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How I Became a Traveling Yoga Instructor (+ Lessons For Aspiring Teachers)
The idea of being a traveling yoga instructor – exploring the world, teaching in breathtaking locations, and sharing a deep-rooted practice – seems like the ultimate dream. But behind the Instagram-worthy images of sunrise meditations on tropical beaches lies a journey of deep self-discovery, discipline, and an unwavering commitment to the essence of yoga.
In this article, we share how the founder and lead teacher at Genuine Yoga School became an international instructor, plus tips on how you can become one too…
A Life-Altering Revelation in Vietnam
I wasn’t always a yoga instructor. In fact, I hadn’t even heard the word ‘yoga’ before my accident in Vietnam…
Coming from the suburbs of Paris, I had started out on a conventional path, until I realized the corporate world held no meaning for me. Seeking something deeper, I set out to explore a new part of the world.
Then, one day, while traveling by motorbike, I had an accident. My body was in shock, but something powerful happened in the moments that followed. As I picked myself up and began heading to the nearest pharmacy, a vision appeared – letters slowly forming the word “YOGA”.
I didn’t know anything about yoga. My body was a mess, totally inflexible, and my lifestyle wasn’t that healthy. But I was willing to explore what it meant.
Yoga is for everyone and we all start from the beginning. Don’t be put off by doubts about whether you know enough, are flexible enough, or anything else. Come as you are – all are welcome in yoga.
Later during this trip, more synchronicities, manifestations, and encounters revealed new messages that I felt compelled to follow…
Just 24 hours later, as I sat bandaged in a public park, I saw someone practicing movements I hadn’t seen before. My friend explained that it was a sun salutation – a kind of yoga posture.
A few days later, I met an amazing couple on my travels. Over dinner, they told me all about their adventures in India and why I should go. A path was beginning to reveal itself…
My Yoga Beginnings In India
Two months later, I was in the world capital of yoga in the Indian Himalayas: Rishikesh. I began to immerse myself in yogic studies and vedic culture that would shape the next decade of my life.
Over the next three years, I studied under Ayurvedic doctors and yoga scholars from Gurukul Kangri University in Haridwar. It was about more than just learning asanas – it was about absorbing the complete science of yoga, including its philosophical, physiological, and spiritual aspects.
While in India I completed a 500-hour yoga teacher training. I received a globally recognized Yoga Alliance certification that would help me secure teaching roles in other countries. But more importantly, I lived the teachings of yoga.
The years I spent studying and teaching in India developed my knowledge and appreciation for yoga’s genuine essence and roots. Looking back, I see that it gave me an authentic grounding and made me a better teacher. Immersing myself in classical yoga and learning from the source, enabled me to then deliver exceptional classes that truly benefit others.
The yoga school you learn from will have a profound impact on your knowledge and teaching ability. Take your time and do your research to find one that’s aligned with your values and aspirations.
Becoming a Traveling Yoga Instructor
From India, my path took me across four continents. I taught in ashrams, yoga studios, high-end resorts, corporate offices, and even retirement homes. Over the next 10 years, I traveled and taught yoga around the world:
- Goa, India: Teaching collective and private classes at a yoga school.
- Bali, Indonesia: Teaching private classes at a resort in Seminyak.
- Chiang Mai, Thailand: Leading collective classes for 12-day retreats.
- Goa, India: I returned to teach a further 200 private and collective classes, before beginning to assist with yoga teacher training.
- Rishikesh, India: Teaching in ashrams in the world capital of yoga.
- Abu Dhabi and Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Teaching hundreds of private and collective classes and workshops in yoga studios, hotels, and at corporate clients like Coca-Cola.
- Paris, France: I taught 700 classes in six months in Paris which made me the number one teacher in France (no one else was delivering 120 classes monthly).
- Koh Phangan, Thailand: Teaching private and collective classes and leading yoga teacher training courses.
- Tahiti, French Polynesia: Taught 100 drop-in classes for adults and kids at a yoga studio and resort.
- Spain, Thailand, Mexico, Italy, Portugal, French Polynesia: Leading 15+ yoga teacher training courses around the world.
I share this list so you can see how the ‘career’ of a traveling yoga instructor might develop over time. Everyone’s path is different, but I built up my experience teaching collective and private classes, then multi-day retreats, and eventually delivering yoga teacher training courses. It felt like a natural evolution as I developed my teaching ability and experience.
It took years of teaching classes, assisting other experienced teachers, and working in hyper-competitive cities like Paris and Dubai, before I felt called to deliver teacher training.
Get varied experience teaching different class types, lengths, and in diverse settings. It’ll help you develop as a teacher and you’ll learn which aspects you connect with most. Accepting positions in different countries can facilitate your personal growth, broaden your cultural awareness, and feed your soul.
But along this journey, I also saw contradictions within the modern yoga industry…
How Yoga Differs In The East & West
The more schools, studios, and shalas I taught at, the more I noticed something unsettling… Yoga in the West has become an industry driven by trends and business strategies rather than authentic practice.
Many school owners have never been teachers. They’re not interested in sharing the love and light of this profound practice. They’re happy to create a community but aren’t knowledgeable enough to recognize or recruit a proper instructor – they’re involved in a science that they have no consciousness about themselves. So they favor a distortion of yogic knowledge by recruiting a half-knowledge teacher…
Learn more about yoga distortions in our articles about why Vinyassa isn’t yoga and the surprising reasons beach yoga can be bad for you.
Commercialism has taken hold and turned yoga into an industry. Many of its authentic roots have become distorted or diluted. This profound spiritual practice is being reduced to Westernized versions solely focused on balances. There’s little focus on the deeper philosophy, spirituality, and healing arts that have been passed down through generations.
Western yoga doesn’t seem to care for wisdom or knowledge. It’s not uncommon to see newly certified instructors securing jobs leading teacher training courses. They have no experience teaching classes outside of their certification program – how can they help others learn something they’ve never done themselves?
It’s often because they have connections to the school owner, not because of their teaching ability. And this is a disservice to the students who pay thousands to get certified with them – they’re not learning from someone with real knowledge.
This realization led me to found Genuine Yoga School, where we uphold the standards that honor traditional yogic wisdom. I’ve walked the path myself, navigating the challenges of being a full-time yoga instructor in the competitive landscapes of major global cities. I’ve traveled the world teaching yoga and can share the ups, downs, and lessons for walking this path yourself…
Lessons for Aspiring Traveling Yoga Instructors
If you dream of becoming a traveling yoga teacher, here are some tips I can share from my own journey:
- Deepen Your Own Practice First – Before you can teach, you must embody yoga beyond the mat. Develop the spiritual, mental, and physical aspects of your practice.
- Learn from Authentic Sources – Seek teachers who have studied yoga traditionally, not just Instagram influencers with large followings. Go beyond the 200-hour certification and explore yogic philosophy, Ayurveda, and pranayama.
- Gain Experience in Competitive Markets – Teaching in a tropical retreat center is one thing; thriving as a sought-after teacher in cities like Paris, London, or New York is another. Build your skills in a setting where quality and depth are required.
- Teach Everywhere – Not Just in Studios – My journey took me to ashrams, hotels, retirement homes, corporate offices, and even banks. The more diverse your experience, the stronger your teaching becomes.
- Stay True to Yoga’s Essence – The industry will try to sell you shortcuts. But yoga is not a quick certification – it’s a lifelong practice. Honor the tradition, and you will stand out in a sea of commercialized instructors.
Becoming a traveling yoga teacher is a beautiful path, but it requires more than just a love for adventure and a certificate. It demands authenticity, discipline, and a devotion to sharing the full depth of yoga. If this is your calling, embrace it fully – and let the journey transform your life.
Whether you want to become a traveling yoga instructor, deepen your practice, or share the gift of yoga with others, we invite you to take the first step. Secure your place in our next Yoga Teacher Training program.
