Body Art
“Yoga is my life“
Mostafa Elyasian
Tünews INTERNATIONAL visited Afssaneh Freshteh Lotfi, a yoga teacher born in Iran. In an interview, she describes her work: “A few years ago, I accidentally stumbled upon yoga. Since then, it has completely changed my life, so that I can now say, that it was one of the most important decisions of my life.
Yoga has been defined in many ways and everyone choses themselves, whether it is a form of art, science or philosophy. When I started doing yoga, I was 40 years old. A few years later, I participated in the national yoga championship in Iran, in a group for athletes over 40 and achieved the third place in sport- and art-yoga. At the sime time, I visited coaching courses of the Iranian Yoga Association and graduated. This was only the beginning of getting to know yoga. With yoga, one does not simply gain strength, but also makes body and soul more flexible. The specific movements of sport-yoga (Asana) help to improve the elasticity of the joints and to loosen them. The correct way of positioning your complete skeletal system does not only influence muscle strength and the body as a whole, but incidentally the soul as well. Thus yoga helps us to better understand our body and mind. One will find, that not one person is to be found twice and we should not spend our time comparing ourselves, because we all are individuals free from complete conformities and congruencies. But the greatest gift of yoga is a growing feeling of acceptance. We learn to accept things and people in their different personalities the way they are. Self-awareness, the love of ourselves and power inside us will enable us to change everything changeable. We learn to change our lifestyle, to make mistakes, right until we have found the right way. We fail and then choose the right option, without fear of being critizised. We can attain sleep under alle circumstances and free from worries, because we have mastered our bodies and minds. Today, a yoga class in Persian even in the city of Tübingen is possible. Because the movements of yoga and practicing your mother tongue belong together, they form a unit. Yoga is a popular form of sport for all ages, sexes and independent of one’s specific physical condition. Yoga for pregnant women can also improve the flexibility of the child and provide it with a healthy start of its life. So I want to invite you wholeheartedly to take part in our yoga class for Persian speakers and to discover a new side of yourself.” For further information: Yogakurs auf Persisch, Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m., adress: Lorettoplatz, Gölzstraße 17, 72072 Tübingen.
