IN HER WORDS
“I’m 45 years old yoga instructor. I come from a mixed marriage, Lebanese/Czech. I grew up mainly in London, and have lived in the UAE for the past 18 years. I brought up my 21-year-old daughter as a single mother (yes she does yoga too). I worked in interior decorating for many years, until I took up yoga 12 years ago in India – that changed my life!
“My yoga journey started unexpectedly. I’d never been a gym girl and I’m lazy at sports except for occasional squash. I went to a yoga class to find what it was all about and it was love at first sight. The teacher was amazing – and that made all the difference; in yoga you need to connect with your teacher or you may not ‘get it’. I continued practicing at home and took classes. I became a yoga addict, and have not looked back since.
Yoga has changed me. It has made me less hyper, and made me realize that I am Me and I love Me. Love for your body and mind is very important. In my case yoga made me more confident, taught me to be patient and to live day by day. It made me appreciate the present most; to realize that the past is gone, and that no one knows the future so there’s no point worrying about it. Worrying is poison to your body and that’s what gets you sick. “Dukha’ is a yoga term for feeling worry and pain. Yoga can save you from that.
“I care about people, so I teach with therapy in mind. I don’t pretend – I realize that I am most myself when I teach.
“The most common question I get from those starting yoga is: ‘I’m not flexible, can I still do you yoga?’ I meet all sorts of people in my class. One day a lady came looking like a hippy from the 60s: lacy nylon lacy stockings, big hoop earrings, and big hair. I asked her to change for her own safety but she refused and left the class.
“What inspires me most is seeing people sick and suffering, so that I can get the message through to them that yoga can heal them.
“I believe that yoga is for everyone from the age of three until 100, whether you’re sick or healthy. The thing it has taught me most is to have great love and respect for myself, and to honour my inner teacher.”
You can find Ria at the Country Club in Abu Dhabi.
As told to Lama Younes
