Yoga teacher training in India as a solo woman: an honest guide

This guide is part of our checklist for choosing a yoga teacher training, and it expands on one item in it: whether a school is a safe place to spend a month. It is written for women travelling alone, though most of it applies to anyone.

Is it safe for a woman to do a yoga teacher training in India alone?

For the great majority of women, yes. Every month, women arrive alone at trainings across India and leave with a practice, friendships and a certificate. Many come back.

It would be dishonest to stop there. Harassment of women happens in India, as it does elsewhere, and visitors can attract attention they do not want: staring, comments, men asking for photographs, occasionally worse. The yoga world has its own history of teachers abusing their position. Pretending otherwise does nobody any good.

So the useful question is not “is India safe?” but “what can I do to make my month safe?” The answer is mostly in the choices you make before you arrive.

How do you vet a yoga school before you book?

The school is where you will spend most of your waking hours, and often your nights. Ask these questions in writing, and notice how the answers come back.

1. Who exactly teaches, and who is on site? Names, not “our experienced team”. Ask whether women are among the teachers or staff.
2. Where will I sleep? Is the accommodation on the school premises or separate? Private room or shared? Does the door lock? Who else has keys?
3. Are rooms shared between men and women? Some schools mix; you should know in advance.
4. How are hands-on adjustments taught, and can I decline them?
5. What happens if a student raises a complaint about a teacher? A school that has thought about this will have an answer.
6. Can I speak to former students? Ideally women who trained in the last year.

Then read reviews on independent sites, not only the testimonials on the school’s own pages. Search the school’s name and the teacher’s name with words like “complaint” or “experience”. A few minutes of searching is cheap insurance. Our guide to red flags in a teacher training lists the warning signs in more detail.

What boundaries should you expect from yoga teachers?

Most teachers are respectful. The checks below help you notice the few who are not.

• Touch is part of teaching, and consent is part of touch. You should be able to say “no adjustments, thank you” at any point, and a good teacher will accept it without fuss. Some schools use a small card or token on the mat for this.
• Private invitations are a warning sign. A teacher who wants to meet you alone, offers “special” or “energy” sessions, or asks you to keep something between the two of you is crossing a line. Decline, and tell another staff member or a fellow trainee.
• Be wary of guru talk. Respect for a teacher is part of the tradition. Unquestioning obedience is not, and nobody needs your devotion to teach you a sun salutation.
• Alcohol and late nights with staff change the dynamic quickly. Many schools forbid alcohol during training anyway.

If something feels wrong, it is acceptable to leave. Keep enough money aside for a few nights somewhere else and a flight change. That money is the most valuable thing in your bag.

How should you arrive in India safely?

• Get the right visa first. Our guide to visas for a yoga teacher training explains the options.
• Arrive in daylight if your flights allow it. Everything is easier when you can see where you are going.
• Book your transfer in advance. Ask the school to arrange or recommend a driver, or use the airport’s prepaid taxi counter. Ride-hailing apps also work at Kochi airport. Our guide to getting from Kochi airport to Fort Kochi covers every option, including landing late.
• Get a local SIM or eSIM on arrival, so you have maps and messages from the start. You will need your passport.
• Share your plans. Send the school’s address and your flight details to someone at home, and share your live location during the transfer.
• Keep copies of your passport, visa and insurance in your email and on paper, separate from the originals.

What should a woman wear in India?

In towns, temples and markets, shoulders and knees covered is the norm, and loose clothing draws less attention than tight. Leggings are fine with a long top. A light scarf is useful for temples, for sun and for an unwanted stare.

Inside a yoga school, ordinary yoga clothes are normal. Walking through town in a sports bra and shorts is not, and in a Kerala town it will turn heads. Swimwear belongs on resort beaches, not on the street.

Our guide to what to wear to yoga in India goes into detail, and our packing list for a teacher training covers the rest.

What is day-to-day life like in a Kerala town?

Kerala has a reputation as one of India’s more relaxed states for women travellers, with high literacy and a long history of tourism. Fort Kochi in particular is small, walkable and used to visitors. That does not make it trouble-free, but it shapes the everyday experience.

• After dark, stick to lit, busy streets and take an auto-rickshaw rather than walking long empty stretches. Agree the fare first or use an app.
• On buses and trains, women often sit together, and many long-distance trains have seats reserved for women. Sit with other women where you can.
• Photographs: it is fine to say no to a stranger who wants a selfie with you. A smile and a firm “no, thank you” works.
• Unwanted attention: loudly drawing attention to someone’s behaviour usually ends it. People nearby tend to step in.
• Trust your judgement. If a guesthouse, driver or new friend makes you uneasy, you do not need a reason to leave.

For more on getting around, unwanted attention and meeting people in town, see our guide to Fort Kochi for solo women travellers. If you plan to stay on after the course, our guide to where to stay in Fort Kochi describes the areas, and what a month in Fort Kochi costs helps you budget.

Which emergency numbers should you save?

Also save the school’s number, a fellow trainee’s number, and the address of the nearest hospital.

What health preparation do you need?

• Travel insurance that covers medical treatment and repatriation. Check it covers yoga.
• A travel clinic visit six to eight weeks before you fly, for vaccinations and advice. Ask specifically about rabies; street dogs are common in Kerala.
• Periods: pads are easy to find; tampons and menstrual cups are harder outside cities, so bring what you use. Our article on yoga and your period explains how we teach around it.
• Water and food: drink bottled or filtered water. A training kitchen should serve freshly cooked food; ask how water is handled.
• Prescriptions: bring enough for the whole stay, in original packaging.

What can you ask Santhi Yoga India?

Everything in this article. Our 28-day course in Fort Kochi includes accommodation and three vegetarian meals a day, which means you are trusting us with your nights as well as your days. Ask us who teaches, where you will sleep, how adjustments work, and anything else on your mind, before you book. You should expect clear answers from any school, and that includes us.

Common questions

Is it safe for a woman to do a yoga teacher training in India alone?

For most women, yes. Many women travel alone to trainings in India every month. Harassment does happen, so choose the school carefully, arrange your airport transfer in advance, dress modestly in town, and save the emergency number 112.

What should I ask a yoga school before booking as a solo female traveller?

Ask who exactly teaches and whether women are on staff, where you will sleep and whether rooms lock, whether rooms are mixed, how hands-on adjustments work and whether you can decline them, how complaints are handled, and whether you can speak to recent female students.

Is Kerala safe for solo female travellers?

Kerala is generally considered one of India’s more comfortable states for women travelling alone, and Fort Kochi is small, walkable and used to visitors. Normal precautions still apply: lit streets after dark, agreed fares, and trusting your judgement.

What is the emergency number in India?

112 is India’s single emergency number for police, fire and ambulance. In Kerala, the women’s helplines are 181 and 1091, and the Pink Police Patrol is 1515.

What should women wear in Kerala?

In towns, temples and markets, cover shoulders and knees with loose clothing. Yoga clothes are fine inside the school, and a light scarf is useful for temples and sun.