Finding Yoga in South Korea — A Journey Inward

Aug 9

4 min read

I arrived in Korea in 2008 to teach English for a year through the EPIK program. Little did I know that, in less than a month, I would discover Ayurveda Yoga Academy and embark on a healing journey through yoga and various therapies that would transform my life, inside and out, for almost two decades.

When I landed in Seoul in August 2008, everything felt lushly green, humid, and buzzing with life. I carried with me 23 years of personal experiences, my family’s culture, American culture, and the education I had received growing up in New Jersey and California. There was a lot to unpack. ;)

After a brief orientation in Seoul, I found myself at a high school in Gyeongsan, a small city bordering Daegu. I didn’t speak Korean, didn’t know where I was, and didn’t know anyone around me. The newness was exciting, but I also felt overwhelmed and helpless.

I had done a little yoga back home, so I mentioned to the teachers at my school that I wanted to practice. The school nutritionist recommended Ayurveda Yoga Academy.

When I entered the Siji Center, it felt like stepping into a familiar world—like coming home. The tan carpet was the same color as the carpet in my parents’ house. And if you know Korea, carpet is not that common here. The smiling staff and comfortable sofas felt so welcoming. As I drank tea and received a consultation, I felt excited to take my first class.

I worked during the day and came to the 5:30 p.m. class, taught by my first teacher, Wonjangnim, in Korean. She guided a dynamic class with such charisma that I traveled 40 minutes each way by bus every day to attend a class taught in a language I didn’t understand. ^_^

There was another international member in the class who was enrolled in Ayurveda Yoga’s teacher training course, Healing Alchemy: Hatha Yoga & BodyMind Therapy (YTTC). She began assisting me as I worked toward my headstand. After about a month of practicing together, she told me she was leaving Korea and encouraged me to join the teacher training because it was so good. She was the only non-Korean in the YTTC at the time and told me there was a professor who translated for her.

After two months of regular yoga classes and already feeling a transformation in my body, I joined the YTTC.

The teacher training was every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a lunch break. For the first time in my life, I sat for long periods on the ground, trying to keep my spine as straight as I could. The first few classes left me so achy! Hehe.

But then I began to notice an even deeper transformation.

Within a month, I could come into a headstand by myself. It wasn’t because we spent hours practicing or learned some special technique. Simply by learning to sit properly during YTTC, my postures began to transform. My breath improved as my chest opened. My hips relaxed as my stomach and lower back grew stronger. My concentration improved.

At the time, it felt like magic.

I joined in the middle of the 10th YTTC and graduated with the 11th class. I was grateful for the foundation the course gave me in yoga theory and practice, and I have continued studying ever since. Every class is a new experience.

The course is based on Upanishad—sitting close to the teacher. Through this close connection, we learn from mouth to ear, as the tradition of yoga has been passed down through generations. In turn, I have the privilege of becoming a pathway for sharing what I have learned with the people around me.

Over the last 18 years, I have moved nine times, worked at several English language schools, navigated visa issues, and experienced many of life’s unexpected waves. Through all of it, Ayurveda Yoga Academy and the Healing Alchemy course have remained an unwavering pillar in my life.

My teachers, the community, and the space have been a shining light through countless peaks and valleys.

During one particularly difficult time, my teacher shared these words with me:

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

That is what the YTTC has taught me—not how to stop the waves of life, but how to ride them.

During teacher training, we pull tarot cards as a tool for reflecting on our inner state. When I reflect on my experience, one card immediately comes to mind:

“Watch the waves in the ocean. The higher the wave goes, the deeper the wake that follows it. One moment you are the wave, another moment you are the hollow wake that follows. Enjoy both—don’t get addicted to one. Don’t say: I would always like to be on the peak. Simply see the fact: it is not possible. It has never happened and it will never happen. It is simply impossible—not in the nature of things. Then what to do? Enjoy the peak while it lasts and then enjoy the valley when it comes. What is wrong with the valley? What is wrong with being low? It is a relaxation. A peak is an excitement, and nobody can exist continuously in an excitement.”

—Osho Zen Tarot commentary, 6 of Fire: Success

When people hear that I have lived in Korea for 18 years, they often ask me why.

Without hesitation, I reply: Ayurveda Yoga Academy.

I love my life here. I love Korea. I have learned through living here, learning the language, eating Korean food, and experiencing the incredible depth and richness of Korean culture. I hope to write more about that someday.

But when I look back at these 18 years, I see Ayurveda Yoga Academy as the thread running through it all—the place where I found yoga, community, healing, and, ultimately, a deeper relationship with myself.

I’m grateful for everything.

I bow at the feet of my teachers.