Isabel – Fashion Manager (UK) Ashtak yoga was a very profound experience for me. It shifted the way I think and view the world. Gaurav's teaching style is unique and extraordinary, he has a wonderful blend of strength and tenderness. As well as learning about all things yoga and asana (the type of thing one expects to find on a teacher training course) Kate and Gaurav will push and encourage you to really delve deeper to look and understand more about yourself. I slowly peeled my layers back to address things I’d been putting off for a long time. Even if you’re not thinking about becoming an active yoga teacher the experience will strengthen your own practice and your self-growth will blossom enormously. You’ll also meet like-minded people. I met amazing girls on my course who have now become very close friends. After the course the community is strong so you’ll have continued support well after the TT ends. We all look out for each other! Hands down one of the best decisions I’ve made and it came at just the right time in my life. So very grateful for my time with Ashtak!

Andris Fridrihsons (Latvia – Student) 'In my two-year journey around India, I have taken dozens of Yoga/meditation classes in different ashrams, with different teachers. Few really stood out. Gaurav is definitely one of them. He is not only a great yoga teacher, but he is a wonderful person. You will most definitely make a good friend in his Yoga studio. After one month of practice under his guidance, my physical and mental state was greatly enhanced. He truly impressed me. His approach is loving and kind and even when you are faced with difficulties in yoga practice he will calmly and attentively advise you'.

Sophie Fouché (Fashion Designer & Yoga Teacher - Paris, France) 'I discovered Gaurav’s yoga classes during my Teacher Training course in Goa. I realised I had discovered a teacher I could learn a lot from and decided to stay as long as I could. Each class/workshop was a great experience and beneficial to me in how to treat my body and mind. I have already incorporated a lot of what he has taught me into my own practice and include his ayurvedic tips into my daily life. Gaurav is a serious and excellent teacher with extensive knowledge of different styles of yoga which he brings together in his own teaching style. He is highly competent, patient and friendly; his classes always bring something new and interesting, all done in a very enjoyable way. If you want to practice yoga in Goa, India, whether for a single session or for long-term then Gaurav is definitely worth a visit'.

Helen Hymas (Yoga Teacher - UK) 'Gaurav is the human embodiment of Yogic philosophy! He lives and breathes love and gratitude, he has the wisdom of a thousand-year-old sage and the soul of a joyful child! He taught me so much, importantly the power of breath, his teaching style is creative and compassionate, I assume often lead by his incredible intuition. He is a natural healer and Yogic Oracle!

I feel truly blessed to have had the privilege of being one of his students and hope to see his happy face again soon – inshallah! Gaurav is a rare and special teacher, who has the talent and knowledge to combine amazingly inspiring yoga asana and pranayama classes, with fascinating and thought-provoking philosophy. Go to Anadi Yoga Studio and Spread the Yoga Love!'

Sonja Jenson (Vancouver, Canada – Naturopathic Physician Doctor) Gaurav Ji has a very special place in our hearts. His open heart and smile as he teaches his yoga classes made me feel more connected to my own heart. He completely embodies the yogic teachings and teaches them in a way that will help you connect even deeper with yourself. My husband and I will always be thankful and always remember Gaurav Ji and the time we shared together.

Nicholas Jensen (Vancouver, Canada – Naturopathic Physician Doctor) Gaurav ji aka affectionately yogiji played such a pivotal role in our journey through India. His laughter and smile are infectious and his seva was penetrable in every act of kindness and his devotion to the path of yoga. I will forever cherish our time with him in the ashram and outside the classes full of in depth study/practice, personal growth and tonnes of laughter. He is a rare individual and a true Yogi! I thank you for your delivery of the teachings dear brother and hope our paths cross again!

Nick Sadashiv Bradley, Byron Bay (Australia – Yoga Teacher at Shiva Shakti) Gaurav is a world class yoga teacher and teacher of teachers! He has incredibly extensive knowledge of yoga, pranayama and Ayurveda.

But most importantly, Gaurav is a happy and friendly soul who you naturally gravitate towards.

Simon Putz (Berlin, Germany – Travelling Yoga Teacher) Going for the YTT with Kate & Gaurav from Ashtak Yoga was a life-changing experience for me, maybe one of the most fundamental ever. I am happy and blessed that I went to train with them and feel honored to consider this inspiring and impressive couple as friends. If you search for a Yoga school that opens your eyes and heart and allows you to grow to your full potential, this is it, go for it :)

Bri Riehl (Vancouver, Canada – Environmental Scientist) My time at Ashtak Yoga is something I will cherish forever. I attended this program expecting a physical, intellectual experience and was challenged with an incredible and rewarding emotional and spiritual journey. I am someone very accustomed to the hectic nature of our western world and was amazed by my ability to calm down and slow down under Kate and Gaurav’s guidance. The lessons I have learned from them about how to practice yoga both on and off my mat have affected me more than I could have imagined. I would highly recommend this experience to anyone – you will make beautiful friendships, be inspired by Kate and Gaurav, and most importantly, you will build a closer connection with yourself. Yoga is truly a way of life and I will continue to work to embody it the way that Gaurav does so naturally. I encourage all to meet him, learn from him, and share his knowledge because the compassion, kindness, patience and persistence that he teaches are meant to be shared.

Cat Frazone (New York, The United States) 'My 200hr yoga teacher training with Ashtak Yoga was LIFE CHANGING! Kate and Gaurav are the purest, most loving people I have ever met! Gaurav’s morning asana classes were transformative and helped me and everyone else in the class release any pent-up emotion or extra baggage that we’ve accumulated in our lives and Kate’s yoga philosophy classes were eye-opening and made me re-evaluate the way I see the world, myself, and my relationship with others. Gaurav’s in-depth knowledge of yogic science is vast and extremely helpful. He is able to simplify any ‘complicated’ concepts and he was happily willing to answer any of our silly or serious questions. I can’t imagine my life not having taken this course! We created a little family in Goa with everyone taking the course and with Kate & Gaurav that I know i will have forever. Their simple message is just to live magically – to love and to smile. Even if you don’t plan on ever teaching yoga or you’ve just started doing yoga – take this course!! Just make sure you’re ready for positive change and growth!'

Olga Singh (Moscow, Russia) I am very happy that I have joined Yoga Teacher Training with Ashtak Yoga School. It was a real pleasure to attend Gaurav’s classes. Gaurav has a profound knowledge of Yoga philosophy and, Pranayama. He is a very intelligent, erudite and kind person and I am very grateful for him sharing his knowledge with us. I enjoyed the anatomy classes and learned a lot about the human body and injury prevention which is very important for teaching Yoga and for your own practice. Kate taught us many things about yoga in the contemporary world, Yoga teaching and management, she gave us practical advice which was very useful. My father is Indian and he was very skeptical about the hundreds of Yoga schools that have sprung up now in India. Together we searched for the YTTC from north till south of India for a real yoga teacher who teaches from his heart, Gaurav is the one. Thank you, Ashtak Yoga School, you are the best!

Joanna (Jordan) 'Ashtak Yoga School popped up on my Facebook and I knew I wouldn't have to look any further, I immediately booked the course. It was the absolute right decision. Everything I wished for came true. It's been over 4 months since I completed my 200hr teacher training. There's hardly a day where I don't think of Kate, Gaurav, and the group, Goa and the great time we've had. The course itself is fantastic. I’ve learnt so much about yoga and teaching. I particularly enjoyed the breathing classes in the morning. They opened a whole new world to me. I’ve spoken to friends who have done yoga trainings elsewhere and I appreciate Ashtak's emphasis on anatomy and proper alignment. The philosophy classes with Kate for me were another highlight. Kate has a wonderful way of teaching, and makes you think outside the box. Both her and Gaurav were always available for any questions and discussions. They both enjoy teaching, passing on their knowledge and letting you enter their world of Yoga. For me their enthusiasm and their very own and authentic way of living what they are teaching was simply wonderful. I liked that none of their teaching was ever dogmatic, on the contrary, very much kept in mind how individual "living yoga" is. They offered so many ideas, so many impulses - and you choose whatever suits you'.

Summer (Yoga Teacher & Vegan Hair Salon Owner - Brisbane, Australia) ‘I went to India with desires of becoming a yoga teacher, what I received from Ashtak Yoga School was so much more. I went from not really thinking i was a spiritual person to being guided on a beautiful inner healing journey. I was able to release a lot of old trauma helping me to be a better version of myself. Since returning to Australia I have started teaching yoga classes. I am feeling a lot more grounded and am working harder towards my vision which has now become a lot clearer. I am very grateful for finding this school and highly recommend to anyone wanting to do yoga teacher training’.

Sandy (Yoga Teacher - UK) 'It seems futile to sum up my experience with Ashtak Yoga School in a few words. It was without a doubt, the best self-investment I have ever made. Don’t think about it any longer, just book it! You will come away empowered and have the spiritual journey of a lifetime. My entire class left India feeling confident and excited to start teaching. I simply cannot do it justice with words..simply amazing!'

Alanoud (Doctor - Saudi Arabia) 'This this yoga course was a self-journey, a journey to know my self better and to detach from everything that was holding me back. It was the journey of life, a life-changing experience. Gaurav was one of the best teachers I ever had in my life. He teaches you life before yoga. He teaches you how to deal, know and how to connect to your true self. Gaurav and Kate teach how to enjoy life how to live each moment with love and joy, how to teach yoga with love and joy and how not to take life too seriously. I came back from India with a new me. I started teaching immediately my journey as yoga teacher began with confidence, passion, love and joy. I love Ashtak Yoga School and I love you Gaurav and Kate. I look forward to taking my 300 hours yoga teacher training with you'.

Fatin (Yoga Teacher - Saudi Arabia) 'Ashtak Yoga School, was truly an inspirational and life-changing Journey. After completing the training I felt in harmony with my body and mind, I was more aware of my actions, and I had learned how to surrender and how to have faith and trust in the unknown.This all happened under the guidance of the phenomenal teachers, and there personal attention to each one of us students. Ashtak Yoga School Teachers were amazing, patient, and very helpful. They helped me to discover how to explore my love for yoga and deepen my practice. Love you Gaurav and Kate! You changed my life! Ashtak Yoga Teacher Training was the best thing I have done for myself. Moreover, it was the perfect fit for where I was in life'.

Faye Knight (Artist - UK & Costa Rica) 'Not only was the teaching excellent. As a single traveller, I felt really cared for and looked after. Kate and Gaurav are a great team and do everything they can to help each person with their individual needs. I’d go back tomorrow if I could'.

Emily Weathers (UK) 'Yoga training for me wasn’t just about coming back to the UK with a qualification and the prospect of a new career, it was about finding the confidence to get out into the world, to go alone and discover who I could be if I let myself out of my comfort zone. Ashtak was so much more than anyone’s words can say and it’s impossible to describe to someone who hasn’t shared the experience. I have never felt so at home, surrounded by “family” halfway across the world. The place and the people that you meet make feeling so utterly vulnerable a beautiful new beginning'.

Anna (Nutritionist - Italy) ‘It’s been now few months I came back from Ashtak Yoga and the most beautiful part is that I just need to close my eyes, breathe in and feel everything as if I’m still there. What I truly appreciate of this training is the independence I gained in breathing techniques and asanas. I can now ‘do yoga’ in my home and by myself and this is the best tool I could get because it helps in any difficult or stressful moment of my every day life. Kate and Gaurav are the perfect match for teaching with great balance between the intellectual and the physical, the emotional and the spiritual. I love their commitment and simplicity, with no-frills and lots of practical advice and suggestions. Yoga back to basics, back to its roots, accessible to everyone!’

Lizza Nelson (Full-time mother of 4 - United States) 'To say that training with Ashtak Yoga was a life-changing experience sounds trite and cliched but I know of no other words to use. I am not the same person I was before I took this course. It was a big decision to head to India for a month. I am in the middle of mothering four young children and leaving them for several weeks took a lot of delicate planning and heaps of trust that what I would gain would be worth it. It was more than worth it. I could have stayed in the US and taken a course here, but I get the feeling it would be missing all the pieces I was looking for in my practice. Gaurav is a dedicated teacher, his knowledge vast and practical application intuitive and complete. I took this course to increase my understanding of yoga but was apprehensive about teaching because I can’t do 5-minute handstands on a tropical beach. Now I feel more than prepared to use my natural gifts and personality to teach whole yoga, all the limbs. I love asana and love watching dedicated practitioners master Olympic grade feats of balance and strength. But I am just as amazed at being a part of a community that enters the internal world of the heart and does the messy, scary, beautiful work of becoming a person who is truly unified with themselves, body and soul'.

Mikaela Smith (Marketing Manager - Sydney, Australia ) 'This was honestly one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. Kate knew I was apprehensive before I came and the support that was always on offer was amazing and much needed. I felt so looked after and safe going through one of the most challenging stages of growth in my life, particularly because I wasn’t expecting to gain quite so much out of it in terms of emotional and spiritual growth. It’s also great to know that now everything’s done, I’ll always be able to turn to the team. I’ve made some really great friends and I couldn’t recommend this course and school highly enough'.

Chiara (Airport Manager - London, United Kingdom) 'Having waited for a few years to make the Yoga Teacher Training a reality, I have searched and searched some more to find a teacher that could have been genuine, tradition and self-experience driven, truthful, honest, insightful, knowledgeable, patient, funny, peaceful, human, compassionate, absolutely not an iron-man therefore human and so much more….. I was basically looking for a miracle. Gaurav is the miracle! It has been a privilege to be one his students in Thailand 2015 an experience that will remain with me for the rest of my life for sure. I will be the first one online for future courses anywhere in the world'.

Dana Marion (Yoga Teacher - USA) 'Ashtak Yoga is amazing. They really care about all their student during the teacher training and AFTER the training. I really feel like I’m part of a great yogic family. Loved every minute and would take this training again and again if I could! Namaste'.

Cate (North Carolina, United States) Every day since I left your school in India I think about the free-roaming cows, the fresh fruit, the bright colors and our little bubble of safety and love that we all created. It’s been strange being home and not being surrounded by the constant support and energy that I found in Goa. But something has changed in me. I’m used to moments of frozen panic where my brain can’t think anything except for, “I need a pill to call me down”. I have not felt that way once since I’ve been home. I still have not taken any of my prescribed medication. You guys gave me so much, but you took a lot of things from me too…you took my self-doubt and lack of confidence, you took my negative thoughts, my fear, and the mass of anxiety that had been living inside me for years. You gave me a space to be myself, a space to release the things that no longer served me. The best and most surprising thing is that all of the confidence and love that I felt for myself and others has followed me back home. I was a little bit scared that I would come back and all of the old feelings would creep back up to me, but that didn’t happen. I feel free like I finally know the secret to just being.

Veronique (London – United Kingdom) My time with Ashtak Yoga school has been absolutely priceless! What I loved is that it’s authentic and separates itself from being purely about a commercial business. Gaurav and Kate are the key factors in making the 200 hours YTT not just about you gaining your qualification but really sharing their passion and knowledge with you. Their kindness, experience, depth of knowledge alongside their continuous encouragement and support has been fantastic. The community of new yogi friends is also a life blessing. Whatever your ability, level, apprehensions – take a leap of faith challenge yourself and go for it! I loved and looked forward to every day of the training, I was challenged, supported and the continuous feedback was very helpful. I’m delighted to have chosen Ashtak Yoga school for my teacher training but even more so for the lifetime of memories and new friends. I’m incredibly proud to be part of the Ashtak Yoga Tribe! Love & gratitude always. Namaste! :)

Zena McKeown (Jewellery Designer - London, United Kingdom) 'Yoga teaching training with Ashtak Yoga was the best thing I’ve ever done. I was a little apprehensive at first, I had the usual thoughts (…’I might not be ‘good’ enough at yoga etc) but my concerns were totally unfounded. I felt encouraged, accepted and supported all the way through. I was impressed by the breadth of knowledge Gaurav had from his Ph.D. and his personal knowledge; his passion for yoga (and ghee) was inspiring. There was no question he couldn’t answer thoroughly! Kate was always warm, honest and funny and her philosophy and anatomy classes were a highlight for me. They make a fantastic team I learned so much, and things I never expected to learn about myself and yoga. I now feel confident to lead a class and can’t wait to start teaching!'

Kate Springer (The United States) The 200 hour teacher training with Ashtak Yoga was absolutely incredible. It has shifted my life in so many ways, I feel like I have an entirely new beginning. Kate and Gaurav are so incredibly giving and loving to each and every student. They do such a great job of facilitating growth and emotional release for each person. There is so much information to take in at each class, asana, pranayama, anatomy, theory, philosophy – you will leave the training amazed with how much you’ve learned.

Ninja Van Wechem (The Netherlands) Words won’t be enough to express the gratitude for everything I’ve experienced during my Ashtak Yoga teacher training in Thailand. A month full of joy, laughter, tears, sweat, love and clarity. This training deepened me understanding of yoga, it was a profound learning and healing experience for me that helps me in so many ways (on and off the mat) and also made me a teacher! Within a span of 26 days, we covered topics ranging from anatomy to asanas to pranayama to philosophy to the business planning of yoga teaching and so much more. All aspects of yoga came to life in clear and humble teachings. Gaurav and Kate thanks for sharing your deep knowledge and experience. I am excited to share my love for yoga and continue my study. Kapkunkaa!