My TTC Journey at Sivananda Ashram, Kerala
Four weeks of discipline, transformation, and community in the birthplace of yoga.
3 min read
When I enrolled in the Teacher Training Course at Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram in Neyyar Dam, Kerala, I did not fully understand what I was stepping into. I knew it would be intensive. I knew it would be different from anything I had done before. What I did not know was how completely those four weeks would reshape me.
Life at the Ashram
The ashram sits nestled in the hills of Thiruvananthapuram, surrounded by trees, birdsong, and the quiet presence of Neyyar Dam. The moment you arrive, the pace of the outside world drops away. There are no distractions, no scrolling, no rushing. Just practice, study, service, and stillness.
The daily schedule begins before sunrise and does not let up until bedtime. Every day follows the same rhythm:
5:30 am: Wake up
6:00 am: Morning Satsang, silent meditation, chanting, and a spiritual talk, or on some mornings, a silent walk through the ashram grounds
8:00 am: Asana and Pranayama class
10:00 am: Brunch, simple and sattvic, prepared fresh each day
10:45 am: Karma Yoga, one hour of selfless service to the ashram community
12:00 pm: Bhagavad Gita or Chanting class
2:00 pm: Main lecture covering Vendanta(yoga philosophy), Anatomy & physiology
4:00 pm: Afternoon Asana class with focus on teaching methodology
6:00 pm: Dinner
8:00 pm: Evening Satsang, meditation, chanting, and often a cultural program or guest speaker.
The first few days were genuinely hard. Early mornings, a body pushed further than usual, a mind asked to be present all day long. But somewhere around the end of the first week, the structure stopped feeling like pressure. It started feeling like support.
What We Studied
The curriculum covered the twelve foundational Sivananda asanas and their variations, pranayama techniques including Kapalabhati and Anuloma Viloma, meditation practice, chanting and mantra, Vedanta philosophy, the Bhagavad Gita, and basic anatomy and physiology. Everything was rooted in the five core principles of Sivananda Yoga: proper exercise, proper breathing, proper relaxation, proper diet, and positive thinking with meditation.
Lectures were long and detailed. The manual was thorough. But the real learning happened on the mat, in the teaching practice sessions, and in the quiet moments between classes.
The Silent Walks
On some mornings, instead of the usual satsang in the hall, we were taken on a silent walk through the ashram grounds. No talking, no music, just movement and breath and the sounds of the natural world around us. These walks became something I looked forward to deeply. In that silence, you begin to notice things you would otherwise walk past entirely.
Karma Yoga: Service as Practice
Every day, for one hour, each student served the ashram community. Cleaning, cooking, gardening, whatever was needed. It sounds simple, and in some ways it is. But done with full attention and without expectation of reward, it becomes a genuine practice in humility. This was one of the most quietly transformative parts of the entire course.
The People
No syllabus prepares you for this part.
Students arrive from different countries, different backgrounds, different reasons for being there. Within days, something shifts. You are waking at the same time, chanting the same mantras, sweating through the same classes, sitting in the same silence. A bond forms quickly and runs deep.
I met people from across the world during those four weeks. Some were seasoned practitioners, some were complete beginners. Some had come for the certification, some had come because something inside them simply needed this. What we all shared was the willingness to show up, day after day, to something bigger than ourselves.
Those people, scattered across the world now, are still part of my journey. We began together, and that matters.
The Day Off
Once a week, lectures were suspended and students had free time after the morning and evening satsangs. Some rested, some studied, some explored the area around Neyyar Dam. After six intensive days, even a few hours of unstructured time felt like a gift.
Walking Away Different
At the end of four weeks, I sat my written and practical examinations and received my internationally recognised certification from the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Dhanwantari Ashram Trust.
I left with a daily practice I understood from the inside out. A philosophy I had begun to live rather than simply study. A quieter mind. A stronger body. And a clarity about why I had chosen this path that has not left me since.
The discipline of those four weeks did not stay in Kerala. It came home with me. And it still shapes how I teach, how I breathe, and how I begin each morning.
