"It's Not Easy to Embrace All My Students"... Lee Hyori Shares Her Struggles Running a Yoga Studio
by Kim Hyunjeong1
Published 12 May.2026 18:42(KST)
"It's So Hard to Just Let Someone Be in Pain"
"There have been many students attending the early morning classes since the studio opened, but for the morning classes, about 70% are still day-to-day attendees. It's not easy to embrace all my students."
Singer Lee Hyori, who currently runs a yoga studio, candidly shared the challenges she faces as a yoga instructor.
On May 10, a video titled "Not Hyori, but Ananda. The Real Thoughts of Yoga Teachers..." was uploaded to the YouTube channel 'Ah Yoga'.
In the video, Lee Hyori said that embracing her students "feels like it is my own practice."
She went on to say, "It's really hard and difficult for a teacher when asking students to perform challenging poses," and added, "It's tough to watch them struggle, and I always want to help them recover quickly." She continued, "I know from experience that you grow through pain, but it's very, very hard for me to just let someone be in pain."
She also explained that her teaching style changes with each class because each group of students is different. Lee Hyori said, "It depends on the weather, the atmosphere, and who attends, so I try to tune into that energy while teaching. I don't think I've ever taught the same class twice."
She also spoke honestly about what she has learned from practicing yoga for 12 years. Regarding her initial motivation to start yoga, Lee Hyori said, "I didn't want to have shoulder pain anymore, and I wanted to show off cool poses to people." She added, "But then I realized my asanas (yoga poses) were too weak to show off."
She continued, "Ultimately, what remains with me the most is that I managed to keep my life safe and steady without any major issues." She added, "I'm a person with a lot of energy, so if I hadn't done yoga, I don't know how I would have used all that energy."
Since September of last year, Lee Hyori has been running a yoga studio in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul. Expressing her affection for yoga, she even got a tattoo of 'Ananda', her yoga alter ego.