Featured TT Alum: Rumi Hooshmand
Where has Yoga taken you?
I hated yoga at first. It was difficult for me, it made me regret how I had treated my body, recognize a lot of uncomfortable things about life. It gave me reminders of a culture I felt robbed of in a space that felt unfamiliar. Yoga placed me in a state of deep discomfort. And then, it showed me how to grow past the discomfort. It taught me how to find the silver linings- how preserve myself in all the noise, how to change what I can and pray for what I can’t. It taught me how to find comfort in any space. It brought me wonderful friendships and a wider worldview. It also made my body feel really cool. I’m glad I stuck with it.How did your yoga teacher training influence your life?
Teacher training was a great experience. I’m blessed that Sonic recognizes the disparity of teachers from minority backgrounds and does active work to repair this gap via scholarships, without which I wouldn’t have been able to get a teacher training. It was kind of crazy being unable to find very many Indian yoga teachers out there when I started, so I’m really grateful Sonic could add one to the number. I learned so much about myself and it opened the door for me to teach yoga in my community, one that rarely has access to this awesome sport.
What was your first yoga class experience?
My first yoga class was with my auntie and my uncle about a year and a half ago. It was super hot, I died inside and I barely made it through. I felt awesome afterwards though. I feel like my auntie gifted me yoga because of that class. Top 10 gift for real, high quality person.