By Mingyoung Kim Marani of The Movement Tree

It’s easy to scroll through the Instagram account of an international yoga teacher and imagine a glamorous jet-setting lifestyle, teaching yoga in exotic locations. But the reality is that it takes a lot of dedication, work and grit to reach a level where studio owners will invite, pay and host you at their studios to share your knowledge. Of course, I am immensely grateful and appreciative to be paid to travel and teach my passion but it’s also important for me to peel back the curtain and get real about some of the not-so-Instagrammable moments of this kind of lifestyle.

Here are five things no one tells you about traveling the world as an international yoga teacher

1. You’ll probably spend more than you make

At least in the beginning anyway. Yoga Journal may have the budget to fly in the Seane Corn’s of celebrity yoga teacher fame but if you’re just starting to venture out, you’ll probably be paying for your airfare, accommodations, transportation, meals, visas and of course any other explorations you’ll want to have. 

Ask studio owners to connect you with accommodations or a spare bedroom. You can try to negotiate a certain percentage of airfare to be paid by the studio, but realistically, if you are still building your teaching career make sure you budget accordingly and think of it as an investment of your time and resources to build your international student base.

2. Burma Belly 

One of the most practical and unforgettable lessons I learned from traveling as an international yoga teacher was to wait until after all workshops/trainings were finished before sampling all the exciting, exotic, local delicacies. My first and only bought with what the local expats called “Burma Belly,” thankfully came on just after I had finished with my workshops at the fabulous Yangon Yoga House in Myanmar. 

The flight back home was one of the most excruciating I’d ever endured. Imagine being cramped in a budget airline economy seat, pounding headache, churning belly, cold sweats and fearing explosions from both ends (sorry, was that too graphic?) Needless to say, pack the activated charcoal pills and wait until after all work is done before the street food tour.

3. Ego Check

Your bubbly, humorous personality might draw delighted and dedicated students in your hometown studio but might not necessarily translate well to another culture. 

One of my first international workshops was in Hainan, a beautiful town along the southwest coast of Taiwan. Linda, the studio owner invited me to teach a popular evening group class to introduce me to her students. As the class progressed, I went through my usual bag of tricks and surefire, crowd pleasing burn-so-good Pilates exercises all while radiating my sun-shiny California personality. After we finished, I turned to Linda for feedback. She replied, “Uh, I think the students feel weird that you smile so much. Maybe try to be a more serious…like a teacher.” And here I was thinking that we’d had such a great time. 

I’m ever so grateful that I learned this lesson early on; so that I could check my ego at the door, remember to observe, adjust and be more aware of how to effectively communicate and teach in different countries and cultures.

4. It’s Scary! 

Flying to a new location, meeting new students and putting on a workshop is exciting but also scary! It can be intimidating just to hold workshops in your hometown with students who already know and love you. 

All sorts of questions flood my mind just before I step into a new studio in a different place. Will the students “get” my message? Will they think that my workshop is valuable? Will they like me? Do I know enough? 

I once had two ladies walk out in the middle of a four part workshop. They later messaged the studio saying that it wasn’t what they had expected. And even though there were 20 other students who left amazing feedback, some of them even scheduling private sessions afterwards, I was still crushed by the two that left. 

Since then, I’ve learned not to take things so personally. Different stokes for different folks. Having a style or method that doesn’t suit everyone can actually be a desirable trait in your teaching, especially if you want to advance your teaching career.  More about that in #5…

5.  Find Your Niche

Let’s get real. Making a career teaching yoga is becoming more and more difficult. The market is oversaturated with yoga teachers with varying levels of experience and expertise. Chances are, even your accountant is probably a certified yoga teacher. 

Finding your niche and having specialized knowledge will exponentially open up opportunities to become a paid international yoga teacher. The truth is that Vinyasa/Hatha teachers are a dime a dozen and very few studio owners will invite, host and pay you if you’re “just another Vinyasa teacher.” I know it might sound harsh but I learned this the hard way. 

If you are looking to build a career getting paid to travel and teach, the best way is to niche down and specialize in one thing that solves a pre-existing problem, for example: “Yoga for Golf, Yoga for Equestrians, Yoga for Men Aged 41-49 Whose Doctor’s Told Them To Start Yoga But They’re Too Embarrassed To Start” Yoga. *Business Tip - pick a niche that has a higher income bracket, that way, your student base will be able to pay you what you’re worth! Then start to reverse-engineer the path and manifest the journey you want to embark on. 

With all that being said, I’m appreciative of the life I’ve created. Teaching what we love and being able to build a career doing it is sheer magic. As much as I love to share all the fabulous reasons why I love what I do, I also believe it’s our responsibility as senior teachers to dispel the myths around the glamour of teaching yoga as a career and get real about what people can really expect when they embark on a career of teaching yoga.

What do you think? 

Are you an international yoga teacher that gets paid to travel? Or maybe you’re a new teacher and want to start finding out how to get paid to travel and teach? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Editor’s Note:

Minyoung is currently on location in the beautiful UNESCO heritage town of Hoi An, Vietnam. She will be leading her 85-hr Yoga Alliance Certified Prenatal Yoga Teacher Training from March 20 - 29 with Hoi An’s premier yoga studio - Nomad Yoga Hoi An.

For more information about Minyoung and her workshops and trainings please visit: www.themovementtree.com. To contact Minyoung directly, email her at minyoung@themovementtree.com.

About Minyoung

Born in South Korea, raised in California and now based in Bangkok, Thailand, Minyoung is a senior Pilates and Yoga Teacher Trainer, creator of The Movement Tree’s Therapy Balls and founder and director of The Movement Tree’s Continuing School of Education for Movement Professionals.

Her work consists of international workshops, teacher trainings and private clientele who include foreign dignitaries, Thai royalty and CEO’s of international companies. Minyoung has an inspired obsession with functional anatomy and its application to chronic pain, stress management and sustainable fitness.

As a trained researcher, anthropologist and proud graduate of the University of California, Los Angeles, Minyoung combines her unique approach of anatomical expertise with frank humor and real life application. Minyoung is a lover of keeping it real, home cooked meals and sleep.