15 min. version of the documentary "Land of the Seekers" directed by Brendan Turrill, shot in Nepal

Living Yoga and Other Hobbies

In the past, many people who had enough free time took up some kind of hobby. Nowadays, with technology and other distractions, hobbies are far less popular. However, some people still collect, make or study things just for fun. One popular kind of hobby is any form of exercise, as it improves one’s health while also giving them a break from daily life. There comes a time in one’s hobby life when they consider taking the next step and making more of the activity than just a hobby.  It is not always a success, but if it does work, that person can then lead a very fulfilling lifestyle. For example, to go from a novice or low level in something like yoga, to actually making a living out of it. Now, living yoga might not be every yoga fan’s cup of tea, as it may be oversaturation and therefore no longer a hobby. But for most it would be wonderful to enjoy one’s work so much.

Imagine doing something that is so beneficial and relaxing for an occupation. To take up yoga teaching would involve more than just quitting a job and starting yoga courses for your customers. It would require reaching a high level of the art in advance, and also performing pure yoga for a reasonable length of time. Then, once the appropriate level has been reached, one can start to teach. Living yoga really would be a great lifestyle in circumstances allowed it. Of course, there are other hobbies which can lead to careers. For example, scuba diving is for most people a sport that can be practised just once or twice a year. But there are also plenty of people who become addicted to it quite quickly and want to move up the ladder of different levels, until reaching Divemaster or Instructor.

Normally, making a hobby into a career is a big step and it is usually only possible if that hobby can be taught or instructed. Yoga and scuba diving are just two simple examples, but there are plenty of others, such as hang gliding, golf, mountaineering or climbing. Of course, one must bear in mind that to maintain a constant income one needs to have regular customers and this can often require moving away from one’s home town or country. In addition, after a year or two, many people become bored of the activity that they once loved.