Yoga Blogger Interview: The Yoga Nomads

Today is the 4th week our 8 week interview series where we’re presenting interviews of 8 influential yoga bloggers. We ask 8 engaging questions and we release an interview every Saturday at 8am US EST.

For this interview, we’re happy to learn more about Brandon and Anne of The Yoga Nomads. Brandon and Anne reached out to us on Twitter and we learned that their hometown is right near Danielle’s (in Minnesota.)

Brandon and Anne recently touched down in Mumbai, India. Their mission is similar to Lucid Practice in the sense that they’re creating a travel and yoga community. Enjoy the interview and leave a comment or question for Brandon and Anne in the comments section.

1. Can you start by giving us a bit of background about yourself and your blog. How did you start practicing? When did you start blogging, and what did you expect readers to get out of it?

Deep down I’m a nerd with an insatiable appetite to learn and discover. Constantly seeking new experiences and looking for “it.”

I’m a Minneapolis native (and advocate) and aspiring location independent entrepreneur. Craft beer geek. Live music junkie. Obsessive nomad.

I started practicing yoga a little over 5 years ago. One random Saturday in college, a buddy invited me to tag along for a ‘free yoga class.’ Had nothing to lose so I went along and ended up really liking it. Pretty boring story actually…

My girlfriend (Anne) and I started The Yoga Nomads for a couple reasons:

1. We both have a passion for yoga and want it to be a big part of our life. (and recently completed our 200hr teacher training certification through CorePower Yoga.)
2. We think there is more to life than sitting at our old desk jobs and are striving for a location independent lifestyle

We started The Yoga Nomads in July of 2013. Originally our plan was to teach yoga in exchange for accommodation as we travel the world. We booked up teaching gigs throughout Colombia, Bolovia, and Peru. Then we decided we wanted to do Asia instead and scrapped our entire South American plan. Funny how life goes…

The new focus for The Yoga Nomads is to provide like-minded individuals with the tools needed to practice yoga while traveling. We will create a guide for each country aimed at nomadic yogis, review studios, retreat centers, etc. There are a couple bigger ideas that we’re working towards, but that’s all I can say for now 🙂

Also, we just arrived in Mumbai, India via a 1-way ticket on January 28^th, we’ll be traveling Asia for an undetermined amount of time!

Anne and Brandon – camping in the BWCA (2013)

2. You mentioned that you and Anne never envisioned yourselves creating a career in yoga. How were you introduced to yoga? What has changed since your first practice?

We were both introduced to yoga through friends about 5 years ago (prior to meeting each other). We each spent a few years practicing but not taking it too serious. Then we started dating and our passion for yoga increased, as it was something special that we shared. We ultimately decided to take training through CorePower Yoga. Upon completing teacher training we both knew that a big life change was on the horizon. So we decided to set a date to travel and teach yoga, 6 months later we quit our jobs to do just that.

Since our first few classes, our practice has steadily become a larger part of our life. Early on it was a workout, now it is a way of life. I cannot imagine not having yoga in my life. When we started studying and reading about yoga it took on a deeper meaning. Teacher training also taught us about the rest of yoga… you know, other than the physical practice 🙂

3. Tell us a little bit about one of your top three blog posts.

Since getting serious about my personal yoga journey I’ve often wondered what I can do to improve my practice. I found out that several of my peers felt the same. So, I did my research and compiled 24 ways to supercharge your yoga practice. Students with any experience level can benefit.

4. Many of our readers are interested in earning enough to live sustainable lives while traveling. Can you talk about your preferred ways to earn money while traveling?

Currently, we have relationships with hostels/hotels where we can teach yoga to guests in exchange for accommodation. Although this requires readers to be yoga teachers, I know hostels/hotels offer similar ‘skill exchanges’ such as web development or even tending the hostel/hotel bar.

Bonnaroo music festival

5. Let’s talk experiences — what has been the most memorable experience you’ve had while traveling?

I would have to say trekking in the mountains outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. We white water rafted, rode elephants, and the scenery was amazing. The reason it was so memorable was because of the people… it’s always about the people! We went in a group of 10-12 people, representing 7 countries. Started off as strangers and ended the 3 day trek as lifelong friends.

6. What yoga or wellness book or books have had the biggest impact on you?

There are 2 books that come to mind. If you want more book suggestions, I wrote a piece on the top 9 books every nomad should read.

• Be Here Now by Ram Das – This book is a work of art and always gets me thinking
• The Wisdom of Yoga by Stephen Cope – Makes the ancient wisdom/benefits of yoga accessible to the average modern yogi.

7. Do you practice a specific style of yoga? If so, why?

We were schooled in Vinyasa style yoga but regularly incorporate the Bikram series in our practice. We both love trying new styles and feel that students can benefit from exploring. We look forward to practicing Ashtanga “mysore style” in Mysore, India in March.

8. On what form of social media do you connect w/ other yoga practitioners most effectively?

We use Facebook and Twitter mainly. Yoga practitioners seems to be more receptive on Twitter. It’s always fun connecting with other like minded individuals. As a matter of fact, our relationship with Lucid Practice started via Twitter!

 Two bonus questions:

9. What advice do you have for people who are just beginning to study & practice yoga?

• Explore multiple styles of yoga. There are many to choose from and people benefit from different styles.
• Realize it’s not a competition and everyone started somewhere. Wherever you are right now is exactly where you’re supposed to be.
• Also, don’t take it so serious, have fun and do what feels right to you!

10. What are your upcoming plans, both travel and non travel?

Anne and I arrived in Mumbai on 1/28. We’ll spend about a month in each country for the foreseeable future. However, our itinerary is very flexible. During our travels, we will be focused on teaching/studying yoga as well as working on The Yoga Nomads with a goal to become location independent.

If you are interested in putting together a yoga retreat, please email brandon.quittem@gmail.com to discuss how we can work together!

About Brandon:
Brandon is a co-founder of The Yoga Nomads which provides the tools needed for you to practice yoga while traveling. Brandon is an avid outdoorsman, yogi, obsessive nomad, craft beer geek, and live music junkie. Favorite country is Thailand. Currently spinning: Tame Impala, Ratatat, Father John Misty, Bassnectar, and Alt-J.

8 weeks, 8 yoga bloggers, 8 questions, posted each Saturday at 8am.

Join us next Saturday AM for our next interview and check out our previous three interviews:

Meredith LeBlanc of The Pondering Yogini

Tonya of The Yoga Deck and Ultima Healing

Jen and Liz of The Travel Yogi