Featured Influencer: Sarah Hartland

Tell us about yourself?

I am an energetic, dynamic and positive individual with a passion for life, travelling and sharing my beliefs and inspirations with others. I love to build communities and form tribes of people can lift and empower others through our own differences. As a citizen of the world, I like to meet people from different countries to be able to broaden my knowledge. I am half English, half Filipina, born in Dubai, raised between the UK and Spain and have recently been living between Prague and the Philippines building different yoga communities and sharing yoga with others.

 

What experience brought you to yoga? Tell us about your Yoga Journey

Yoga happened so seamlessly in my life and before I even realized I was addicted before I had even begun. I was attending yoga / pilates classes back home in England but never experienced the spiritual side, only the physical aspects of the session, as that was the teachers main focus. As I travelled I carried on doing yoga for fitness, but then people started to join me and we formed a community. We’d find the best sunset spots and all do ‘yoga’ or what we thought yoga was (none of us had a clue) And that’s the first time I experienced something deeper than the physical aspect of yoga. I felt the spiritual connection, not just to myself but to the energy of those around me. And then I was hooked!

 

How did you discover Ida Yog and what do you love about it?

 

I discovered IdaYog through a mutual connection of my father who is involved in IdaYog. I love IdaYoga as the brand and belief is very genuine and real, also providing very good quality hand-picked items. Everything in the product details is thought about so well and I love the idea of the cork yoga mats, they’re so unique!

 

Tell us more about your current yoga journey. What style(s) of yoga do you teach? Practice?

 

I am a vinyasa and yin yoga teacher predominantly teaching vinyasa however starting to embrace the yin aspects of not only the practice but also within my daily life. I try and incorporate other aspects of my life into my daily practice like dance moves or tai chi moves which I can find quite liberating and personal to how I’m feeling each day.

 

What yoga certifications do you have?

 

I am 200RYT Vinyasa & 200RYT Yin Yoga certified from Ubud, Bali. I am always looking for any new knowledge so I constantly go to yoga workshops for teachers and students to help me with my own practice and my teachings.

 

Do you have any events or workshops coming up?

 

At the moment I am in the process of organizing a few upcoming events where you can find me in open sessions such as in the desert or in public spaces around Dubai. For more details on it, stay tuned onto my website www.sazyoga.com or Instagram @saz.yoga for more info! In the meantime you can catch me at studios around Dubai such as Urban Yoga, Yoga House, Reform Atletica & Surfhouse Dubai.

 

Other than yoga, what are your hobbies or favorite ways to spend your time?

 

I have a lot of hobbies and things that really set my soul on fire! Sports and active living is a huge part of my life. I play badminton, tennis, run, surf, skateboard and my biggest passion is skiing (however not doing so much of that in Dubai) I love networking, meeting people and going on random adventures into the nature. I spend a lot of my free time writing, editing photos and creating new playlists for different situations. I literally have a playlist for every moment in my life (kitchen playlist, driving, chilling etc haha) As simple as this sounds, I try and do the things that make me happy or help me improve with something.

 

Other than yoga, what is your favorite way to take care of yourself?

 

I believe that a huge part of taking care of oneself comes from within and is a mental game. My idea of self-care is allowing you to have some down time alone, to prioritize yourself and instead of avoiding any uncomfortable, negative or unwanted feelings, instead, to face them and go through them. Things like sports keep me happy, motivated and really feeling like I’m alive!

 

What is your life’s philosophy? The mantra you live by?

 

“Can you remember who you were before the world told you who you should be?” This quote moves me on so many different levels as it’s a constant reminder that no matter what, to stay true to myself. It’s important to listen to gut instincts and do what feels right for me. With this reminder, I give myself a sense of liberation and freedom knowing that all my choices have come from myself, not being pressured by anyone else or having to live up to anyone else’s expectations of what they think I should be.

 

What is your favorite place that you have travelled and why?

 

I don’t think I have a favorite place. Every place that I’ve been to has brought out a different side of me, I’ve learnt so many lessons from each situation and what I’ve taken away from each location individually is quite incomparable. One of my biggest growths was when I hitch hiked throughout New Zealand and got to know the locals and their way of life. I loved experiencing working in organic farms in Tasmania and i really built my idea of what I want from life through my time living in Czech, Prague.

 

Narrate an experience as a student of yoga that has changed you.

 

Through my own practice of yoga, it has made me realize that my potentials go far beyond what I expect. The limitations i put upon myself are unrealistic and once I realized this I began to relate it to my everyday life, pushing my potentials and boundaries, therefore have achieved more than I thought I ever could have. Well, I suppose they say that the real yoga happens off of the mat, which is true, because yoga has changed my life for the better, mentally.

 

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