jivan_yoga_with_maryam

When I first qualified as a yoga teacher, I honestly thought I needed to work the most on advanced postures. Maybe as a way to validate myself? Or maybe because that’s what I saw around me. The more you can contort yourself, the better a yoga teacher you are right?🫤

Although not inherently bad (especially the meditating!🫠), my efforts were focused mostly on myself versus my students. As I began teaching more, I began to notice a pattern amongst the students who kept returning to my classes. They weren’t looking for killer abs, splits or handstands. They wanted

🛟 safe space, where they felt welcomed and comfortable just as they are

💪🏽 better mobility, so they can continue to do the things they love

🧘🏽‍♀️authentic teaching that involves more than just stretching. Philosophy, anatomical explanations, aligned breathwork and even just providing some personal detail about a pose or theme as someone from the source culture of Yoga.

Here’s some recent comments (or ‘love notes’ as I call them🥰) my students have given me:

💫“I love that you explain why we are doing things, it helps me understand what I’m doing and keeps me motivated”

💫 “I always feel so much better once I’ve been here, just calms me right down”

💫“I didn’t want you to stop”

💫 “I love coming to your classes, it’s sometimes hard to get in! (Grr active leeds🙃) I can tell how much thought you put into your class”

❤️🙏🏽

I am so grateful to be in this position and always so humbled by your love. It still feels so weird to showcase feedback like this, but to me these are like customer reviews😆🤷🏽‍♀️

If this kind of teaching resonates with you, drop me a DM or comment YOGA below and I’ll pop you my availability. I currently teach with (at Morley Leisure Centre, Pudsey Leisure Centre, Scott Hall Leisure Centre), .yoga.uk & .studios.morley

As I try to change careers from teaching Yoga to Psychotherapy, here are some goals I’ve set for myself this Spring:

🪷 More mini-retreat Yoga sessions ➡️ following my familiar structure of gentle flows, guided relaxation/Nidra & some circle journalling, I hope to offer you more sessions. Next ones coming up are

May 7th from 7-8:30pm (ONLINE) with .yoga.uk . £10pp, all welcome & all proceeds go towards our community Yoga classes.

June 28th from 10:30-12pm (IN PERSON) with .studios.morley . £20pp, all welcome, free drink included, members discount available

🤓 More psycho education posts ➡️ more tips & interesting facts bt psychotherapy & somatics that pertain to you.

I’m thinking subjects like intergenerational trauma within the Indian Muslim society, mental health facts for South Asian women, the complexities of immigrant life & mental health for second/third generation women, the positive & negative reality of Muslim women in the west (especially my own community). Let me know in the poll below if that sounds good to you!

❤️ More Trauma-informed work ➡️ as I gain a little more free time in the spring & summer, my diary will be open for new intakes for 1:1 work. If you’ve been thinking about it for some time, come book a free no-pressure chat via my website & let’s see how I can help.

🧘🏽‍♀️Do more Yoga ➡️ big one just for me! I really want to work on my meditation practice especially and hope to spend more time both flowing & stilling my mind & body.

So what do you think? Anything you’d like me add? Let me see what I can do! ❤️🙏🏽

I know I’ve been a bit absent on here these past few weeks. Life has been so busy this Ramadhan. Here’s a few pics of videos of my thoughts & feelings & whereabouts these past few weeks.

1. Small efforts like healthy suhoors really helped me. Not every day was a win but I tried and that’s what I’m holding onto.

2. Big gains- I really tried to keep up with exercise whilst fasting- not just to keep my gains but to help me feel better through the day. That lasted the first 2 weeks then it went downhill😆 But no matter, am back at it now!💪🏽

3. Gifts of love ❤️ I tried to give something handmade this Ramadhan as gifts to my friends and family. I made healthy date balls & (not so healthy) macaroons🫶

4. Sharing my journey- I was asked to speak at a women entrepreneur talk my mosque hosted ☺️ As someone with a community-interest service, my journey is different than most in my community. I was honoured to share🙏🏽

5. This giant bunny has been playing hide and seek with me ALL month outside of my university. Fluffy has been bringing so much surprise joy😍

6 + 7. Little and big blessings this Eid. Just grateful for all I have and what I’ve achieved. Feeling both heavy and light this year.

What about you? How have you been? How was your Eid?❤️🙏🏽

(Trying out a new cover for my posts! What do you think?)

I’m a little late jumping on the bandwagon but here we go🤪

2016 was a year of great change for me- loads of travel but also, I became a mum🥰

Our first trip was to LA and we had an absolute blast😎

Next trip was India for weddings💃 looking back though, the best thing about that trip was reconnecting with my childhood friend 🫶

A few months after that was my brother in law’s wedding in Montreal. I think that was the last trip where I felt like me- after that I was carrying a baby either in me or on me for the foreseeable future🤣

The rest of the year was spent teaching in schools and dealing with my pregnancy and all the health complications that went with it. We did escape for a cheeky weekend away to Madrid but all I remember was trying to pass a kidney stone while hobbling around over cobbled streets🥴

Later in the year, I travelled back to Canada for my religious baby shower which is a big deal when you’re having your first baby. I cherish the memory of my baby nephews sitting all around me🥰 it was also the last time I got to be a bridesmaid (albeit a very preggo one😆) for my beautiful cousin 🥰

I then had the same ceremony in the UK a week before my baby kicked her way out into the world🤪 Her birth and the days that followed were traumatic. I don’t know what I would’ve done without my mum . I could feel myself teetering off the edge of postnatal depression and she fought for me in every way she could. She taught herself to drive on the other side of the road (up the hills of Sheffield in winter!), cooked & cared for me and my tiny baby girl. She is the bravest person I know & I’m so grateful🫶

2016 was full of change. And the decade that followed shows that I’m just getting started💁🏽‍♀️💪🏽

Where were you in 2016?

Tonight marks the winter solstice or the longest night of the year. Whether you’re looking for a way to mark this time, or you’re in the midst of Christmas chaos or you’re just feeling a bit ‘more’ than usual…here’s smth easy from the yoga world that you can do:

Whatever task you’re tackling tonight, take a deep breath once you’re done and slow it down. Admire your work, enjoy the moment.

Maybe you’re wrapping presents, cooking your Xmas meal or getting glammed up for a night out, take a few breaths when done to reflect on your work.

To me, this is a wonderful act of self-care. Turn your attention inward with a loving, nurturing gaze. Reflect on your efforts even just for a moment.

This is yoga off the mat, building your self-awareness bit by bit through small everyday exercises.

If you have the time, you could even incorporate an uttiyarana practise of lighting a candle and reflecting on what you are releasing from this past year and what seeds you’d like to sow for the future.

We did this last week as we journaled together during our day retreat at .studios.morley . It was so much more profound to do as a group and I’m so grateful to all that joined🫶

Whatever you choose to do, happy solstice❤️ from tomorrow, the days get longer and nights shorter. Hope prevails🙌🏽❤️

❄️