Doing A Stretch In India: Time Training As A Yoga Teacher – The Gloss Magazine

Report on a Yoga Teacher Training Program in Goa, India, and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction and Program Overview

This report analyzes a four-week, 200-hour yoga teacher training program undertaken at the Himalaya Yoga Valley School in Mandrem, Goa, India. The analysis focuses on how the immersive experience aligns with and promotes several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The program provided a comprehensive curriculum in a setting that facilitated deep engagement with local culture and sustainable practices.

Core Educational Framework and Contribution to SDG 4: Quality Education

The training was a structured, intensive educational initiative, directly contributing to SDG 4 by providing inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities.

1. Comprehensive Curriculum: The twelve-hour-a-day, six-day-a-week schedule covered a wide range of subjects, including anatomy, alignment, meditation, pranayama (breathwork), philosophy, and practical teaching methodologies.
2. Skills Acquisition: Participants acquired tangible skills, culminating in a practical exam and a 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training qualification.
3. Dissemination of Knowledge: The program’s objective is to train instructors who will, in turn, provide education to others. The participant plans to establish classes targeting underserved demographics, such as stressed professionals and those new to wellness practices, thereby extending the reach of this education.

Promotion of SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The fundamental purpose of the program was to deepen the understanding and practice of yoga, a discipline centered on holistic health.

• Physical Health: The intense physical practice, enhanced by the hot and humid climate, improved flexibility and physical conditioning.
• Mental and Emotional Well-being: The curriculum emphasized meditation, self-reflection, and stillness, providing tools for stress management and emotional regulation. The report notes that the experience fostered a sense of “softening, settling, and… simply being.”
• Nutrition: The provision of locally prepared, exclusively vegan meals supported physical health and digestive efficacy, aligning with sustainable dietary practices that promote well-being.

Economic and Community Impact

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

The program serves as a model for sustainable tourism that contributes to local economic development.

• Professional Development: The qualification enables participants to pursue new professional avenues in the wellness industry, creating opportunities for decent work.
• Support for Local Economy: The presence of the school and its international students supports a network of local businesses, including cooks, street traders, and massage therapists, fostering local economic growth.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities & SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

The experience was deeply embedded within the local village of Mandrem, highlighting aspects of community sustainability and social integration.

• Community Interaction: The participant reported moving beyond a “transient tourist” role through meaningful interactions with local traders, including sharing food and conversation. This fosters cross-cultural understanding and helps reduce inequalities (SDG 10).
• Local Infrastructure: The report notes challenges such as power cuts, which impact access to amenities like air conditioning. This observation underscores the infrastructure realities within the community (SDG 11).
• Gender Equality (SDG 5): The program provided a platform for women to engage in solo international travel for significant personal and professional advancement, fostering empowerment and independence.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

The daily practices and choices made during the program reflect a commitment to responsible consumption.

1. Sustainable Food Systems: The school’s reliance on a dedicated team of local cooks preparing vegan meals from local ingredients promotes sustainable food consumption.
2. Support for Local Goods: The participant transitioned from imported, mass-produced athletic wear to locally purchased linen clothing, a choice that supports local artisans and is better suited to the climate, reducing reliance on global supply chains.

Conclusion

The four-week yoga teacher training program in Goa represents a holistic experience that extends beyond personal development. It serves as a practical case study in how targeted educational and wellness tourism can align with and actively support multiple Sustainable Development Goals. By integrating quality education (SDG 4) and health promotion (SDG 3) with support for local economies (SDG 8), responsible consumption (SDG 12), and meaningful community engagement (SDG 10 & 11), such initiatives provide a model for impactful and sustainable global exchange.

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The entire article revolves around the author’s journey to improve her physical and mental well-being through an intensive yoga teacher training course. It discusses practices like meditation, pranayama (breathwork), and physical yoga, which directly contribute to health. The author’s goal to teach yoga to “stressed professionals” further extends this theme to the well-being of the wider community.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The author enrolls in a “four-week yoga teacher training course” to gain a new skill set. The article details the comprehensive curriculum, covering “anatomy, alignment, meditation, pranayama (breathwork), philosophy, history, and plenty of hands-on teaching.” Her successful completion, marked by passing a “practical exam” and receiving a “200-hour Yoga Teacher Training qualification,” is a clear example of vocational education and lifelong learning.

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

  The article touches on economic aspects in several ways. The author’s training is an investment in a new professional skill that leads to entrepreneurship, as she states, “I’ll also begin teaching yoga this month.” This represents the creation of decent work. Furthermore, her trip as a tourist contributes to the local economy in Goa through her stay, her interactions with “street traders,” and the employment of the “dedicated team of talented cooks” at the yoga school.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  The article provides a glimpse into life in the village of Mandrem, describing it as an “unspoilt village set on the jungle’s edge.” It also highlights challenges with local infrastructure, specifically the “lengthy power cuts which meant no air conditioning or fans.” This points to issues related to access to reliable and modern energy services within the community.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
     
     Explanation: The author’s immersion in yoga, a practice known to reduce stress and improve mental and physical health, directly aligns with promoting well-being. Her plan to teach yoga to “stiff cyclists and stressed professionals” is a direct effort to use preventative practices to improve the health of others.

2. Under SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.4: By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship.
     
     Explanation: The author, an adult, undertakes a “200-hour Yoga Teacher Training qualification.” This is a specific vocational skill acquired to start a new entrepreneurial venture as a yoga teacher, perfectly matching the target’s objective.

3. Under SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.9: By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products.
     
     Explanation: The author’s month-long stay is a form of tourism that supports the local economy. She interacts with and purchases from “sympathetic street traders” and benefits from the services of local cooks. This type of immersive travel promotes local culture and creates jobs within the community of Mandrem.

4. Under SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
     
     Explanation: The article’s mention of her apartment being “subject to lengthy power cuts” directly points to a lack of reliable basic services (in this case, electricity), which is a key component of this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 3.4 (Promote mental health and well-being)

   • Implied Indicator: Self-reported measures of well-being.
     
     Explanation: The author’s personal testimony of her transformation—”I found myself softening, settling, and, for the first time in years, simply being” and feeling “sharper, more supple”—serves as a qualitative indicator of improved mental and physical well-being resulting from the yoga practice.

2. For Target 4.4 (Increase adults with vocational skills)

   • Mentioned Indicator: Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill. While not ICT, the principle applies to vocational skills.
     
     Explanation: The “certificate” and “200-hour Yoga Teacher Training qualification” she receives are direct, tangible indicators of the acquisition of a specific vocational skill, which can be formally measured.

3. For Target 8.9 (Promote sustainable tourism)

   • Implied Indicator: Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate.
     
     Explanation: The author’s financial transactions, such as paying for the course, her apartment, and buying “shapeless linen things bought from sympathetic street traders,” are micro-examples of tourist spending contributing to the local economy. The existence of the yoga school itself as a destination for international students is an indicator of a local tourism industry.

4. For Target 11.1 (Access to basic services)

   • Mentioned Indicator: Proportion of population with access to electricity.
     
     Explanation: The author’s direct experience of “lengthy power cuts” is an anecdotal but clear indicator of unreliable access to electricity in the village, suggesting that the proportion of the population with consistent, reliable access is less than 100%.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: thegloss.ie