Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast #70 – Yoga For All Sentient Beings – Yoga in Bhutan with Yangchen Lhamo 

Welcome to Episode #70 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! My conversation with Yangchen Lhamo, a yoga teacher from Bhutan, was so delightful as we discussed how yoga is not just what you practice, but how you walk, talk, and interact with others. I hope that this conversation lit a spark in you, about how yoga can help all sentient beings.

If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about yoga as an act of service then this is the conversation for you.

Tell me more about Yangchen Lhamo

Yangchen Lhamo is a yoga teacher and yoga studio owner in Bhutan. She teaches Hatha yoga, meditation, and Ashtanga Vinyasa. She completed her 200-hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh in January 2020, and opened Yoga Yangchen in Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan, in September 2020. In 2022, she completed her 300-hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh.

Yoga Yangchen’s main social cause is Doghouse Bhutan, which she founded with her Bhutan-based Swiss friend Nadine. It is a community-based project. Doghouse Bhutan builds doghouses for the free-roaming dogs of Bhutan using scrap materials to protect them from the rain, cold, and snow.

Yangchen’s passion in life is creating and improving the well-being of all sentient beings— animals and people alike. She loves learning and exploring new things and meeting new people. She believes that changing the world for the better requires you to start with yourself. After all, ‘practice what you preach’ is core to being able to inspire others.

What to expect in the Yoga In Bhutan episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast

While Yoga in Bhutan has a long history, it hasn’t been practiced by everyday people until very recently. There is still a rich history in Bhutan of the guru and student mysterious and more secretive yogic practices, but there is just a couple of yoga studios and yoga teachers in Bhutan who teach lay people. 

Yangchen’s passion in life is helping all sentient beings— she co-founded a nonprofit called Doghouse Bhutan. Now, after the pandemic, she feels that all sentient beings have been going through so much trauma and difficult times. She feels that yoga helps people balance their everyday life. She gives back to the community through yoga, by helping others improve their wellbeing.

I was astounded that Yangchen opened her yoga studio in the same year as getting her yoga certification, as well as in the middle of the pandemic! So many yoga studios closed during the pandemic, yet Yanchen knew it was time for her to open her own. She wanted to give back to her community. Yoga has given Yangchen so many beautiful gifts, like the ability to be more reflective instead of reactive. Yet, she sure has given so many gifts back to her community!

Yangchen also shared with us her thoughts on yoga. Yoga is not just what you practice. Yoga is the way you walk, talk, and the actions you take. Everything, all the small things, is yoga.

Favorite Quote From Yangchen Lhamo

“People always feel that, oh then I think you are practicing yoga a lot maybe you can do headstand, handstand, or do something like that. These are the things people feel that you are learning through yoga. But what I’ve learned over the years while practicing yoga is that I’ve become more of reflective person than a reactive person, and I’m so happy that I’m this person right now and that I’m still working on, I’m still not there yet because but I’m feeling the change in my life slowly and gradually.”

Connect with Mike

www.yogayangchen.com

https://www.instagram.com/yogayangchenbhutan

https://www.facebook.com/yogayangchen

https://www.instagram.com/doghousebhutan

https://www.facebook.com/doghousebhutan

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Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast Episode #70 – Yoga in Bhutan with Yangchen Lhamo Transcription

[00:00:00] Lily Allen-Duenas: Namaste family and welcome back to the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast today. I’m so excited to welcome Yangchen Lhamo onto the show today. She is a yoga teacher and studio owner in Bhutan, so she teaches hanha yoga, meditation, and Ashtanga Vinyasa, and she actually  completed her 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh in January 2020, and her 300 hour again in Rishikesh in 2022. But what I love and I’m so impressed by, is that she opened her yoga studio, Yoga Yangchen, in the capital city of Bhutan in September, 2020. So that was the same year she got certified.

That’s so inspirational. I’m excited to ask her more about all of the amazing social causes she supports and what yoga has brought into her life. So thank you so much Yanchen for joining me on the show today.

[00:00:52] Yangchen Lhamo: Thank you so much, Lily, for having me and giving me this opportunity to be on your amazing and great podcast. I’m really, so happy, and  excited. Thank you.

[00:01:02] Lily Allen-Duenas: Me too. Me too. Happy to have you. So Yangchen, just to open the podcast, how about you share with us how Yoga First came into your life?

How did yoga first come into your life? 

[00:01:11] Yangchen Lhamo: I first introduced yoga especially in Bhutan itself because yoga is very new in Bhutan. There are only a few people practicing it. Then it slowly started gradually learning through youTube.

When I was working in one of the five star luxury hotels in Bhutan, which is well being inclusive there we had one [00:01:30] yoga teacher as well as a traditional medicine doctor. She used to teach yoga there.

She personally taught me and introduced me really briefly into yoga. I really got passionate and it really piqued my interest. So I decided, go to India to get professionally trained, even if it’s for self practice. That’s how I really got introduced to yoga.

[00:01:51] Lily Allen-Duenas: Wow. I would never have guessed that yoga in Bhutan wasn’t too popular because you share borders with India, Nepal. Bangladesh is pretty close, China to the north. But I guess your border doesn’t technically touch Nepal, but since you’re so close to India, Nepal.  I would’ve imagined that it would’ve been more popular there and would have kind of a long history of yoga being present. Is that not the case at all?

Is there a long history of yoga in Bhutan? 

[00:02:18] Yangchen Lhamo: I would say that through my experience, and research done in Bhutan yoga has been practiced by yogi, and Bhutan, like normal people like us would never practice. Yoga here in Bhutan because it’s like a really secret secretive practice, right?

So it was never shown to people unless in India, they really modified yoga. They wanted to share it to common people. But in Bhutan, there wasn’t such practice. It was like, if you want to really practice yoga, you really have to go through a certain process. You are able to practice that yoga. So that’s why yoga is not really popular in Bhutan. 

[00:02:54] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh, interesting. Yeah, I know tha in India, definitely the cool system, like [00:03:00] living with the guru. One student per guru or very small amounts and it would take decades to really progress in the practice. That certainly has changed, it’s been modernized, it’s been packaged in a way that’s accessible for lay people, for everyday people, like you said. Do you have an opinion on how you feel about yoga being changed in this?

Yoga being modernized for lay/common people

[00:03:22] Yangchen Lhamo: It’s a blessing to us, right? Like normal people like us, we are always busy in our day-to-day life. So I think we could never really practice to that extent.  The very high level of yoga, that requires a lot of time, energy, and dedication and commitment from your side as well people like us, common people, we don’t have time and time and dedication, commitment within us.

So that’s why the yoga modification of yoga, the which we are practicing right now is really, it’s a way to balance our day-to-day lives, right? Our emotions. In that way I feel that’s really helpful to people like us.

Uh, 

[00:03:56] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh, absolutely. We are very lucky. I do not feel any resentment or any kind of sadness. I suppose maybe that tradition has been reduced to what it is today. I don’t know if it still is happening, in that the student lives with the guru and in the way that it was before, having a lot of layers and kind of secrets that unfold.

If you read Patanjali’s yoga sutures, there are many, advanced stages of yoga that are pretty [00:04:30] phenomenal and extraordinary.  I don’t know if those are really being passed down, because whenever I’ve gone to India, I’ve studied as well, I’ve just done some training.

I know you have two Yangchen. It just feels like it’s that packaged yoga meant for 200 hours, 300 hours or 50 hours. You’re there for a course and you’re learning certain modules and it feels more like a school. But of course I don’t have the ability to go for 10 years and study with one Guru in India. Let go of all of my life and just dedicate to that either.

I don’t know. I hope it still is going on, but I know I probably couldn’t commit to that. 

The guru tradition in Bhutan

[00:05:13] Yangchen Lhamo: Bhutan. Yes. Still people, they do practice here. The guru and then the teacher, and then student, right? Because still, we still have the tradition and then culture here in Bhutan.

[00:05:23] Lily Allen-Duenas: Okay, good. I would also love to hear about just your passion in life, about what lights you up, what excites you. It can be about yoga or anything else.

Yoga and social causes

[00:05:34] Yangchen Lhamo: The passion in my life is to be able to make a difference in both peoples and animals lives, which I’ve been doing right now through yoga, I’m able to help people. To change their mindset. To change their lifestyle. And with my social cause, I’m able to improve the wellbeing of animals.

[00:05:51] Lily Allen-Duenas: Amazing. What is your social cause? Let’s share that with our listeners.

[00:05:55] Yangchen Lhamo: My main social course is Dog House Bhutan. Which was founded [00:06:00] by myself and my very dear friend. Nadine Kuhl. From Switzerland in the year 2021, she came to my yoga class to learn yoga. We ended up talking hours about the passion that we share.

Same thing, right about to improve the wellbeing of animals especially dogs. Here in Bhutan, we have more number of freeing or straight dogs here in Bhutan. So we thought like we could, at least we could do something to help them. We came up with an idea of building dog houses so that they at least can protect themselves from wind, cold, and snow, and then heat.

 So that they also feel loved and cared for as well. So that is my social cause so far. But I also feed 30 free roaming dogs every day once a meal to them, and I take care of them when they’re sick. I also educate people on how to coexist and live peacefully with animals.

And then also, do some advocacy as well. These are the things, social causes on my regular daily basis.

[00:06:59] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh, that’s so amazing and I love that you are caring for animals and dogs and making sure that they have homes. And I know taking care of dogs when they’re sick, like that’s a huge commitment and take so much love and time and care and I’m really grateful you’re doing that for the animals in your life and community. So I was also wondering, as a whole, how do you feel that yoga and social causes benefit your community [00:07:30] in Bhutan?

How do you feel that yoga and social causes benefit your community in Bhutan?

[00:07:30] Yangchen Lhamo: Yes. I think I actually feel that Bhutan really needs it. That is at this stage of time because, during the pandemic and after the pandemic, most of us people around the world, not only in Bhutan, have been going through a lot of stressful situations. They’ve been trying to balance themselves and so many of them need help with that.

Then through my yoga classes which I’m giving to people, could really help them balance their work-life balance and then they can bring a little bit of stability into their lives. In that way, I’m giving back to my community by improving the wellbeing of people because that’s an asset of the country.

And also, I’m giving back to the community through yoga. I’m also giving by doing social cause. Because I’m trying to help our government, our NGOs, our CSO, to improve the wellbeing, or welfare of animals as well. 

[00:08:21] Lily Allen-Duenas: I love that you’re taking yoga out of the studio and off of the mat and you’re thinking, how can I use my gifts and my passions and serve all sentient beings? I think that’s just such a beautiful, just beautiful thing to do as an act of service. Do you have other people in who, other students or other teachers who work at your yoga studio who help you in these social causes or have started other causes?

Do other students and teachers help you with your social causes?

[00:08:49] Yangchen Lhamo: I have some friends. Some friends, and then other people who share similar interests. We formed a group and then people went to different organizations. And then yes, of course my yoga students [00:09:00] have been donating to my social causes. Some people donate in cash, some people donate in kind, some people support.

I think these supports have really kept that social cost going. I’m able to feed the dogs, I’m able to take care of the animals, right? I’m able to build houses. I think without their support I would not have been able to achieve what I’ve achieved, would not have been able to do what I’ve been doing. Yes, I’m so grateful that they’re there to support me..

It’s amazing what a yoga community can do!

[00:09:30] Lily Allen-Duenas: Yeah. It is amazing what a yoga community can do and can build, and I love how you fostered and created that for your community. How, what was it like for you to get your yoga training in January 2020 and then all of a sudden open a studio in September of that same year. Were you nervous? Were you excited? Did you have the support of your family? I’d love to hear more about that and how you made that decision as well.

What was it like to open a yoga studio the same year of your training? 

[00:09:59] Yangchen Lhamo: Before it was January, 2020. It’s in January of 2020 when the pandemic hit, and then all the borders were closed. So I was working in one of them, like I’ve mentioned before at Five Star Resort in Bhutan. I was still working there. Then after I return from my yoga teacher training in January and then in March.

The Covid, the first covid cases came out here in Bhutan and then all the borders were closed. And our country went into a lockdown for the first time. And from that, those who were working the [00:10:30] hospitality sectors kinda were not having jobs. We didn’t have to go to work.

 That really gave me the courage to open up a studio. Then I felt oh, I have training, right? Then I think it’s the right time to share my knowledge and experience with my family, friends to a wider range of audience so that people can benefit from it.

So I was quite nervous as well. Very nervous. I never thought I would become a yoga teacher. I went for my own self practice. But then coming back, it was such a blessing in disguise that I could step out of my comfort zone. And then I was, I couldn’t even, I don’t, I couldn’t even believe myself that I could.

Teach others because I didn’t have that confidence in myself. Then slowly I opened a small studio with the help of friends yeah, especially with my friend and a family and my mentor. Then gradually I started teaching small groups, then bigger groups, and then people from all walks of life, both national, international as well.

[00:11:23] Lily Allen-Duenas: Since you said that you’re teaching people from all walks of life, I’m wondering are there maybe more men or women in your classes or younger people, older, or is the community as a whole just so receptive to yoga that you truly have all ages and a huge diverse representation?

Yoga in Bhutan

[00:11:41] Yangchen Lhamo: Well, I would say that I started out with a larger number of women in my studio. And then like everywhere around the world, Bhutan still has that stigma stigmatization or the stereotype that, oh, yoga is only for women not for men. They were not really open up, I would say, like they were receptive.

But not [00:12:00] really opening up to things like yoga, like it’s more of a feminine thing they thought moving your body is such a boring thing or something like that. But I started out with the women mostly, and then still gradually men started to show up as well. Calling me up they would like to take my yoga classes and then, yeah I would say that now slowly men are like opening up themselves and then they’re taking, they’re willing to take classes, but also, that’s what I’m educating when I educate, try to educate people on a daily basis, right? Whatever content I post on social media or to whomever I talk to, I always make sure that people understand yoga is for all right, both men and women, both male and female, old or young. Doesn’t matter. It’s yoga for all. So that’s what I’m trying to do.

[00:12:44] Lily Allen-Duenas: Beautiful. I love that you’re doing that. And it’s such important work to shine light on yoga for every body, and it doesn’t have any limitations. If you can breathe, you can do yoga. That is the standard. Um, So if somebody is listening to this podcast today, they’re thinking of opening their own studio, what advice do you have for them? Because I know that’s such a big decision, and I’m sure you learn some things along the way that some of our listeners could benefit from.

Advice for yoga teachers looking to open their own studio

[00:13:13] Yangchen Lhamo: Through my own experience I would say that if you are ever thinking of opening up a studio, just open a. Open up. Just do it like, just start small. I would say always start small, right? You can have a smaller space, maybe like you can start out in your own apartment, maybe turn one room [00:13:30] into yoga room and just start teaching one or two people, right? The people whom you feel comfortable with. 

Then you can slowly, from there you’ll get confidence you’ll learn more through teaching. So these are the few things I would really advise people who are thinking of opening up a studio, just start small and start teaching people who you feel comfortable with. Thenslowly you’ll gain the confidence and you’ll gradually, it’ll open up the way to you.

[00:13:56] Lily Allen-Duenas: Thanks for sharing that. And I know it takes such courage and bravery to step into that and say, okay, I’m just gonna do it. I’m just going to open that and go out on a limb. Was there anything that you realized you wish you would’ve done differently?

[00:14:10] Yangchen Lhamo: Nope. I don’t really think that I would say I always take all these things as an experience, as a journey. That’s a part of my life. That’s the story of my life. So that makes us who I am today, even. The mistakes or even the good decisions I’ve made, everything becomes a part of my life and the story that I can tell people. So I don’t have any regrets, or I wish that I’ve done something differently.

[00:14:33] Lily Allen-Duenas: Love it. Oh, own that. Own that. That’s beautiful. . And so maybe it’s a good point to ask you as well, what is a powerful lesson that you think yoga has taught you or a gift that yoga has given you?

What’s a powerful lesson that yoga has given you?

[00:14:45] Yangchen Lhamo: Oh wow. Yeah, that’s that question. This question always overwhelms me because there are so many things in my head that yoga itself is a gift for me. And then more, more more than that, through yoga, practicing what I’ve learned more is. 

[00:15:00] People always feel that, oh then I think you are practicing yoga a lot maybe you can do headstand, handstand or do something like that. These are the things people feel that you are learning through yoga. But what I’ve learned over the years while practicing yoga is that I’ve become more of more of reflective person than reactive person, and I’m so happy that I’m this person right now and that I’m still working on, I’m still not there yet because but I’m feeling the change in my life slowly and gradually. 

Previously I used to be very reactive to anything. I think most people do the small things or anything that really bothered me, or I get bothered easily. But now what I do is whatever things are happening to me, like good or bad, I always try to reflect a little bit, and then I react. Otherwise if it doesn’t require my attention or reaction, then I don’t react at all.

[00:15:49] Lily Allen-Duenas: Perfect. Yeah. I also agree that one of my kind of mottos or mantras is: respond, don’t react. Yoga is so great at teaching us to pause , you know, instead of just immediately rushing into an emotion, like there’s so much in yoga that teaches you to be more mindful and slow and take a moment.

Take what you need to transition. From maybe being silent and to reacting to a situation, just how can you respond better to that? And I love your word reflective, taking time to think about what you’d actually want to express maybe.

[00:16:28] Yangchen Lhamo: Yes.[00:16:30] 

[00:16:30] Lily Allen-Duenas: Wonderful. And so how do you actually define yoga? What’s your personal definition?

What is your definition of yoga?

[00:16:35] Yangchen Lhamo: Yeah. Yoga, like you have mentioned before, it’s not only what you practice on the mat, right? It’s like how you carry off the mat as well. Yoga applies to all. The small thing, like for example, the way you work, the way you talk to people, the way you think, right?

the action you take, its consequences. That everything, the small things the yoga philosophy it applies to all for. So That’s how I would define yoga . That’s not only what I practice, asana or like sitting on the mat, but it’s like how you carry off the mat. 

[00:17:05] Lily Allen-Duenas: Perfect. I love that and I, it’s such a good thing to remind everyone of that. It’s not just what happens on the mat. It is how you interact with others. It’s how you mentally think as well about yourself. That self-talk is so important too, and I think yoga helps you to hear those internal elements, those subtle energies, and in the stillness and the quiet that yoga brings, it gives you time to listen to the internal world instead of the external world.

That’s something I love about it. So as well, some of our listeners might not know very much about Bhutan. Would you share with them kind of more about your country and just pretend somebody’s never heard about it before.

What is Bhutan like?

[00:17:57] Yangchen Lhamo: Bhutan, it’s a very small country. It’s a [00:18:00] small country, Nestle between China and India. And we are. kingdom, and we still have the king and then queen.

We are a constitutional monarchy. We have a monarchy and we are a democracy. Our country is all mon mountainous. You’ll see beautiful mountains and then like most of our countries are covered with forest. And I would say deep valleys, like scattered populations and settlement people. We have so many beautiful hiking destinations here in Bhutan. A best place to hike. Yeah, in Bhutan. There are so many fresh streams, rivers I would say, and beautiful lakes. There are so many small and big lakes here in Bhutan.

[00:18:38] Lily Allen-Duenas: Wonderful. And there a lot of tourists, is it a great place to come? Is there a certain season? Are there a lot of yoga retreats there? Are you organizing them?

[00:18:47] Yangchen Lhamo: That’s a really great question. Yeah. We get a lot of tourists here in Bhutan and yeah, I would say it depends on you, right? There are like seasons that you can say like maybe like spring season that is March, may, and somewhere in autumn that is August, September, October, and November.

These are the seasons where tourists must visit in Bhutan because that time the weather is very beautiful, right? You could Have the green valleys less rain, like less cold. But I’ll say that if you like winter, you can visit even in winter as well, if you like to see the snow or just something.

And yes, there are so many people like so many hotels and resorts here, they organize yoga retreats. But for me, I would definitely do it in the future. I’d really love to do that yoga retreat [00:19:30] bhutan in future, but I’m not ready yet.

[00:19:34] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh yeah. Organizing a retreat is a big deal. I would love that. It’s on the goal list. I know it does take so much time and energy and planning, so good to know. So if any of our listeners today wanted to get in touch with you, had a question or wanted to learn more even about your service project, what is a good way for them to do that?

How to get in touch with Yangchen

[00:19:58] Yangchen Lhamo: If you were so interested to know more about my social project and then my yoga here in Bhutan. You can kindly follow me on Instagram at Yoga Yangchen Bhutan and my social cause and on Instagram at Dog House Bhutan. And then I’m on Facebook as well. That is Yoga Yangchen and Dog House. So kindly connect with me via  social media. 

[00:20:20] Lily Allen-Duenas: Wonderful. So I’ll also put all of those links in the show notes. So if you’re listening and you just want to click a quick link, you can go to the show notes and you’ll find them there as well as on my website, wildyogatribe.com/yogainbhutan, you can find a transcript of this. Podcast so you can read along and you’ll find all of Yangchen’s links and more information as well. So you can head over there too. So Yangchen, is there anything else you wanted to share with our listeners before we wrap up?

[00:20:49] Yangchen Lhamo: Thank you once again Lily. It was a pleasure being on your podcast and to be able to share my experience and to be able to share my experience with people [00:21:00] all around the world. And also if people are listening to this podcast if you’re really if you’re ever, if you’re deciding to visit Bhutan one day Just, don’t hesitate. Please do not hesitate to contact me so I can give you some guidance on when to visit Bhutan, what to do here in Bhutan, or I can put you in touch with a local travel agent or, yes, I could help you in that way.

[00:21:22] Lily Allen-Duenas: Wonderful. So thank you so much Young 10 for being on the show with me today. It’s been just such a joy to be with.

[00:21:29] Yangchen Lhamo: Thank you so much, Lilly. It was a pleasure having me here once again.

Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast Outro

[00:21:33] Lily Allen-Duenas: Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast. My conversation with Yangchen Lhamo, a yoga teacher and studio owner from Bhutan was so delightful as we discussed how yoga is not just what you practice, but how you walk, talk, and interact with others. I hope that this conversation lit a spark in you about how yoga can help all sentient beings. If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that’s all about yoga as an act of service, then this is the conversation for you. Thank you for listening to the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast. Be well. 

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