Yoga Teacher Training on an Island in Thailand

I’ll just start by saying… DOES IT GET ANY BETTER THAN THAT?! Yoga teacher training on an Island in Thailand?! Yes please.

When I was sitting on my couch, back home in California, researching places to do my Yoga Teacher Training, I knew three things… 1. I didn’t want to do it in the United States where, typically, the training is done over a 6 month period on weekends. 2. I love Thailand. 3. I wanted the training, the food, and the accommodation all to be included in the final price (and lower than, or equal to, what I would pay for the training in the States). After hours of searching through the numerous yoga centers and different types of yoga styles, I came across Ananda Detox and Yoga Center , in Koh Phangan, focusing on alignment hatha flow. It looked like a nice enough place, not a super fancy shmancy resort or anything but a cute little island retreat. It sounded perfect from the start (including all my must-haves). The thing that really sold me, though, were the reviews on TripAdvisor which raved about the Teacher, Johnny, and how they came out of the training feeling excited and confident to teach classes (which is the goal, right?!).

Now, after going through the course, I would agree completely! Not only is he passionate about yoga and teaching, but he really genuinely cares about his students and their successes.

The course was, indeed, intensive and difficult at times. Doing yoga for, basically, 28 days straight is mentally and physically challenging. We were thrown into an environment where no one knew each other, yet we were doing some very intimate and personal body, mind, and soul work. Some days brought tears, others laughter! We never knew (or were prepared) for what each day would bring. Emotional roller coaster is a good way to describe it!

It was all worth it in the end, when we reached our goal, taught a class, and graduated!

Our Day Looked Something Like This:

7AM: Meditation

8-9:30AM: Vinyasa flow class (or peak pose class), taught by Johnny or Melissa

11AM-1PM: Practice Teaching

3-6PM: Lecture or free time to read the Bhagavad Gita or choice to do an afternoon Hatha class (depending on the day)

6:45-8PM: Anatomy Lecture

(This was 5 days a week Monday-Saturday, Sunday was a free day)

The Cuisine:

Ananda arranged 3 vegetarian/vegan meals for us each day, and even accommodated for some of my strange food allergies (no garlic or onion). I loved that they did this, as it took one more thing off our plate so we could completely focus on yoga! The staff did an excellent job making the food delicious and healthy! I’m still missing it!

Certification:

Getting a certificate does not automatically register me with the Yoga Alliance International Association (YAIA), this is something I will have to pay for and obtain on my own via their Website. However, in order to be approved for YAIA the course certificate IS required. Technically, to teach yoga you don’t need either. I doubt a studio in California would hire me, though, if I didn’t have one. So, even though it’s not 100% necessary, I’m still glad I did it and have something to show for all the work I put in!

Next up, 300 hour training sometime in the future! But, for now, I am able to use my new skills to keep traveling for longer. Volunteering at hostels (for room and board) and teaching people from around the world!

If this sounds like something you would like to do and experience, check out Ananda Yoga and Detox Center online! They offer many teacher training’s, detoxes and retreats. Perfect for anyone looking for a little tropical getaway and/or to further their practice in yoga!