The Gaja 500-Hour Yoga Teacher Training
Your complete pathway to becoming a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT-500) — the 200-Hour Foundational Training and the 300-Hour Advanced Training, bundled into one certified path. Enroll once, then schedule each phase around your life.
Rooted in Ayurveda
Not a bonus module — Ayurveda runs through both trainings, so you learn to teach to the whole person, not just the pose.
Personalized for Every Body
No single “correct” body or pose. You’ll learn to adapt every sequence for real students — every shape, age, and ability.
Yoga for a Lifetime
This training builds teachers who help students build a sustainable, lifelong practice — not an Instagram-ready backbend.
Taught by Doctors & Scholars
Faculty includes a Western-trained medical doctor and internationally respected yogic scholars, so philosophy and anatomy are taught with real rigor.
Most 500-hour paths aren’t really paths. They’re two separate decisions.
You finish your 200-Hour, and then what? You’re left researching advanced programs from scratch — different faculty, different philosophy, a whole new application process, and no guarantee the training you choose next will feel like it belongs to the one you just completed.
The Gaja 500-Hour Training was built so you never have to make that decision twice. One faculty. One philosophy. One enrollment. A complete Yoga Alliance–accredited pathway from your first sun salutation cue to your advanced teaching voice.
Everything you need to become a 500-Hour Registered Yoga Teacher — in one place.
The Gaja 500-Hour bundle combines our two flagship programs into a single, sequenced pathway.
1. Gaja 200-Hour Yoga & Breathwork Teacher Training
Your entry point into confident, embodied teaching. A 16-week, fully online training covering alignment, breathwork, sequencing, philosophy, and the business of teaching — taught live each week by our faculty, with lifetime access to every recording, template, and manual.
2. Gaja 300-Hour Yoga Teacher Training
For teachers ready to go deeper. A 24-week core training plus a full year to complete elective specialization hours in tracks like Yin Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda, Kids Yoga, Sound Healing, or Vedic Astrology — building the advanced sequencing, subtle-body knowledge, and teaching presence that Yoga Alliance requires for the 500-hour credential.
Accessibility
No advanced flexibility or prior teaching experience required to begin. Whether you’re stepping onto the path for the first time or returning to deepen years of practice, the curriculum meets you at your starting point.
Personalization — Yoga for Every Body
You won’t learn one sequence and one body type. Grounded in Ayurvedic principles, you’ll learn to read each student’s constitution and adapt every pose, breath, and pace to the person in front of you — not the other way around.
Longevity
We’re not training you to chase advanced poses or Instagram-worthy tricks. We’re training you to build a practice — and teach a practice — that a student can sustain for decades. This is yoga for a lifetime.
Depth
This isn’t a content library you click through alone. Every phase includes live mentorship, real-time feedback on your teaching, and faculty who’ve spent decades in both the ancient texts and the modern classroom.
The full picture, side by side
| 200-Hour Foundational | 300-Hour Advanced | |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Fully online, weekly live mentorship + self-paced study | 24-week core + 1 year to complete electives |
| Start date | October 20, 2026 | October 27, 2026 (intro webinar) |
| Weekly commitment | 6–10 hours | ~4–6 hours (live webinar + Sadhana Lab + homework) |
| Prerequisite | None | Completed 200-hour, Yoga Alliance–registered |
| Accreditation | RYS 200 | Yoga Alliance–accredited advanced training |
| Individually priced at | $3,595 | $5,775 |
Full curriculum, faculty bios, and elective tracks are in the syllabus download.
By the time you complete both phases, you’ll have:
A nationally recognized RYT-500 credential through Yoga Alliance
Confident, adaptive sequencing skills for any body, population, or setting — true personalized yoga, not a one-size-fits-all script
An Ayurvedic lens for reading each student’s constitution, so you can tailor practice to the person, not just the pose
A grounded understanding of yoga philosophy, breathwork, and subtle-body anatomy — taught in part by our Medical Officer, Dr. Sheila Patel
The tools to teach yoga as a lifelong practice — building students’ longevity and consistency, not just their flexibility
A specialization of your choosing (meditation, Ayurveda, kids’ yoga, sound healing, or Vedic astrology) that sets your teaching apart
Real teaching experience through practicum, class assisting, and live feedback — not just theory
The business foundations to launch and sustain a teaching practice: branding, marketing, workshops, and retreats
Lifetime access to every manual, template, recording, and community forum from both trainings
Trained by people who’ve devoted their careers to this
Sarah Platt‑Finger
Director of Yoga Programs. Leads both the 200-Hour and 300-Hour trainings, bringing continuity of voice and philosophy across your entire 500-hour journey.
Dr. Sheila Patel
Medical Officer. Grounds the curriculum’s anatomy and Ayurveda content in clinical expertise.
Roger Gabriel
Meditation Officer, contributing across breathwork and meditation modules.
Melanie Salvatore‑August
Lead Yoga Trainer, 300-Hour Advanced Training.
Plus a team of dedicated yoga mentors with a combined 50+ years of teaching experience, so you’re never learning from a screen alone.
Four commitments most 300-hour programs don’t make
Incorporates Ayurveda — not as an elective afterthought
Most 300-hour trainings offer Ayurveda as one optional track among several. At Gaja, Ayurvedic principles are foundational to how you learn to sequence, adjust, and counsel students from day one — then go even deeper if you choose Ayurveda as your 300-Hour specialization.
Personalized yoga for every body
There is no “typical yoga body” in this curriculum. You’ll train to adapt sequencing, pacing, and cueing for real students — different ages, abilities, injuries, and levels of experience.
Yoga for a lifetime, not fancy tricks
We’re not in the business of training influencers to nail advanced arm balances for a reel. We’re in the business of training teachers who help students build a relationship with yoga that lasts decades.
Real depth of philosophy — taught by doctors and scholars
Yoga philosophy at Gaja isn’t a weekend overview. Our faculty includes Dr. Sheila Patel, our Medical Officer, alongside Sarah Platt-Finger and internationally respected yogic scholars who bring decades of textual and philosophical study to the material.
One faculty, start to finish
Your 200-Hour teachers are the same people guiding your 300-Hour — no relearning a new school’s philosophy halfway through.
Real specialization
Your elective tracks in the 300-Hour phase mean your 500 hours are shaped around the teacher you want to be.
Built for real life
Live weekly mentorship keeps you accountable; a full year to complete electives means the training bends around your schedule.
Ends in a credential
Not just a certificate of completion — every hour counts toward your Yoga Alliance RYT-500 registration.
Hear from teachers who trained with us
Add a 200-Hour graduate testimonial here — pull one of your strongest existing quotes (e.g. the Registered Nurse or Licensed Counselor story from the 200-Hour page) to carry proven credibility into this bundle page.
— Graduate name, credential
Add a second testimonial here — once your first 500-Hour cohort graduates, swap this for a quote that speaks to the full bundled pathway.
— Graduate name, credential
Placeholder cards — replace with real graduate quotes before this page goes live.
One enrollment. A complete 500-hour pathway.
| 200-Hour Foundational (individual) | $3,595 |
| 300-Hour Advanced (individual) | $5,775 |
| Purchased separately, total | $9,370 |
| Gaja 500-Hour Bundle Save 15% — $1,405 |
$7,965 |
Enroll in the full 500-hour package today, then schedule your 200-Hour and 300-Hour start dates around your own timeline — no need to complete both back-to-back. Your 300-Hour seat is reserved; you choose when you’re ready to begin it.
Payment plan terms to confirm — e.g. monthly installments, see checkout for current options.
What you might be wondering
Do I have to start the 300-Hour right after the 200-Hour?
Do I need prior teaching experience to enroll?
Is this accredited?
What if I’ve already completed a 200-hour training elsewhere?
How much time will this take each week?
Can I work full-time while completing this?
What do I get immediately after enrolling?
What’s included in the syllabus download?
