Guide
Should I do a yoga retreat or a yoga teacher training?
SHORT ANSWER
A retreat is a week of practice with no assessment and no certificate. A teacher training is a month of study that qualifies you to teach. Choose the retreat if you want rest and a deeper practice. Choose the training only if you intend to teach, or genuinely want the discipline of full immersion.
Last updated · Written by the team at Junegiri Yoga School, Rishikesh
Most people asking this want the retreat
The teacher training is the better-known product, so it is the one people search for first. A good share of them do not want to teach. They want a week away, a practice that goes deeper than a studio class, food that makes them feel well, and no laptop.
That is a retreat. Booking a month-long training to get it is an expensive way to arrive at the same feeling, and a demanding one - a 200-hour is a full working day of study, six days a week, with anatomy to learn and a teaching practicum you will be assessed on.
The reverse mistake is rarer but worse: booking a week when what you actually wanted was the qualification. A retreat carries no certification of any kind and no hours that count towards one. If you want to teach, the retreat is not a smaller version of the training. It is a different thing.
Side by side
Figures are ours, for October to March. Room tier changes the price; nothing else here changes.
| 7-day retreat | 200-hour training | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 7 days, 6 nights | 24 days |
| Price, twin share | $420 | $1,250 |
| Price, private room | $580 | $1,600 |
| Group size | Up to 10 | Up to 20 |
| Practice per day | Two yoga, two meditation | Two practice sessions plus theory |
| Assessment | None | Practicum and written work |
| You leave with | A rested body and a deeper practice | A certificate, and eligibility to register as RYT-200 |
| Visa | e-Tourist, 30-day is ample | e-Tourist, one-year strongly advised |
The 200-hour certificate is issued by a Yoga Alliance registered school at RYS-200 level. The retreat is not a Yoga Alliance product and does not pretend to be one.
A simple way to decide
Do you want to teach, within the next two years?
If yes, do the training. If no, or you are unsure, do the retreat - and come back for the training when the answer changes. Your retreat is not wasted preparation; arriving at a 200-hour with a settled daily practice makes the month considerably easier.
Can you actually take a month off?
Twenty-four consecutive days is the part people underestimate. If taking it would cost you a job or strain a family, a week is not a compromise - it is the correct choice for your circumstances.
Is this your first time in India?
A week is a gentler introduction. Several of our students did the retreat first and booked the training on the last morning, which is a far better order than discovering in week two of a month that the country is more than you expected.
Related
Other questions worth answering first
Can a beginner do a 200-hour yoga teacher training?
Yes, with about six months to a year of regular practice behind you. You do not need to be flexible, advanced or young. What you do need is enough familiarity with the basic postures that you are learning to teach them rather than meeting them for the first time.
How much does a yoga retreat in India cost?
A week-long retreat in Rishikesh typically runs $350 to $900 including accommodation and all meals. Ours is $420 twin share and $580 private. Add roughly $600 to $1,200 for flights from Europe or North America, $25 to $40 for the visa, and $60 to $150 for insurance.
What actually happens on a 7-day yoga retreat?
Two yoga sessions and two meditation sessions a day, three vegetarian meals, and a long free afternoon. Mornings start early and evenings end early. Across a week that is roughly fourteen hours of yoga - enough to change how you feel, not enough to leave you wrecked.
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.
