Vishoka Meditation® Teacher Training
Master key techniques to teach Vishoka Meditation and its supporting practices.
Vishoka Meditation
Uncover new depths in your practice and teaching.
- Learn key principles of a yogic lifestyle and holistic wellness
- Deepen your understanding of diaphragmatic breathing, prana (life force energy), and systematic relaxation
- Master the main body of Vishoka Meditation and its supporting practices
- Expand your capacity to serve your community and the world
Experience the Wisdom of a Living Tradition
Vishoka Meditation is the culmination of decades of work by the Himalayan Institute to bring the Himalayan Tradition’s deeper teachings of meditation to the West.
In-Depth Study & Practice
Experience, and gain insights into, the deeper dimensions of yoga.
Authentic Himalayan Tradition
Connect to an inexhaustible source of inspiration and nourishment.
World Leader in Yoga
Gain skills that will help you excel as a professional yoga teacher.
About This Training:
Overview
Our Vision
Imagine a life free from pain and sorrow, and infused with joy and tranquility. The ancient yogis called this state vishoka, and insisted that we all can reach it. Vishoka Meditation is a comprehensive system of meditation designed to help us reach this experience.
The heart of Vishoka Meditation is a technique that is spiritually-grounded, yet highly systematic and experiential. But Vishoka Meditation is more than technique—it is a living practice supported by a rich body of wisdom, refined over countless generations.
The Vishoka Meditation Teacher Training certification program was created to share the practice of Vishoka Meditation far and wide. We believe meditation is a powerful force for positive change.
If you’re passionate about changing the world, and are a yoga teacher or advanced yoga practitioner interested in sharing meditation with your students and community, this meditation certification program is perfect for you.
About the Tradition of Vishoka Meditation
Vishoka Meditation is grounded in the authentic wisdom of ancient, yet living, tradition embodied by luminaries including Buddha, Patanjali, and a long line of Siddha masters. Drawing upon both yoga and tantra, Vishoka Meditation shares the essence of ancient source texts including the Yoga Sutra, Lotus Sutra and Shiva Sutra.
Passed down for thousands of years, the practice of Vishoka Meditation was distilled for the 21st century practitioner by Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, PhD, a modern-day master, spiritual head of the Himalayan Institute, and successor to Swami Rama of the Himalayas.
Vishoka Meditation is the culmination of decades of work by the Himalayan Institute to bring the Himalayan Tradition’s deeper teachings of meditation to the West. This system of meditation is fully grounded in the eight limbs of yoga, and further enriched by essential teachings of tantra and yoga lifestyle.
About the Training
The Vishoka Meditation Teacher Training (VMTT) provides you the opportunity to advance your own understanding and practice of Vishoka Meditation, and to become a Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher (CVMT)—a growing community of Vishoka Meditation teachers around the word certified to:
- Teach Vishoka Meditation practices as part of public or private yoga and meditation classes
- Teach the full 15-hour Vishoka Meditation Course
The VMTT is a six-week (70 contact hours) online teacher training certification program beginning on November 8th and concluding on December 19th, 2025.
Training sessions are a combination of on-demand home study (approximately two-thirds of the content hours) along with two to three weekly live touchpoints that include integration and assimilation sessions with Himalayan Institute Vishoka Meditation Faculty as well as peer-proctored sessions to practice and refine your Vishoka Meditation teaching. Read more about the VMTT format below.
Training Curriculum
- Comprehensive coverage of the main body of Vishoka Meditation as well as all of its supporting and preparatory practices, as noted in the Vishoka Meditation book
- A focus on understanding and gaining experiential proficiency in a precise set of meditative techniques designed to unite mind and breath, and turn them inward
- Thorough review of how diaphragmatic breath training and sitting posture are the foundation for Vishoka Meditation
- Understanding the role of prana, pranic-awareness, pranically-oriented asana and systematic relaxation in Vishoka Meditation, including both theory and practice
- Key principles of yogic lifestyle and holistic wellness that underpin Vishoka Meditation
- The methodology for sequencing and prioritizing the various practices, particularly the preparatory and supporting practices, which fall within the system of Vishoka Meditation
- Understanding how the practice of Vishoka Meditation can be expressed to meet your student’s unique needs
- Key teaching techniques which are required to effectively teach Vishoka Meditation and its supporting practices
- Exploring the relationship between Vishoka Meditation and other styles and traditions of yoga and meditation
- Exploring the wisdom tradition which is the source of Vishoka Meditation, including key masters and source texts in this tradition and their relationship to Vishoka Meditation
- Comprehensive training in the family of Vishoka Meditation educational products that the Vishoka Meditation Teacher Training certification qualifies you to teach, including reviewing class outlines and other curriculum materials which you can use to teach Vishoka Meditation
- Vishoka Meditation brand guidelines and best practices to be an effective Vishoka Meditation ambassador
Program Format
- 6-week online format with a total of 11-12 hours per week, organized thematically
- On-demand sessions drop once per week (7-8 hours), with 2-3 live sessions per week (4-4.5 hours) that reinforce the content, practices and teaching techniques covered in the on-demand sessions
- Sessions are a blend of lecture and practicum to create an experiential learning environment
- Guided practice sessions give you a direct experience of how Vishoka Meditation can be integrated into a yoga class or be the anchor element for a guided meditation class
- Small group breakout sessions to discuss and assimilate key concepts with both HI Faculty proctored and peer-proctored sessions
- Peer-proctored practice teaching sessions
- Opportunity for additional informal sessions—such as a virtual chai party, and more!
Online Training Specifics/Requirements
- Submit weekly assimilation notes with a few bullet points on key concepts covered in each on-demand session that week
- Weekly multiple choice quiz with answer key given after submission to help assimilate key concepts and practices each week, and to help prepare for post-training at-home proficiency assessment
- Live participation in weekly live online lectures and practice sessions is strongly encouraged to ensure the highest level of learning experience
- Live participation in peer proctored practice teaching sessions is strongly encouraged
- Students must submit a brief summary of 3-5 bullet points of the main ideas for each live session not attended live
- Students will need to coordinate with other students in order to participate in the independent group work assignments, therefore individual email addresses will be shared within the training group
- All sessions will be recorded and available to watch four hours after they air live
- All sessions will be available to view for twelve months after the end date of the program
Meet the Teachers
Ishan Tigunait
Growing up at the Himalayan Institute, Ishan Tigunait received his first spiritual lessons from Swami Rama of the Himalayas, and has continued his spiritual education for the past 30 years under the guidance of his father, Pandit Rajmani Tigunait. Ishan serves as Executive Director of the Himalayan Institute, and has been a driving force for the Himalayan Institute’s humanitarian projects in Africa over the past 15 years. He also serves as Managing Director of Himalayan Institute India, and spearheaded the establishment of the Institute’s newest campus in Khajuraho, India.
Ishan’s passion is sharing modern reflections on the ancient wisdom of the yogic and tantric traditions. As a Himalayan Institute faculty member, he is a key contributor to the Vishoka Meditation program and the Institute’s 500-hour yoga teacher training program, and also leads annual pilgrimages to India and the Himalayas.
Holding a degree in computer engineering, Ishan worked for IBM before returning to the Himalayan Institute in 2006. Ishan is also co-founder of Moka Origins, a socially conscious bean-to-bar chocolate maker and specialty coffee roaster. He is an avid social entrepreneur, and is committed to sharing the transformational power of yoga to unleash our full potential.
Sandra Anderson
Senior faculty at the Himalayan Institute, Sandy teaches yoga, meditation, and philosophy, and is a key instructor in the Institute's teacher training programs. She is the coauthor of the award-winning book, Yoga Mastering the Basics, and a frequent contributor to the Himalayan Institute's online Wisdom Library. Her work draws on her immersion in the living oral tradition, traditional texts of hatha yoga and tantra, training in Sanskrit, and her background in environmental science. A long-time resident at the Himalayan Institute with a diverse background and life experience, Sandy has a unique capacity to convey the richness of spiritual life in the contemporary world.
Shari Friedrichsen
Shari Friedrichsen has been teaching and studying yoga for more than 50 years and is a key facilitator of the Himalayan Institute's Vishoka Meditation Course and the Vishoka Meditation Teacher Training program. She conducts classes, seminars and trainings, nationally and internationally, sharing the Wisdom of the Himalayan Tradition, of which she has been a student for over 25 years. Shari has studied asana, meditation, and philosophy with respected teachers Pandit Rajmani Tigunait, Rolf Sovik, Amma Karunamayi, and BKS Iyengar.
Shari's unique style incorporates asanas, pranayama and meditation with breath awareness and subtle and gross anatomical guidance to draw the student into the inner experience of yoga and the self. Her approach uses yoga as a vital, powerful, and compassionate component in supporting the body, mind, heart and soul. Shari holds the following certifications-C-IAYT, E-RYT 500, and YACEP – and is a frequent contributor to HI Online.
Judy Moulton
Judy Moulton is a Himalayan Institute certified and Yoga Alliance recognized E-RYT 500, an Ayurvedic Health Counselor, and Ayurvedic Yoga Therapist registered with the National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA). Judy is also the director of the Himalayan Institute’s professional certification programs and an integral faculty member teaching within those programs. In addition, Judy is a member of the PureRejuv Wellness Center staff, leading ayurvedic retreats and conducting individual consultations. Having experienced the immense transformative power of yoga and ayurveda directly, she relies on her own personal practice to support her daily life and is dedicated to helping others to do the same.
Prerequisites
- Completion of the Vishoka Meditation Course
- Completion of the Vishoka Meditation 40-Day At-Home Practice
- Required reading: Vishoka Meditation: The Yoga of Inner Radiance
- A 200-hour yoga teacher training certification from a Yoga Alliance recognized yoga school OR comparable proficiency in yoga
Recommended Background
- 500-hour yoga teacher training certification from a Yoga Alliance recognized yoga school
- Prior participation in advanced trainings with Pandit Rajmani Tigunait and other HI Faculty
- 3+ years of experience teaching yoga
Dates & Costs
November 8—December 19, 2025
Attendance in this certification program is by application only. Due to time-sensitive pre-training assignments, applications will be accepted through October 24th, 2025.
Click here to download the schedule to the November 2025 Vishoka Meditation® Teacher Training
Program Cost
- $1,149 (includes Teacher Manual, handouts, and other course materials)
- $999 early-bird price, up until September 9th. ($150 discount)
- $108 additional non-refundable application fee
Scholarships Available:
Scholarships are available for this program through the Himalayan Institute Mission Scholarship Fund. Learn more and apply here
Becoming a Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher (CVMT)
Pre-Training Assignments
Two pre-training assignments must be completed by October 31st, 2025, one week before the start day of training:
- Vishoka Meditation Book Study Assignment
- Pre-training 40-day Vishoka Meditation at-home practice and written assignment
Post-Training Assignments
- Successfully complete the Vishoka Meditation Teacher Training course
- Complete the following three post-training assignments:
- Knowledge Assessment. This is an at-home proficiency assessment on the material covered in the Vishoka Meditation book and Vishoka Meditation Teacher Certification course.
- Post-training 40-day Vishoka Meditation at-home practice and written assignment.
- 30 hours of practice teaching of Vishoka Meditation and written assignment
- Review and sign the Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher License Agreement
- The CVMT License Agreement exists to clearly delineate parameters around CVMT teaching opportunities and responsibilities so that the teachings, supporting lectures, slides, handouts, and marketing materials, all work together to preserve the richness, coherency, and integrity of Vishoka Meditation and thereby empower each CVMT to confidently and enthusiastically share the practice of Vishoka Meditation with others.
- Annual certification dues of $108 (first year included in the cost tuition)
Benefits of being a Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher (CVMT)
- Authorization and privilege to teach the Vishoka Meditation offerings covered in this certification:
- Teach Vishoka Meditation practices as part of public or private yoga and meditation classes
- Teach the full 15-hour Vishoka Meditation Course after submission and approval of your Vishoka Mediation Course Proposal
- Teach Vishoka Meditation practices as part of public or private yoga and meditation classes
- Teach the full 15-hour Vishoka Meditation Course after submission and approval of your Vishoka Mediation Course Proposal
- Ability to use the Vishoka Meditation brand in relation to those offerings (subject to approved brand usage guidelines)
- Listing on the VishokaMeditation.org directory of Certified Vishoka Meditation Teachers
- Ability to officially reference your credential as a Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher
- Receive class outlines and curriculum materials for all the Vishoka Meditation educational offerings this certification covers, so you can offer the Vishoka Meditation Course and guided practices to your students
- Ability to bundle the Vishoka Meditation Digital Companion Course with your offerings of the Vishoka Meditation course at no additional cost.
- The Himalayan Institute will issue a Certificate of Completion to all students who successfully complete your offering of the Vishoka Meditation Course.
- You will receive wholesale discounts for any Vishoka Meditation products which you purchase in bulk for resale (subject to wholesale terms and conditions)
- Only Certified Vishoka Meditation Teachers will be eligible to participate in advanced Vishoka Meditation teacher training offerings
- Access to exclusive online Vishoka Meditation Teacher events such as quarterly online satsangs with Vishoka Meditation Faculty
- Opportunities to receive ongoing personal guidance from the VMTT faculty
- This program qualifies for 70 Yoga Alliance CEUs
- Ongoing access to all VMTT training videos and other training materials for as long as you retain your Certified Vishoka Meditation Teacher credentials
Testimonials
All of the preparatory practices which led to Vishoka have been transformative for my personal practice. I have been meditating for over a decade and in the past few weeks, I have slowed down and opened to the beauty that lies in effortlessness. I loved the simplicity and it has given me new confidence to just teach!
— Leah K.
As someone who has been meditating for years with a different inner experience, feeling the fullness and richness of Vishoka Meditation makes daily practice a joy. Vishoka Meditation is by far the very best system of meditation I’ve ever experienced. I could feel the difference as soon as I began practicing.
— Rita S.
I realized about halfway through the course that this is the real deal. I believe Vishoka crosses all spiritual traditions throughout history and throughout the world. The master teachers of this course were terrific guides in the art of teaching meditation, but the true teacher was the practice of the Vishoka technique itself.
— Janese K.
Video Testimonial
Mary Johnston-Coursey, CVMT
Salt Lake City, UT
FAQ
Apply for Vishoka Meditation Teacher Training
Attendance in this certification program is by application only. Due to time-sensitive pre-training assignments, applications will be accepted through October 24th, 2025.
Scholarships Available:
Scholarships are available for this program through the Himalayan Institute Mission Scholarship Fund. Learn more and apply here
Have a Question? Contact Us:
Phone: (570) 253-5551 x25
Email: [email protected]
Himalayan Institute Certifications
952 Bethany Turnpike
Honesdale, PA 18431-4041, USA
Have a Question? Contact Us:
Phone: (570) 253-5551 x25
Email: [email protected]
Himalayan Institute Certifications
952 Bethany Turnpike
Honesdale, PA 18431-4041, USA
