These days it feels like Yoga Teacher Trainings have become one of the Indonesian island of Bali’s main industries. Some of the world’s most famous and well-respected teachers come here to host their trainings, and there are new ones popping up all the time.
It’s easy to see why. Bali is equal parts island paradise and spiritual haven. With stunning temple architecture dominating the landscape and ornate ceremonies happening everywhere you turn. It has a magical vibe that somehow manages to be both rustic and luxurious all at the same time.
The fact that it also has some of the best surfing and scuba diving in the entire world doesn’t hurt either.
There are yoga retreat centres all over the island but the real heart of the Bali yoga community is in Ubud, a bustling village nestled in the rice terraces and rolling jungle hills that dominate the centre of the island.
With so many trainings going on it can be a bit bewildering to choose the right one for you. Especially when the popular one’s often fill up well in advance.
As usual we’ve sifted through them all and are happy to bring you our picks for the 10 best Yoga Teacher Trainings happening in Bali for the remainder of 2019!
Most of these training’s are 200 hr Yoga Alliance certified courses though a few interesting shorter training’s have been included that are not. Make sure to educate yourself thoroughly about the qualifications and accreditation of any prospective teacher training before you commit to one.
Forrest Yoga: Foundation Teacher Training with Ana Forrest and Jose Calarco
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Ana Forrest has been teaching yoga for almost 40 years and remains one of the most consistently popular teachers in the world. Considering the ups and downs of the yoga community in that time her staying power is remarkable.
It’s being held at the Yoga Barn, which is an enormous compound in downtown Ubud that attracts some of the best teachers from around the world. It’s a bustling place, not exactly a silent retreat, but if you’re looking to be a part of a thriving modern spiritual community there’s really no other place quite like it.
Dates: Aug. 2 – 28
Location: Yoga Barn, Ubud
Program:
In addition to teaching the foundations of the Forrest Yoga method, this training features daily ceremony and meditation, a 20 hour functional anatomy course, a business course and a 400 page training manual.
What We Like:
Her proprietary style, Forrest Yoga, is renowned for being intensely physical while maintaining a very strong spiritual connection. Her teaching features a strong emphasis on ceremony, creativity and ethics and is highly informed by traditional Native American medicine, spirituality and healing.
Cost:
$5175
Yoga Synergy: 200 Hour Teacher Training with Simon Borg-Olivier and Bianca Machliss
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Simon Borg-Olivier is a highly respected teacher with almost 35 years of teaching experience. He is also a physiotherapist and a molecular biologist and has combined his scientific understanding with a lifetime of deep spiritual and energetic exploration.
His Bali teacher training is located at the beautiful Om Ham Resort just outside of Ubud.
Dates: Sept. 24th to Oct. 16tth
Location: Om Ham Resort, Ubud
Program:
Yoga Synergy incorporates traditional asana derived from Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga with the flowing energetic movements of Tai Chi and Qi Gong and a unique style of functional movement that focuses on active flexibility and spinal fluidity.
What We Like:
He was one of the first people to seriously apply functional movement concepts to yoga in order to make it accessible and safe for all body types. The style of yoga he teaches is a highly unique form of flow yoga that he calls the Yoga Synergy method.
Cost:
$2610 (Accomodation not included)
Becoming Balance: 200 hr YTT with Daniel Rama
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Canadian yoga teacher Daniel Rama has become a social media sensation due to his incredible hand balancing abilities and mind-bending flexibility.
His Instagram channel is one of the most popular out there. The care he puts into writing meaningful captions and communicating with his audience, combined with some truly epic photography, has found resonance with a whole new generation of yogis.
Though known primarily for his physical feats, his love of yoga emerges from a deep spiritual connection to the practice and he is a committed disciple of the Sivananda lineage. He has studied yoga philosophy intensively and has committed himself to transmitting yoga as both a physical and spiritual discipline.
Dates: Aug. 9th to Sept. 2Nd
Location: Floating Leaf, Sukawati
Program:
His Bali teacher training incorporates a wide-variety of yoga styles, from traditional Hatha and Vinyasa to animal movement and myofascial release. Much attention is paid to seated practices like pranayama and mantra meditation as well.
What We Like:
The training is held at the luxurious Floating Leaf resort. It includes accommodations, 3 meals a day, a massage session and a Balinese cultural workshop.
Cost:
$5322
Embodied Flow: 200 Hour Teacher Training with Tara Judelle
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To Tara Judelle, becoming a real yoga teacher isn’t just about knowing a lot of technical information about anatomy, alignment and sequencing.
This is yet another super popular training being held at the vast Yoga Barn complex, which could easily make the claim of being the centre of the Bali yoga scene. The facilities here are top notch and there is lots to do and see nearby.
Dates: Sept. 1st to 28th
Location: Yoga Barn, Ubud
Program:
Embodied Flow aims to combine the technical understanding with this deeper ethic so that people leave their teacher trainings not only prepared to teach yoga, but prepared to realize their highest potential in all the avenues of life.
What We Like:
It’s about creating a nurturing and comfortable space where students feel empowered to express themselves and explore their embodied experience. It’s about creating an environment for reflection and healing. It’s about helping to create the capacity for growth and self-transformation.
Cost:
$3850 (Accomodation not included)
Ashtanga Yoga Bali: 2 Week Primary and Intermediate Teaching Intensive with Prem and Radha Carlisi
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If you’re an Ashtanga Yoga enthusiast, Ashtanga Yoga Bali is the place to be. Prem and Radha Carlisi are both lifetime practitioners of the method and employ a teaching style that is at once traditional and non-dogmatic, offering modifications and support when needed.
Dates: Nov. 16th to 29th
Location: Ashtanga Yoga Bali, Ubud
Program:
Their incredible outdoor shala is located in a small village north of Ubud and may be the most beautiful yoga studio in Bali (high-praise indeed.) The grounds are full of lush greenery, huge stone statues and the sounds of nature.
What We Like:
Prem and Radha are 2 of the most respected Ashtanga teachers in the world. The class sizes are kept relatively small and students flock here from all over the world so it pays to book well in advance.
Cost:
Contact for more information
Intuitive Flow: 100 hr Ayurveda and Therapeutic Yoga Teacher Training with Dr. Sujatha Kekada and Linda Madani
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Intuitive Flow is a popular yoga studio located in the picturesque village of Penestanan, just up the hill from downtown Ubud, an area that has become very popular with Ubud’s many ex-pats and long-stayers.
Dates: Oct. 5th to 18th
Location: Nalanda School, Ubud
Program:
This training focuses on combining Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, with your yoga practice. Students will learn all about the three doshas, or physical constitutions, and how they relate to individual health and wellness. Diet and nutrition is covered extensively, as well as traditional remedies and treatments for all manner of physical ailments.
What We Like:
Despite being so near to the heart of the bustling market area it’s a remarkably peaceful place, with winding footpaths meandering through rice-fields and streams along a big ridge with incredible views of the surrounding area.
Cost:
Contact for more information
Samasti Yoga: Transformational Yoga Teacher Training
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This popular teacher training school is located in Canggu, on the southwest coast of Bali. Up until recently Canggu was mainly known for it’s surfing, but more and more yoga studios and retreat centers have been popping up in the rice fields just back from the main beach.
The training is multi-style, and focuses on a wide variety of modalities, so teachers can leave the course with all the tools they need to navigate the modern yoga industry.
Dates: Nov. 20th to Dec. 18Th
Location: Canggu
Program:
Samasti Yoga is run by a team of teachers with a serious academic background in physiotherapy and psychotherapy so you can expect their teaching to be grounded in a genuine understanding of anatomy and bio-mechanics.
What We Like:
Their teacher training not only includes accommodation and food, but, since this is Canggu, students will have the opportunity to enjoy the fantastic surfing!
Cost:
$3578
Allyoga: 200 hr Vinyasa Ashtanga Teacher Training
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Allyoga is a yoga school that offers teacher training in Koh Phangan, Thailand as well as Bali. Their venue in Bali is located on the beautiful tropical of island of Nusa Lembongan, just off the south coast of Bali proper.
As you may have noticed from reading this article, the vast majority of teacher training programs in Bali are located in Ubud, with a handful of outliers in Canggu. Those places are great, but the trouble is that Ubud is up in the hills at least an hour from the coast and Canggu is a crowded surfing town with a lot of tourists and a pretty rambunctious party scene.
Dates: Oct. 1st to Oct. 23rd
Location: Nusa Lembongan
Program:
What if you want your training to be in a quiet, peaceful, beachfront location? Nusa Lembongan is a pretty great alternative. It’s not exactly off the beaten path anymore, but it’s a serene, peaceful island with great snorkelling and scuba diving and boasts surfing every bit as good as Canggu but without the crowds.
What We Like:
Allyoga is an established company in operation for over a decade, so they have a proven track record. If you’re looking for a training that’s a bit outside of the Bali yoga bubble, it could be right up your alley.
Cost:
$2950 (Early-bird price)
Shades Of Yoga: RYT 200 Yoga Teacher Training
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Shades Of Yoga is another well-established yoga school that runs trainings in interesting locations all over the world including Morocco, Australia and, of course, Bali. They’re notable for only taking 16 students per training, so you know you’re going to get a lot of one-on-one attention.
They hold their trainings at Taksu Spa, which is right in the centre of downtown Ubud, just off the main drag.
Dates: Oct.14th to Nov. 6th
Location: Taksu Spa, Ubud
Program:
While not in a secluded retreat location, Ubud has one of the most thriving yoga communities in the world, with kirtans, cacao ceremonies, ecstatic dances and acro yoga jams happening every day. You can get all of the delicious vegan food you could possibly desire, or head down to the artisanal butcher shop if that’s what you’re into. It’s a yoga wonderland.
What We Like:
If you’re looking for a good value training in the middle of a town that lives and breathes yoga Shades Of Yoga will be just the ticket. They offer accommodations at several price-points all within walking distance of Taksu.
Cost:
$3500
Heart Of Yoga: Advanced Training For Teachers with Mark Whitwell
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Mark Whitwell was a direct student of T.K.V Desikachar, the son of T. Krishnamacharya, who is generally recognized as being the father of modern yoga. His goal is to teach people to really enjoy their yoga practice. To find pleasure and delight in it, and, in so doing, find that same pleasure and delight in their daily life.
Dates: Oct. 20th – 28th
Location: Yoga Barn, Ubud
Program:
This advanced training, held over 8 days at the world famous Yoga Barn, is meant to help established teachers reconnect with their own practice and encourage their students to find joy through the practices of Hatha Yoga, both traditional and modern.
What We Like:
The modern yoga practice has become very outwardly physical. While it is undoubtedly a positive thing that people are using these practices to become healthy and fit, traditionally yoga is a much deeper practice that seeps into everything you do. It’s not so much an activity as a way of seeing the world.
Cost:
$1400
With so many great options it’ll be tough to choose just one, but hopefully we’ve helped to narrow it down.
A teacher training in Bali can be the experience of a lifetime. Consider each of your choices carefully and we’re sure you’ll find one that fits all your needs!