Solo Female Yoga Teacher Training in India: Safety Guide

Written by Mayuri Shewale, E-RYT 500 (Yoga Alliance), founder and lead teacher of Swaastik Yog School in Rishikesh. Prices and emergency numbers checked on 22 October 2026.

Every week a woman writes to us from somewhere far away. She has saved for months. She has read about Rishikesh, watched videos and picked her dates. Then, just before paying, she asks a quieter question: "Is it really safe for me to do this alone?"

I am a woman who has lived and taught yoga in India for more than 15 years, and many of the students in our batches arrive on their own. This is the practical guide I would give my own sister. It covers how to choose a safe school, how to arrive, how to handle boundaries during the course, and what to do if something goes wrong. If you want details about the town itself, read our companion guide, is Rishikesh safe for solo female travellers?

Solo female yoga teacher training safety at a glance

Stage	Main risk	What to do
Choosing a school	An unregistered or poorly run school	Check its Yoga Alliance profile, recent reviews and written policies before paying a deposit.
Arriving	Late-night travel and taxi scams	Land in daylight if you can. Pre-book a pickup with your school.
On campus	Shared rooms and unclear boundaries	Choose single-gender rooms or a private room. Ask for the code of conduct.
In class	Unwanted touch during adjustments	Consent-based adjustments only. You can always say no.
Days off	Strangers, night walks, the river	Go out in a group, be back before dark, never swim in fast rivers.
Health	Stomach upsets, heat or cold	Filtered water, busy restaurants, travel insurance, clothes for the season.

Is India safe for a woman doing yoga teacher training alone?

India is safe for most women on a yoga teacher training, because a residential course puts you inside a small, supervised community for almost the whole trip.

That is the big difference between a teacher training and backpacking. On a 200-hour course you sleep, eat and study on one campus for three to four weeks. Your days start at sunrise and end after dinner. You travel to excursions with your batch. The riskiest hours for any traveller, late at night in unfamiliar streets, are hours you will mostly spend asleep.

India is also a large and varied country, and it would be dishonest to say nothing ever goes wrong. Staring is common. Overcharging is common. Groping in big crowds happens. Serious incidents are rare in the yoga towns, but they are not zero. The steps in this guide are about cutting the small risks down and making the big ones very unlikely.

How do you check that a yoga school is safe before you book?

The safest schools answer every question in writing, before you pay, without pressure.

Ask these questions by email or WhatsApp. Keep the replies.

What to check	What a good answer looks like	Swaastik's answer
Yoga Alliance registration	A link to the school's profile in the official directory	RYS 200, RYS 300, RYS 500, RCYS, YACEP
Who leads the batch	A named lead teacher for your dates, with a public profile	Founder Mayuri Shewale leads every batch; Rahul Badoni teaches philosophy.
Rooms	Single-gender dorms and shared rooms, and a private option	Gender-separate dorms, twin-shared and private rooms
Female staff	A woman on campus you can go to at any hour	Female staff on campus
Code of conduct	A written document covering teacher–student boundaries	Yes, sent on request
Adjustments	Offered with consent, easy to opt out	Always offered with consent; you can say no at any time
Arrival	A pickup the school arranges, with a named driver	Pickup from Dehradun airport (DED) or Delhi, at extra cost
Money	A small deposit and a clear refund policy	10% deposit online, balance on arrival. See our refund policy.

Also read the school's newest Google reviews, including the critical ones. Look for reviews from women who travelled alone, and see how the school replied to complaints.

What red flags should a solo woman watch for in a yoga school?

The clearest red flag is a school that will not put its rules, prices or teacher names in writing.

• No written policies. "Don't worry, everything is fine" is not a code of conduct.
• Pressure to pay fast, or to pay the full fee in cash before you see the campus.
• Mixed dorms with no single-gender option.
• Private "healing" or "initiation" sessions offered one-to-one in a teacher's room. A real teacher will meet you in a shared, open space.
• Teachers who message you late at night on personal accounts about things that are not the course.
• Adjustments without asking, or jokes when you say no.
• A lead teacher you cannot find anywhere except the school's own site.

If you see one of these after you arrive, talk to the head of the school. If the head of the school is the problem, leave and contact the police on 112. Your safety is worth more than your deposit.

How do you arrive in India safely as a woman alone?

The safest arrival is a daytime landing with a pickup your school has booked in advance.

• Fly as close as you can. For Rishikesh, Dehradun airport (DED) is about an hour by car. Delhi (DEL) is about 5 to 6 hours by road.
• Land in daylight. If your flight lands late at night, book a hotel near the airport and travel in the morning.
• Get your driver's name and car number from the school before you fly, and send them to a friend.
• Do not accept offers from touts inside or outside the airport. Use only the pre-booked driver or the official prepaid taxi counter.
• Buy a local SIM as soon as you can. You will need your passport and visa.
• Sort your paperwork early. Our India visa guide for yoga students explains which visa to choose.

Our full guide on how to get to Rishikesh from Delhi compares every route.

How should you handle boundaries and adjustments during the course?

You are allowed to say no to any touch, any private meeting and any conversation that feels wrong, at any time, without giving a reason.

Hands-on adjustments are a normal part of teacher training. Done well, they help you feel alignment in your own body. Done badly, they cross a line. A good teacher asks first, explains what they are going to do, and accepts "no" without fuss.

• Say your preference on day one. Tell the lead teacher if you prefer verbal cues only, or no adjustments in certain areas.
• Use a signal. Some schools use a card or a block on the mat to mean "no adjustments today". If yours does not, ask for one.
• Speak to someone the same day if anything feels wrong. Small things are easier to fix early.
• Keep teacher contact in group channels. Course questions can go to the batch group, not private late-night chats.

At our school, adjustments are offered with care and consent and you can always say no. You can also talk to me directly about anything, because I lead the course and I am on campus throughout.

How do you stay healthy on a yoga teacher training in India?

Most health problems on a training are stomach upsets and tiredness, and both are easy to manage with simple habits.

• Water: drink only filtered or sealed water. Good schools have filtered water on tap all day.
• Food: eat at your school or busy restaurants. Go easy on street food in the first week.
• Rest: days start early. Go to bed early, and tell your teacher if you are exhausted or unwell.
• Your cycle: you can ask your teacher for gentler options during your period. Pack the products you prefer, as brands vary.
• Season: summer in North India is hot, and winter nights in the hills are cold. At our campus, from November to February the halls are heated and every room has a heated blanket.
• Insurance: buy travel insurance that covers medical treatment and evacuation. It is rarely included in course fees.

What should you do on days off and weekends?

Go out with your batch, get back before dark and keep away from fast-moving rivers.

Days off are when you are most likely to be out on your own. A few habits keep them easy:

• Go in a group to temples, waterfalls and markets. Many schools, ours included, run group excursions.
• Dress for a holy town: cover shoulders and knees in public. A light shawl helps with sun, dust and staring.
• Agree taxi and rickshaw fares before you get in.
• Never swim in the Ganga or other fast rivers. The current is strong and cold.
• Share your live location with a friend or your school if you go out alone.

What are the emergency numbers for women in India?

Dial 112 for police, fire or ambulance anywhere in India; it is free and open 24 hours.

Number	What it is for
112	National emergency number: police, fire and ambulance
181	National women's helpline, 24 hours
108	Medical emergency and ambulance in many states, including Uttarakhand (Rishikesh)
1363	Government of India tourist helpline, with help in several languages

Save your school's number and your embassy's number too, before you land.

What does Swaastik Yog School do for women training alone?

Swaastik Yog School is a women-led, Yoga Alliance registered school in Tapovan, Rishikesh, and the campus is set up around the questions solo women ask.

• A woman leads your course. I founded the school in 2015, and I lead every 200, 300 and 500-hour batch.
• You live on campus. Rooms, meals and classes are in one place, so you do not walk home through town after class.
• Single-gender rooms. Dorms and shared rooms are never mixed. Private rooms are available.
• Female staff on campus and a written code of conduct.
• Small batches of 15 to 20 students, so nobody gets lost in the crowd.
• Pickup arranged before you land from Dehradun airport or Delhi, at extra cost.

Our 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training in Rishikesh is 22 days and starts on the 5th and 15th of every month. It costs $440 in a dorm, $880 twin-shared or $1,100 private, including training, accommodation, two sattvic vegetarian meals a day (brunch and dinner), materials and your certificate. Batches are mixed: men train alongside you. If you want to see who else names a woman at the top, read our guide to women-led yoga schools in Rishikesh.

Frequently asked questions

Is it safe to do yoga teacher training in India as a solo female?

Yes, for most women who choose a well-run residential school and plan their arrival. Look for single-gender rooms, female staff, a written code of conduct and consent-based adjustments. Land in daylight, pre-book a pickup and save 112, India's emergency number.

What should a woman check before booking a yoga school in India?

Check the school's Yoga Alliance profile, recent Google reviews, who leads your batch, room options, whether female staff are on campus, the code of conduct and the refund policy. Ask for all of it in writing before you pay a deposit.

Which yoga school in Rishikesh is best for solo female travellers?

Choose a school with a residential campus, single-gender rooms, female staff and a written code of conduct. Swaastik Yog School in Tapovan is women-led: founder Mayuri Shewale (E-RYT 500) leads every batch, rooms are single-gender, and pickup can be arranged before you land.

Can I refuse hands-on adjustments in yoga teacher training?

Yes, always. A good school offers adjustments with consent and accepts "no" without question. Tell your lead teacher your preference on the first day. At Swaastik Yog School, adjustments are offered with care and consent, and you can opt out at any time.

What is the women's helpline number in India?

The national women's helpline is 181, open 24 hours. For any emergency, dial 112 for police, fire and ambulance. In Uttarakhand, where Rishikesh is, 108 is also the medical emergency and ambulance number.