellcome. Thanks!

Rishikesh has many ashrams, Yoga Niketan, Parmarth Niketan, Sivannad ashram, Omkarananad ashram........

Check this site www.yogafinder.com/ and see where you want to do the course.

Thanks for your replies,
To Delhiwala: yes, I saw there were plenty of ashrams when I visited Rishikesh, but a list of them is simply as confusing as the hawks who followed me around asking me to visit such and such ashram. So, could you recommend any specific one, please?

To Rajered: thanks for another list of lists. Again, a sea of choices. I might try to get in touch with Sivananda Yoga Vedanta, in Trivandrum. Has anyone hear of them, please?

Om Shanti

I suggest Uttarkashi branch of Sivananda Ashram. there website is www.sivananda.org/netala/

Thanks again for your help, Delhiwala. Would you please tell me if is there any special reason why you suggest going to the Sivananda Ashram in Uttarkashi instead of the same organisation's centre in Trivandrum?

I have written to Sivananda organisation in Trivandrum and received a nice reply from them anwering all of my questions and offering accommodation, meals, yoga classes, satsang, and coaching. All for a price which seems very reasonable to me.

Should I go for it?

I do not know about their Trivandrum Branch....But I have heard good about their Uttarkashi Branch....

In my opinion Uttarkashi is more suited to Yoga practice....

However, Trivandrum branch should also be same in terms of quality.....

I haven't been to this place myself but my two yoga teachers (in Germany) have, and since they are excellent, the ashram in Uttarkashi must be equally excellent! They did part of their training in the Sivananda ashrams in India.

You can also try the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantri Ashram 30 kms from Trivandrum near Neyyar Dam.

Thanks all for your replies. I'll shortlist the Sivananda centres as per your suggestions above. I've looked up the centres on the internet and on Utube and they look nice and well organised. I've also read elsewhere in Indiamike that they can a bit too slow on asanas but quite heavy on chanting and vedic theory. So it's made me wonder, what happens if I sign up for a month but their daily schedule of theory and chanting is too much for me? As they are a bit out of the way, there is little choice to change to another class. Wouldn't you agree?

I know that the real yoga teachers are well out of the tourist trail, but I wouldn't understand their teaching anyway, as my cultural inheritance/baggage has not prepared me for that sort of discipline.

My main goal is to learn and improve bodily alingment as I practice Yogasanas, so I can continue practising them back home. I don't know much about yoga (as you can probably tell), but from what I know, Iyengar school concentrates on that aspect. However, their centre in Pune is only for advanced students, their centre in Rishikesh is closed in summer (I can only be in India second half of August till end of September); and the centre reopens in November; and they have centres in Mumbai, but I don't fell like learning yoga in such a big city.

So, where are some hatha yoga or Iyengar yoga style courses 'for tourists'? Mysore seems heavy on Ashtanga, but I don't want to go into 'power yoga'. As Rishikesh seems to offer the widest choice for an outsider like me, does anyone have any recommendations, please?

I did a yoga course a few years ago in Rishikesh, in the Niketan Parmath ashram. It was an ongoing course, there were two sessions every day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and I just attended for a week. It was a mixed group, Indians and foreigners. That time, they had an American yoga teacher, Karen O'Bannon, who was excellent. The focus was on Iyengar - the kind of thing you describe. Karen put a lot on emphasis on posture, etc. Just what you seem to be looking for. I'm not sure, however, if all this depends on the teacher "on duty" or if it's always Iyengar, etc. You may want to check it out.

Hi!

If you visit Delhi, you could find some great and real yoga teachers.

Thank you,
Ajeya

piri piri,

I have understood, what you want. One good place for you will be Ved Niketan Ashram at Rishikesh. They are more into Hatha Yoga and less into philosophy. It's good for beginners.

There website is www.srivedniketandham.com. You may contact them over phone at 91 135 2430279.

Some time ago government of India was planning to esatblish an international Yoga Academy at this ashram...although I am not aware about the further development on that front.

can u recommend a few? i am in south delhi and looking for a good yoga class for beginners

If you can come to Connaught Place, then Morarji Desai Institute of Yoga conducts excellent Yoga programs for beginners.

The address is:

Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, 68, Ashoka Road
Near Gole Dak Khana
New Delhi

Phone: 011 23730417, 23730418, 23721472, 23351099
Telefax: 011 23711657
E-mail: mdniy @ yahoo.co.in or mdniy @ hotmail.com