Yoga Teacher Training
Mandala Yoga Ashram has been conducting Yoga Teacher Training Courses (YTTC) for over 30 years. Our 2-year, 500-hour programme provides a comprehensive teacher training while also supporting participants to develop a strong foundation of personal practice and spiritual understanding.
Our YTTC is highly regarded in the yoga world for offering an unusual depth and breath of instruction, which includes a systematic training in how to teach both meditation and yoga nidra. Our students also gain valuable exposure to Ashram life during residential retreats here, which gives an added depth and breadth of experience to enhance their practice and teaching.
About Our YTTC
Our next YTTC starts in September 2023 and will run for 2 years.
It will comprise residential teaching retreats here at the ashram combined with regular online teaching, ongoing group work and closely guided self-study.
The Ashram offers a gold standard of professional yoga teacher training aimed at developing in participants both a genuine understanding of the practices and philosophy of yoga and a high competence in imparting their knowledge.
The course will be affiliated to the Independent Yoga Network (IYN).
Below you can find general information regarding our YTTC, while a full prospectus including dates, costs and all other relevant info will be available in September 2022. Applications will open at that time.
Sign up now to receive the full YTTC prospectus and application pack in September 2022
This will only sign you up to receive emails about our next YTTC. You can join our full mailing list at the bottom of this page.
General Info
The purpose of the course is twofold:
- To provide professional, comprehensive and quality training in all aspects of yoga teaching.
- To enable students to develop their own sadhana (personal yoga practice) in a systematic and guided way.
The course integrates the profound spiritual practices and development that lie at the heart of yoga. The emphasis is on awakening the faculties of each student, thus developing the capacity to transmit yoga to others on a profound level. It creates high quality teachers who have undergone their own process of self-transformation and who teach from the depth and passion of their own experience of the yoga practices.
The course benefits from being taught by a highly trained team of tutors, each with different areas of expertise and passion. Some teachers live in the Ashram so offer experience of full immersion in a yogic way of life, and others live elsewhere in the UK, bringing experience of the application of a yogic life in our busy world.
The course covers:
- anatomy and physiology
- asana (physical postures) including practicing safely to avoid injury and for different medical conditions
- pranayama (breath control) - practicing a variety of techniques
- bandhas (psycho-physiological locks) and mudras (symbolic body positions and hand gestures)
- shat karmas (cleansing practices)
- meditation - practicing several methods
- yoga nidra, and also basic relaxation practices
- yogic energy centres and pathways (chakras and nadis)
- mantra yoga
- karma yoga
- applied yogic philosophy such as Patanjali's Yoga Sutras, the Bhagavad Gita and selected Upanishads
- first aid
- specialised areas such as safeguarding and protection of children and vulnerable adults, an introduction to teaching pregnant women, and a trauma sensitive approach to teaching yoga
- the practicalities of setting up a yoga class, working for an organisation or being self-employed
- teaching methods
- lesson and course planning
- class management
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an in-depth project of choice in the 2nd year
Course aims:
- to provide a comprehensive training in many aspects of yoga and meditation so that course graduates will be capable of providing professional, responsible and high quality teaching to their students
- to give students a deep understanding of the essence of traditional yogic techniques and philosophy, their practical application, and how they can be taught in a western yoga class
- to motivate and inspire students to undergo a transformation in their understanding and perception of themselves, others and life in general
Course Objectives
By the end of this course all students will:
- have expanded and developed their own practice of yoga so that they are fully competent and experienced in all the techniques which they will need to impart to others
- have the knowledge and ability to teach the practices safely according to the needs of their students, and have acquired sufficient knowledge of anatomy and physiology and how to relate this to hatha yoga practice
- have acquired a grounding in the philosophical bases and spiritual aspects of yoga and their application to everyday life in the Western world
- demonstrate their capacity to effectively plan, deliver and evaluate a yoga class
Course Prerequisites
Applicants should have:
- at least three years practice of yoga
- a desire to share the benefits of yoga through teaching
- an openness to profound change on a personal level and an aspiration to deepen the understanding of one’s Innermost Nature
- computer proficiency, including confidence with email, internet, word processing, insertion of images into documents, working with tables, and access to printer and scanner.
Course Commitments
Students will be expected to:
- practise daily following prescribed course material including asana, pranayama, meditation and yoga nidra for a minimum of one hour - throughout the course
- undertake and complete on time the required course work both in the Ashram and at home - throughout the course
- attend a regular and suitable weekly yoga class - throughout the course
- attend all the residential seminars at the Ashram, including the introductory two-days
- teach their own regular weekly yoga class(es) in the second year of the course
Summary
Our YTTC is fully compatible with the needs and dynamics of 21st century western yoga classes while remaining true to the original spiritual depth of the classical yoga tradition. It offers an authentic training that is rooted in the timeless teachings of yoga and the generation-old ashram tradition that is flourishing in the hills of south-west Wales.
Join The Waitlist
Sign up now to receive the full YTTC prospectus and application pack in September 2022
This will only sign you up to receive emails about our next YTTC. You can join our full mailing list at the bottom of this page.
Our Residential Retreats & Online Courses

Residential Retreats
Our residential retreats offer high-quality teachings with an emphasis on the cultivation of direct insight, a supportive group field, and opportunity to spend time in the energised sanctuary of the Ashram.

Online Courses
We offer two kinds of online course: live courses broadcast via Zoom, and self-study courses provided through our own online portal. Both are excellent ways to access our teachings from anywhere in the world.
Free Yoga Teachings
In addition to our retreats and courses we offer an extensive free library of high-quality teachings. The library contains a wealth of articles, videos and audios on the philosophy and practice of yoga, advaita and tantra. We believe that genuine spiritual teachings exist for the benefit of everyone, and that money shouldn't be an obstacle to anyone accessing these teachings.
Explore the library
Online Satsang
Join Swami Nishchalananda on Zoom for one-hour satsang sessions. These free sessions usually take place twice per month. Register below to receive invites.

Ashram Sangha
The Ashram Sangha is our new online hub, a space for us to support all those who feel a connection with the Ashram, its teachings, and its vibrant yoga community.

Ashram Shop
In our online shop you can find books and yoga booklets written by Swami Nishchalananda, as well as beautiful malas strung here at the Ashram.