DANIELLE ABI SAAB, THE YOGAHOLIC
You may have spotted her in mind-blowing Yoga positions around town, or maybe you’ve been following her blog & stalking her amazing Instagram account… but Danielle Abi Saab wasn’t always a yogaholic!
Back in New York, she used to be an architect. It’s only when her job started taking a toll on her physical & emotional health that she turned to Yoga for relief & a remedy.
A couple of years into practicing religiously 4 to 5 times a week, she felt it was time to deepen her knowledge of the practice. It’s later on after training at one of the leading schools in the US, Integrated Science of Hatha, Tantra and Ayurveda, commonly known as ISHTA Yoga, that she felt the calling to teach and hopefully make a difference in people’s lives.
Now living between Beirut & New York, Danielle teaches at her studio Union Square Yoga in Ashrafieh, where she has noticed the growing popularity of Yoga in town… and she’s not surprised! She believes that it’s the holistic nature of Yoga and its system, that have been around for thousands of years, that prove it works, for anyone!
A LESSON IN YOGA…
At her studio, Danielle Abi Saab teaches Yoga with a strong Jivamukti influence (which means liberated soul). It is a method that has brought all the aspects of Yoga back to a whole, from chanting to meditation, to breathing, to postures, to spiritual talks… all are as equally important in a class as a reminder that Yoga is comprised of many layers beyond just the physical.
As for Aerial Yoga, she sees it as a vitamin supplement to the regular Yoga practice. As she puts it, there are no levels in Yoga, and there is always a first time for everything. The only requirement is a minimal knowledge of the practice, as she likes to teach it first and foremost as Yoga, not as an acrobatic form.
SOME WORDS EXPLAINED…
Hatha:
In Sanskrit, Ha means sun & Tha means moon. This refers to the balance between masculine & feminine qualities. And as Hatha Yoga, it is the path towards uniting the opposite forces of strength & flexibility, effort & surrender.
Om:
Om is the vibration of creation. It is the very first movement from stillness, the first sound in a world of silence, and the first something that came from nothing. You could say it is the source of everything that exists in this manifest world.
Describe Yoga in 3 words…
WE ARE ONE.
THE LAST STRETCH
What do you love most about teaching Yoga?
* Being an instrument of giving and receiving. We all have something to learn and to teach…
A common workout mistake that you think readers should avoid…
* Forcing the body to go where it is not ready to go.
If you could do only one pose from now on, what would it be?
* Downdog, hands down! (pun intended)
What is the greatest challenge you have overcome because of/thanks to Yoga?
* Sickness, loss, heartbreak, fear and doubt.
What would you say to people who have never tried Yoga?
* What are you waiting for?