Bangkok, Thailand: Volunteering as a Yoga Teacher in a Hostel

Welcome back to the fourth Worldpackers experience in Bangkok, Thailand! It was my very first time volunteering with Worldpackers  in Asia so I was a bit nervous and worried how it will go but I felt at home ever since I arrived at the Yard Hostel Bangkok. Unlike most hostels located in Khao San, the Yard Hostel was in the neighborhood Ari, 25minutes from Siam (BTS sky train). I volunteered as a yoga instructor for 2 weeks, and it was a wonderful experience. 

**Want to read my previous posts about volunteer experiences with Worldpackers? Click below!

1. Mexico City, Mexico 
2. Antigua, Guatemala
3. La Fortuna, Costa Rica

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Volunteer Work

My main duty was to teach yoga (obviously) but I was able to explore Bangkok during my free time or day off. Som & Som were the hosts (owners of the hostel, same names but one is tall and the other is small so people called them Big Som and Small Som) but I was only able to meet Small Som almost towards the end of my volunteer work as they were staying in Chiang Mai prepping to open the second Yard Hostel there in October. Maybe I will see Big Som next time I’m in Bangkok or Chiang Mai. 

I chose dates and times that I could teach. I held morning and evening classes 7am-8am and 6:30pm-7:30pm. For the first couple days, my morning class was at 6:30am but the turnout rate was low, so we decided to push back the time to 7am so people can practice yoga right before breakfast was served. More people came to 7am class (although it was only a 30-minute difference) and the timing worked well as people went straight to get their breakfast right after my class ended. 

To let the guests know I’m holding yoga classes, I used old pillow cover to put up signs. The front desk staff also helped promote my classes when people checked-in. All the staff working at the Yard were supportive and helped me get the mats out in the garden. We practiced yoga indoors (common area) in the mornings because I had small classes but in the evenings, we did it outside! 

Yoga pics! We practiced indoors in the mornings, and outside in the garden in the evenings (if it didn't rain). 

Hostel Life 

I loved the Yard Hostel Bangkok. The hostel is environmentally friendly and is committed to make positive impact to the environment, which I really liked. The hostel collaborates with local vendors and supports local community as well. 

I stayed in a 6-bed mixed dorm, and each bed had a small window. I liked my view out the window- it was green and I could see the trees. I’ve met so many amazing roommates and we had great conversations!

Breakfast was from 8am to 10:30am, and guests would pick up their food from the smoothie shop by the entrance. They had sour dough bread, yogurt, passion fruits, dragon fruits and watermelon every day. I always had dragon fruits and watermelon slices and seldom had passion fruits since I’m not a huge fan of them.

Photos that I took while I was at the Yard Hostel