Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course April 2027

This Sivananda Yoga Teacher Training Course is a 200-hour residential yoga teacher training at Sivananda Ashram Yoga Retreat Bahamas on Paradise Island, Nassau. It runs for four weeks and is open to anyone drawn to the Sivananda tradition, whether they want to teach or to deepen a personal practice. Students live in the ashram, follow its daily schedule, and study alongside swamis, senior staff and visiting guest presenters.

What to Expect

The course follows the gurukula system, in which students live, study and practice together in a spiritual setting. Days begin early and are full. Morning satsang runs from 6:00 to 7:45 am with meditation, chanting and a lecture, or a silent walk. Asana and pranayama class follows from 8:00 to 10:00 am, then brunch at 10:00. Midday brings a Bhagavad Gita and chanting class, and the afternoon holds a main lecture on yoga philosophy and psychology or anatomy and physiology, then asana teaching techniques from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Dinner is at 6:00, and evening satsang from 8:00 to 10:00 includes meditation, chanting, lectures, concerts or special events. Attendance at all activities is mandatory, and the program may change from time to time.

The curriculum covers Hatha Yoga and pranayama, including the twelve foundational postures and breathing techniques such as kapalbhati and anulom vilom. It also includes Raja Yoga and meditation, Karma Yoga with an hour of selfless service daily, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and Vedanta, yoga anatomy and physiology, yoga nutrition, and kriyas such as neti and nauli. Teaching practice is hands-on: you guide classmates through asana, make physical adjustments and adapt postures for different needs.

Students have one day off each week. Morning and evening satsang and karma yoga still apply, but the rest of the day is for study, the Well Being Center, the daily Yoga Vacation workshops, or resting on the beach or in the gardens.

On completion of the course and exam, students receive the Yoga Siromani certificate from the International Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centers. The course is accredited by Yoga Alliance at the 200-hour Registered Yoga School standard.

Evening satsangs this season include guest presenters in energy medicine, herbalism, Vedanta, song and kirtan.

Guest Teachers

Sianna Sherman founded Rasa Yoga Collective, which runs retreats, workshops, multi-week immersions, teacher trainings and advanced practitioner programs. She has taught in studios, retreat centers and festivals across India, Colombia, the United States, Sweden, Denmark, England, Turkey, Mexico, Germany and the Bahamas. Her approach blends vinyasa flow with mantra, pranayama and the study of texts such as the Bhagavad Gita and Yoga Sutras. Her Mythic Yoga Flow program brings together myth, mantra, mudra and music.

Masood Ali Khan is a musician and teacher who describes himself as a pioneer of singing sacred mantras with the hang, or hand pan. Born in London to Indian and Muslim parents, he has practiced yoga for over 25 years. He studied acupuncture and homeopathy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and is a certified teacher of the Heather Lyle Vocal Yoga Method. He teaches alongside Sianna Sherman in the Mythic Yoga Flow program.

Amy Weintraub is a pioneer in yoga and mental health who founded the LifeForce Yoga Healing Institute in 2004. Her evidence-based protocol for managing mood is used in clinical and healthcare settings worldwide, and she wrote Yoga for Depression and Yoga Skills for Therapists. She leads LifeForce Yoga for Depression and Anxiety.

Maggie Wheeler is an actress, singer and songwriter, best known as Janice on Friends. She co-founded and directs the Golden Bridge Community Choir in Hollywood, a non-auditioned, intergenerational choir, and has taught her vocal workshop for over 30 years. She leads Songs of Sustenance with Heather Houston and Diana Lynn.

Ragani is a kirtan musician who leads call-and-response chanting and meditation. Her Heart of Kirtan retreat has run at the Bahamas ashram for several years, and she co-produces Kirtan Fest Milwaukee in Wisconsin.

The program also includes Cyndi Dale, Marie Manuchehri and Dr. John Ryan on energy medicine, Gary Kraftsow on Vedanta, and Brigitte Mars on herbs.

The Setting

The ashram sits on Paradise Island in Nassau, with beach, bay and gardens close at hand. Two vegetarian meals are served each day. Accommodation ranges from a shared eight-bed dormitory and tent space, where you bring your own tent and gear, to private tent huts and rooms. The course includes thirty days of housing in the category you choose. Guests fly into Lynden Pindling International Airport and typically take a cab to the ashram.

Before You Go

There are no prerequisites. Tuition, the course manual and housing are included, as are two pairs of white yoga pants and two yellow t-shirts issued at the initiation ceremony. The manual is available in several languages.

Airfare, ground transportation, required books, the Hatha Yoga Kriya Kit and personal items are not included. Bring a yoga mat, meditation cushion, toiletries, swimsuit and sunscreen. Bahamian VAT of 10 percent is added to posted rates. Early registration discounts and supportive pricing for seniors and retired military personnel are available.