Most people planning a yoga trip to Rishikesh get stuck on the same question: what should I book? A teacher course, a short retreat, or a few classes? The answer depends on your time, your budget and what you plan to do with yoga afterwards. Here are the options in the order most people consider them.

Hatha Yoga Teacher Training

Start with the style, because it shapes everything else. Hatha yoga teacher training focuses on slow postures held for a few breaths, breathing practice and meditation. Many schools also teach traditional cleansing techniques.

Hatha is a good base for a first course because it teaches you to explain a pose, not just do it. If you can say why you are holding a posture and how to adjust it for a beginner, you can teach. A good hatha course trains exactly that.

Drop in yoga

Before you pay for anything large, take a class or two. Drop in yoga means paying per session with no package. Use it to test the teacher, the room and the pace.

Pay attention to small things. Does the teacher watch new students? Do they rush? A month with a teacher who ignores beginners will feel very long.

River rafting in Rishikesh

Rishikesh is also where many visitors go rafting. River rafting in Rishikesh happens on stretches of the Ganga where the rapids run from gentle to fairly strong, and operators usually suggest a route based on your experience.

Trips generally stop during the monsoon when the water is high, so confirm dates before you plan around it. Book it for a free day. Your arms will be sore, and a long asana class the next morning will remind you.

100 hour yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh

If you have two or three weeks and are not sure about teaching, the 100 hour yoga teacher training course in Rishikesh is the cheapest way to find out. You learn the basic postures, breathing methods and how to put together a simple class.

Yoga Alliance registration starts at 200 hours. A 100 hour certificate is a foundation, and a school that sells it as a full teaching qualification is overselling it.

200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh

This is the course most future teachers take first. The 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh covers asana, pranayama, meditation, anatomy, philosophy and practice teaching. Most schools run it as a residential course of several weeks.

Ask whether the school is registered with Yoga Alliance, and check the directory yourself instead of trusting a logo on a website.

300 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh

The 300 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh is for people who already hold a 200 hour certificate. It adds advanced sequencing, hands-on adjustments, deeper philosophy and ways to teach different kinds of students.

Wait until you have taught for a while. A student with a year of real classes behind them gets much more from it than someone who walks in straight after the 200 hour course.

500 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh

A 500 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh is the 200 and 300 hour levels together. You can take it as one long programme or as two courses with time between them.

The split route lets you teach in between and find out what you still need to learn. The single programme saves you a second trip. Pick based on your budget and how soon you need the qualification.

Yoga retreats: 3, 5, 7 and 10 days

If a full course is too much, a retreat gives you structure without the commitment. How many days you can step away from work usually decides the length.

3 days yoga retreat in Rishikesh

A 3 days yoga retreat in Rishikesh fits a long weekend. Three days will not change much, but you can learn a simple routine and carry it home. It also makes a good first visit.

5 days yoga retreat in Rishikesh

A 5 days yoga retreat in Rishikesh gives you time to settle. By the third day the schedule feels normal, and the last two days are when the practice starts to sink in.

7 days yoga retreat in Rishikesh

A 7 days yoga retreat in Rishikesh is a full week. There is room for daily classes and meditation, plus a free afternoon for the evening aarti by the river or a rafting trip.

10 days yoga retreat in Rishikesh

A 10 days yoga retreat in Rishikesh is close to a short course. It suits people who want to go deeper, and it makes a sensible trial before you sign up for a 100 or 200 hour programme.

Online yoga classes

Travel is not always possible. Online yoga classes let you prepare before a trip or keep practising after you return. Live sessions allow the teacher to correct you. Recorded ones fit around your day but cannot give you feedback.

Yoga class online: what to check

Before you join a yoga class online, ask three questions. Is it live? How many students are in the group? Will the teacher watch you and correct your form? A class of thirty muted cameras teaches very little.

Picking one

Start with your time. A weekend points to a drop in class or a 3 day retreat. Two or three weeks points to a 100 or 200 hour course. A teaching career points to the 200 hour course first and the 300 hour later. If travel is the problem, begin online.

Ask the school for current dates, fees and inclusions before you book.