AYP 29-Day Yoga Teacher Training Course, Koh Tao, Thailand

This course is now completed Some photos from the course can be found here:

Course Photos

10th September - 8th October 2024

The Venue

The course will be held on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand. The centre is located by the ocean with beautiful views on three sides. 

There is a nearby beach and corals for snorkelling.  There is wifi available at the centre, and filtered water.

AYP class in Thailand

About the Course

During September/ October 2024, we will be running a 29-day Yoga Teacher Training Course on the island of Koh Tao in Thailand.

The focus of the training is on qualifying teachers to be able to teach asanas (postures), Spinal Breathing Pranayama, Deep Meditation practice, Samyama and the mudras and bandhas.

The course will also cover many other aspects of yoga, from subtle anatomy to advanced pranayama practices, and from yoga philosophy to Self-inquiry (advaita vedanta).  The yoga will be full-scope, covering all eight limbs of yoga.

The course covers both practice and theory and is run as a residential retreat. Practice classes will include asana, pranayama, meditation and samyama. The course will be taught in the English language.

The curriculum

Many aspects of yoga are covered during the course, including some of the most subtle and effective aspects of yoga practice. The total in-person curriculum consists of 200-hours of training, of which 162 hours are with a course teacher. The remainder is self-study. 

The curriculum will include:

  • Asana practice and teaching
  • Deep Meditation practice and teaching
  • Spinal Breathing Pranayama practice and teaching
  • Samyama practice and teaching
  • Mudras and Bandhas
  • The history of the philosophy of yoga
  • Subtle anatomy
  • Karma Yoga
  • Bhakti Yoga
  • Kundalini awakening
  • Jnana Yoga
  • Advaita
  • The production of amrita
  • Tantra
  • Diet and fasting
  • Practicalities of teaching yoga

The full course curriculum can be found here.

Full Course Curriculum

The daily class schedule for students taking the course at the centre in Thailand can be viewed here: 

In-Person Daily Class Schedule
Yoga Teacher Training
TTC in Thailand

Course Teachers

Tristan Dorling

Tristan Dorling

Tristan began the practice of yoga in 1985 at school when he was 16 years old. At the age of 19 he travelled to the Himalayas to live in a Mahayana Buddhist monastery. This was really his first introduction to the higher teachings and to the spiritual life.

He had his first awakening experience a year later, after a meditation retreat in a Buddhist cave monastery in Thailand. He experienced the awakening of kundalini the following year, in 1991….

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Devrim Zahir

Devrim first came to yoga in 1999 through Free Diving. Learning how to control the breath, with pranayama exercises, for longer dives soon lead him to yoga asanas and eventually to the other limbs of Yoga. He was always fascinated by the yogic myths and colorful stories and as he lives in Thailand, he was always just a short step away from India where he received most of his formal yoga training.  He returned many times to India and completed his Teacher Training qualification at the Sivananda Ashram in Kerala, India in 2004. He has been teaching yoga since then….

Read more

Take the course in-person in Thailand, or online at home.

This course can be taken either in-person at the centre on Koh Tao in Thailand, or online. Practice classes and lectures will be live-streamed to a private Facebook group for students taking the course online. For online students, around 10 classes will be pre-recorded videos, but all the rest of the classes will be live-streamed and available as recordings. The curriculum for online students will therefore be slightly different than the one for students taking the course at the centre.  

The classes that are live-streamed will be recorded and available with replay, so you can follow the course in whatever time-zone you are living in. Recordings of classes will be available for thirty days after they have finished. 

Students taking the course online will take all modules from the curriculum except for the last one, teaching practice, which they can do at any point at home, with friends and family. The total online curriculum consists of 200-hours of training, of which 140-hours are online with a course teacher. The remainder is self-study. 

The daily class schedule for students taking the course online is here. 

Students taking the course online will be able to ask questions via email and the questions will then be answered during the classes. 

It won’t be possible to take the course partly online and partly at the centre in Thailand. The course must be taken either in-person, or online. 

Food

The food on the course will be vegetarian. There will be two meals served each day: brunch and dinner.

The food served will support a yoga and meditation practice. 

We can also support special diets such as vegan, gluten free, sugar free etc. 

Fish or meat may be served occasionally, but there will always be a vegetarian option. 

Snorkelling

Snorkelling is available right at the lower end of the resort with beautiful fish and corals visible as soon as you enter the water. 

During the course we will also be running two boat trips, to go snorkelling at different locations around the island. 

Bhajans

During the course there will be regular optional bhajan sessions. This is the practice of playing music and singing spiritual songs. We will be singing in the Sanskrit language, but it is very easy to pick up, if you do not know any Sanskrit. 

Accommodation

Take a look at both the rooms and tents that are available on our teacher training courses. 

See Accommodation

Cost for the in-person training in Thailand

  • Ocean Cottage Bungalow AC (en suite):   £3,650 (fully booked)
  • Ocean Cottage Bungalow AC (en suite) double occupancy: £3,300 per person (fully booked)
  • Single Seaview hut with AC (en suite):   £3,300 (fully booked)
  • Seaview hut with AC (en suite) double occupancy: £3,045 per person (fully booked)
  • Single Jungle bungalow with AC (en suite):   £3,090 (still available)
  • Jungle bungalow with AC (en suite) double occupancy: £2,880 per person (still available)
  • Luxury Single tent with AC:   £2,950 (fully booked)
  • Luxury shared twin tent with AC – double occupancy:   £2,780 per person (fully booked)
  • One bed in a Luxury shared 4-person tent with AC (male):   £2,750 per person (available)
  • One bed in a Luxury shared 4-person tent (female) with AC: £2,750 per person (available)

Prices are in British Pounds.

The cost includes accommodation, food and the course fee. It also includes 2 boat trips during the course to visit other parts of the island and to go snorkelling.

A £300 non-refundable deposit is required to secure your place on the course. The balance will then be due two-months before the course starts.

If you are sharing a tent and coming on you own, you will be sharing with people of the same gender.

The luxury tents are already set up with beds, electricity, lights and air conditioning.

There is one day off, and one evening off, each week. 

Cost for taking the course online

The cost for taking the course online is £1,299 (British pounds). There is a non-refundable deposit of £300 to secure a place. The balance will then be due two-months before the course starts.

Register for the course

Payments

Once your place on the course has been approved, you can make payments by debit or credit card here or by bank transfer. 

Payment terms and conditions are at the bottom of this page. 

Frequently asked questions

This course is suitable for anyone who would like to train as an AYP yoga teacher, with the skills to teach meditation, spinal breathing pranayama, samyama, mudras, bandhas and asana practice. It is also suitable for people who would simply like to deepen their own knowledge and experience of yoga.

Many Yoga Teacher Training Courses only train teachers to teach asana (posture) practice, which is just one of the eight limbs of yoga. On this course, as well as learning how to teach asana practice, teachers will be trained to teach Spinal Breathing Pranayama, Deep Meditation, Samyama practice and the mudras and bandhas. The course covers the teaching of all eight-limbs of yoga and is full-scope.

Yes, the course leads to the certification of CYT-200 (Certified Yoga Teacher with 200 hours of training). The in-person course includes 162-hours of class time with a teacher, with the remaining being non-contact hours. The online course includes 140-hours of class time with a teacher, with the remainder comprising non-contact hours. 

Assessment is carried out through class participation. Students need to attend at least 90% of the classes, to qualify. This will be the same for students attending in-person and students taking part online. Class attendance can be completed after the course in Thailand finishes, using the online recordings.

Yes, all of the training is completed during the 29-day course, with students graduating at the end of the course.

Yes, the recommended reading list can be found here. It is only a recommended list, not compulsory, so you can take a look at whatever books you are drawn to. All of the books on the list are relevant to the material covered on the course. 

The nearest airport is on Koh Samui. From there, it is a 2.5 hour ferry ride to the island of Koh Tao. Taxis waiting at the pier can bring you up to the retreat centre. Full travel instructions will be sent to you after registering. 

Yes, yoga mats and cushions are provided on the course at the centre. The mats are high quality. People taking part online, will need their own yoga mat and cushion.

No. Some people who take the course take part simply because they want to deepen their knowledge of yoga. Others are planning to teach once they complete the course. So, we get people with a wide range of different experience levels. For this reason, no previous experience is necessary. 

Yes, students attending the course in Thailand will need to have travel insurance to cover their travel to and from the retreat centre, and health insurance in Thailand.

Koh Tao Yoga TTC
Course recommended reading list

Typical daily schedule

Note: There is one day off plus one evening off, each week

10th September 2024 (arrival day)

14:00 – 16:00 Arrival

16:00 – 17:30 Practice session- asana, pranayama, meditation

17:30 Dinner

18:30 Welcome meeting

11th September – 7th October 2024

06:00 – 07:40 Asana, pranayama, meditation and samyama

08:00 – 08:45 Pranayama, meditation and samyama

09:00 – 10:00 Morning lecture/ workshop

10:00 Brunch

12:15 to 13:15 Occasional activities (not every day)

13:30 – 14:45 Afternoon lecture / workshop

15:15 – 17:00 Asana, pranayama, meditation and samyama

17:30 Dinner

19:00 Evening lecture

8th October 2024 (last day)

06:00 – 07:45 Pranayama, meditation and samyama

09:00 Brunch

10:00 – 11:00 Farewells and departure

Experience video from a previous course

Some reviews from past courses

Alain
“Thanks to the instructors, staff, and fellow students on the AYP Teacher Training Course 2017. It was a privilege to know you all. You have made it possible for me to enjoy this course and I felt at home amongst people I could trust.”
Amandine
“AYP has changed my life. I don't think another yoga teaching would have. This Yoga system focuses on meditation, not only mainly on asanas. Thus it is full-scope and covers the eight limbs of Yoga. It teaches us how to become autonomous in our practice and to transmit that in return to our students. This yoga system has been wonderfully designed, nothing has been left over. The teachers have been passionate, kind, open-minded, funny and very knowledgeable. The atmosphere within the group was like a loving family. This AYP TTC has been one of the most beautiful experiences in my life. I definitely recommend it, thank you so much!”
Cody Rickett
This was a superb training program. I've been studying, practicing, and informally teaching AYP for 7 years now, so this TTC was a major benchmark for me in deepening my devotion to spreading the magic of this open-source system. Great job by Tristan in leading the full month of practices, academics, karma yoga, and other activities. My fellow students from across the world were a joy to learn and bond with. Our last night was full of stillness and ecstasy as we danced our hearts away in the spirit of bhakti, celebration, and divine love. I would highly recommend this certification course to anyone who has a passion for bringing AYP to the community. It's well worth it.
Helen Clowes
A wonderful experience; a superb venue with true tranquillity and space to grow; excellent teaching from knowledgeable, passionate teachers who gave us a sense of confidence in our ability to take our new knowledge out into the world to share with others; a fascinating, friendly international cohort from many backgrounds united in our common goals and love of yoga. I would thoroughly recommend this course.
Isabelle
“Excellent teachers and teaching. I would certainly highly recommend this AYP teacher training.”
Jack Waspe
A high quality and strongly led training course, exploring all eight limbs of yoga in depth. The teachers were hardworking, knowledgeable, relatable and clearly passionate.
Joel
"Over our journey on the AYP TTC we deeply explored all eight limbs of yoga. Not just as an academic exercise but as powerful practices that bring about as much purification and spiritual evolution as anyone could want. Our teachers gave clear instructions on how to practice in a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable way. The environment was very supportive, friendly, fun, and lighthearted while remaining professional. Each of our instructors taught from considerable experience and deep inner silence. There were no questions that our teachers couldn't answer; no difficulties they couldn't help us overcome. I greatly deepened my personal practice, met my yoga family, and had the time of my life."
Louise Kristensen
I had a wonderful experience in Moulin De Chaves during my AYP course. The training was placed in a safe learning environment, and the teachers are highly skilled. Being an academically educated teacher myself, I was happy to see how the overall programme fit together, form the practical and theoretical content to the precision of the classes. This was more than a retreat and teachers training, it was also a wonderful social experience with ambitious and intelligent people from all over the world.
Nathalie
“Passed with distinction the yoga teacher training course. The level of individual attention given to us by enlightened teachers is beyond words. We are all grateful and full of joy for such teachers. Even people who are already yoga teachers and did this training say it is like no other. I can highly recommend the Advanced Yoga Practices Teacher Training. It is so much more than a teacher training course, it was also a retreat and a means to connect with colleagues from around the world. And above all to learn from great teachers who know ...and make dear life long friends and begin changing ourselves fundamentally.”
Renee Michelle Demill
I could not be happier with my experience studying under the guidance of Tristan, Devrim, Alex and Blanche. Through the AYP teachings I was able to deepen my love and appreciation not only for asana, but also the mental, spiritual, cultural and philosophical realms of this traditional practice. I would highly recommend AYP TTC to anyone interested in learning to teach full-scope yoga.
Richard
“This course was everything I had hoped and more. Full-scope yoga training taught by true yogis who were both available and approachable. Despite having studied yoga for many years prior to the course, I still learned a tremendous amount. It drew a diverse array of students from all over the world, a group that came to feel more like family than mere friends. My only regret was that it all had to end. I would highly recommend this program to anyone interested in learning to teach about all of the limbs of yoga.”
Sujata Mathur
The course curriculum covered all eight limbs of yoga and more. The teachers were experienced and giving. The course was very well designed and imparted knowledge and confidence to enable students to teach independently.
Wolfi
“Advanced Yoga Practices (AYP)’s 200-hour teacher-training prepares its trainees to begin teaching the principles and techniques of yoga safely and competently.”
Jen Deer
This was an effective and life-changing program and I recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone interested in a yoga teaching curriculum that offers guidance and direction regarding the stages of development along the spiritual path.
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Learn how to support the local ecosystem during your visit to the islands. 

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