Traveling from the Outside In with Joan Hyman
“Whenever I am traveling to a new place I always get myself into a routine.”
On a recent 200hr RYT training program with Joan Hyman in Goa, India at Devarya Wellness Retreat Center, we had the opportunity to sit down with this amazing yogi to find out how she keeps herself grounded when spending half the year traveling around the world conducting teacher training, and workshops.
If you have not heard of Joan you are in for a treat, she is probably one of the most humbling teachers out there today with a knack for her craft and a mentee of so many wonderful yoga teachers before us. Having spent the last two decades establishing herself in Los Angeles through the YogaWorks and Wanderlust community. The international community is now privileged to experience her authentic way of teaching classical yoga in the modern world, from the outside in as she travels around the world to host workshops and teacher trainings from the Philippines, India to Switzerland. Read more below for some insights on how she packs, and schedules her time on the road.
Curito:
What are your essential items you pack whenever you are on the road?
Joan:
I always pack the following items:
Rimowa Suitcase Essential Lite in L and Cabin size
ACS Acupressure Plastic Jal Neti Lota
Doterra Essential Oils favorite scent is Frankincense
Yoga Mat (Manduka Lite for traveling, Liforme at home)
Vitamin and Supplements which include E3 Live to get minerals, Probiotic to keep the gut healthy, Melatonin for sleep, Sleepthru (herbal supplement), Vitamin B12, Ashwagandha, Lions Maine, Vegan Fish Oil, Mucana
Curito:
What does a typical morning look like for you when you are traveling?
Joan:
I wake up between 5:30AM and 6AM and I do the following:
Brush my teeth and scrape my tongue, drink a glass of lemon water with apple cider vinegar (I do travel with this sometimes if I can’t find it in the country I am traveling to). Take my supplements, drink a cup of english breakfast tea with some almond milk or honey, netti pod, then get on my mat for my two hour yoga practice.
Post practice I drink a cup of coffee, eat a piece of bread with almond butter (which I travel with sometimes) and nutritious green smoothie. After all that is done which takes about three hours I start my day!
Curito:
What are some of your personal yogi habits you have for when you are on the road that keeps you grounded in the new environment you are in for your trainings and workshops?
Joan:
Whenever I am traveling to a new place I always get myself into a routine. I find out where the local health food store is located at, where the vegan stores are and where the ashtanga shalas are. My two cent for those who are constantly on the road is to always follow a routine, answer your emails in a designated time period during the day, continue your morning practices, create time to explore your new environment and eat really clean!
Curito:
When you are back home in LA or on the road and constantly busy, how do you keep your ideas flowing and organized?
Joan:
I try to take a time out each day for myself, I sit and meditate, watch the sunset, take a swim or just simply lay down. I also try to be very disciplined with my computer time, I allocate two hours each time I use the computer, shut it and then I go off to connect with people and come back to it later.
Curito:
If yoga students were interested in picking a yoga training or workshop what kind of recommendation would you give them to select a program that is best suited for them?
Joan:
If someone is new to yoga and they want to learn more about yoga I highly recommend that they sign up for a 200 hour training regardless if they want to teach yoga afterwards or not. Attending a 200 hour yoga training really teaches you the fundamentals about what yoga is, the asana and pranayama practices, anatomy, and philosophy.
For workshops, I recommend doing research on the teacher. Make sure you like the teachers voice because you are listening to them all day. Go meet the teacher to get a vibe to see if you have a connection with them, see what their practice is and if they are associated with some sort of lineage or who their teachers are.
Attending a 200 hour yoga training really teaches you the fundamentals about what yoga is, the asana and pranayama practices, anatomy, and philosophy.
Curito:
Now that we have started 2020, what do you hope to achieve with your dharma in this new decade?
Joan:
Every ten years my life has changed. 2000-2010 I was getting situated in LA, having left my life and dancing career in NYC and Vegas. In 2010-2019 I became a traveling yoga teacher having left Yogaworks and entered Wanderlust.
I would like to hone in on specific areas that I like to teach in, really create a yoga school that’s authentic and has great teachers that are helping to teach and create a place where I can run my trainings at, a place where people can learn to embody the lifestyle of yoga (not just the physical, but the mental, spiritual, food and the benefits of nature). A healing place for people in this world. That’s what I hope to be working on in this new decade!
Curito:
We want to thank Joan for giving us her time to share her travel grounding recommendations! You can learn more about Joan’s offerings, and her 2020 schedule on her website here!
First published on February 8, 2020
