Where to teach yoga, connect with wellness work, learn, and grow in 2025!
This year feels different. I write as sand tickles my feet, waves crash behind me, and the warm, salty breeze glazes my skin. I’m back in my happy place.
Well, not everything is different.
I reminisce on 2024 and the choices and circumstances that brought me to Brazil and question if my experiences, even (and especially) the painful ones, were catalysts to my being here.
I think yes, and immediately, chills cover my body; the universe is nodding. And if you are too, I can suggest a good reason.
2025: letting go and leaning in
In numerology, 2024 carries the vibration of an 8 Universal Year, a cycle marked by balance, achievement, and reflection on material and spiritual growth. It’s a year encouraging closure for unresolved chapters and entering into personal empowerment. This energy is a foundation for 2025, a 9 Universal Year, which signifies the completion and conclusion of cycles. The shift from 8 to 9 invites us to release what no longer serves us: patterns, relationships, or self-limiting beliefs, creating space for renewal.
In 2025, this energy of letting go prepares us for what’s to come – a 1 Universal Year in 2026, symbolizing new beginnings, innovation, and a fresh start. Navigating this transition encourages intentionality, asking us to align with what truly matters and set clear intentions for the next chapter. It’s a time to embrace endings as opportunities for growth and lean into the possibilities that emerge with a clean slate.
With that, possibilities are infinite, and the best place to start is the obscure little grey area just beyond your comfort zone. The uncertainty and murkiness you might feel might be a dark-before-light situation. The wellness work landscape is also evolving and presenting more for yoga instructors and wellness professionals willing to try. Let’s explore.
Why opt for emerging destinations
There’s so much value in selecting an opportunity from intuition, not reviews. You’re immediately trusting and strengthening the most reliable vibe checker we humans have – our gut. While safety is a reasonable concern, Yoga Trade vets each member and host so you can sleep easily and travel confidently.
Engaging with wellness work trades in lesser-known destinations offers a chance to support communities that might otherwise be overlooked in traditional tourism. By immersing yourself in these emerging locations, you contribute meaningfully to local economies and help showcase their unique cultures. This approach aligns with the fundamentals of ethical travel—building connections, respecting traditions, and leaving a place better than you found it. Instead of collecting passport stamps, focus on deepening your positive impact, creating genuine exchanges, and fostering sustainable growth within these communities. Wellness work trades allow you to grow as a professional and a global citizen, making your journey one of contribution and connection rather than consumption.
Here are some recent opportunities:
- Yoga teacher and work trade volunteer for a wellness center in Kpalime, Togo (West Africa)
- Volunteer position at Adhiyoga in Kerala, Southern India
- Yoga teacher and wellness staff at Tzununa, Lake Atitlan, Guatemala
- Chef/ photographer/ musician in Essaouira, Morocco
Tips for hosts to attract role seekers
Obscurity is part of the appeal for lesser-sought destinations, and hosts should be mindful of communicating the specifics of these experiences and any niche inclusions or exclusions so everyone aligns.
Like any opportunity, describe the role, expectations and benefits transparently to attract talent whose goals align with the host’s vision. Emphasize cultural exchange, personal growth opportunities and professional development from applying to the particular retreat and how it stands out. Elaborate on values and how you create a welcoming atmosphere, encouraging feedback and collaboration.
Prioritize genuinely selling an opportunity to consider how a newcomer might feel entering the space, manage expectations and continue a courtesy cycle that builds and strengthens the Yoga Trade community.
Navigating opportunities for seekers
Travel work exchanges are already a step into the unknown for some, and the element of lesser-known destinations might seem like added discomfort. Yoga Trade offers the following resources to help you select the most aligned opportunity and enjoy the process:
- Diverse position listings. Explore various opportunities for different skills and interests. Each provides comprehensive details to help you make informed decisions.
- Community stories. Gain insights and inspiration from reading about others’ experiences. Narratives can provide a realistic snapshot of what to expect and how to prepare.
- Supportive network. Connect with a global community of like-minded wellness professionals and yoga instructors who can offer advice.
With Yoga Trade, travellers and hosts can find aligned opportunities that foster mutual growth and enrichment anywhere. As you plan for travel work exchanges in 2025, consider leaving your confines and contributing to these hidden gems in the wellness world.
Try, trust and leap, and when selecting your wellness work trade, consider who you’re becoming rather than only where you are physically going. Lean into uncertainty, knowing that the only way beyond is ‘through’ discomfort. If there’s an ache inside you for change, follow it. If a destination keeps showing up in your thoughts, pay attention. Ask: what do I need to release? What’s calling me forward? And remember, when you’re ready to say yes, the world will meet you there.