"I have had five opportunities since I left Liverpool to get back into work, all at clubs I really respect," Rodgers told beIN Sports.
"But I just felt I wanted to take some time out. It is very intense when you are in the game.
The 45-year-old was rumoured to be close to agreeing a deal to return to the Liberty stadium after Garry Monk was sacked as Swansea manager.
"I spoke to Huw Jenkins, the chairman and people I know well, but I made it clear and I was pretty open. Swansea is a wonderful club and there were also a couple of other Premier League clubs I could have gone back to.
But I wasn't going to be available to come into a club before the summer.
I enjoy the scrutiny and life of being at the leading edge of the game, but the opportunity that presented itself when I left Liverpool gave me the chance to go away for the first time in five years.
Rodgers admitted he was keen to get back into football, though insisted it did not have to be with an English club.
"I am open. It is where I feel I can go in and make a difference: a job that will excite me," he added.
"It doesn't have to necessarily be at a top club. It can be at home or abroad. It is just about finding the right opportunity, one that will excite me to go in and somewhere I can help make better."
The Northern Irishman last week revealed he had a sit-down meeting with his Liverpool successor, Jurgen Klopp, in order to help the German settle into the job.
"Whatever help he needed as a manager I was there for that."
"I remember spending time with Jurgen when he first got the job and I had left. We sat and we spoke," said Rodgers.
- Telegraph