As hard as it can be to select the right midweek yoga class, it's even harder to select a teacher training course. I've been looking at various programs for the last two months and am considering a well-reputed Sivananda training in Southern India. To further investigate, I decided to check out the Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center in San Francisco this past Sunday. They hold a monthly open house (it's free!) that includes a class and a yummy Indian home-cooked meal.

The center, now celebrating its 50th year, was first opened by one of the pioneers of yoga in the West, Swami Vishnu-devananda—a disciple of the Indian sage Swami Sivananda. The classes at the center are really small and ashram living is available. If you're serious about your practice, you can live in community with other yogis, meditating and practicing together, all while keeping a day job.

The basic class I took teaches the Sivananda-inspired series of 12 basic postures, all a variation of fundamental hatha postures. Designed to balance the chakras, the series starts with Sirsasana (Headstand) and works its way down in the body.

Sivananda yoga is the opposite of trendy: The series is always done in the same order, the students dress modestly, and the friendly teachers (mine was Shambhu) don't try to put their own stamp on the practice. To some San Francisco yogi-hipsters, this repetitive and lineage-based style may not feel stimulating. But for students who gravitate toward more devotional aspects of yoga, the dedication to tradition will be appreciated. And any student is sure to notice how many local teachers have been influenced by the principles of this practice.

Even if you're more concerned with your Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) (not practiced much at the center) than your spiritual awareness, the center is worth visiting, at least once. If it speaks to you and you decide to become an ashram resident, be prepared to do your karma yoga and help with the center upkeep, and to take a spiritual name—everyone I met there has one.

Anyone have experiences with Sivananda yoga, either here or in India? Please share!