Embracing yoga for life
Manama : Farah Al Majed is a Bahraini yoga teacher and owner of Arad-based Zen Yoga Studio. It was during her university years that she discovered her passion for yoga.
She began practising from once a week to five times a week, making it clearly evident that yoga will be with her for the rest of her life.
One of Farah’s earliest passions was dancing, which she pursued throughout her middle and high-school life. After graduating from high school in Egypt, she moved to the United States to study Industrial Engineering at the University of Miami.
Following her college graduation, she moved back to Bahrain where she worked as an engineer for three years at the Works Ministry and four years at Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (GPIC). She then decided to obtain her Yoga Teacher Training in Bali in 2014, after which she returned and opened Zen Yoga Studio in Arad.
Passion for yoga
Speaking to DT News, Al Majed recalled her journey in discovering her passions and how yoga entered her life by changing herself for the better.
“Before getting introduced to yoga, I was into dance, aerobics and all sorts of exercising activities. I love to dance... all sorts of dance... moving the body as a form of self-expression is very therapeutic to me. I used to be very competitive and always wanted to be the best. If I wasn’t the best, at that moment, it used to bring me down,” she recollected.
“When I was first introduced to yoga during college in Miami, I used to think that ‘these people are too good, I can never do what they are doing.’ But fortunately I kept going as I indulged more and more in the class. It allowed me to focus on myself, giving me little time to look around and judge. Eventually I learned to accept myself as I am at that moment. It was a liberating thought; the most difficult thing was letting go of the ego and accepting that no one is better than anyone else. Everyone is just doing their best on any given day,” added Al Majed.
She then elaborated on how yoga has brought balance to her life, mentally and physically.
“Even after a tough day at work, yoga just puts things in perspective and allows me to take a moment and bring back that balance. It allows me to let go of anything that doesn’t serve me and instead think positively by consciously seeing the positive aspects,” Al Majed explained.
“As a yoga practitioner, I always encourage people to try it because of how great it made me feel. After becoming a teacher, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the meaning of yoga and the knowledge to pass on this blissful feeling onto other people,” she added.
Teaching Yoga
Al Majed also shared her wisdom on the effect of yoga in connecting the mind and body pleasantly.
“Yoga is all about harmonising the body with the mind through breathing techniques, physical postures (asanas), and meditation. For me, yoga is a state of calmness and repose in which thoughts and feelings (especially negative ones) stop distracting me.”
As a teacher, she revealed her inspiration in making a difference in someone’s life.
“The most fulfilling moment for me is when a student comes up to me after class and tells me how their yoga practice changed their lives. It just feels amazing to know that you have made a difference in someone’s life,” she said.
Al Majed pointd out that it is important to be patient while learning the art of yoga.
“Though I try to guide my students, I stand aside to allow them to learn naturally. Some may feel that they are always doing it wrong, so they are quick to be hard on themselves and quit. One needs to be patient with their practice. With time, one can intuitively adjust just by listening to the guidance of the teacher, to the sound of the inner breath, and the growing understanding and awareness of the body. All you need to do is trust yourself,” she concluded.
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