Breathing Less: Pranayama – Studying for Yoga Teacher Training

During the pandemic, the Yoga Alliance has made a special allowance for Yoga Teacher 200 Hour Trainings to occur online. Yoga studios and teachers all over the world were struggling to stay afloat, and the industry organization wanted to help. I’d been considering getting my 200-hour teaching certification for awhile, but dreading the cost and logistics.

I also wasn’t looking forward to biting my tongue through a bunch of new age stuff from some crazy (probably) white lady. The yoga text that I’ve learned from is the Hatha Yoga Pradapika from the 15th century. I have three translations and a digital collection of contemporary images of yogis performing various poses. I have a pretty low level of interest in hearing about spiritual aspects of yoga that aren’t described in the primary sources. I’m even iffy on hearing about that stuff from recognized academic authorities because so much of academia refuses to acknowledge the expertise of indigenous yoga masters. That’s white supremacy and I’m the opposite of interested.

So I took advantage of the opportunity and started researching Yoga Alliance schools in India that offered online classes in English. I may not be able to make it to India to learn yoga from the culture that created it, but I can do the next best thing.

I found an amazing and supportive yoga school in Rishakesh, India. It’s located behind a tiger preserve, right on the banks of the Ganges. During classes I can hear birds singing. It’s especially amazing during pranayama practice when we have long periods of silence. With my eyes closed I can imagine that I’m laying on my mat next to my batch mates, under the watchful eye of our teachers.

I made myself some digital flashcards to help me study for my finals, and I thought there might be some other aspiring yogis out there who could use a study boost as well.