Most questions before booking fall into a handful of groups: how payment and booking work, what a visa and arrival actually involve, what the course fee does and does not include, how food and accommodation work, what the course itself demands day to day, what certification means once you finish, and how the school handles safety and health. This page answers all of them, grouped so you can jump to the section you actually need. If your question is only about rooms and meals, see the food and accommodation page for the full detail.
This page collects the questions Rishikesh Nath Yogshala actually gets asked before someone books, grouped into eight sections so you are not scrolling past forty answers to find the one about visas. If a question you have is not covered here, the 200 hour yoga teacher training page and the teachers page both go deeper on their own topics, or you can reach out to the school directly.
| Course | Certification outcome | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| 100 Hour Yoga TTC | School certificate; there is no separate RYS-100 category at Yoga Alliance | Complete beginners, or a foundation before the 200 hour course |
| 200 Hour Yoga TTC | Yoga Alliance RYS 200 school certificate; graduates can self-register as RYT-200 | The standard path into working as a yoga teacher |
| 300 Hour Yoga TTC | Yoga Alliance-recognised certificate; combines with the 200 hour toward RYT-500 eligibility | RYT-200 graduates who want to go deeper, not repeat what they already know |
| 500 Hour Yoga TTC | Yoga Alliance-recognised certification; eligible for RYT-500 registration | Students who want the full 200 and 300 hour pathway in one residency |
| Aerial Yoga TTC | School certificate; there is no separate Yoga Alliance category for aerial | Working yoga teachers adding an aerial specialty |
| Online YTTC | School certificate from a Yoga Alliance registered school; the online format itself is not Yoga Alliance registered | Students who cannot travel to Rishikesh right now |
| Yoga Retreat | No certification; a retreat is not a teacher training | Anyone wanting guided practice and rest without becoming a teacher |
Booking questions are usually the first ones people ask, and the most practical: how to actually reserve a place, what a deposit involves, and what happens if your plans shift after you have already committed. Here is how each of those works in practice.
You 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 first, this page and the teachers page are good places to look, or you can contact the school directly.
PayPal and cash are both accepted. The booking page shows the current deposit amount and how the remaining balance is handled once you arrive.
Yes, a deposit secures your place in a batch, with the balance due on arrival. The current deposit amount is shown on the booking page rather than fixed on this page, since it can change.
Usually, yes, if you let the school know as early as possible. Batches run on a fixed cadence, so moving to a later batch is generally easier than moving to an earlier one on short notice.
Registration fees are generally non-refundable, but the school will work with you to move your booking to a future batch rather than you simply losing the payment. Ask about the current policy when you book.
Getting to Rishikesh is usually less complicated than international students expect, but the details still matter: visa rules change, airports are not always where people assume, and a buffer day on arrival saves more stress than it costs.
Most nationalities need a visa to enter India, and many can apply for an e-Visa online in advance. Requirements and eligible countries change, so check the current rules for your passport well before booking flights rather than assuming a previous trip's rules still apply.
The nearest airport is Dehradun (DED), Jolly Grant Airport, with a straightforward taxi ride into Rishikesh from there. If you would rather travel partly by rail, the nearest railhead is Haridwar, which has stronger long-distance train connections than Rishikesh itself.
Yes, free pickup from Dehradun airport is included with every residential course. Share your flight details with the school ahead of time so transport can be organised before you land; ask the school about return drop-off when you book.
Plan to arrive the day before your batch begins, not the morning it starts. Flights get delayed and trains run late, and a buffer day means your first class is not also your first hours in the country.
Money questions are where a budget-conscious student checks hardest, and rightly so. The short version: the fee is one honest number, it is disclosed in full before you book, and nothing changes once you land in Rishikesh.
Accommodation for the full residency, two sattvic meals a day (brunch and dinner), filtered drinking water, study materials, a weekend excursion, free pickup from Dehradun airport, wifi and laundry access, and your certificate on completion. The exact list for each course is shown on that course's own page.
Flights, visa costs, travel insurance, and any extra nights before or after your course are billed separately; ask the school about return drop-off when you book. These are listed in full on each course page.
A small amount of spending money is useful for anything outside the course fee, such as souvenirs, extra snacks in Laxman Jhula's market, or an optional excursion beyond what is included. ATMs and currency exchange are available nearby.
No. The school prices its courses as one honest number, shown before you book, that does not change once you arrive. What is and is not included is set out in full on each course page before you commit.
Food is where a residential course either works for your body or fights against it for weeks on end, so here is the honest version of what you will actually eat and how dietary needs are handled.
Two traditional sattvic vegetarian meals a day, brunch and dinner, cooked in the school's own kitchen, with herbal tea between meals. Retreat guests eat three meals a day: breakfast, lunch and dinner. A full sample week of meals is on the food and accommodation page.
The two daily meals are included in the course fee. Anything you buy outside the school, in the Laxman Jhula market for example, is your own expense.
In most cases yes, since the sattvic menu is already largely plant-based. Raise a vegan, gluten-free or allergy need before you arrive so the kitchen can plan for it properly.
Yes. Drinking water is RO filtered and available on tap throughout the school, so there is no need to rely on bottled water during your stay.
Where you sleep for weeks at a time matters more than most course pages admit. Here is the quick version of the room questions students ask most, with the full walkthrough linked below for anyone who wants more detail.
Dormitory, twin-shared and private rooms are all available, each with an attached western-style bathroom and hot water. The full comparison, including storage and view, is on the food and accommodation page.
Yes. Dormitories are single-sex, with separate rooms for men and women, and both are priced exactly the same.
Yes, wifi covers the school and there is an on-site laundry drop-off service. Wifi speeds can vary, like most rural connections in the Himalayan foothills.
Yes, book a twin-shared or private room rather than a dormitory bed if you want to stay together.
Once booking, money and logistics are settled, the questions that remain are about the training itself: what it actually demands of you, who it is built for, and what a normal day looks like once you are inside it.
No formal certification is required for the 200 hour course, though you should have kept some kind of regular practice going for a while before you arrive. Complete beginners should look at the 100 hour foundation course first.
Hatha forms the foundation, with Ashtanga, Vinyasa, Iyengar-influenced alignment work and Yin-restorative practice taught alongside it, so graduates leave able to teach more than one style.
Yes, Sunday is the day off every week, used by most students to rest, explore Rishikesh, or simply sit by the river.
Comfortable, modest clothing you can move in, since Rishikesh is a spiritual town. A yoga mat and basic study materials are provided, so you do not need to bring your own unless you prefer to.
No. Yoga is broader than flexibility, and the course is built for beginners as well as experienced practitioners. What matters more than how far you can already bend is a willingness to show up and keep practising.
Certification is where the most confusion happens, mostly because Yoga Alliance registration works differently to how people assume. Here is exactly how it applies at Rishikesh Nath Yogshala, course by course.
For the 200 hour and 300 hour residential courses, yes, the school is a Registered Yoga School (RYS 200 and RYS 300) with Yoga Alliance. Registering yourself as an RYT on Yoga Alliance's own registry afterward is a separate, optional step.
Yes, your school certificate is what most graduates use to start teaching, whether independently or applying to a studio.
Registering as an RYT on Yoga Alliance's own registry is optional and separate from your school certificate. It is your own step, at Yoga Alliance's own fee, taken after you finish the course.
Safety questions matter most to first-time solo travellers and to parents asking on a student's behalf. Here is how the school handles insurance, injury and everyday safety around the property.
Travel insurance is not included in the course fee and is not compulsory, but it is strongly recommended for any international trip, particularly one involving daily physical practice.
Tell your teacher straight away. Classes are modified for injuries routinely, and the school can help direct you to local medical care if you need more than rest and modification.
The school hosts students travelling alone regularly, including solo women travellers, and round-the-clock management support is on-site. As with any travel, take normal precautions and let the school know if you have specific concerns before you arrive.
Ask us anything about dates, fees or what to bring — we usually reply within a few hours.
