The beauty of yoga in Thailand

How Thai yoga has gifted me community and a kinder relationship with myself.

As the only girl in my family with three older brothers, I have always been athletic. I grew up consistently involved in a variety of sports and enjoyed exercise. My broad shoulders and athletic frame were things I didn’t think twice about. 

By the time I reached my teenage years, however, my outlook on exercise (and my physical appearance) changed. I began to feel burdened by exercise, especially when I ate something I considered unhealthy. I began to exercise not because I enjoyed it, but because I felt the need to conform to society’s standards of how my body should look. Exercise, far too often, became a self-inflicted punishment. 

This unhealthy relationship with food and exercise has ebbed and flowed throughout my life until rather recently. I have spent the last 4 months living and working in Nakhon Phanom, Thailand as an English and Math teacher. While I expected this experience to be life-changing, I did not expect my time in Thailand to introduce me to a form of exercise I enjoyed so much. 

Experience with Yoga in the US and Thailand

Throughout high school, my best friend Anna and I tried our hands at yoga. We would take advantage of the 30 day intro specials at the various yoga studios around our hometown of Savannah, GA. Unfortunately, yoga was not friendly to a high school student’s wallet, so our venture into yoga did not last long.

Conversely, yoga (and basically everything) in Thailand is much less expensive. Upon arriving in the city of Nakhon Phanom, I knew absolutely no one. Being a rather extroverted person, I was eager to befriend local Thai people, so I checked to see if there was a yoga studio close to me. Luckily for me, there was! I showed up for my first yoga class in early December, and have been continuously welcomed ever since. 

I have written a lot of gratitude lists while living in Thailand, so it seems fitting to make a list with the reasons yoga has become such a big part of my life here: 

1. Although all of the classes are in Thai, all of the women make an effort to help and communicate with me. 

2. The yoga instructor/studio owner, Oradee (nickname: Pu) has become a close friend of mine. She has helped me immensely in adapting to life here. Being a non-Thai speaker in an area where English is not widely spoken has proven to be humbling and challenging. Having such a caring friend like Pu who speaks both English and Thai has been a huge blessing to me. 

3. After my first class, Pu invited me to dinner, and it has become a habit to share meals together following our yoga practice. I have gotten to try countless Thai foods that I would have no idea how to order otherwise. 

   

   My yoga teacher and friend, Pu, and I enjoying some yummy Thai food!

4. So many of the people I know and the connections I have in Nakhon Phanom are because of yoga. 

5. In the US, the yoga classes I have attended tend to be quiet, and can be a bit intimidating to a beginner. I have found the opposite to be true of yoga classes at my local studio here. The classes are made up mostly of middle-age women who have gotten to know each other practicing yoga together. Before class starts, the room is full of laughter and chatter. Throughout the yoga practice, the women continue to laugh and cheer each other on as they try new poses. Regardless of my lack of yoga skill and flexibility, the women encourage and support me too. Classes are social while at the same time reflective. 

   

6. Practicing yoga in Thailand has not just been a way to exercise, but a way to build community. 

A pre-class selfie.

My experience with yoga in Thailand has allowed me to find exercise I truly enjoy. I go to yoga because it feels good to my body, not to change my body. There has been a definite positive shift in my mindset towards exercise as well as my physical appearance.

I believe that the beauty and uniqueness of my body reflects the beauty of my Creator. My time in Thailand has led me to discover that yoga is a communal way to healthily move and celebrate this beautiful body God has given me. I think that young Caroline who didn’t think twice about how her body looked would be proud.