EP #80- The Endorphins in Practicing Yoga with Amina Taha, Alo Yoga Instructor

(gentle music) Yoga's for everybody, for everybody type, for every age. It's so much more than just the beautiful pastures. So I think just looking at what you can't do and you know, missing out on all of this is a shame. And I love to try to like invite people and encourage them to come to the mat and see what happens. Uncover your own unlimited potential and that could be just removing stress. You know, we all get on the mat for very different reasons, just remembering why you wanna do this. Welcome back to another episode of Everyday Endorphins. And for those of you that are new here, welcome to the show. Everyday Endorphins is a podcast that discusses mental health, wellness, happiness, and finding things in life that bring you endorphins or joy. Over the past few weeks, I took a little bit of a break. I was on vacation in Greece had the most amazing time. And something that I am trying to do is really practice what I preach. I was starting to feel pretty burnt out earlier this summer. Tons of things going on with work with the podcast, with so many things. And I felt like it was best to just take a step back, disconnect for a little bit. And I'm back now and super excited to continue posting content. But moving forward, I will be releasing episodes every other Thursday instead of weekly. So stay tuned for that, but on a different note, this is episode 80. Kind of a pretty big milestone for me were four fifths of the way to reaching episode 100, which is exciting. And I am so honored to release this episode with Amina Taha, who is an incredible woman and my guest for this week. Amina is an entrepreneur and former fashion designer, turned yoga instructor. Amina teaches with Aloe. She is a brand ambassador for Aloe Yoga, which is a brand I absolutely love. So it was such an honor to get to sit down with her this week to discuss her yoga journey, how she fell into the practice, her yoga philosophy, and also what brings Amina in doorfins. Something that's really exciting is that we are going to be hosting a live podcast interview with Amina at the Aloe Yoga Studio in Williamsburg in Brooklyn next month in September. So for all of you listeners who are based in New York or who are gonna be in New York City the weekend of September 10th, please come to the event that we're hosting. It'll be a rooftop yoga class followed by a live interview between myself and Amina. We're gonna have juice press there that you can snack on, get in those endorphins. We'll also have some free Aloe swag and some free everyday endorphins swag as well. So this is definitely an event you will not wanna miss. If you're interested in signing up, details are on my Instagram at everyday_endorphins and you can purchase tickets through Mind Body. The link to that is also on my Instagram account in my bio. So hope to see you all there. Hope you enjoyed this episode. I know I definitely did. And before we get into it, I have a brief message from my sponsor, Inker. Hi Amina, thank you so much for coming onto everyday endorphins. Thank you so much for having me. I am so thrilled to have you as a guest on the show. As you know, I'm a huge Aloe fanatic. I love all the content that you post and you have a really inspiring story. There's so many places that I wanna begin, but let's first start out with just talking about how amazing of a yoga instructor you are. I have the opportunity to come and take your class a few days ago actually and I'm still sore. Sorry, not sorry. What I really loved about your class was that I think it was really flexibility focused. Yeah, like more so than other classes that I've taken, like really holding yourself in the poses for a while and kind of challenging your body to try out all these different kinds of poses. And normally I feel like when you're stretching, you have kind of like a passive form in the poses, but the poses you were offering were so active. Like I felt like I was stretching but also really strengthening my body. Yeah, I'm actually, I've been really inspired by active flexibility for the past few years because when I first started my yoga practice, I was very inflexible. I had really tight shoulders, very rounded up the back. I had super tight hamstrings like I couldn't touch the floor. And for me, after a long day of work, what I loved doing in the evening was exactly what I was teaching you guys, which is just like long holds, breathing, releasing all that tension from the day. So the class that you went to specifically is like that because it's the Tuesday evening class. And within a few years of my practice, I actually realized, well, you know, I started reading about the science of flexibility and teaching myself and I realized that there's something called PNF, which is where you activate the end range of motion of your stretch. It's a way to communicate to the nervous system that what you're stretching is active that you need this flexibility. So it allows you the range of motion, not just faster, but kind of more safely. So that's something I've been super fascinated with. So now I incorporate in all the classes, especially the Tuesday night classes. - Yeah, I think I actually might have, I want to say I learned a little bit about that in my yoga teacher training, like the concepts around when you hold a pose for longer and then you push your body to gain more flexibility and then you come back into the pose and you can go even further. Is that kind of the parallel that you're talking about? - So this is easing your nervous system, I believe into the stretch and that's something I'm a big fan of as well because I think that it's like, you want to, I love the science of flexibility because the reason someone has a kind of a more restricted range of motion is because it's the nervous system. It's not your muscles, it's not your connective tissue, it's unless it's anatomical, which is rare, it is your nervous system. So with your breath, you're working with the nervous system rather than against it. So if you're going in and out of a pose, it's basically you're like easing your body into it rather than kind of going in something very intense, the breath starts to get shallow, the nervous system starts to freak out. Instead, you're kind of like, well, let's see how this feels. Let's kind of go in a little bit, come out, breathe, come back in. So it's a way of easing your body and I love that approach. The PNF specifically is more like, for example, you have a passive end range of motion and then it's not necessarily your active end range of motion. It doesn't necessarily mean you can hold your body in that position without pulling something towards another. So active flexibility just means that you, just like you can pull your leg towards you, you can also hold it right there with just your strength. So that's, you know, I love that. As you were talking about that, I immediately thought of like, for example, when I try to go into half splits or the full expression, I still can't do it. I still cannot do a split. However, as I've practiced more and had a more consistent practice, where I would try to incorporate splits into my yoga flow, I've noticed that as I gradually try to ease myself into it, my breathing starts to slow down and then I actually feel like I'm becoming more flexible. So maybe the flexibility was always there, but it's more so just my nervous system. Like, if I feel like I'm tense in a posture, my heart rate is quickening. My breath is shallow. It's faster. Whereas when I'm really kind of like surrendering into the pose, I can breathe more easy. And I can relax and I tend to go deeper. That's what exactly. And it blew my mind when I was learning to do the splits at 28 or something. And I was like, I had always seen girls doing their splits when I was younger, the girls in gymnastics. You know, I was never that girl. And I was like, oh, it's such a shame it's too late. Like, this is so cool. You know, and then later on in life, I found myself in a yoga class working on my splits and realizing that actually you can do a split at any, a split at any age. You know, you can do it at any age literally. It's just about how good you are at convincing your nervous system that this is safe. Because the way that it works is that if, you know, it's something you never do in your life. And then you're suddenly into it. Your body just naturally and instinctively wants to protect you. So what happens is the nervous system will put breaks on your flexibility saying, no, that's not safe. That's not something we do very often. So then it's all about the consistency, the breath, to stay, actually, we're not in danger here. We're fine. Just let us, you know, let us stay here. And then you just, the more you do that, the more you are, you know, allowing that flexibility. And eventually you're sitting in your splits. So it's really about that. And I always love reminding my students, like, you know, you are born flexible. This is not something that you're trying to be. You're just uncovering the layers of tension, the, you know, losing what you don't use kind of thing for the years. And you're uncovering what you naturally are. You were born as a kid who had a flexible spine, open hips, you know, and then you just didn't use it. So you lost it. So now you're bringing it back. I find that so ironic also in the best way possible, when you just mentioned that you learned how to kind of get into the splits when you were 28. And that was never something you were able to really do. But when I look at your profile on Instagram, you seem like the most flexible person ever. And even in your class, like, you were doing these really like beautiful pop. and I think it really is a testament to how your body can really change over time. But you mentioned that you were never really into yoga initially in your life and you found the practice later on. So can you talk a little bit about your yoga journey and how you developed a passion for yoga? Yeah, I had lived my whole life up until I was 27, convinced that sports are not for me. I had always kind of tried, you know, I was never good at gym class. I never did any dance. I'm not very coordinated as a child. I always just felt like this is something that is just too late, like dumb. That's it. So when I was 27, I moved to a new city and I had the month where I was just in transition between starting a job. And I was like, let me start something new, like something, you know, something fun. And I was in a new city as well. So I didn't have like a ton of friends or things to keep me busy. So I just randomly decided to take a yoga class. I had heard about yoga very, like, you know, sporadically on and off in my senior year of my masters and I was studying fashion. And I was like, you know, it sounds very difficult, but everything at the beginning is going to be difficult. So I went in with no expectation to my first yoga class. It was an intermediate class. So everyone was moving very fast and, you know, and I just tried to keep up. And then at the end there was Shavasana. And I just remember the feeling of like floating, like just being so relaxed to the point that I never felt this relaxed in my life. And I was like, I need to do this again. It was just that feeling of, you know what? I need to do this again. So throughout that month, I just kept going to yoga classes as often as I could every day. Then I started my job and I was like, okay, I'm going to have to prioritize doing this because I don't have the luxury of, you know, the whole day being free. So I would wake up early and I love my sleep, but I loved yoga so much. I'd wake up early, take myself to yoga class. And then the whole day would just feel so easy and like, and all the stresses of everyday life just started to become a little bit, you know, less big in my head. And then I realized on some days where, you know, if I had an early meeting, I can't make it in the morning, I would still want to do it at night. So it just became a part of my everyday life. And I wasn't focused on the change because I was just loving the process, but I started to see month by month, a huge improvement in my flexibility and my posture. Just also in the way that I approached fear, you know, I always felt like if you didn't do this as a kid, you know, then it's too late for you. And I started learning actually there's nothing, there's no such thing. If you could learn anything at any age, if you just want to put in the work and if you just believe in yourself. And so I started to learn, you know, for me doing a headstand was like the coolest thing in the world. And I started learning a headstand and learning to trust myself and my body. And so yeah, it was, it was just that's kind of how it started this love for this daily practice uncovering what's possible. And at some point I was like, I want to learn more about this. I just want to study it. So I started looking into teacher trainings and stuff like that just to learn about it. It happened very organically. There was no decision of, I'm going to do this. You know, it was more like, I love this. Let's see where it goes. There was no intention of this being a job or this being, you know, anything like even just the idea of teaching for me was always very intimidating. I remember in university if I had to present something in front of the class, I would call and sick and lose a letter grade happily just so I don't speak in front of people. I was that type of shy person. And with, you know, it took it was a process of realizing that actually this is not about me. If I want to teach someone how to do something that I couldn't do that I figured out I want to share that information. It's not about, you know, being shy or being confident. It's about I want to give you this piece of information as best as I can. So it doesn't matter if there's 100 people or 10 or one, you know, I want to be a good deliverer of that. That's a word. So it's just that's how kind of I'm here now. Yeah, teaching yoga, I think really kind of fine tunes your presentation skills or your ability to do public speaking because when I first started teaching at core power, I was like pretty nervous at first, right? Did my first class? I was like, oh my god, I don't know what I'm going to say. It's really hard to cue people in and out of pastures. And I found that my voice wasn't like I wasn't really projecting my voice because I didn't want people to hear me. And of course, over time, you get more confident with that. But I, I find it really interesting how yoga. Kind of, I don't know, teaching yoga got you out of that and gave you more of a voice like it gave you more confidence to, to be a public speaker and to guide people through the yoga journey. I also really love the point that you brought up around the feeling that you had at Shavasana and just it's like the juiciest kind of experience. It's hard to put into words, but everyone who practices yoga and everyone who has like a consistent yoga practice rather, I think understands like what we're talking about. It's such an infectious energy and it draws you in like no other. So I think that for me also is kind of like the motivating factor, especially practicing in the morning. It's something I try to do. If I can, like usually every morning before work, I'll try to go to a yoga class and I totally agree with you. It really does kind of like help you set your mind set up for success for the day. Totally. It really does. I remember we've been a class in the teacher with QA split and it's like you, you know, you just did a split in the morning. I don't do anything for the rest of the day. It's like there's nothing that can really stand in your way, but I think just in general the movement, you know, the endorphins, everything that it just brings you, you feel like that kind of discomfort that you put yourself through and you use the breath to just, you know, move through a deal with it. After that, when you face any other discomfort in your day, you're equipped to deal with that stress in a better way. Something that I learned a few years back actually about the practice of yoga is that traditionally it's actually meant to set you up for a meditation. Like you're meant to move through the asanas to then sit down and meditate doing the actual yoga flow, I think like linking breath to movement, then sets your mind up to sit down and actually do the meditation, which is equally not maybe even more so valuable than just the meditation in movement. Yeah, totally because I feel like you get your all the noise, all the, you know, the chatter, everything you don't need there out of the way. And you're really, you know, you feel so good after the practice that you're just ready, your mind is clear, you have, you make more space to just sit there with yourself and be still and find that moment of presence. That that's yeah, it's such a beautiful aspect of the practice that I think Shavasana in a way is a meditation, you're just, it's sometimes the hardest part for people where you're just instillness and there's nowhere to go, you're just with yourself, there's nowhere to run or hide, you're just there exactly because we're always trying to latch onto distractions or now with our attention spans being so limited, you know, it's really hard to just be still. And, and be in silence and be with yourself. As you started to really develop your own practice. So now we're talking like you, you've developed this consistent practice and you've really developed a passion for yoga. At what point did it feel like it was this organic next step to make being a yoga teacher part of your career and develop your brand? When was that shift for you? So the shift really happened so organically that there was that that it was looking back at can see that it was a very gradual shift and while I was in it, I was obviously not very aware. So I came back for my teacher training. I still had a full time job as a fashion designer. And I would see clients and work on their dresses and all of that and one of my clients was like, you just came back from yoga teacher training. Why don't you teach us yoga? I mean my sister's, I was like, no way. And I, in my teacher training, I always just checked out whenever it was a teaching part. I'm like, just, just get through it, just a pass, but you're not teaching, don't worry. I'm telling this to myself, I'm not, you're not teaching. It's okay. So at that point, I got back and I remember my teacher saying, as soon as you get back, teach, even if you feel like you're not ready, you're never going to feel ready, just teach. So that reminder with my client really being very persistent about me teaching her kind of worked. I was like, okay, let me teach you and your sister doesn't sound like the worst thing in the world. And I was a private. So it was her and a few other girls and it just felt so fun to be with them. And I actually realized that one of the sisters is like incredibly talented in yoga. She would do everything that I taught her just from the first, first try. She would like know how to do a form stand when she's never done anything like that. So just watching them was super inspiring for me. And then they started telling their friends and their friends started telling their friends and suddenly I was just booked with yoga privates the whole day before work after work sometimes in my lunch break. So then at some point I was just loving so much teaching and I was also loving having my own business almost like I'm doing something that I love. I'm enjoying it. I'm learning so much by looking at the other bodies so closely. And I'll. also this feeling of satisfaction that I wasn't getting from my monthly salary because it was like I'm my own boss. I can decide who to work with. I can decide how I want to fill my time. And so at some point I told my parents that I want to put my job and I want to just do this. And they were like, what? Like, are you, you're going to leave your fashion? You have a fashion degree, you have a promising career. And I was like, I really feel so much happier doing this. And it was a scary leap almost because it was like, there's no guarantees. But it felt like the right thing to do. It felt like I was struggling to be at work. And I was just so inspired to be with my students. And so I just followed that. It was like a slow transition. I just followed that. I was like, I'm just going to do this full time. And so I quit my job. And then I just did this for two months. And then it was time to start over because I left. I was living in Abu Dhabi at the time. And I left and moved to New York and started everything all over again. But I felt I didn't feel scared. I felt like if I could find that community in Abu Dhabi, which is a smaller city, relatively for yoga, I'll be so happy in New York. And so I moved here. And then I started teaching group classes. That must have definitely been a scary leap because when you're in something that's predictable, consistent, that's paying the bills, it can be very daunting to leave. But I love how you were kind of almost like trusting your intuition in a sense. And you also recognize that things came more naturally. And things came more easily for you when you were pursuing like the yoga path, rather than the fashion route. Like there was a sense of ease more so with yoga than with the job you were in. As you made that transition and started to really like build out your yoga business, how did your philosophy around the practice of yoga transform from being a student to now being a teacher and then, you know, eventually a very well-seasoned teacher eventually building, you know, a bigger brand around what you're doing. I really just kept it about the very essence of why I fell in love with the practice. I would say that I just, you know, to have your own business, you have to, there is a lot of trust. It's, it's, it's sound silly, but it's very similar to like doing an inversion. You just have to trust yourself. You have to trust that you know what you're doing and that you have something to say, something to, to share. You know, and I think for me, that was, that was really all about that. And whenever I, recently, I just launched an app about eight months ago, and that was very, very scary for me. But it was also scary, just kind of similar to the fear that I had before I quit my job. Like a good, exciting scary, like getting, venturing out of your comfort zone for a good reason, kind of scary. So I just always remind myself that, you know, it's, it's still about that very first feeling that you have as a new student in Chavasana. It's, it's about what this practice means to you and embodying that as a teacher, always remembering what it feels like to be a beginner. It's intimidating, you know, and I want to, my brand is really about, you know, if it, if I can even call it that, it's about, or my teaching philosophy is about that this is for everybody. If, if you feel like this practice is not for you in my class, you know, which is okay, but if you feel like it's not accessible, then that's something that I take to heart. Like I want this to be about the person who's never touched their toes in their life. And, you know, that they can find that this, that this is possible at any age. And it's not just about touching your toes, but it's about connecting to your body and your breath. And that's what I really want to bring to, to, to my community or my students. So that's kind of what I kept too hard from the beginning up until now. And it's what I'll always continue to go back to. I love that. And I'm so glad that you bring that up because there are so many misconceptions about yoga. And it drives me insane. And the most common one that I hear is, oh, like I'm not flexible. But that has absolutely nothing to do with practicing yoga. And I feel kind of torn, I think, because I think a lot of people, maybe who don't practice yoga consistently, see the way it's portrayed on the media. And it's largely people who can get into those really advanced expressions. And I think it paints a very one-sided picture of yoga. So to someone who doesn't necessarily practice that often, if that's constantly the media that they're being, that they're seeing or that they're consuming, they may, it's understandable to see them think, oh, well, I can't even touch my toes. I can't do this. Yoga's not for me. But I try to challenge people in their understanding around yoga and say, well, okay, try to like block that out or at least recognize that yoga is really personal. And it's about yourself. And you can go to the practice for so many different reasons. So, and I think it's easier for me to say too, because like I still can't get up in a headstand or a handstand on my own. Like I need someone to spot me or I need an assist. And so I feel kind of maybe a bit more, like I can relate more to some of their concerns. But for example, I know you can get into these beautiful, crazy expressions of posture. So how would you approach those concerns from people who are like, well, I can't even touch my toes. Yoga's not for me. Like how, how do you try to change people's minds or are brought in their perspective at the very least? I really think that their concerns are valid. And I think that we are people that post yoga on Instagram. Me, myself included, are somewhat responsible for this. And I do fully understand why, you know, what we're posting projects, kind of a, like an incomplete image of what yoga is. And I totally agree with that. And I also think there is an artistic side to it where it's just so beautiful and so inspiring that I remember being drawn to wanting to do those poses because of the beauty of it and because of just how, how is this possible kind of aspect to it? So I get both sides and I really feel for the other side. And I feel responsible in some ways when I post something like that. So the best thing that I, you know, the best way I guess I would approach this is just sharing, for example, progress pictures that yes, this is what I can do now, but you haven't seen the hours and hours of fails, of falls, of struggles, of, you know, it's a very humbling practice, especially for example, for me, a hands down is something that I would keep doing and trying and trying and trying and and and and it still doesn't click. And until now it doesn't always click. And then I remember, like, my body doesn't owe me anything. It's incredible and it's a blessing to be able to even attempt these things. Our bodies don't don't owe us anything. We're, you know, this is all just a, like a blessing to be able to do these things. And the practice is for me about kind of reminding myself of what's possible. What's possible now isn't going to be possible necessarily tomorrow. It's not going to be possible when you're pregnant or, you know, when, like, there's different phases and it's about honoring whatever your body can do. So that's what I try to always remind my students or if someone's hesitant about starting yoga saying, you know, I'm not flexible, I just remind them, yeah, you're not flexible. There's no prerequisite to doing yoga. There's, you don't have to be anything to even be a yoga teacher. You don't have to have a practice. You just have to have the curiosity and the willingness to learn and to be uncomfortable. And, you know, and that's really it. You don't have to look any certain way. So that's something I really feel strongly about that it's the yoga is for everybody, for everybody type, for every age. It's so much more than just the the beautiful postures. So I think just looking at what you can't do and, you know, missing out on all of this is a shame. And I love to try to, like, invite people and encourage them to come to the mat and see what see what happens. Uncover your own unlimited potential. And that could be just removing stress. You know, we all get on the mat for very different reasons. Just remembering why you want to do this and trying to break it up. I totally agree to address your earlier comment just about, like, the portrayal of yoga and social media. I think it's probably more of an issue around just how social media actually distorts reality. So whether or not it's yoga content that's being posted or just a personal profile, everything we have online is it's through the rose colored glasses. Like, it's never really how things are in real life. So even aside from yoga, you know, you could even make the argument that just anyone's feet mine included is not it's curated. It's it's 100% curated. So I think also going in with that critical eye, yes, you may see beautiful yoga poses posted on Instagram or TikTok or whatever other social media content you're consuming, but there's always so much more to that. And that's not the entire picture of yoga and images we see online are not comprehensive and fully representative of, like, the lives that we lead every single day. So just little disclaimer thought that I had. Yeah, and actually, you know, I used to love seeing people's progress pictures because it would, it would, I would also just love kind of under realizing that this is possible. And I read a part of a book and it stuck with me. It was like, the author was saying change is not just possible. It is inevitable. If you do something consistently every day, every other day, and you're doing it right, you know, you're doing it with good alignments, you're doing it with, you know, a steady steady focus, change is inevitable. So it's not about, oh, maybe, you know, maybe I'll get more flexible. If you go to yoga class every day, every other day, you will be flexible, you know, if you practice planks and dolphins and vinyasas every other day, you will be strong. It's not even, you know, it would be very difficult to counter that like you, you can't. If you're doing something every day, your body takes the shape and the transformation of what you're doing, right? If you want to get stronger at hiking, you go hike every day. It's like, this is inevitable. So I always like to remind people of that as well. Our minds are like to say that it's not possible, but actually, you know, it's, that's just a thought. It's not the reality. What I hear you also talking a lot about is philosophies that are foundational to yoga, just about shifting your mindset and using your breath as a way to kind of be the anchor to your movement. And for me, yoga has provided so much more than the physical benefits. Like really it is a practice. I think that has shaped my outlook and perspective on life on how to manage stress, on how to deal with conflict, deal with challenge. And I would love to hear you talk a little bit more about what the yoga philosophy has brought you in your own life and how it's shaped your perspective on managing stress and just moving through day, your day to day with a more level headed mindset. I just loved when I learned about the yoga, like the yoga deeper about the yoga philosophy. I loved learning that it's all within you, that everything that you aspire to be, it's all already a part of you. It's not something that you are, that's external to you, right? And I really loved also learning that our thoughts are not truth. Whatever we think, our minds can actually be quite deceptive and whatever we think, there's not necessarily me, it's actually the reality. And taking that, you know, learning about the chatter of the mind and how our minds are always, always chattering and busy and just having the breath as a way to make some space, to take a moment to just kind of realize, okay, my mind is saying all these things, but that doesn't mean anything, because the thoughts are about other people, about yourself. And just taking that little pause with your breath is very, trans, very powerful in your practice, but also you can take that off the mat and realize the wonders that it does off the mat as well. I remember just realizing the chatter of my mind in a yoga pose, for example, like, oh, my shoulders are so tight. Oh, this doesn't feel good. Oh, this, you know, all this chatter, chatter. And you're like, okay, I'm going to just focus on my, shift my focus to my breath, see what's possible. And then it just quits down and you can stay longer through that discomfort. When you take that and kind of translate it off the mat, it's the same situation you're in an uncomfortable situation. You're in, for me, it was transformative during birth. I was very scared. It was the scariest experience of my life, because I had a lot of complications. And my breath, it's the most day of my life where my yoga practice was just, I wouldn't, I don't know how I would have survived without it. I was just breathing. Just me and my husband, like, with eye contact, breathing through all the troubles and all the, the scary moments. And I was like, if I can just breathe, I can get through this. So it's, it's really just the most thing that can, can transform your life. So I, you know, it's hard to say that to someone that hasn't tried the practice because I think they need to feel it on the mat first. And then they're going to go through it. And I'm a big fan and big believer in my classes to not talk so much about these things because I think it's, I try to make it about the physical body. And I know that if they can feel the physical body, they will, on their own and their own unique experience, have that experience of the mat. Yeah, I think it's really about like the somatic sensation and like the byproduct, whether or not you're looking for it, will be that, that philosophical takeaway that you, you bring into your life off the mat. And it can show up in, in really unique ways. I did an interview a few months ago with one of my instructors from my teacher training. And it was about, like pain and mindfulness and the power of our breath and something that lives in my head rent free is that the breath, like the reason the breath is so powerful is because you can control it. And when you control your breathing, you automatically control your nervous system because it's the most direct pathway to your heart rate. So if you can be mindful about having slow inhales, holding them, having slow exhales and do that even for like two minutes, you, you will feel like the anxiety starts to slowly fade away because it's making a physiological impact on your body. I always find that to be such a cool fact because I don't think there's anything else we can do with our minds to actually control our bodies in that way. So I love sharing that. I love that so much. And when I realized that as well, I realized how just how powerful the practice is that the physical and the spiritual are so integrated together. But it is really, you know, you want to teach people how to reap the benefits of the practice through the most, the easiest thing that they can see and feel, which is their body. And then I think they find that on their own. I remember getting, you know, asked about, like, I'm doing everything right, for example, for handstands and they're just not working out. And I remember just thinking like, because there's so much also that's beyond the physical that could be, you know, stopping you. And I realized that with myself, there's a lot we're working through so many layers of beliefs about ourselves that we've stubbornly kind of clung to throughout the years. And we're working with so many different ideas of ourselves. And just it's at some point to the physical and the mental are so integrated that it's hard to make a distinction. They're just their one. And then, you know, you just have to go through the physical practice and real and you're always getting that feedback about yourself, about your body, about your life. And I think that's why it's just so individual. What I also hear you saying is just like this holistic nature of health. And I think now more than ever, holistic health is, I don't want to say a buzz word, but certainly very popular in our culture and in society. And I'm honestly really happy that it's gaining more traction and awareness because I think now a lot of people are starting to shift their understanding and their perspective of what it means to be healthy, how they stay healthy. So throughout the course of your life, either pre or post or in the middle of you developing your love for your yoga practice, how do you define health and what it means to lead a healthy life? I only started to really look into what health means and how to lead a healthy life after my yoga practice before that I would sleep whenever, you know, whenever I would eat whatever. I was not very health conscious, I would say. And I started to appreciate my body and the vessel that I've been given after my practice. So it definitely shifted after that. And for me, health is very holistic. It's about getting the right amount of sleep, of eating food that makes you feel good and not crappy afterwards. It's about the people you surround yourself with, it's about the activities you choose to spend your day doing, it's about having time to play, having time to be outside in nature. So it's just all of these things together, I think to me, mean the word health or how to like, you know, live in a way that is, that feels like your body and mind are both in a good balanced place. And you've also lived in so many different cities, you're also Egyptian. So there's a lot of cultural influences. I'm sure that have probably brought in your perspective on health. Is there one place that you lived that really influenced your understanding of health in particular? And also just being Egyptian, do you find that your culture has helped paint some sort of narrative around health or how you choose to lead a healthy life? It's actually after becoming a mom that I realized how my culture influences my idea of health. Because I realized that it's for me, it's very, very difficult to have a family and to have this individualistic, like the mom is this individual on her own, taking care of, you know, the baby and working. And I realized that growing up my culture is all about the women, the community of women. And I really, as I get older and as I, you know, have my son, I realize how valuable that is for me, having my mom around when I can, going to Egypt and being around my grandmother's and my sisters and the family. That's something that to me makes me feel like it's an integral part of my well-being as a mother. I need that. Because it gives me the chance to be, first of all, you know, to take care of myself, to prioritize time for myself as well as it just gives me, it reenergizes me to be a better mom. So I think that just transformed once I had my son, I realized just how important that is to not be individualistic, not to just think of yourself as just one, but you're a part of a community of women and surrounding yourself with my mom friends, my girlfriends, they've just you know I would say that it's like therapy. It's like as good as therapy. Sometimes just talking to one of my girlfriends who has a kid the same age is the most valuable thing. - I can imagine motherhood probably just adds like a whole other layer to understanding health because not only are you trying to take care of yourself, but now your kid is like your world and you care about the health, well-being and happiness of your child. So have you found that it really is about doing the things that energize you and that set you up for success as a mom to provide what you can to give your kid like the healthiest and happiest life as possible? - Yes, I really think that the kids learn by what they see, not what we tell them. So I think if we want them to be happy, healthy, to believe that you can live doing what you love and be successful and be happy and thrive, you have to be doing that yourself because that's how they're gonna learn. And it was, I've been very lucky because I have, I'm very close to my parents and my sisters and I have a big community of women around me, which like I was saying has just made the biggest difference in this motherhood journey, but I think I started realizing, you know, after especially the COVID times were quite tricky because there was no separation. We were just, I was just a mom all the time. And at that point, we didn't have the community around us. So it's just, you know, you're by yourself and you're with your kid and there's no break. It's just non-stop. And so I, at that time, had to learn to set boundaries to say, I'm going for a walk, this is my me time. And then I would come back from that walk and I'm just an infinitely better mother and an infinitely better wife and friend and yoghurt and everything. If I don't take that time for myself to recharge and to just kind of, you know, it could be a walk, it could be going to do my nails, it could be going to a class. I mean, there was no class at the time, but you know, just going for a bike ride, whatever it is, that you need to like take care of yourself and then you can be able to give that same love and patience and all of that to your, to the person depending on you. Do you think that that's also a lesson that's taught in yoga as well? Like the power of nourishing your body, taking care of yourself, like creating space for yourself to show up better for others? - Yeah, I really do think that this is something that I learned in my practice. And now before teaching, for example, a big class or like if I'm teaching an event or something, I, before I used to make the mistake of thinking, oh, I'm just going to hang out with my friends and then go and teach and be around with all these people. Now I really just prioritize. If I have something big where I'm around a lot of people, I'm just on my own for at least half of the day. Just because this is how you have the energy to give of yourself or to share more. Otherwise, you just have nothing. - Nothing left. - Yeah, it's so easy to feel drained, especially being in a city like New York. I, right before we sat down to do this recording, we were both actually on vacation. You were in Egypt and I was in Greece. And it was so precious to get to disconnect and have my phone on airplane mode and be by the beach and not have any responsibilities and just really take the time for myself. Like I read five books on my trip. It was amazing. That's more than I read in a year probably or two years genuinely. And the minute I got back to New York, I didn't have any plans like after work. Like the week I got back. All of the sudden, it's like going a million miles an hour. And so it's something I'm still really struggling with is trying to find a sense of peace in a very, very busy place. And it's a different experience. Like growing up in New York versus being a young adult and working and building your career. So as someone who also lives in New York and has been here for some time, how do you try to find that sense of inner peace and calmness when we both know that New York is just full of chaos? - It's a work in progress. I'm not gonna lie. It's not something that I've already figured out. I realized because we're also all trying to find a new normal because things have been very different for the past couple of years. And now they're kind of, it's a new normal. It's not what we used to have before and it's not the isolation of the past couple of years, fortunately. So I think we're all just trying to find that new rhythm and there's more fun things happening, which can be really difficult to prioritize that time for yourself. But I've been very adamant about scheduling time with myself like this. And I don't always go through with it, but I'll also ask for help. I'll ask my husband, I need this hour for myself. Please take my son and then just asking for help, trying to do things that make me feel good. I schedule now to go train with my trainer, strength training, which is very different from yoga and I'll do that twice a week. And the bike ride to go to that gym, which is very far from where I live and back, is just the most therapeutic, beautiful me time that I can get, you know? And I try to do this twice a week. I also try to go to the sauna. So it's just finding those little things in the city that make you have a pause in the middle of all the chaos and the busyness. And it's not always successful, but also offering myself the compassion when it's not successful has been a part of that process when I'm like, I haven't had any me time. I'm so stressed out, I'm like, it's okay, you know, it's fine. It's not gonna be perfect every day. I'm not gonna have an hour long yoga practice every day, but just getting a little bit here and there is everything. Totally, it's about the small things 100%. And giving yourself the grace to know that not every day has to be perfect, especially in that it's hard to do, especially if you hold yourself to such a high standard. This is a really great segue into my signature question, Amina, which is something that I ask every guest that comes onto the podcast. As you know, and as my listeners know, endorphins are about finding things in life that bring you joy and happiness. And we know that the runner's high is like synonymous to that endorphin rush, but from what I've seen across my interviews and talking to really interesting people, there are a million things that bring people endorphins out there. It's not just about physical exercise, it's not just about running, and if you're a runner, good for you, I wish I could relate. But there are so many things in life that can fuel you, that can give you that sense of purpose and happiness and set you up for success. So what is something that brings you a bit of endorphins every day? - Chocolate. - That's one of them. And I read that that does actually ring endorphins. So I was like, okay, I'm right on. I'm on chocolate. - It does. - Absolutely. - Chocolate is a big thing. And my movement practice, sometimes it's strength training, sometimes it's going for a walk, sometimes it's my yoga practice, but movement, moving my body is such a big critical endorphin giver in my life. And just surrounding myself with people that make me feel really happy and intentionally spending time with them, like really being with them, being present with them, I would say the third thing. - And to add on to that, 'cause I totally agree, something that I have recognized too is being intentional with who in your circle you choose to spend more time with and recognizing like when people kind of come in and out of your life, it's always for a reason, at least I believe so, but also recognizing that you have the power to choose who you want to spend your time with, like who you actually enjoy being around and who those people are should energize you and should make you feel good about yourself. They should give you those endorphins. - Yes. - So I think like another endorphin boosting tip around just this, something that gives you joy is being around people that you love is really making sure that you're intentional with who you're spending your time with, because just as you Googled like chocolate does give you endorphins, there is research out there that shows that the number one predictor of our well-being and our satisfaction is the strength of our interpersonal relationships. So it's an out-brainer. Being around people you love will make you happier, at least contribute to that sense of happiness. So I really love your answers. - And noticing how you feel after you do something for me, I always take in that feedback, whether it's a yoga pose or a coffee date with a friend, and I always notice how I feel after. Do I feel energized and inspired? Or do I feel like I'm just so depleted, I wanna go home and take a nap? And that gives you some answer to how you feel around people. It's not always gonna be very apparent, but I've started to pay attention to how I feel after I eat something, after I spend time with somebody, and that feedback is always very valuable. - I think is kind of related to an Ayurvedic philosophy, but if you see things as neutral, just like feedback information that comes to you, you don't have to really attribute that sense of like emotion to it or like attachment. And I think if you do that in a way, it makes it easier to get rid of the things that aren't serving you in life, and keep bringing in the other things that actually fuel you. So just noticing if something doesn't make you feel good, or if something does make you feel good, and not needing to like attribute such an intense emotion to it, just recognizing it, and then making the conscious effort to be like, "Okay, I guess I'll just try to incorporate "more of the good things into my life," and begin to just let go of the things that aren't necessarily serving. So I think that's just a really good point that you bring up. Amina, it was so lovely having you as a guest. Where can my listeners practice with you? Where can they follow you? How can they connect with you? They can follow me on Instagram. That's my only form of social media and they can DM me if they want a chat and they can practice with me if they're in New York. If you're in New York, come practice with me at Aloe Yoga. I teach six times a week, I think, in Flatiron and Williamsburg and I would love to have you in class and I also, if you're anywhere else in the world, I have an app. You can download on the App Store or Android. It's called Amina Tahamehthed and we can practice together on the app. And if you're also in New York on September 10th, make sure to come to our live interview where we'll be doing a yoga flow led by you Amina. So excited for this and we're gonna have a conversation similar to the one that we're holding tonight around Amina's story around her yoga practice, debunking yoga myths, and also ways to find your endorphins through the yoga practice. So I hope to see you all there. All this information will be linked in the interview notes on my Instagram and my newsletter across all social media platforms. So stay tuned for that. So excited for the event. Thank you again so much Amina. It was absolutely a pleasure having you as a guest on the podcast. Thank you so much for having you. It's so fun to chat with you. Thank you for listening and remember to like, rate, and review this podcast on whichever listening platform you prefer. Don't forget to keep spreading endorphins and find things that bring you endorphins every day. See you next time.