Should I invest in 200hour Yoga Teacher Training if I don’t want to become a yoga teacher?

Yes! It is perfectly common that yoga students do not attend the course with the intention to teach right after the training. If you’re interested in deepening your yoga practice and learning more about yoga, we welcome you with open arms. We designed the training for 2 kinds of people. For those who know they want to become yoga teachers. And for those whose main aim is a strong and safe self-practice.

Is your 200-Hour YTTC suitable for beginners?

This 200-hour course is open to all levels of yoga practitioners. The most important factor is not how long you have been doing yoga. The most important is that the applicant comes with an open mind and eagerness to learn. You will deepen your practice no matter where you are at the moment. The best time to move forward is now.

Will we learn how to find work after the yoga teacher training course?

Yes, you will cover this in a class called Business of yoga. We will show you how to get your first yoga jobs, how to set prices, and what to avoid doing. How to use social media to attract new students to your classes and even yoga retreats. How to write content in order to connect with your ideal student.

Can I join yoga teacher training after injury or with a physical limitation?

The answer here is yes! Not only can an injury be a gift to your experience of Yoga Teacher Training, it can also offer so much to the other students, the teacher, and the lessons. Of course, consult your doctor before committing to this intensive yoga training and receive informed guidance.

Can you tell me more about your 200-hr Yoga Teacher Training program?

On the 3-weeks yoga immersion with Alpha Yoga School, you will arrive at the roots of the yogic ancient tradition. Our established and knowledgeable instructors will guide you along as you will nourish yourself with the sun, sea, and a powerful plant-based diet. Either in Greece, or soon enough, in India. For more information, visit our website

How can I prepare for my 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Course?

Once you secure your deposit, you will have access to a Google Drie Folder with everything you need. We suggest that you get familiar with the names of the postures in Sanskrit and practice yoga classes that last 90 minutes or more. A few months before the course starts, we recommend you get into the habit of waking up at 7:00 am. Also, we encourage students to practice yoga at least 4 times per week, preferably Vinyasa or Ashtanga Yoga. We will also send you links so that you can practice with us.

Hindu Gods Every Yoga Teacher Should Know

At some point in your yoga practice, you will inevitably encounter an Indian deity in one form or another. Be it the symbol or name behind your local yoga studio, an image on the wall, or a mantra chanted in class, Indian deities are an intrinsic part of yoga. Abstract concepts are difficult for just about everyone to understand. The Indian deities offer a solution to this. They put a face on abstract concepts such as abundance, love, and knowledge that are often so hard for us to fully understand.

Mythology provides us with moral, spiritual, and natural images of the world through which we can tune our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual bodies. Each deity personifies particular energies we can channel through various practices such as chanting or visualization. Everything about them – from the stories of their lives to the color of their skin and the items they carry is embedded in rich energetic symbolism designed to open our hearts and raise our vibrations.

Why tragic? When we blame, it can be a way of reclaiming our own power, to mobilize our inner strength for the sake of protecting ourselves or what is dear to us. I remember recently watching a documentary about an Iranian women’s rights activist and her powerful and fiery speech on-air, blaming a representative of a repressive regime. Sometimes this force is an expression of life in us, our anger, our desperation. It can serve as a wake-up call.

As we saw in the last post, “The Secret to Happiness: How Yoga Builds Better Mental Health,” our thoughts have a profound impact on our health and ultimately create our realities.

Through visualizing or chanting to deities that embody righteous qualities, we subconsciously create positive new neurological patterns associated with them. To put it more simply, “your vibe attracts your tribe.”

The energies you tune into will ultimately manifest in your life one way or another.

So how do you apply this?

Well, consider what you’d like to see change in your life or what you’d like to manifest. It’s said there are as many deities as there are devotees, so no matter what you’re looking for, an energetic solution exists. To better understand this, let’s take a look at 9 common deities, the energies they personify, as well as some fun facts about them!

“If you want to understand the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency, and vibration”
- Nikola Tesla

Hindu God of Shiva

Energy: Consciousness, introspection, meditation

Fun Facts:

Referred to as Adi Yogi, or the first Yogi
Commonly depicted smeared in ashes, with 3 eyes, matted hair, and 4 arms. He is adorned in snakes and skulls and has a blue throat, representing that he has conquered the ego and poisons of the manifest world. It is said that Maya, or illusion, exists when Shiva only has 2 eyes open, the eyes of duality. When his third eye opens, he sees only unity.
Nataraja, the cosmic dancer, is one of Shiva’s energies. The yoga posture Natarajasana is named after him.
Basic Mantra: oṃ namaḥ śivāya

Think calm, cool, collected, laid-back “dude.” Shiva is confident in the knowledge of who he is, which is why the Yoga Yajnavalkya corresponds his energy to the Manipura chakra, our center of fire, courage, and confidence. On days when you need a confidence booster or to turn inwards, chant and channel Shiva’s meditative energy.

Hindu God Vishnu

Energy: Preservation, protection, peace, and healing

Fun Facts:

Vishnu is blue (as are many deities). He is blue the way the sky or the ocean is blue. Air and water are colorless, their particles simply vibrate at the frequency of the color blue caught from sunlight, which is a mixture of all the colors of the rainbow. In the same way, the image of the deity is nothing more than a frequency and an optical illusion. This is used as a reminder that they are energies of something greater.
Ram from the Ramayana, Krishna from the Mahabharata, and even the Buddha are said to be reincarnations of his energy.
Basic Mantra: oṃ namo nārāyaṇāya

Think of the captain of the football team, Prince Charming, or Superman. Vishnu steps in to save the day. He is said to watch over the earth and reincarnate when trouble’s at bay. Tune into his energy for protection, peace, and healing.

Parvati / Shakti

Energy: marriage, motherhood, love, children and harmony

Fun Facts:

This mother goddess is the wife and shakti of Shiva. She is associated with nature and the earth.
Shakti is the Sanskrit term for primordial cosmic energy. It is the potential energy available to all and within all; ready to be tapped and manifested. It is the burning power of fire and the flowing energy of a river; the inherent energy behind everything.
Parvati means “daughter of the mountains” as she is considered the daughter of the Himalayas.
A majority of Indian goddesses such as Durga (below) and Kali are aspects of her.

Think grounded, nurturing flower child. Connect to Parvati through Mother Earth. Spend time in nature, and ground, and remember no matter where you are, you are always supported by the earth beneath you.

Hindu Goddess Durga

Energy: Protection and strength

Fun Facts:

She has 8 arms, each of which holds a weapon to protect those who channel her energy
Many deities have multiple arms signifying their ability to multitask. More importantly, they can symbolize that we can accomplish far more when we tune into higher energies!
Durga means “one who is difficult to approach”
Basic Mantra: oṃ duṃ durgāye namaḥ

Think biker chic or Goddess pose; strong and stable, ready to conquer any demons that come your way. Chant to Durga for protection and the strength to face your fears!

Want to learn more about how to utilize mythology and energy in your practice? Join our 300hr Yoga Teacher Training and enhance your yogic toolbox.

Goddess of Lakshmi

Energy: wealth, prosperity, beauty, and abundance

Fun Facts:

Lakshmi is associated with the colors yellow, gold, and red as they symbolize wealth and prosperity.
She is the wife and shakti (energy) of Vishnu
She is often associated with the lotus, or padma, due to her beauty and poise. The purity of the lotus, despite arising from the mud, balances beautifully on water, calm and unaffected. It symbolically represents balance, growth from struggle, and the ability to flow through life unaffected by the circumstances.
Basic Mantra: oṃ ṣrīṃ mahā lakṣmīyai namaḥ

Chant to Lakshmi to connect with the divine principle of abundance or to remove the burdens that come with monetary wealth.

Hindu Goddess Saraswati

Energy: learning, knowledge, speech, fertility, the arts and culture

Fun Facts:

Saraswati means, “the flowing one.” She is represented in the Rig Veda as a river.
She is usually depicted as pure white and dressed in white.
Mantras to her are often recited in schools throughout India
She is the wife and shakti of Brahma, the Creator

Channel Sarasvati’s energy for scholarly strength, knowledge, and creative energy.

Hanuman

Energy: strength, devotion, courage and self-discipline

Fun Facts:

Hanumanasana, the yoga pose that involves a front split, is named after this powerful monkey deity.
A key player in the Ramayana and devotee of Ram, he is deemed the perfect servant, a symbol of devotion.
Called Pavana Putra or Vayu Suta, Hanuman is the son of the wind, known for his superhuman strength
Basic Mantra: oṃ śrī hanumate namaḥ

Need a little extra strength or energy in your yoga practice? Chant to Hanuman for strength, courage, vitality, and devotion!

Ganesha

Energy: Good luck; success in new tasks; grounding; happiness and clarity

Fun Facts:

Ganesha is the elephant-faced son of Shiva & Parvati
He represents the energies of our root chakra. The remover of obstacles, this cute little elephant is a symbol of solid foundations and beginnings free of obstruction.
Basic Mantra: oṃ gaṃ gaṇapataye namaḥ

Chant to Ganesha’s energy to begin auspicious events or at the start of new endeavors to ensure they go smoothly and worry-free.

Brahma

Energy: Creation

Brahma is the Creator in the Hindu Trimurti or trinity.
On a molecular level manifestation occurs when 1 neutron splits to form a proton and electron, it then decays and a proton is converted into a neutron and electron. It is the nature of matter to manifest and dissolve like this; an infinite process of creation, preservation, and destruction. The Trimurti represents this cycle. Brahma embodies the energy of creation, Vishnu the energy of preservation, and Shiva the energy of destruction.
He has 4 heads representing the 4 Vedas (ancient spiritual text) and the 4 cardinal directions.
Brahma is the least worshiped deity in the Trimurti.