Ashtak Yoga Teacher Training in Goa, India & Thailand.

To say that training with Ashtak Yoga was a life changing experience sounds trite and cliched but I know of no other words to use. I am not the same person I was before I took this course. It was a big decision to head to India for a month. I am in the middle of mothering four young children and leaving them for several weeks took a lot of delicate planning and heaps of trust that what I would gain would be worth it. It was more than worth it. I could have stayed in the US and taken a course here, but I get the feeling it would be missing all the pieces I was looking for in my practice. Gaurav is a dedicated teacher, his knowledge vast and practical application intuitive and complete.  I took this course to increase my understanding of yoga but was apprehensive about teaching because I can’t do 5-minute handstands on a tropical beach. Now I feel more than prepared to use my natural gifts and personality to teach whole yoga, all the limbs. I love asana and love watching dedicated practitioners master Olympic grade feats of balance and strength. But I am just as amazed at being a part of a community that enters the internal world of the heart and does the messy, scary, beautiful work of becoming a person who is truly unified with themselves, body and soul.

This was honestly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Kate knew I was apprehensive before I came and the support that was always on offer was amazing and much needed. I felt so looked after and safe going through one of the most challenging stages of growth in my life, particularly because I wasn’t expecting to gain quite so much out of it in terms of emotional and spiritual growth. It’s also great to know that now everything’s done, I’ll always be able to turn to the team. I’ve made some really great friends and I couldn’t recommend this course and school highly enough.

Having waited for a few years to make the Yoga Teacher Training a reality, I have searched and searched some more to find a teacher that could have been genuine, tradition and self-experience driven, truthful, honest, insightful, knowledgeable, patient, funny, peaceful, human, compassionate, absolutely not an iron-man therefore human and so much more….. I was basically looking for a miracle. Gaurav is the miracle!  It has been a privilege to be one his students in Thailand 2015 an experience that will remain with me for the rest of my life for sure. I will be the first one online for future courses anywhere in the world.

Ashtak Yoga is amazing. They really care about all their student during the teacher training and AFTER the training. I really feel like I’m part of a great yogic family. Loved every minute and would take this training again and again if I could! Namaste.

Every day since I left your school in India I think about the free-roaming cows, the fresh fruit, the bright colors and our little bubble of safety and love that we all created.  It’s been strange being home and not being surrounded by the constant support and energy that I found in Goa. But something has changed in me. I’m used to moments of frozen panic where my brain can’t think anything except for, “I need a pill to call me down”. I have not felt that way once since I’ve been home. I still have not taken any of my prescribed medication. You guys gave me so much, but you took a lot of things from me too…you took my self-doubt and lack of confidence, you took my negative thoughts, my fear, and the mass of anxiety that had been living inside me for years. You gave me a space to be myself, a space to release the things that no longer served me. The best and most surprising thing is that all of the confidence and love that I felt for myself and others has followed me back home. I was a little bit scared that I would come back and all of the old feelings would creep back up to me, but that didn’t happen. I feel free like I finally know the secret to just being.

My time with Ashtak Yoga school has been absolutely priceless! What I loved is that it’s authentic and separates itself from being purely about a commercial business. Gaurav and Kate are the key factors in making the 200 hours YTT not just about you gaining your qualification but really sharing their passion and knowledge with you. Their kindness, experience, depth of knowledge alongside their continuous encouragement and support has been fantastic. The community of new yogi friends is also a life blessing.  Whatever your ability, level, apprehensions – take a leap of faith challenge yourself and go for it! I loved and looked forward to every day of the training, I was challenged, supported and the continuous feedback was very helpful. I’m delighted to have chosen Ashtak Yoga school for my teacher training but even more so for the lifetime of memories and new friends. I’m incredibly proud to be part of the Ashtak Yoga Tribe! Love & gratitude always. Namaste! :)

Yoga teaching training with Ashtak Yoga was the best thing I’ve ever done. I was a little apprehensive at first, I had the usual thoughts (…’I might not be ‘good’ enough at yoga etc) but my concerns were totally unfounded. I felt encouraged, accepted and supported all the way through. I was impressed by the breadth of knowledge Gaurav had from his Ph.D. and his personal knowledge; his passion for yoga (and ghee) was inspiring. There was no question he couldn’t answer thoroughly! Kate was always warm, honest and funny and her philosophy and anatomy classes were a highlight for me. They make a fantastic team I learned so much, and things I never expected to learn about myself and yoga. I now feel confident to lead a class and can’t wait to start teaching!

The 200 hour teacher training with Ashtak Yoga was absolutely incredible. It has shifted my life in so many ways, I feel like I have an entirely new beginning. Kate and Gaurav are so incredibly giving and loving to each and every student. They do such a great job of facilitating growth and emotional release for each person. There is so much information to take in at each class, asana, pranayama, anatomy, theory, philosophy – you will leave the training amazed with how much you’ve learned.

Words won’t be enough to express the gratitude for everything I’ve experienced during my Ashtak Yoga teacher training in Thailand. A month full of joy, laughter, tears, sweat, love and clarity. This training deepened me understanding of yoga, it was a profound learning and healing experience for me that helps me in so many ways (on and off the mat) and also made me a teacher! Within a span of 26 days, we covered topics ranging from anatomy to asanas to pranayama to philosophy to the business planning of yoga teaching and so much more. All aspects of yoga came to life in clear and humble teachings. Gaurav and Kate thanks for sharing your deep knowledge and experience. I am excited to share my love for yoga and continue my study. Kapkunkaa!

Taking a month out of my busy life to fly to Thailand and study yoga in all its forms with other yoga lovers was the best decision I’ve made. The teachers, Gaurav and Kate, were friendly, welcoming, and inclusive of everyone. The natural shyness of the first few days did not last long, and soon we had a very supportive group of girls there for each other. Gaurav pushed us physically and mentally and Kate opened us up to studying and listening to others again.  This yoga teacher training was much more of a challenge than I had imagined, and I loved it. It was refreshing to learn something new every day, to feel our bodies growing and adapting to the daily physical challenges, the long hours of patient practice and the meeting of amazing souls from all over the world. This was a truly amazing experience for me, and I will always cherish it. My yoga teacher journey has started in the best way possible. I am so thankful to Kate and Gaurav for all the effort and love they put into their training program.