Can I get an Om-en! Everett Runner Turned Yogi
I am an evangelist for yoga.
That wasn’t always the case. A recent convert, I had avoided the suggestion of trying yoga for years. I looked at yoga as too-easy for the “bad ass” athlete that I envisioned myself to be. But truth be told, I was in chronic pain from running, couldn’t touch my toes or hold up my own body weight for extended periods of time. I needed more than prayers, I needed to find balance!
I met Hajera, (Haji) a Bhakti Yoga instructor at Peak Health and Fitness. She also teaches Thai Bodywork, Yoga Therapy, Henna Bodyart, Bellydance, and Sound Healing at her business Sol Resonance Healing. She has been practicing yoga for 16 years.
Instructor Hajera Ahmed.
I was a little nervous about attending Haji’s class for the first time as her classes are so popular. I believe it’s because she connects with her students in a way that isn’t intimidating or pretentious, but welcoming and warm. (And I do mean warm, she specializes in warm and hot yoga.)
She accommodates all fitness levels and offers gentle verbal guidance and helpful hands-on adjustments that keep students from getting injured or creating bad habits. The music she chooses is hip, a fusion of meditative/devotional and indie - which makes for holding challenging poses much more doable. She explains the benefits of each posture variation, and mixes up the flow to keep each class different and fresh.
Haji began her own daily Yoga Asana (physical practice) after years of running. Not only did it stretch her muscles and adjust her spine, but it brought her peace-of-mind, mental clarity, balance, and focus which made her feel happy, even on sad days. I found the same benefits.
Happy Haji doing a happy handstand.
“Eventually through my practice," Haji told me, "a deeper emotional healing became available. As layers of my self continued to fall away and be revealed, I was cultivating a positive relationship with the body and self.”
When I asked Haji what advice she had for a beginner, she responded, “Just go and try a class! Cultivate a schedule for practice at least 2-5 times a week to see the most benefits of the postures and changes in mind and body. Or try a Youtube class when you’re at home. Even a short 10-15 minutes in the morning will alter the mind state significantly, bringing body awareness and presence to handle the rest of the day, or to unwind at night!”
I feel so fortunate to have finally gotten the courage to try a yoga class and to have met Haji. The health benefits I have received after six months have been measurable. I still can’t touch my toes, but I can run longer and yes, I can do more push-ups. Hallelujah!
You can check out one of Hajera’s video HERE or try out her class at Peak Health and Fitness located in downtown Everett.
Wendy Poischbeg is a cultivator of the creative economy, strategic planner of living fully, and wannabe vegan. She’s is the Director of Strategy for public relations firm, BrandQuery. After yoga, she and her husband, Matt can be found in the cheese section of Sno-Isle Food Co-op.
Editor's Note: Have you tried any of Hajera's classes yet? Comment below and let us know what you thought.
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