Amy Dawn Rising

Now this is the story all about how,
My life got flipped-turned upside down,
And I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there,
I’ll tell you how I got a gig as a yoga teacher in France!

Picture it, Seattle, Spring of 2026… My contract as a Project Manager at Alaska Airlines was coming to a close, the wine tasting room where I was working had just announced they were closing, and some other storylines in my life were completing. There was a general feeling of closure, completion, time to move on to the next chapter (or maybe start a whole new book). I had a true moment of existential crisis – What am I doing with my life? What am I truly meant to be doing?

I sat with it for a while and came back around to something I had been wanting to experience for a long time – helping people discover their true north, self-realization of their innate gifts and passions. Where can one truly be in service of those seekers who are actively pursuing a better version of themselves? RETREAT CENTERS!!!

With this fire lit under my ass I jumped onto a website I had been on 100 times already, looking for retreat center opportunities – shout out to YogaTrade.com. I found two opportunities that were only a couple of days old and the first one, in France, spoke to me immediately. I didn’t even finish reading the job description before applying. Room and board in exchange for teaching yoga in the French countryside for the summer – full body YES! Within three hours on a random Thursday in June I had received an email requesting an informal chat. We chatted on Monday. I got an offer to come to France on the following Sunday and just TWO WEEKS after my interview I was in France, arriving at the chateau where I will spend my summer. Yes friends, this is the kind of thing that happens when you trust the Universe, get crystal clear about what you want, and unwaveringly chase the shit out of it!!