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Doing a yoga teacher training can be a life-changing experience because it’s so much more than a qualification. It’s an entire experience that you’ll probably hold close to your heart until the day you die. People love to rush overseas to train up in something, but so often neglect the heart of it.
A yoga teacher training in Ecuador allows you to live in an exotic country and immerse yourself in the culture, do heaps of fun activities, and, of course, build community and make incredible friends. As yoga teacher trainings have different lengths, depending on whether you do a 200-hour, 300-hour, or 500-hour training, you have a chance to live in the country, develop your skills, and become a qualified teacher.
Ecuador is one of those underrated gems that offers so much diversity. If you’d rather do it on a beautiful coastline and incorporate surfing into your routine, or perhaps the Andes, where you can also participate in Ayahuasca ceremonies, you can! These retreats have character, and they couldn’t be in better locations.
Before we jump into the offerings, if you’re just looking for a yoga retreat, you can go to this article. If you want to know more about Ecuador, I made a comprehensive backpacker’s guide here. Last, if you want to travel the country a bit before or after your training, I’ve got you covered here.
With that said, let’s get into it.
500-Hour Tantra Yoga and Shamanism Teacher Training
Let’s start off with the lengthy 63-day yoga teacher training that incorporates shamanic teachings, tantra, and more. Durga’s Tiger School offers a deeply immersive retreat at Casa Kiliku, which operates as an Ashram located in the Andes, not too far from Quito and right next to the natural reserve of the Ilal Volcano.
The course focuses on Kaula Tantra Yoga but also blends
Other practices, including meditation, chakra work, breathwork, kriya yoga, expressive arts of the being, Shamanic practices, tantric & Shamanic ritual, Applied Tantra Philosophy, & mantra chanting. Having lived in both Ecuador and South Asia for some time, I draw parallels between these philosophies all the time, so I’m glad to see a school that incorporates these traditions to provide a more comprehensive system.
Doing your 500-hour yoga teacher training at Durga’s Tiger School is an opportunity to drop deeper into yourself and your connection with everything around you, including people, animals, plants, and the elements, which are a core part of shamanic traditions. It’s truly one of a kind, the course is offered at an amazing price for what you get, and it has the ratings to prove it.
- Provider: Durga’s Tiger School for Tantra Yoga and Shamanism
- Location: Tumbaco, Pichincha
- Duration: 63 days
- Price: From $3320
- Reserve your spot: Book here
Accredited 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Ayampe
Niyama Yoga Shala offers a 200-hour yoga teacher training in the quiet, alternative-focused beach town of Ayampe, about half an hour from Montañita. This town has some seriously laid-back vibes, and it’s the exact place you would expect a yoga teacher training to be. Just a 5-minute walk from some of the best beaches in Ecuador, or 30 minutes to the infamous party town, Montañita, you’re not going to get bored here…
This intensive 200-hour YTT enables trainees the opportunity to become educated in yoga philosophy, asanas, appropriate body alignment, anatomy, and explore a more yogic/ayurvedic lifestyle in the magical land of Ayampe, Ecuador. This program is accredited by the International Yoga Alliance and gives you a great opportunity to meet a variety of other travelers in the area.
- Provider: Niyama Yoga Shala
- Location: Ayampe, Ecuador
- Duration: 28 days
- Price: From $3999
- Reserve your spot: Book here
200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Cuenca
OM Healing Center also offers a 28-day, 200-hour yoga teacher training course just outside of Cuenca. Cuenca is my favorite city in Ecuador, and I’m certainly not the only one to say that. It’s a beautiful colonial city high up in the mountains, and close to Cajas National Park, which is amazing for hiking and connecting with nature.
This teacher training course takes place in a renovated 160-year-old hacienda that is surrounded by an expansive balcony and has a man-made waterfall as well as a pool. The center itself is large, modern, and has many social areas or places where you can get away and soak up the mountainous surroundings.
This training ticks the boxes of having a modern space with lots of community, a nice city to explore, and plenty to do on your days off. This teacher training includes a message, a Temazcal, and kirtan. Prefer the city vibes to do your training, book below.
- Provider: OM Healing Center
- Location: Cuenca, Ecuador
- Duration: 28 days
- Price: From $2550
- Reserve your spot: Book here
300-hour Yoga Teacher Training in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
In my opinion, if you’re looking to do a yoga teacher training in Ecuador, this one is the cream of the crop. Yoga Revista offers a 300-hour mixed yoga teacher training in the heart of the Galapagos Islands, for a very reasonable price for what you get. It’s like blending a formal training and qualification with an adventurous holiday packed with excursions, activities, and, of course, community.
By doing this course, you will do 3 modules covering Ghatastha and biomechanics, Hatha yoga, and Raja yoga in-depth. The center looks beautiful, and includes many unique activities such as hiking through lava tunnels, training in the highlands with giant tortoises, paddleboarding, kayaking, snorkeling, a speed boat tour, and having plenty of beach excursions. The retreat center is situated in the mangroves, and just a 5-minute walk to the beach, making it a very practical (and beautiful) location. If you want a yoga retreat in a very exotic place surrounded by some of the strangest wildlife on the planet, look into this course below!
- Provider: Yoga Revista
- Location: Santa Cruz, Galapagos Islands
- Duration: 28 days
- Price: From $3320
- Reserve your spot: Book here
