Yoga Retreat or Teacher Training in Goa: How to Choose

Behind many questions about Goa sits a simpler one: should I do a short course, or the full teacher training? We run both at our shala in Arambol, so we have a stake in the answer either way. This page sets the two side by side as plainly as we can, so you can choose the one that fits what you actually want.

What is the real difference between a yoga retreat and a teacher training?

A retreat or short course is built for your own practice, while a teacher training is built to teach you how to teach, and only the training ends in a qualification. Both can be hard work. The difference is what the days are for.

At Alpesh Yoga both formats are taught at the same shala in Arambol, with the same alignment-based method: precise cues, blocks, belts, bolsters and chairs, and hands-on adjustments. Our founder, Alpesh Patwari, has 22+ years of teaching behind him and 21 years teaching alignment, which makes him one of the most experienced alignment teachers working today. The school has trained students since 2014, is registered with Yoga Alliance, and has graduates from 40+ countries.

On a short course, that method is pointed at you. You spend each day on one region of the body and leave able to correct yourself. On the 200 hour training, the same method is the starting point, and around it you add anatomy, philosophy, teaching methodology, practice teaching and an assessment.

How much does each option cost in Goa?

A short course in Goa costs a fraction of a 200 hour training, because it is a fraction of the length. These are our current fees, read straight from the course pages:

• [[5 Day Alignment Yoga Course|/5-day-alignment-yoga-course-goa/]] (5 days): $150 for the course only, or $250 with food & accommodation.
• [[9 Day Alignment Yoga Intensive|/9-day-alignment-yoga-intensive-goa/]] (9 days): $350 for the course only, or $450 with food & accommodation.
• [[5 Day Yoga & Meditation Immersion|/5-day-yoga-meditation-immersion/]] (5 days): $250 for the course only, or $350 with food & accommodation.
• [[50 Hour Intensive Yoga Retreat|/50-hour-intensive-yoga-retreat/]] (6 days): price on request. Message us and we will tell you the current fee.
• [[200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Goa|/200-hour-yoga-teacher-training-goa/]] (22 days): $700 course only, or $1,100 with a room near Arambol Beach and three vegetarian meals a day.

None of these prices include flights, your Indian visa or travel insurance. Booking is free; once we confirm your seat, a 30% deposit holds it and the balance is paid on arrival. The deposit is not refundable, but it can be moved to another batch within 12 months. Every current fee sits on Dates & Prices.

How much time do you need for each?

A short course needs one to two weeks of your trip, and the 200 hour training needs about a month once you add travel. The alignment courses run for 5 days or 9 days, and the 50 Hour Intensive Yoga Retreat runs for 6 days.

The 200 hour course runs for 22 days, six days a week with one day off. Add a day or two either side to arrive and recover from the flight. The Goa season runs November to April, and every batch for both formats is listed on Dates & Prices.

How intense is a day on each?

An alignment course gives you a morning practice, a theory hour and an afternoon practice with gaps in between, while a training day runs from early morning to dinner. On the alignment courses the main practice is 08:30 to 10:15, there is a theory session at midday, and a second, applied practice in the late afternoon; the 9-day course adds a short restorative session in the evening. You have time for the beach.

On the 200 hour course the standard day looks like this. Timings can shift with the weather and with what the group needs:

• 07:00 – 08:00 Self-study and self-practice
• 08:30 – 10:15 Alignment
• 10:30 – 11:30 Break
• 11:30 – 12:30 Yoga philosophy
• 12:30 – 14:00 Anatomy, teaching methodology and alignment
• 14:00 – 14:30 Lunch
• 14:30 – 16:00 Homework and rest
• 16:00 – 16:30 Karma yoga
• 16:30 – 18:00 Vinyasa flow practice
• 18:00 – 19:30 Break and free time
• 19:30 Dinner

It is a full-time study schedule, with homework, on a beach where everyone else is on holiday. If you want a holiday first and study second, a short course is the kinder choice.

Which option gives you a Yoga Alliance certificate?

Only the 200 hour teacher training leads to a Yoga Alliance certificate that lets you register as RYT 200; a short course or retreat does not count toward registration. That is true at our school and it is how Yoga Alliance registration works generally, so be wary of any short program that suggests otherwise.

• 5 and 9 Day Alignment courses: practice intensives. There is no practice teaching, no assessment and no teaching qualification.
• 50 Hour Intensive Yoga Retreat: fifty contact hours of practice, but not a registered teacher training, so it does not count toward RYT 200.
• 5 Day Yoga & Meditation Immersion: ends with a certificate of completion, which records that you attended, not that you can teach.
• 200 hour training: the Yoga Alliance certificate is given on successful completion, which means completing the contact hours and passing a final written and practical assessment in which you plan and teach a class.

What will you be able to do afterwards?

After a short course you can practise better and more safely on your own; after a 200 hour training you can plan and teach a class to other people. Those are different skills, and it helps to be honest with yourself about which one you are after.

After the 5 Day Alignment Yoga Course you should be able to adapt the foundation postures to your own body, choose the right prop for the right reason, and practise safely alone at home. The 9 Day Alignment Yoga Intensive adds standing balances, hips, twists and backbends on days of their own, plus a home sequence built for your body.

After the 200 hour course you should be able to build a sequence, cue it out loud, demonstrate cleanly, adjust by hand, and adapt a posture for a stiff hip or a sore shoulder. Before you graduate you practise teaching the group under supervision, with feedback from teachers and peers.

Can a short course be a trial run before the teacher training?

Yes, and it is one of the most sensible ways to decide: a short course shows you the method, the shala and the daily rhythm before you commit three weeks and the full fee.

The 5 Day Alignment Yoga Course is a good test of whether alignment-based teaching suits you, and it means you would start a training with clean fundamentals rather than habits to unlearn. The 50 Hour Intensive Yoga Retreat is the closest preview of the training itself: the same shala, the same timetable and the same subject blocks, minus the practice teaching and the assessment. If you finish either and want more, the 200 hour course is the next step.

So which should you choose?

Choose by what you want to be able to do when you go home, not by the price or the length. These are the questions we would ask you on WhatsApp:

• Choose a short course if you have a week or two, want your poses and your home practice to change, and have no plans to teach yet.
• Choose a short course if you are stiff or newer to yoga, and want to learn props and alignment before anything else.
• Choose the 200 hour training if you want to teach, now or later, and want a Yoga Alliance qualification.
• Choose the 200 hour training if you can give a month to it and want to study anatomy, philosophy and teaching, not only practise.
• Do both if you are unsure: a short course first, and the training in the same season or the next one.

Beginners are welcome on the 5 Day Alignment Yoga Course and on the 200 hour course. You do not need to be flexible or to know advanced poses to join the 200 hour course; you need commitment and curiosity. To see every short program in one place, start at Yoga retreats in Goa. To read what past students say, see our testimonials.