28 days of traditional yoga, study, practice and Kerala living, guided by Master Aksharanand A S.
€899All-inclusive · 28 days
- Duration
- 28 days
- Training
- 200 hours
- Fee
- €899 all-inclusive
- 2027 batches
- 4
The programme
Over 28 days you deepen your own practice while learning to teach with clarity and confidence.
The programme brings together Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa, asana, pranayama, meditation, yoga philosophy and teaching methodology under the guidance of Master Aksharanand A S, known to his students as Achu. It is designed for sincere practitioners who want a traditional foundation, whether you plan to teach or simply wish to understand yoga more fully.
The training takes place in Fort Kochi’s old town rather than a resort: you live nearby, practise in the school’s garden pavilion, and spend free afternoons in one of Kerala’s most historic neighbourhoods. It is a residential 200-hour yoga TTC in Kerala, India, with the small-group attention of a working school.
70+ international teacher training batches led
Master Aksharanand A SWhat you will study
The 28 days bring together daily practice, study, learning how to guide others, and life in Fort Kochi.
Hatha Yoga
The traditional practice at the heart of the school: a two-hour class that opens with relaxation and breathing, moves through sun salutations and held postures with rest between them, and ends in deep relaxation.
Vinyasa
Linking movement and breath into flowing sequences.
Asana
Postures, alignment and sequencing in detail, with corrections given by hand rather than called across the room.
Pranayama
Breathing techniques, practised every morning at dawn, with attention and without strain.
Meditation
Stillness and reflection as part of every day.
Yoga philosophy
The traditional teachings behind the practice, including the Vedanta philosophy the school is named for, taught in plain words.
Teaching methodology
How to guide, cue, observe and hold space for students, then practice teaching your fellow trainees, with feedback, from the third week.
Kerala living
Accommodation in Fort Kochi, sattvic meals and cultural excursions.
The month
Two hundred hours in 28 days is a full-time month, six days a week, with one day free each week to rest and go to the sea. This is how our own course runs.
Week one
Everything is new. You learn the daily sequence, the breathing practices and the shape of the day, while your body adjusts to two practices and the Kerala heat. Almost everyone wonders whether they are fit enough; it passes.
Week two
The body adapts and the timetable stops feeling like an imposition. This is often when the philosophy classes start to land.
Week three
You begin teaching your fellow trainees in small groups: one of you teaches, the others practise and then say what worked. It is the hardest week, and the most useful.
Week four
Final taught classes and assessment: a class you teach and a written paper. Then the certificate, and the strange, full feeling of a month that went quickly.
What actually happens in a 28-day teacher training, hour by hour
Your teacher
Master Aksharanand A S, known to everyone here as Achu, trained in the Sivananda tradition and holds an Advanced Teacher Training Certificate. He teaches Hatha Yoga, pranayama, meditation and Vedanta philosophy, and he still leads the school’s daily classes himself.
His teaching is unhurried and physical: postures held rather than rushed, corrections given by hand, and enough rest between things for the body to understand what it has just done. During the training you also practise beside the travellers and Kochi residents who come to the daily classes, which is where learning to teach a mixed room begins.
- More than fifteen years teaching in Fort Kochi
- 70+ international teacher training batches led
- 5,000+ group classes taught
- 4.9 / 5 from students
2027 dates
Each batch runs for 28 days at €899, all-inclusive. A €90 deposit holds your place; the rest is paid within the first three days of the course.
What’s included
€899 covers everything listed below.
- 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification
- Study materials
- Accommodation in Fort Kochi
- 3 daily wholesome sattvic vegetarian meals
- Ayurvedic tea
- Cultural excursions
For comparison, most residential 200-hour trainings in India are advertised between US$900 and US$2,200 for tuition, shared accommodation and meals. Ours can be €899 because the school is not renting a resort, the course is taught by Achu rather than a rotating staff, and students come to us directly, so there is no platform commission built in. What you trade for it is the Yoga Alliance credential. What a 200-hour training in India costs
A day in training
This is a sample outline of the daily rhythm. Exact timings are confirmed with enrolled students before the course begins.
Sample schedule
Dawn Practice · Pranayama
Morning practice
Traditional Hatha practice to wake the body gently.
Pranayama
Guided breathing techniques, practised with attention and without strain.
Morning Breakfast · Philosophy · Asana
Breakfast
A wholesome sattvic vegetarian breakfast.
Philosophy and theory
Study of yoga philosophy and the traditional foundations of practice.
Asana practice
Detailed work on postures, alignment and sequencing across Hatha and Vinyasa.
Midday Lunch · Rest and study
Lunch
A nourishing sattvic vegetarian lunch.
Rest and study
Quiet time to rest, read and review your study materials.
Afternoon Teaching methodology
Teaching methodology
Learning how to guide, cue, observe and hold space for students.
Evening Practice · Meditation
Evening practice
A slower, grounding practice as the day winds down.
Meditation and reflection
Sitting in stillness and reflecting on the day’s learning.
The place
Kerala suits a teacher training with a gentler daily rhythm: warm weather all year, Ayurveda part of everyday life, and far fewer other trainees around than in Rishikesh. Teaching quality overlaps almost completely between the two; the atmosphere does not. Rishikesh offers more structure, devotional immersion and the widest choice of schools. Kerala offers room to breathe.
Fort Kochi adds an old harbour town to live in for a month: Chinese fishing nets, colonial lanes, the Kathakali theatres and the sea, all within reach on your free day. The school is a working school in the same seaside quarter where it has taught for more than fifteen years, not a resort that hosts a course.
Questions
Anything else you would like to know? Message us and we will reply personally.
Who is the training for?
Sincere practitioners who want a traditional foundation, whether you plan to teach or simply wish to understand yoga more fully.
Is this yoga teacher training Yoga Alliance certified?
No. Santhi is not a Yoga Alliance Registered Yoga School, and we would rather say so plainly than let you find out later. Graduates receive the school’s own 200-hour certificate. If you need Yoga Alliance registration — some studios abroad ask for it — choose a registered course. If what you want is a thorough, traditional foundation from a teacher who has led more than seventy international batches, this is that.
Do I need to be an advanced practitioner?
No. You do not need to be flexible or able to do advanced postures. What helps most is a steady daily practice for a few weeks before you arrive, so that two practices a day feels demanding but not shocking. How to prepare
Which month is best for a teacher training in Kerala?
January and February are dry, warm and the most comfortable. April is the hottest month on the coast. June brings the start of the monsoon: cooler, greener and quieter, with heavy bursts of rain. Kerala month by month
How do I get to Fort Kochi?
Fly into Cochin International Airport (COK), about 45 kilometres north. The taxi takes around an hour and a half. Arrive a day before the course starts if you can. Airport to Fort Kochi
Where exactly is the school?
Santhi School of Yoga & Vedanta Studies, House No 1/1790, Chirattapalam Road, Fort Kochi, Kerala 682001. An unconnected school with a similar name runs in Vagamon, elsewhere in Kerala; ours is the one in Fort Kochi. Map and directions
Do I need a visa for the course?
Most visitors to a 28-day teacher training travel on an Indian e-Tourist visa, which allows short courses that do not lead to a formal university qualification. Apply on the official site, indianvisaonline.gov.in, two to three weeks before you travel, and check the current rules for your nationality. Visas for a teacher training
Can I teach yoga after this course?
Many studios and retreats accept a 200-hour certificate from an established school, and graduates do go on to teach. Some employers, particularly abroad, specifically ask for Yoga Alliance registration, so check what your intended studio requires before you book. Becoming a yoga teacher
How much does the yoga teacher training cost?
€899 for the whole 28 days, all-inclusive: tuition, the 200-hour certificate, study materials, accommodation in Fort Kochi, three sattvic vegetarian meals a day and cultural excursions. A €90 deposit holds your place. Most residential 200-hour trainings in India are advertised between US$900 and US$2,200. What a 200-hour training in India costs
What does €899 include?
The 200-hour certification, study materials, accommodation in Fort Kochi, three sattvic vegetarian meals a day, Ayurvedic tea and cultural excursions.
How long is the course, and what are the 2027 dates?
28 days. The 2027 batches run 1–28 January, 1–28 February, 1–28 April and 1–28 June.
Is there a day off?
Yes. One day each week is free. Most trainees use it to rest, wash clothes and go to the sea.
Who teaches the course?
Master Aksharanand A S (Achu), who has led more than 70 international teacher training batches and teaches Hatha Yoga, Pranayama, Meditation and Vedanta Philosophy.
How do I reserve a place?
Choose your month and pay a €90 deposit, 10% of the fee, through Wise. The remaining €809 is due within the first three days of the course, once you have arrived. Questions first? Send an enquiry by email or WhatsApp. Reserve your place
