From finding the right centre to preparing your body and mind

Introduction

If you know India, you know that Yoga is very popular here. It’s not difficult to find Yoga schools or people who practice it here. You can find them everywhere, especially in cities where there are a lot of tourists. Thousands of people come only to do yoga or to get certified.

It has been over five years since I completed my Yoga TTC (Teacher Training Course). I taught for about two years and then moved back to my full-time IT job. However, I continue to give Yoga sessions whenever the occasion permits. One of the major reasons I loved this certification was that I was able to find a good institute/school in Mysore (India). And trust me, the institute plays a huge role, which I will explain further in this post. Let’s get into the details.

I would like you to know that here, I won’t be talking about how to choose Yoga training or which style is right for you, but how to look for a good school, because this is an aspect that people struggle with a lot.

To know more about the basic introduction of Yoga, check out — Asana practice is not Yoga

How did I find a good centre?

Back in 2020, the moment I started researching, I realised that there was so much to choose from. It was very difficult to find one that was not too expensive and, above all, authentic. So the question was, how could I find it? The answer is that I was very lucky in that case. After doing a lot of research on the Internet, I realised that one of my best friends had completed this training a year earlier. After discussing this with him, the choice was obvious: I could go to the institution where he did this training.

Of course, it is not enough for others, hence I would like to share some ideas here on this subject (How to find a good centre to have training) and also from my personal experience.

History (lineage) is important, and their philosophy (of Yoga)

It is essential to know the history of this institution. Who is the main teacher of this Yoga institution? What is its lineage?
You need to research the philosophy of Yoga (if you don’t know yet). If possible, compare it with this institution. In my case, I trusted my friend, and eventually, I found that my choice couldn’t be more perfect.
To give you some ideas, there are several styles of Yoga and the objective of all is the same, Moksha (liberation). All these styles of Yoga are nothing but different systems of following the philosophy of Yoga. You have to understand that well.

Therefore, when you choose a centre, check their course, important topics, etc. Also, what is its vision? Does this vision correspond to the philosophy of Yoga? Does its vision align with the teachings of the Agama (the scriptures/sacred texts)

Here is an article I wrote about my recent (Feb 2026) experience of a short Yoga course and what you can expect from one — The Yoga we receive, the Yoga we teach

Expectations

Be clear with your expectations of what you want to learn. Does the philosophy behind Yoga interest you? Or do you just want to learn Yoga for yourself? Or perhaps you want to learn the Asanas.

In my case, I wanted to learn everything, so I could choose what to do with it because, as I mentioned, Yoga is a vast subject, and asana practice, for example, is only a tiny part of the philosophy.

Homework

To align your expectations, you have to prepare well, especially if you want to learn the basics of everything.

To start, you can read about the philosophy, the style of Yoga you want to learn, the history, the Indian culture (yes, it is important, in fact, as an Indian, I did not know that Hindu culture would equally play an important role as it plays in terms of Yoga) and Ayurveda.

In my case, the only thing I did was asanas; that was it. There were times when I struggled to understand certain topics. As I am Indian, it helped me. However, despite that, I admit that it was complicated anyway because the teaching was very rich in information at times; nevertheless, it was also very interesting.

Preparing your body

Certainly, you know, you must be in good physical condition when you begin this course. Most of the time, the schedule of this training is fixed, which requires discipline. They will usually brief you about the discipline and routine in advance. However, if you can prepare yourself with the schedules and your habits, it can help you enormously.

For example, I tried to get up early at least a month before this training. I tried to avoid alcohol, smoking, and snacking, etc. Of course, that wasn’t always the case, but it still helped me. So I’m not saying that you can’t do this training well, without doing these things. You can. However, the preparation helps immensely. This can help you adapt to schedules and food habits, ensuring a positive experience with this training.

Conclusion

Finding a Yoga training school in India is child’s play. But finding a good centre with a complete theory and philosophy behind Yoga is not that simple. Moreover, understanding the philosophy in just one month is even more complicated.

Therefore, if you wish to proceed, I advise you consider the above points. Either way, training can give a very good start on this path, and of course, you have to start somewhere, right?

Well, if you read this blog post till the end, I thank you very much. I hope these points will help you. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me on LinkedIn or Instagram.

Until then, I wish you all the best on your journey.
Namaste!