Guide
When is the best time of year to do a yoga teacher training in Rishikesh?
SHORT ANSWER
September to November and February to April are the best months. October is the single strongest choice: warm, dry and clear after the monsoon. Avoid May and June, when the valley passes 40°C, and July to August, the monsoon, when most reputable schools do not run trainings at all.
Last updated · Written by the team at Junegiri Yoga School, Rishikesh
Rishikesh month by month
Typical daily low to high, and what the month is actually like to train in. Rishikesh sits at about 370 metres in the Himalayan foothills, so it is cooler than the plains and colder in winter than most people expect.
| Month | Temp (°C) | What training is like |
|---|---|---|
| January | 5–20 | Coldest. Bright still days, genuinely cold sunrise practice in unheated halls |
| February | 7–24 | Excellent. Cold mornings easing, clear afternoons |
| March | 11–30 | Excellent. Warm, dry, the valley greening |
| April | 16–36 | Good early, hot by the end |
| May | 22–40 | Too hot. Practice becomes an endurance exercise |
| June | 24–40 | Too hot, humid before the rains break |
| July | 24–34 | Monsoon. Heavy rain, landslide risk on mountain roads |
| August | 23–32 | Monsoon. Most schools do not run trainings |
| September | 22–31 | Very good. Rains ending, everything green |
| October | 17–30 | The best month. Warm, dry, clear |
| November | 11–27 | Excellent. Cool, stable, clear skies |
| December | 7–22 | Good, but mornings are cold |
How to choose between the good months
October if you can only come once
The weather is at its most reliable and the valley is at its best after the rains. It is also the busiest month, so book earliest.
February or March if you feel the cold
Same quality of training, mornings warming rather than cooling, and slightly easier to get a place than in October.
September if you want it quieter and cheaper
The rains are tailing off and there is some risk of a wet week, but flights are cheaper and courses less full.
November or December if you want cold, clear stillness
Genuinely beautiful, with the clearest mountain views of the year. Bring a thermal layer and accept a cold first hour.
Be wary of schools that run through the monsoon
July and August in Rishikesh mean sustained heavy rain, high humidity and a real risk of landslides closing the mountain roads. Practising twice a day in that is unpleasant, and travel around it is unreliable.
Some schools run trainings anyway, at a discount. If a monsoon course is the only one that fits your calendar, ask directly what happens if the road closes and whether the shala is enclosed. A school that has a clear answer has thought about it; one that has not is selling you a difficult month cheaply.
The same applies to May and June from the other direction. Forty degrees is not a backdrop to a month of physical practice, it is the main event.
Which of those months we actually run in, and which we deliberately do not, is on the dates and prices page.
Related
Other questions worth answering first
What should I pack for a yoga teacher training in India?
Pack light, modest clothing you can move in, a shawl, a head torch, earplugs, any prescription medication in original packaging, and a thermal layer if training between November and February. Mats, blocks and most toiletries are available locally and cheaper. Nobody has ever regretted bringing fewer clothes.
What is a month of yoga teacher training actually like?
Expect eight to ten hours a day, six days a week, starting around 6am. The physical load is lower than people fear and the mental load is higher. Most people struggle in week two, when novelty fades and fatigue accumulates, and most recover by week three.
Still deciding?
We would rather talk you out of the wrong course than sell you one. Ask us anything — including whether another school suits you better.
Or see dates and prices.
