Soul, Mind and BodyTree !
Family and fitness come first for Nadia Sehweil, founder of BodyTree. The 33 year old Palestinian mother of two has found a way of achieving balance between her family and her passion for holistic exercise and wellbeing. “I love things that uplift the soul. My parents and husband are my role models and mentors, and I turn to them for guidance and advice constantly,” she says.
Sowing the seeds
Nadia describes BodyTree as “a place where like-minded people can congregate.” A graduate of the University of Montreal, Canada, Nadia has over the years developed a real passion for Pilates, yoga and dance. “We actually started Soma Pilates and Yoga Tree in 2007 but expanded into BodyTree in 2011.” Her interest in holistic healing began when her mother met an inspiring Pilates instructor who helped her through her recovery from cancer, using Pilates and yoga. She found an instant affinity with their healing properties and was inspired to try Pilates and yoga for herself.
So after graduation from university Nadia decided to take the training required to be a Pilates instructor, and soon after that she and her mom thought of starting a small Pilates studio in Abu Dhabi. It would be a unique concept as there was nothing like that in Abu Dhabi, says Nadia, whose vision was bolstered further after she met Elina Nykanen Rozycki, a yoga instructor who shared her vision.
Reaping the fruit
Finally in 2007, Nadia and her mother joined forces with Elina and together formed Soma Pilates and Yoga Tree. And in 2011 they expanded and rebranded into BodyTree, and then in June 2012 moved into a new location three times the size of the previous studio. This allowed the trio to have the kind of holistic fitness centre they had always envisioned.
“We view BodyTree as a holistic centre that takes you through a journey. For instance, you can start pre-pregnancy, continue with classes throughout pregnancy, then return for post natal and mommy and baby sessions. You can later enrol your babies and kids in our music and dance programmes and even bring husbands in for men’s evening classes,” says Nadia.
“We are also launching our healthy juice bar this month to serve our clients before and after sessions and we have added a small retail component and sell a variety of props, organic yoga wear as well as recycled mats whose partial proceeds go to planting trees. We believe in giving back to our community and in working on charitable initiatives that inspire us.”
The BodyTree team also reaches out to the community through their support for the arts. They promote local artists living in the city by showcasing their paintings and photography on dedicated art walls within the studio.
Not always a bed of roses
Nadia looks back at her experience starting the venture. “We have faced so many challenges. It’s impossible to go through them all! Setting up a small business in Abu Dhabi is a challenge for a variety of reasons but it has been so rewarding that we continue to work at it.”
With the new location, their responsibilities too have increased. At BodyTree the staff strive to meet clients’ expectations by focusing on their needs and wants. “We take each obstacle as a challenge and continuously strive to overcome them because we believe so strongly in what we do. We also like to focus on moving forward and try to avoid dwelling on past obstacles,” says Nadia.
Branching out
The BodyTree team is purposely working towards making their studio more of a community centre. Their aim is to educate people on the different options available to get healthy, fit, and relieve stress. They offer integrated healthy solutions through their classes, creative workshops and, very soon, their juice bar as well. Their future goal is to expand the reach of their services, “We’ll also be offering outdoor classes in our backyard soon and might even consider a second location in the future. But for now we’re very content with BodyTree and its new location.”
By Sanah Chauhan
