Becoming a Global Yogi

Thailand based yoga teacher Lisa Kerry reviews the Becoming a Global Yogi Guide: A How-To Guide to Building an International Yoga Teaching Career by Michelle Taffe, founder of  TheGlobalYogi.com.

Wow. This book was not what I expected…. Whew, am I glad.   I’ll admit it, there was some hesitation in picking up this book because I expected it be playing some of the same things that go through my head everyday:  ‘Lisa, you should be practicing 1.5 hours each day, 6 days a week; you should be studying in India for several years with the best teachers available, and should have gone there already.”

Really, though, who do you think you are thinking about being a traveling yoga teacher? You just don’t have what it takes. You’re not good enough! And you aren’t going to be able to make a living at it.’ Ok, so I admit it, that sounds a little delusional, but I’m prone to that at times…. Global Yogi set me straight.

What I DID find in this book, was a practical guide asking the question, “why” it is I want to be a yoga teacher in the first place. It got me out of my comparing mind, and into asking the important questions to myself.   Hmmm….it seems like I had forgotten about that, and instead had been focusing on how I compare to the rest of the yoga world, with my own practice, and how I look in my yoga pants compared to all of those great teachers.

What?!  Wow. The ego had crept in. Thank you Michelle, for reminding me of why I want to be a teacher in the first place, and why the world needs more yoga teachers. Michelle writes: ‘Do inversions improve blood circulation? Absolutely!
Does the world need more global yogis? Most definitely! It is my firm belief that the revolution must come from within. If humans are to progress beyond their current paradigm — where aggression and destruction are more often than not the chosen ways to settle differences — there needs to be a worldwide consciousness shift.

And this starts with each person finding peace and harmony within themselves.’ This is one of my reasons for wanting to teach yoga, but as a person who suffers from chronic pain (when I don’t practice), I want to help others with their pain issues through yoga. There isn’t a day I don’t see someone walking down the street who I wish I could teach them a few things about yoga, and how it could improve their life. I truly wish to teach people (even if only a little) how they can help themselves.

This book reminded me of that. Another thing Michelle writes about that really resonated with me, is in finding our ‘signature style’, that we are all unique in our teaching styles, and to focus on that.   ‘…nobody is going to have the same approach or understanding of yoga as you. This is in fact your strength, and people will be attracted to you as a yoga teacher, not so much for your particular ‘style’ of yoga — be it Hatha, Ashtanga, Vinyasa, etc., but because of what makes you, you. ’ This was just what I needed to hear.

The five global yogi teachers that Michelle profiles for this book offer up an abundance of valuable and practical advice. This book also offers a practical guide in how to set fees, set up contracts and retreats, and how to market yourself. It’s invaluable information not only for yoga teachers, but to anyone trying to make it on their own in small business.

This guide offers all of the basic business information that potential global yogis/yoga teachers need to get going! I wasn’t sure what I was going to get with this book, and I am so happy have read it. It has challenged me to examine why I want to teach (more) yoga. And it’s given me the practical information that’s made me realize that indeed, I can do this. It’s no longer a fantasy, but a tangible dream. It may not happen for a while, but I can see it now. Find out more or purchase your copy of the Becoming a Global Yogi Guide, and get all the tools you need to take your yoga teaching career to the next level.

‘Becoming a Global Yogi Guide author Michelle Taffe at Vikasa Yoga’

Bio Lisa Kerry is an American Yogini based in Chiang Mai, Thailand who truly believes in the transformative powers of yoga for everyone, and that if we can transform ourselves, we can transform the world! The world needs more yoga, and she wants to help spread it around!. She is a freelance graphic designer and photographer, (and aspiring yoga teacher), striving to work for clients and causes promoting a positive social message.