Hey, so I'm completing a 1-month intensive yoga teacher training course at http://nomadyogahoian.com/ in Hoi An, Vietnam, which will qualify me as a yoga teacher through yoga alliance.
I've practised yoga daily since spending a week at the Sivananda ashram http://sivananda.org.in/neyyardam/ in Kerala, India 5 years ago. It helps me to relax mentally, makes me more focused and is also great exercise. I sometimes suffer with achy shoulders due to bad posture and long journeys in my campervan, Little India, which has no power steering. Yoga really helps with this. I often teach my friends and family yoga and a teacher training course seemed like the next stage for me.
Before deciding to come to train in Hoi An I searched the internet looking at courses in India and Thailand. I decided on Hoi An for a few reasons...I was in Hoi An a couple of years ago, only for a few nights, and it holds a special place in my heart. It's a beautiful Vietnamese town that has a stunning beach that I can chill out on my days off. A little romance sparked here for me when I was here before, that took us exploring the rest of Vietnam together for 6 weeks and having an amazing time. I was also planning on coming to Vietnam anyway to teach English, as I have a few friends from the UK already teaching english as a foreign language (TEFAL) in Hanoi, that can help me get work. So it made perfect sense for me to train here.
Chilling on An Bang beach, Hoi An
An Bang beach, Hoi An
I booked the course with Nomad Yoga only a few weeks before it was due to start. I flew from the UK on New years day 1st Jan and spent a 12 hour connection wait in Taipei, Taiwan, where I slept in the airport on a seat. On route to Hoi An I flew into Hanoi on 3rd Jan and spent the evening with my friend from the UK, Keighley, who is living and teaching in Bah Dinh district, Hanoi. Bah Dinh is not touristy at all, it's totally Vietnamese, nobody speaks English and none of the menus are converted in English. I really liked it! With all the crazy manic roads and windy little back lanes, leading to where Keighley lived. She was not too far from some really tranquil lakes that were lovely. I think after my yoga course I'll maybe head back here to live and also teach English. I've never taught English before, but really think I'd be capable and enjoy it. Funny enough, as I was wondering around Ba Danh I met an English guy in a cafe, who manages English teachers at some local schools. He said all of the classes are pretty much prepared for them - it sounded really interesting.
Bah Dinh district, Hanoi
Keighley
I flew the next day from Hanoi to Danang, the closest city to Hoi An, and spent the evening with Phuong, a Vietnamese girl who I met through https://www.couchsurfing.com/ and her sister Tei. I gave them both a yoga lesson in return for letting me share their home for the night. I've never use Couchsurfing before, although I have many friends that have and rave about it, so thought I'd give it a go as it would be a good way to meet people - to get a real 'taste'of the culture. What I didn't expect when I got there was that I'd be sharing an actual single bed with my hosts, who shared the same bed in a 1 room tiny apartment. They were lovely and accommodating; I guess this was definitely a genuine look into their culture. It might be my 'Englishness' but I did feel a bit uncomfortable about all 3 of us sharing a single bed.
Giving a yoga lesson to my hosts
The single bed we all slept in
I arrived in Hoi An 4 days before the course was due to start and found my accommodation on the same street as the Nomad yoga course. It was on a recommendation from a lady I met in Nomad when I arrived and also walking up the street comparing rooms and prices. I prefer to not book accommodation before getting to a place as I find it better to barter a good price face to face...also it's good to see what it's really like!
Hoi An old town
I'm staying at Well to do villa http://well-to-do-villa.hoianhotelsweb.com/en/, just up the road from Nomad, 112 le hon phong. The room is lovely; it's ensuite with air con, a fridge and a tv.
The Phu Quy Villa family owners
The owner is super friendly and a brilliant host! He gives me free cups of tea and lemon juice sometimes when I get in from yoga at 6pm, invites me to eat with his family on my days off from yoga course and lets me use his reception laptop (which is what I'm now typing from). I also get free bicycle hire every day and there's a swimming pool out front - perfect to cool off in after a sweaty yoga session!
All this for just 250,000vnd pn which is roughly 8pounds. I'm not used to staying in such luxury when I'm travelling, especially if it's solo like now. I'd normally stay in shared dorm rooms at hostels, but I need to stay somewhere that I can chill and study in between classes. Hostels are great for meeting people but can sometimes be hectic and party orientated!
my room
I've decided to do a 1 month detox whilst I'm here- I quit smoking on NYE and I'm also not having any alcohol or meat. I completed a 3 day juice cleanse through Nomad yoga the first 3 days I spent here to flush all the toxins from my body.
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoy there will be more to follow!