Nick Dearman

For the last two years I lived out of a backpack and traveled around India, as well as Thailand and the Philippines, doing work trades at various retreats, and one on one coaching with other travelers and residents of the places I visited. I spent a few months managing the yoga and wellness branch of a Muay Thai camp in central Thailand. Most of my time, however, was spent in Rishikesh, a town in the foothills of the Himalayas known as "The Yoga Capital of the World."

As caretakers we did everything ranging from preparing food and interacting with guests, to performing standard Hindu rituals and cleaning toilets. Everything we did in the name of devotional service to our guru, Neem Karoli Baba. Perhaps you've heard of Ram Dass or the book "Be Here Now." If not, a quick google search will take you down a fascinating and love filled rabbit hole. Here we really learned about work as yoga. If granted this position, that's how I'd see it, the work itself is Yoga.

My role at Black Swan was predominantly customer service oriented. I checked people in for classes, cleaned mats, cleaned studio and lobby space, helped with inventory and organizing retail products. Around the start of lockdowns I was certified to teach, so I slowly transitioned to teaching full time, as we collectively rode the wave of government regulation. I've taught pretty much every kind of class as a result: large group, event, small group, one on one, online.