100 Hour Foundation Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh

A 100 Hour Foundation Built for a Shorter Stay

Rishikesh Nath Yogshala runs a 100 hour yoga teacher training on the northern edge of Laxman Jhula, on the same stretch of the Ganga as the school's longer residencies, for students who want a real foundation in yoga without clearing a month out of a working life to get it. It suits two kinds of people well: someone who wants to test whether teaching is a path worth pursuing before committing to a longer course, and the traveller whose free time is shorter than a full residency but who would still rather spend it learning something properly than sampling classes here and there.

You do not need a certificate or years on the mat to start. What helps is some familiarity with your own body in practice, so that sitting cross-legged through a lecture or moving through a handful of sun salutations before brunch is not a total shock to the system on day one. The training draws on the same Nath lineage the school takes its name from, the Himalayan tradition associated with Guru Gorakhnath, and is led by the same core teaching team who run the school's longer courses. A shorter training does not mean a lesser one here, only a narrower one, built around the ground every yoga teacher needs before anything more advanced makes sense.

The same honest-pricing approach applies here as it does everywhere else at the school: one number, quoted before you book, with nothing sprung on you after you land in Rishikesh. You should not have to break the bank to find out whether teaching yoga is for you. What the course fee actually covers is set out in full below, and the exact fee and the next available dates are shown further down this page.

Here is exactly what is included in the 100 hour course fee, item by item, so there is nothing left to guess at once you have arrived.

Free pickup from Dehradun airport is included with every residential course on arrival; ask the school about return drop-off when you book.

The 100 hour training is deliberately narrower than the school's 200 hour course, and it is worth being plain about what that means. It covers the foundation every teacher needs: Hatha yoga, an introduction to Ashtanga and to Vinyasa, pranayama, an entry point into yoga philosophy, the basics of anatomy, and enough guided teaching practice to know what standing in front of a class actually feels like. It does not attempt to compress a full multistyle qualification into a shorter residency, and it does not pretend to be one. On its own, 100 hours is not a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) qualification with Yoga Alliance. What it gives you is a genuine, properly taught starting point. If you go on to complete the school's 200 hour training afterward, the ground covered here counts toward that fuller course rather than being repeated from the beginning. Below is what each module covers.

Every module is taught by one of the school's named core teachers. Meet the full team, including Mayuri Shewale and Rahul Badoni, on the teachers page.

Sound Healing, Included

Sound healing is part of the shared rhythm of Rishikesh Nath Yogshala, not something reserved for the school's longer courses. Sessions with singing bowls are folded into the residential schedule, and 100 hour trainees take part alongside everyone else on-site, experiencing what it feels like to rest in savasana while a bowl is played nearby, at no extra cost.

For students who want to go further, the school also runs a separate sound healing program structured across three progressive levels, for those who want a specialisation beyond what any teacher training covers. You do not need to book that program separately to experience sound healing during your 100 hour training; it is already part of what you are here for.

Where You Will Stay and Eat

Accommodation is on-site, in separate dormitories for men and women, priced exactly the same regardless of which one you are staying in. Nobody pays more or less based on gender, and nobody is mixed into a dorm they did not choose. Rooms are simple and clean, with the basics you need for a short residential course. Full room layouts, including bathroom arrangements, are shown on the food and accommodation page. Wifi covers the school, and laundry access is available on-site, so two weeks of sweaty practice clothes are not something you are hand-washing in a sink.

Food is two sattvic meals a day, brunch and dinner, vegetarian, prepared in the school's own kitchen, with herbal tea between meals and filtered drinking water available at all times. Sattvic food, in the yogic sense, means simple, fresh and easy to digest, not heavy enough to make an early pranayama class miserable the next morning. If you have a genuine allergy or dietary restriction, raise it with the school before you arrive so the kitchen can plan around it.

A full walkthrough of the rooms, the kitchen and what a typical day of meals looks like, with photos, is on the food and accommodation page.

Certification and What Comes Next

Finishing the 100 hour training earns you a completion certificate from Rishikesh Nath Yogshala, and it is worth being direct about what that certificate is and is not. It is not a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-200) credential with Yoga Alliance; there is no RYS-100 registration category for Yoga Alliance to recognise, because a 100 hour block sits below the threshold that credential requires. What you leave with is real, useful learning and a genuine starting point, not a shortcut to a qualification that normally takes twice the training.

If teaching is where this is heading for you, the natural next step is the 200 hour multistyle yoga teacher training, which is where the Yoga Alliance RYS 200 pathway actually lives. You do not start that course from zero. The Hatha foundation, the pranayama basics, the introductory philosophy and anatomy you cover here carry forward into the fuller curriculum, so your 100 hours is not time spent and then set aside, it is a starting point that carries forward on a longer path if you choose to keep walking it. There is no obligation to continue, and no pressure while you are here to commit to anything beyond the course you have already booked.

Arriving in Rishikesh

The nearest airport is Dehradun (DED), Jolly Grant Airport, which has direct flights from Delhi and a handful of other Indian cities. From Dehradun, Rishikesh is a straightforward taxi ride, and the school can help arrange transport if you share your flight details ahead of time. If you would rather travel partly by train, the nearest railhead is Haridwar, which has far better long-distance rail connections than Rishikesh itself and is a short drive from the school.

Because this course itself is short, arriving a day early is easy to arrange and well worth it: check in, get your bearings, and let your first session be your first real activity here rather than a rushed dash from the airport. Most nationalities can apply for an Indian e-Visa online in advance; requirements and eligible countries change, so check the current rules for your passport before you book flights.

What to pack for a first stay like this: comfortable, modest clothing you can move in for asana practice, since Rishikesh is a spiritual town and how you dress around the school and its temples matters more than it might at a yoga studio back home, a light jacket for cooler mornings and evenings, a reusable water bottle, and any personal medication you take, since finding a specific foreign brand locally is not guaranteed. If this is your first residential yoga course, bring your own mat if you already have one you like; a borrowed mat is a poor introduction to twice-daily practice.

Because your stay here is on the shorter side, you will most likely see only one season's weather rather than a shift between two, so check the forecast for your actual travel dates rather than packing for every season at once. Rishikesh sits at the base of the Himalayan foothills: expect light layers in spring and autumn, breathable, quick-dry clothing plus that jacket for the early starts in summer, and a proper warm layer, closed shoes and something thermal for the pre-dawn walk to the shala in winter, when the cold surprises visitors who picture Rishikesh as tropical year-round.

Is This Course Right for You?

You do not need a prior yoga certification to join, and you do not need to already manage advanced postures. If you have practised on and off for a while, or you are simply curious and disciplined enough to show up early every morning for a set stretch of days, this course is built for you. It is also a sensible way to find out whether the longer commitment of a full teacher training is something you actually want before you book it.

100 or 200 Hours — Which Should You Take?

Both courses are taught by the same core team, on the same site, to the same honest-pricing standard. The real question is not which one is better, it is which one matches where you are right now and how much time you have to give it. If you are still deciding, the table below lays out the practical differences side by side.

Whichever you choose, nothing here is wasted. Students who start with the 100 hour and later move on to the full 200 hour training carry their foundation forward rather than starting over.

Do I need experience to join the 100 hour course?

No. You do not need a prior certification or years of practice. Some familiarity with sitting cross-legged and moving through basic postures makes the first few days easier, but this course is built as an entry point, including for people who are new to structured practice.

What is included in the course fee?

Accommodation for the full residency, two sattvic meals a day plus herbal tea, filtered drinking water, your course manual and printed materials, a guided Ganga aarti visit, wifi, laundry access and your course completion certificate. What is billed separately is listed in the table above.

Is the 100 hour certificate recognised by Yoga Alliance?

No. There is no Yoga Alliance registration category for a 100 hour training. You receive a completion certificate from Rishikesh Nath Yogshala. If you want a Yoga Alliance-recognised RYT-200 credential, that pathway runs through the school's 200 hour training.

Does the 100 hour count toward the 200 hour training?

Yes. If you continue on to the 200 hour multistyle training afterward, the Hatha, pranayama, introductory philosophy and anatomy you cover in the 100 hour course carry forward rather than being repeated from scratch.

What does the foundation curriculum cover?

Hatha yoga, an introduction to Ashtanga and to Vinyasa, pranayama, an entry point into yoga philosophy, the basics of anatomy, and supervised teaching practice. The full module-by-module breakdown is set out earlier on this page.

Which airport should I fly into?

The nearest airport is Dehradun (DED), Jolly Grant Airport. If you are arriving by train instead, the nearest railhead is Haridwar, which has stronger long-distance rail connections than Rishikesh itself.

Are the dormitories shared between men and women?

No. Men and women stay in separate dormitories, and both are priced exactly the same. Nobody pays more to be housed separately.

What is the daily schedule?

Training runs on a fixed schedule from an early wake-up through asana, pranayama, lecture blocks and an evening meditation or yoga nidra session, with Sunday off. The full timetable is set out in the day-in-the-shala table above.

Should I take the 100 hour or the 200 hour course?

If you are new to structured practice, short on time right now, or want to test whether teaching is a path worth pursuing, start with the 100 hour. If you are ready to commit to becoming a certified, Yoga Alliance-eligible teacher, go straight to the 200 hour training. The comparison table above sets out the practical differences.

How do I book and what deposit is needed?

You can book directly through the school's booking page, where the current deposit amount, payment options and next available batch are shown. If you have questions before committing, the general FAQ page and the teachers page are both good places to look, or you can reach out to the school directly.