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.

Difference between Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga

Understanding the difference between Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga can be tricky. Sometimes people think they practice Ashtanga Yoga, but all along, they practice Vinyasa Yoga.

Ultimately, the more benefits a practice gives you, that will be the best practice for you.

To clear up any confusion, we’re sharing a detailed explanation of how Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga differ! We hope this informs your journey into a deeper yoga practice and start with the correct method for your needs.

Before you go any further

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Ashtanga vs Vinyasa Yoga

Ashtanga is a rigorous, challenging, and fast-paced yoga practice, first developed by Sri K Pattabhi Jois (1915-2009) in 1932. Pattabhi Jois based his teachings on an ancient yogic text. This text is called Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. It's important to recognize that given its roots in ancient yogic scripture, Ashtanga yoga is much more than just a physical practice.

Many people like Ashtanga Yoga because of its high-intensity adrenaline. Yet, Ashtanga is a spiritual practice and way of life. It is the foundational practice of modern-day yoga (Power Yoga, Vinyasa Flow, Jivamukti, and Rocket). These are a few practices that stem from the Ashtanga Vinyasa. Ashtanga works with a set series of postures that open, align, strengthen and purify the body. The breath links the postures through flowing movements from one to another.

This is the amazing part about Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Since you memorize a set sequence of increasingly challenging postures, you always have something to work on without having to think about sequencing.

In Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga, you experience the same postures in the same sequence each time. You do the same postures again and again. This way you see progress and you know which pose is coming next. You don't have to think of the next pose or look around to see what pose the other people are doing.

Free Guide to our Ashtanga & Vinyasa 200hrs Yoga Training

Difference between Ashtanga and Vinyasa Yoga

Types of Ashtanga Vinyasa classes

There are two types of Ashtanga Vinyasa classes: a guided class led by an instructor, and the self-practice or so-called ‘Mysore-style’, which more confident students can do in the comfort of their own homes once they have learned the sequence by heart. This means that you don't need a teacher all the time and don't have to worry about being late for class. You can practice wherever you are.

Many yoga studios have Mysore-style classes on their schedule where you practice the set sequence in silence and receive delicious hands-on adjustments from your teacher. These studios have a window of half an hour or an hour where you can join the class and this way you don't have to worry about being late to class or keeping the same pace as everyone else. This class structure offers you the ability to find the proper alignment of each pose and link the movement with the breath. With your breath. Your mind is able to relax and remain purely focused on the task at hand: moving through the moment.

Benefits of Ashtanga Yoga

Ashtanga's energetic practice keeps you in shape, both mentally and physically. Ashtanga translates to an eight-limb path and is, for many, a way of life. It is the basis or guideline to living a life of Yoga. The overarching idea is that one can find a state of inner peace through the practice of breath, yoga poses, contemplation, and meditation.

It is for these reasons that we use Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga as the groundwork for our 200-hour yoga instructor training.

Find out more about our Yoga Teacher Training

4 different series or levels

The primary, the intermediate, and 2 advanced series. Ideally, one doesn't progress to the next level or series before gaining mastery over most, if not all of the important postures of the prior series. Your Ashtanga teacher is the one to tell you if you can progress to the next series or not. Ashtanga classes don't offer music and (ideally) no props or modifications. The aim of this style falls into the category of physical energy and mental focus, which leads to advanced practice and a clear mind.

Want to know the 6 main reasons to start and sustain an Ashtanga practice?

Yoga studio on Evia Island that we use for our courses

Not sure whether this style is the right fit for you? It most likely is if you:

Love fitness and want to practice yoga in a more intense, vigorous way
Are looking for a practice that paves the way to a more spiritual and philosophical experience.
Like practicing by yourself and at your own pace.
Are looking for a practice that takes you inward: in Mysore-style ashtanga, there is no set pace, every student matches their movement to their individual breath.
Turn to yoga to increase your capacity to focus mentally and meditate.
Find comfort in the routine of doing the same sequence
Like a challenge.
Don’t mind getting sweaty!
Are an early riser. Most ashtangis practice really early in the morning, before they’ve even had breakfast…
Have the time – completing the full sequence can take you between 90 minutes to 2 hours.

Joanna Vladescu in Lefkada Island with view

You would make a great Ashtanga yoga teacher if you:

Practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. This is the most important!
Are fascinated by the traditions of yoga and its historical roots.
Love receiving hands-on adjustments and want to learn how to do them
Are very disciplined
Don’t want to be demonstrating and leading a class at the same time
Are interested in the inner work that yoga can offer you.

If you are new to Ashtanga Yoga, you can try this accessible class suitable for beginners. This class only has standing postures, and you should get familiar with those first. Therefore, practice this class at least 6-8 times before moving on.

Free Guide to our Ashtanga & Vinyasa 200hrs Yoga Training

Vinyasa vs Ashtanga

Vinyasa, on the other hand, is a more modern and “trendy” way of practicing yoga. It is Ashtanga’s younger sister, if you like, since it takes some of the core principles of this more traditional practice and mixes up different poses to create a more fluid and varied style. No two vinyasa classes are the same, since the teacher will create their own sequence of poses to follow. Though many poses are found within both practices, they are not sequenced in the same way.

The beauty of this practice is the creativity and variety that is both shown by the instructor and felt by the student. Variety is the spice of life and is demonstrated in Vinyasa Yoga by not having to repeat the same poses, in the same fashion as in Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga.

Vinyasa classes usually last between 1 hour to 1hr 30 minutes and tend to have some music playing in the background to cultivate dynamic energy. You will receive fewer adjustments in a Vinyasa class than in Ashtanga self-practice class as the yoga instructor focuses on leading the class.

"Take the Vinyasa"

In both Vinyasa and Ashtanga yoga, teachers will instruct you to “take a vinyasa” between challenging poses, referring to a flow of movement, which is a three-pose transition made of Chaturanga Dandasana, Upward-facing Dog, and Downward-facing Dog. Be mindful of these transitions in both styles and put the knees on the floor when lowering to Chaturanga Dandasana and prepare the wrists before each practice.

Chaturanga Dandasana pose, often found in both Ashtanga Yoga and Vinyasa Yoga

Vinyasa yoga is the right fit for you if you:

Are a beginner to yoga, but in good physical fitness
Want to build strength and flexibility but aren’t ready for the intensity of ashtanga
Are looking for a more varied and fun sequence
Only have time for short classes.

You would be a good vinyasa teacher if you:

Are very creative and enjoy coming up with yoga sequences
Like flowing to music
Prefer focussing more on the external flow and experience of yoga, rather than the inner meditation
Like to participate in the classes you are teaching

While vinyasa yoga is less traditional, we hope that this article has helped you

understand the similarities and differences between these two disciplines.

In the words of John Salisbury, “Ashtanga is like school and Vinyasa is like recess.”

Take Away

This being said, there are plenty of foundational lessons that come from applying the concepts of both practices to yoga teacher training.

Proper alignment of the poses is integral to being a great teacher (that is where the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga comes in) while learning how to create your own classes is another valid skill (that is where the Vinyasa Yoga comes in). This is why we focus on the eight limbs as expansively as we can within 200 hour Yoga Teacher Training, and draw many lessons from both styles of yoga.

At Alpha Yoga School, we offer the opportunity to the students to practice both styles and ensure that all of our students leave as teachers with a deep understanding of these traditions and styles of yoga. In fact, our students tend to keep on practicing both, usually teaching vinyasa and keeping up their personal ashtanga practice.

Check out our 200-hour yoga teacher training which takes place in sunny Greece. It has both styles of yoga which we mentioned.

The 300-hour yoga teacher training in Europe is based on Vinyasa Yoga and you learn how to sequence and theme your Vinyasa classes, how to demonstrate asanas, how to adjust, how to teach yin, how to create your own workshops, pacing mechanisms, speech patterns, advanced workshops, and much more.?

Do you want to read about the different styles of yoga?

9 Important Things to Know Before Choosing the right Yoga Teacher Training Course... for you (Point 4 will really surprise you).

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