Teacher Training Immersion Retreat
Live and breathe yoga for 6 weeks
Are you looking for a meaningful getaway, to deepen your personal practice and experience authentic yogic living? During our Krishna Village 6 week Teacher Training Immersion we teach yoga in its wholeness, so you can BE a yogi, rather than just DO yoga.
"Yoga is a light, which once lit, will never dim. The better your practice, the brighter the flame." — BKS Iyengar
The 6 Week Immersion Retreat
To see if this experience is for you, read our FAQ for Yoga Teacher Trainees and have a look at our Code of Conduct.
Key differences between regular Yoga Teacher Training and Immersion Retreat
Certification
As an Immersion Retreat guest, you are not expected to participate in assessments and seva (Karma Yoga work for the community), and will not teach classes. You will receive the knowledge and information, but will not become a certified yoga teacher.
Time to yourself
With less commitments, from week 3 you will have several days per week to relax, catch up on your reading, make friends with other guests, and explore the Tweed Valley. The course is front loaded, with a lot of the key content being taught in week 1 and 2, to get the trainees ready to start teaching. Weeks 3-6 continue to have 2 or 3 yoga classes/day and 1 yogic living class at lunch time on 6 days/week, but there is more free time.
Change of plans
If you change your mind and would like to get certified, we may or may not be able to accommodate your wish. Let us know by week 1 at the latest, and we'll see what we can do. The teaching groups are carefully planned, so it's not as easy as adding another person. In case you are unsure, better sign up as a trainee and switch to retreat later, instead of signing up for the retreat option and missing out.
Pricing
The rate for the Immersion Retreat option is slightly less than as for the regular YTT, as you have access to the same amount of classes and the same accommodation, but are not being assessed and are free to come and enjoy whichever classes you take interest in. A $600 discount will be applied when you book.
If you are dealing with any physical or mental health issues, please check our Are you ready page to make sure this is a suitable course for you.
Pricing
The charge for your Teacher Training depends on your choice of accommodation. As a commuter without a room, you pay $4115. If you choose to stay, we offer a variety of campsites, budget and higher end share- and single rooms, as well as cabins. More details about each room type are available in step 2 of the booking process. All pricing options shown below include the training fee + 3x meals/day, as well as the $600 'immersion retreat' discount:
Camping (tent or van) from $3995
Shared Rooms (from $5660)
Single Rooms (from $6050)
Cabins (from $8000)
Graduate Success Stories
Meet Graduate Winter Harvey from Hawai'i and find out how she scored her dream job at a popular Honolulu yoga studio straight after her Level 1 Yoga Teacher Training at Krishna Village, and why she flew half way around the globe again to complete her Level 2 training here, too.
Graduate Eleonor shares her epic story: The Swedish traveller came to Krishna Village and decided to do her Yoga Teacher Training here with us and only months later, back in Sweden, got offered to take over and run a yoga studio - the Mandala Soul Studio. How is that for manifestation skills?!
Choose a date to make your booking
We start with our Welcome Tour on Monday at 11am. The official graduation is on the last Thursday of the course, so you have a final night to celebrate with your fellow trainees. Check-out is on Friday at 9am.
Please leave a note in the 'comments' section that you are booking in as an Immersion Retreat guest and use the discount code YTTRETREAT at the checkout to receive your discount.
Your facilitators
Lila, Michael and the other teachers are all Bhakti Yogis and have all been living a healthy, wholesome, yogic lifestyle for many years. Amongst them, they have run several yoga retreat centres and yoga schools and taught hundreds of classes in the yoga, philosophy and personal development realm.
Lila Kirtana
Lila Kirtana was first attracted to the yogic lifestyle in 2005. During the 3 years she spent deeply immersed in studies as a Vedic nun in an ashram, Lila completed her Level 1 and 2 500 hour certification and has been teaching yoga ever since. From 2008 onwards Lila has worked full time as a yoga teacher trainer and retreat manager in Byron Bay [Certificate IV in Yoga Teaching, RYT-500, Cert IV in Training and Assessment, YACEP]. She completed Pre/Postnatal Yoga training with Bliss Baby Yoga in 2012 and began to teach regularly on their courses until 2016, and after becoming a mother, Lila completed a Children's Yoga teacher training with Zenergy Yoga in 2014 and has run several terms of children's yoga classes in Preschool, Primary school and High school. In 2017 she completed a 50 hour Yin Yoga certification, and a Yoga for Mental Health qualification in 2019 and 2020.
Lila has been the course creator and head yoga teacher trainer at the Krishna Village Eco Yoga centre full time since 2016, and has accredited over hundreds of teachers in that time. She is a passionate advocate for women's health and the environment, and also teaches on the Prenatal courses run at Krishna Village and various retreats around the shire.
Lila also is a mother to two gorgeous children, holds a Diploma of Remedial Massage, plays various musical instruments and is the lead singer of the enCHANTed kirtan band which holds regular kirtan evenings and performs at various Yoga Festivals, and has a deep knowledge and understanding of Ayurveda through years of study and regular trips to India. Lila is a passionate Bhakti yogi inspired to share the things she loves through her yoga classes and her joy of chanting.
Michael ‘Laxmivan’
Michael began his yoga journey at the age of 20 when he left his profession as a studio musician and joined a bhakti Yoga Monastery.
For the next 10 years he travelled Australia, New Zealand and India as a brahmachari monk, daily studying the traditional yogic canons and engaging in strict daily yogic sadhana.
After another 6 years as a traditional Vedic (Hindu) priest, he took an interest in the more physical aspects of yoga and successfully completed a 3-year diploma course with Satyananda Yoga, before finally finding his passion with Power Vinyasa.
Since then he’s been certified by Baron Baptiste, became certified with Anti Gravity level 2, founded one of Australia’s most successful regional yoga studios, and has helped develop and facilitate many teacher training programs in Australia.
As a teacher trainer, Michael brings with him great integrity and depth, forged by more than 31 years of strict, yet joyful daily practice.
His teaching is full of compassion, humour and authenticity, with a deep respect for tradition, but without being over zealous.
Delicious vegetarian meals
At Krishna Village, we offer 3x delicious vegetarian meals per day.
Start your day with a warm and satisfying breakfast, including the popular Ayurvedic dish of kitchari, made with rice, lentils, vegetables and spices. We also offer porridge and fresh fruits, including vegan options.
For lunch, enjoy a delicious and healthy all-vegan spread, featuring vegetable dishes, fresh salads and a rotating selection of staple options such as quinoa, rice or pasta.
For dinner, we serve vegetable curries, lentil soups, or a pasta dishes, with rice/flatbreads and salad. We also offer preparations with oil or gluten, as well as vegan options.
If you have any specific dietary needs, please feel free to use the Krishna Village kitchen to prepare your meals.
The Krishna Farm
Nestled in the foothills of the Wollumbin National Park in the heart of the Northern Rivers of New South Wales, the Krishna Farm New Govardhana is a 1000 acre property with orchards, organic vegetable gardens, cows, streams and swimming holes in abundance.
New Govardhana serves as an ashram to a community of yogis who aspire to live according to their deepest vows and commitments on their path of service, spiritual contentment and happiness (Bhakti Yoga). Their service and dedication make this location a beautiful place of growth, healing and spiritual awakening. The temple is the beating heart of our community and we encourage all our guests to come along and experience the lifestyle and philosophy reflected by the practice of Krishna consciousness.
Testimonials
