Packing for Yoga Teacher Training in India: A month at an ashram (& two bonus weeks exploring cities and beaches)

Completely normal: I love packing.

Like, a whole lot.

I get just as geeked about drafting a packing list as I do drafting an itinerary for any upcoming trip, and when it comes to packing for me, the less luggage the better.

My recent trip to India was no exception.

Even though I was in India for more than six weeks, I still knew I wanted to consolidate all my packing into a single backpack: aka, “one-bag” it.

Six weeks in India was my longest non-residential trip abroad, and I’m really happy to say that I managed to (mostly*) confine myself to a single backpack for the whole trip.

*I say “mostly” because I did end up shuffling things around during my trip (more on that below), and I ended up returning home with an additional small shoulder bag full of things I bought/ acquired in India: My graduation sari, scarves and jewelry, souvenirs for friends, leftover materials (t-shirts, notebooks, swag) from my Yoga Teacher Training, etc.

Why did I want to one-bag it?

I can extoll the benefits of one-bagging for days. You don’t have to worry about lost baggage if you can carry your single bag into your train or airline cabin with you. A single backpack is lighter and easier to maneuver, which is ideal for trips that involve multiple destinations that can be challenging to get to (like… cobblestone streets).

Plus, you really don’t ever need to pack as much as you think you do. Chances are you can buy anything you might need while you’re traveling. Plus- buying things while you travel — like clothes or accessories — means you can bring those things home as souveniers.

Honestly, I have a million reasons I love one-bagging it, which shouldn’t be a surprise if you’ve been reading my writing for a while.

Plus, my ashram was located out in a forest. It was only accessible by foot or by mule, so students were instructed to leave roller bags and suitcases behind in favor of backpacks to make it easier on porters.

For this specific trip, I decided to bring my favorite L.L. Bean “Continental” Travel pack, which I’ve traveled with plenty of times before.

A quick note: I own an older clamshell-style version of this bag. The version L.L. Bean sells now opens horseshoe-style.

My ashram did provide me with yoga mat, yoga props and all the study materials I needed, which did make my packing a little bit easier.

Because I knew I’d be backpacking around with Ryan for a few weeks after my training program, I packed a little bit more than I’d need at the ashram.

I packed everything into three bags, which I know seems counterintuitive.

First, I packed the bulk of my stuff into my big L.L. Bean pack.

Then, I packed several small and very important items — like my passport, eVisa, lip balm, etc. — into my Béis sling bag.

Then, I packed a few items I like to keep on hand for in-flight (my MacBook, snacks, some chargers, etc.— in my foldable nylon backpack – which also doubles as my day pack once I’m in-country.

I made sure I could consolidate my three bags into two bags — or one bag, if needed — prior to any flight.

Got it?

If that doesn’t make sense, this photo from my 10-days-in-Europe packing post gives you those 1,000 words in a photo.

I did end up checking my big travel bag a few times in India after I was asked to by gate agents since I ended up taking a few very small planes during in-country travel.

In those instances, I was able to take both my crossbody and my nylon backpack into the plane cabin with me.

Now, onto my packing list!

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IN MY BEIS CROSSBODY

Like I mentioned above: I packed this with all my important things I keep close to my chest, and I kept it on me as much as possible. Some of my flights in India even let me keep it on my body during my in-country flights, which was nice.

In here I packed:

My passport, iPhone, Thread wallet, external battery pack, Kindle, snacks, AirPods, Loop earplugs, retainer, Chapstick, tissue pack, sunglasses.

• In my wallet: State driver’s license, Global Entry card, Capital One Venture One credit card (best for traveling IMO), Charles Schwab bank card (for withdrawing local currency via ATMs).

IN MY FOLDABLE NYLON BACKPACK

I packed this with the intention of putting it under the seat in front of me on my long-haul flights with stuff I thought I might want or need during my flight.

In here I packed:

My foldable hairbrush, my mesh cable bag (I packed this with my backup iPhone, various USB-A/ USB-C/ micro-USB/Apple Watch/ lightning charging cords and adapters, my MacBook charger, my MacBook charger’s adapter and a USB-A/USB-C block for India’s outlets), my travel pillow, my mesh snack bag, my contact case (with solution in the wells already), my glasses, my double-sided pill box, my MacBook Air, my journal, some pens, and my double-sided pill box stocked with various meds, bandages and spare contacts.

IN MY TRAVEL PACK:

CLOTHING:

The bulk of my packing was clothing. While I did laundry every week (we had to hand wash and line-dry our clothing at the ashram), I had to pack for pretty much everything. Rishikesh is a holy city which means conservative clothing (shoulders and legs covered), and I wasn’t sure what Ryan and I planned to do with our two weeks after my training. Snowy mountain hiking? Hot and humid beach excursions? So, while I had to pack for a guaranteed month at a yoga ashram, I had to pack for pretty much everything, just to be safe.

I used packing cubes to compress some of my clothes, and packed some items directly into my bag.

I brought:

Bottoms: Three pairs of leggings (black), one pair of joggers (black), one pair of harem pants- loose with tight ankles (black), one pair loose pants with cinchable ankles (cream), one pair of loose pants (black), one pair of soft shorts to sleep in (black) and one pair of running shorts (black).

Tops: Two loose crop tops with sleeves (one white and one black), two form-fitting crop tops with sleeves (one orange and one cream-colored), three form-fitting tank tops (one copper, one brown and one cream), one YogaSix-branded tank top (maroon), a long-sleeved crop top (olive), a long-sleeved button down that covered my butt (cream), a Smartwool baselayer shirt (cream) and a long-sleeved sun shirt (orange).

Under garments: five sports bras (three black, one olive, one white), 10 pairs of no-show underwear (nude and black), a bralette (nude), Cakes Body nipple covers and two pairs of running socks.

Outerwear: A rain jacket (black), a puffer jacket (black).

Misc.: A swimsuit (brown), a calf-length dress (orange), a claw clip and jewelry (rings and two necklaces).

Shoes: One pair of trail running shoes and one pair of slip-on Birkenstocks.

TOILETRIES:

I used two bags to pack my toiletries: My two-compartment hanging toiletry kit (I am OBSESSED with this thing- if you don’t already own it, buy it IMMEDIATELY), and a small Dyneema zipper bag.

Hanging toiletry kit, side one (non-liquid): Contact solution, laundry detergent, bug spray wipes, exfoliating gloves, Quip toothbrush, shampoo bar (these dry-through soap bar bags are the best), bar of soap, wide-tooth comb, Tretinoin, tampons, hair ties, makeup (eyelash curler and mascara) and a razor.

Hanging toiletry kit, side two (liquid): Squalane oil, toothpaste, dry shampoo, moisturizer (1.7 ounce), perfume, Vitamin C serum, Aquaphor, sunblock, face wash, hair conditioner, eyeshadow primer, face toner, Ghost hair oil and nail polish.

(I knew I would have to buy some toiletries — full-sized conditioner, body lotion, eyeliner, toothpaste, etc. — once I got in-country, so I just packed enough to last me my first few days.)

Dyneema bag: Deodorant, more spare contacts, q-tips, cotton balls, nail clippers, tweezers, tampons, an extra razor head.

ETC.:

A waterproof phone case, a headlamp, my travel tripod, two Quart-sized plastic bags and a 20-count package of baby wipes.

HANGING OFF MY PACK:

A bandana, my Grayl GeoPress water bottle (this thing has a built-in filter- it’s great for travel), a baseball hat, a thin-shackled travel lock (one of my hostel essentials) and multiple carabiners (including an s-biner).

And it wasn’t hanging off my pack, per se, but I did wear my Apple Watch for the duration of my trip.

WHAT RYAN BROGHT ME:

I was lucky enough that I had a few week head start on Ryan, so I was able to ask him to bring me a few things.

He ended up bringing me my Kula cloth, some extra pens and my Turkish towel.

・・・

And that’s it! I did publish a follow-up post recapping the best and worst things I packed, with a few notes about what I wish I’d packed as well – you can read that here.

Happy packing!

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