In an exclusive interview with You! Zainab Sarwar shares her yoga journey with our readers…
interview
Based in Dubai, Zainab Sarwar is an experienced yoga teacher and runs her own health and wellness company called ‘Moksha Lifestyle Dubai’. She is a 500 Hr certified Advance Ashtanga/Vinyasa teacher, the highest level of yoga education in the world. She is also a certified Nutritionist with specialisation in Weight loss Nutrition accredited from Australia. Recently, she has been granted the status of E-RYT 500, the highest credential in the yoga world, by the prestigious Yoga Alliance USA acknowledging her 12 years in this field/profession. She is the only Pakistani to have delivered more than 11,000 hrs (still counting) of teaching hrs worldwide in different modalities. She is also an active member of REPS (Registered Exercise Professionals) UAE, REPS NZ, Physical Activity Australia, ESSA (Exercise and Sports Science Australia) and ANTA (Australian Natural Therapist Association).
She is the only Power Yoga Specialist working with CP (cerebral mild palsy) children in Pakistan. “I am the first Pakistani yogi to design and offer the most empathetic and revolutionary program for senior/elder citizens and people with limited range of motion due to different injuries and health conditions. My sessions come live from Dubai and people across the globe participate in my programs,” tells Zainab. “I have students and clients from all over the world. My international boot camp and programs stream live from Dubai and anyone from across the world can join that program including people from Pakistan,” she adds.
Zainab also writes monthly columns on yoga, diet, nutrition and lifestyle at altMuslimah.com; www.yogadubai.ae and other websites. In an exclusive interview with You! Zainab shares her yoga journey with our readers…
You! Where did your passion for yoga originate?
Zainab Sarwar: I attended my first yoga class in 2007 and fell in love with this practice as it greatly helped me heal my polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) Symptoms. I was fortunate to be taught by renowned yoga instructor Jason Crandell from San Francisco, USA, who has been my inspiration for stepping into yoga world. However, I learnt the art of meditation in Pakistan from Dr Afzal Hussain Rizvi.
You! What is yoga actually?
ZS: Yoga is a union of mind, body and soul. It’s all about bringing harmony between mind and body. For me, it’s an art and science of healthy living.
You! What are the benefits of yoga?
ZS: Countless but in short it improves your overall health; promotes flexibility; aids in achieving a better posture; helps with stress relief; reduces anxiety and greatly affects your mental health in a positive way.
You! Why do you think women must learn yoga?
ZS: Yoga is must for women of any age -adolescence through menopause. It really improves your sense of worth. The mat is a safe place to let go of your frustrations and crazy hormonal mood swings. Yoga is a perfect quality ‘ME-TIME’ for us women. You don’t have to be young, flexible, ballerina-type to reap the many benefits. Yogis come in all shapes and sizes, so don’t get caught up in appearances. Only when you commit yourself to mat, then you will realise what I am talking about. There are so many different types of yoga classes and traditions to follow. I am pretty sure; you will find a class that resonates with you. Just show up. Breathe. Be yourself. Modify when you need to. And absorb the teachings.
You! Does yoga help in losing weight?
ZS: I am the torchbearer of losing weight with yoga. The tradition I follow is Ashtanga/Vinyasa combined and it’s remarkable for weight loss. It shreds the inches faster around the body. I offer the best combination of 21 days power yoga workouts to shape up the body.
You! Do you recommend yoga for pregnant women?
ZS: Absolutely. I have been doing prenatal yoga in my pregnancies as well and it greatly helped me in dealing with my gestational diabetes. But before you try it, seek permission from your health care provider. Much like other types of childbirth-preparation classes, prenatal yoga is a multifaceted approach to exercise that encourages stretching, mental centring and focused breathing. Prenatal yoga is safe and can have many benefits for pregnant women and their babies.
You! Till what age one can do yoga?
ZS: There is no age limit to yoga. I have clients from 5 years old to 80+ years old.
You! Can anyone become a yogi or you need years to master this art?
ZS: If someone wants to teach yoga professionally then they must have practiced yoga regularly for a year before they take their basic certificate of 200 hr teaching training program from a Yoga Alliance registered school and may then proceed to take 300 hr advance teacher’s training program. That’s the International standard of being a yoga teacher. However, no one can become a yogi by performing yoga poses only. An in-depth knowledge of this art and science is needed to master this art of living.
I am working on developing the most updated science backed yoga curriculum in line with human anatomy to train the teachers around the world. Soon I will be launching my 200-hr teachers training program internationally and specially for Pakistanis to learn this art and science of yoga properly. They will be able to register themselves at Yoga Alliance USA after getting certified from me. It will create a lot of employment opportunities for them locally and internationally. Yoga as a professional career has a lot to offer. It’s a super rewarding career.
You! Can you tell us a bit about ‘Moksha Lifestyle Dubai’?
ZS: ‘Moksha Lifestyle Dubai’ offers a one stop fitness experience to people specially women across the world. ‘Moksha Lifestyle Dubai’ specialises in weight management and body Transformation Programs. We provide completely supervised diet and exercise solutions under one roof. At Moksha, we don’t give diet plans only .We design diet therapies according to an individual’s personal needs and requirements. We work on a personal well-being approach so people lose weight but not at the expense of their health.
I am personally available to my clients via WhatsApp 24/7. People need to take snap shots of their meals and send them to me .Weekly evaluations are also done and if the progress is not up to the mark then I make necessary changes in their plans. It doesn’t stop here. You can send in your favourite recipes to me and I will tell you how to make it part of your diet regimen. At Moksha we create our own recipes so clients don’t feel deprived while on a diet regimen.
Our Exercises are all specially designed to overall improve your quality of life. Weight loss is just one of the benefits of my exercise program. My most famous program is 21 days Fitness challenge in which we take around 35-40 women on board every month and transform them through diet and exercise through our unique supervision approach.
You! How can we create awareness among women regarding this important mental and physical exercise i.e. yoga?
ZS: Well I think apart from media we will have to start from grass root level. All schools, college and businesses should include yoga once or twice a week as part their student/employee wellness programs. All around the world educational institutions and businesses take initiative on their student/employee wellness programs.
I am also launching Employee/Student Wellness program so this beautiful practice can reach to general public through experienced and learned teachers.
You! How do you start your day?
ZS: I start my day with my one hour of personal yoga practice.
You! What do you normally eat to keep you in shape?
ZS: Well! I do clean eating 6 days a week and on 7th day, I enjoy one cheat meal. My meals are balanced combination of protein, fat and carbs according to my body type. I stay away from sugar as much as I can but on weekends, I indulge myself in sweets and savouries. I am very particular about my meal timings. My normal meals are:
Breakfast: Eggs with a fruit.
Lunch: Protein, veggies and carbs calculated according to my body profile.
Dinner: Protein, veggies.
I run multiple fitness sessions throughout the day so I snack on high-protein snacks and fruits.
You! How do you unwind after a stressful day?
ZS: On those days when I feel fat, bloated, or just plain blah, the best medicine is a solid hour or two on my mat. Meditative healing yoga is my way to unwind my body, mind and soul. I bring my frustrations to the mat and that’s my safest place to let go of all the negativity surrounding myself. My mat allows me to be myself without judging.
You! Have you thought of writing a book on yoga?
ZS: Yes, I want to write a book on Moksha method in next 5 years. Moksha means ‘liberation’ and through yoga, we can learn the art of liberating ourselves from our negative thoughts, negative self-image, toxicity etc. So I really want to pen down my journey of self-liberation attained through Yoga.
You! What do you love most about being a yogi?
ZS: That I’m bringing about a positive change in people’s life. I love being a positive influence in my students’ life. All my students are very dear to me and I keep them close to my heart and that’s what help our yoga community grow. We, yogis are the warriors of light and all we spread is happiness, positivity and inclusivity.
You! Who is your favourite local and international yogi?
ZS: Internationally, my most favourite is my guru Jason Crandell but I am a great fan of Matt Giordano as well. Locally, Dr. Afzal Hussain Rizvi who is a meditative healer.
You! What advice you give to older women who want to keep a healthy lifestyle?
ZS: It’s very important for us women to take care of ourselves as we age. A women’s life span goes through so many transitions starting from menstruation as early as 11-12 years, pregnancies, lactation, hormonal issues, fertility treatments, and menopause. All this wreak havoc on our entire system. We start losing calcium from our body as soon as we start menstruation so we need to start making ourselves a priority before it gets too late and we spend our old-age being dependent on others.
My advice to older women is to find a workout routine that resonates with you. Even 20-30 minutes a day is all you need to feel better. Make 8 hours of sleep your top priority especially if you are peri menopausal or menopausal. Schedule a well-woman exam annually and eat a healthy diet with less salt and sugar. Last but not least, don’t hide your pains and sufferings. Your mental health matters so practice mindfulness. Yoga, taichi and meditation are great ways to practice mindfulness.
You! What’s next?
ZS: I will be launching the most updated science backed teachers training programs for yoga teachers around the world in 2023. I will also introduce an international yoga wellness retreat of its kind in northern areas of Pakistan and international destinations. I will be launching my corporate wellness programs internationally soon and I shall be launching most updated prenatal yoga program in 2023.
You can find Zainab on
www.yogaalliance.org
Instagram: Lifestylebyzainabsarwar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zainab.ali2
Website: www.yogadubai.ae
