Known Traveler: Kirra Michel, Wellness Wanderer

"I was curious about other cultures; the polarity of people and places."

Kirra Michel is a well-traveled, worldly, soft spoken yogi with an Australian accent and lots of tattoos. She’s a Peloton yoga and meditation instructor whose “come as you are” approach to the practice resonates with her nearly 60,000 Instagram followers, many of whom are millennial women like Kirra. 

Originally from Lennox Head, a picturesque beach town next to Byron Bay on the easternmost coast of Australia that’s “very outdoorsy and into wellness, like Boulder [Colorado],” Kirra grew up surfing and was always outdoors. Her parents, like many of the coastal community's residents in the ‘80s and ‘90s, were into yoga and meditation. “I hated yoga [as a child and teen],” she says, “I rebelled against it.”

Kirra dreamed of seeing the world: “I was curious about other cultures; the polarity of people and places” not like her own. So when she turned 18, Kirra bought an “around the world” ticket and left Australia. 

And she did just that. Kirra traveled to LA, NYC, London, and Germany returning home at age 20, and was accepted at a university to study architecture.

But the pull of her wanderlust was strong. "I studied architecture for 3.5 years before [on a whim] deferring and setting out to travel again." She went to India, Indonesia, “by chance, by accident” ending up back in New York. Her dad is actually from New York, and she always felt like she’d live there, just for a brief time. 

Kirra was drawn to the melting pot of NYC, but the noise and pace of the city was “too much.” “Coming from a small town, my nervous system was not ready for it,” Kirra said. 

Something needed to change, in NYC. “I felt more overwhelmed, more alone, than I ever had,” she says, “despite being in one of the busiest cities in the world.” She decided to give meditation another try, the first of many full circle moments. As she got into the practice, “I realized I meditated every day of my life,” she says. “I was constantly in nature, just being. This is meditation.”

Kirra found a Buddhist meditation group – Dharma Punx NYC – and rediscovered herself, her roots (Kirra’s dad was a student of the founder's founder, through his books). Kirra found kindred spirits in Dharma Punx: tattooed, punk rock, creative types interested in meditation and mindfulness. From there, “yoga was a natural next step,” she says. So Kirra stepped into yoga. 

Growing up in Australia, she’d been into surfing, dance, and gymnastics. Her parents praised her athleticism. For Kirra, exercise became a way to validate her self worth. Her athletic background and natural ability made Kirra a quick study at yoga and she threw herself into the practice with intensity and, she says, perfectionism.

As a millennial woman, Kirra approached work and exercise with an “all or nothing” mentality. It was NYC in the 2010s, and Kirra was doing the “busy fitness thing, working around the clock and not taking care of myself;” she was spiraling toward burnout. 

Then COVID hit. 

Kirra was suddenly at a career crossroads. “I’m not comfortable on camera,” she says, and “definitely wasn’t planning on my career going in this direction.” But Kirra didn’t really have a choice, with in-studio classes shuttered. The studio she was teaching at began doing online and recorded classes, and Kirra "committed to it, and started filming every day.”

Kirra already had a following at this point, her style of yoga – the Wellness Rebellion – informed by her Dharma Punx-inspired approach to meditation. The lessons she focuses on in her classes are deeply connected to Kirra’s own journey as a millennial woman and traveler: “taking up space, meeting yourself with compassion, empathy, grace, and gratitude.”

Kirra’s virtual classes resonated. She was noticed in all the right ways; for coming to the mat as an authentic, perfectly imperfect woman. After someone reached out about interviewing with Peloton, she took the opportunity to go through the in-depth interview process, and landed the job. 

Today, Kirra is one of the platform’s beloved instructors; students admire her sense of humor and “progress not perfection” approach to the practice. She ends yoga classes with reminders to look inward and has her students give themselves big hugs, ignoring how ridiculous they might feel and embracing self-love.

She’s found a home in NYC, but still has a deep wanderlust she indulges by traveling back home (to Australia) and, here in the U.S., she’s found inspiration in natural places like Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Lake Tahoe. “NYC is so busy, I’m picking [travel destinations] based on nature. Being in nature lets me look inward and receive [Mother Nature’s] many gifts and lessons.” 

Her approach to travel is simple: she favors nature over cities and generally picks a couple activities or attractions at her destination, leaving lots of room for spontaneity and stillness. She wants to visit every national park in the U.S. and explore more of the Northeast. (I recommended Acadia National Park, since Kirra enjoys doing yoga on the beach and long, meditative hikes.) 

Kirra loves to use her trips as a break from the routine of daily exercise and busy schedules, choosing to explore on foot, taking long hikes, and stargazing. (She does, however, recommend pre-flight stretching and meditation. “I’m the person doing headstands in the airport,” she laughs, adding that Peloton’s Yoga anywhere classes are perfect for enjoying on the go.)

Back in NYC, Kirra prioritizes “moments of stillness.” She enjoys going on long walks without music or distractions and takes refuge in the city’s parks, green spaces, and waterfront. 

“If you slow down and simply take a break from the noise, you can find stillness, practice meditation, anywhere,” she says. Even the busy streets of NYC, the security line at LAX, or that middle aisle seat 12,000 feet in the sky.

This article is part of our Known Traveler series where we highlight creators who share inspiring travel and lifestyle content. Check out the full edition for Wellness Wanderers.