Rebekah is a medical physician, Nike yoga trainer, wellness entrepreneur and a board member of the Yoga for Healthcare Alliance. She is the founding father of Pana, a platform and group that intersects wellbeing and tradition centring the African diaspora. After dealing with her personal challenges with psychological well being, she realized the worth of slowing down and interesting with mind-body practices. By means of yoga courses, retreats and occasions, she creates inclusive areas for individuals to nourish their wellbeing and reconnect with themselves and people round them.
Inform us about your yoga journey
By means of my teenagers and early twenties, I went by many cycles of burnout and poor psychological well being. I’ve all the time labored exhausting, and I bought to a degree after 4 years of medical college the place I wanted a break.
I ended up on an island off the coast of Panama volunteering in a seaside hostel and dwelling with yoga academics for 2 months. I began practising yoga daily and diving deeper into elements resembling chakras and the eight limbs. Slowly however absolutely, yoga grew to become an integral a part of my routine and wellbeing, and I made a decision to take the leap to do my trainer coaching. I’ve been educating for about 5 years now and have all the time cherished it.
What sort of yoga trainer would you say you might be?
I like to grasp and study the normal elements of yoga whereas bringing in a inventive aspect to current them in my very own approach. I like welcoming new individuals into yoga and creating an area the place they will really feel calm. That doesn’t all the time imply being nonetheless and quiet, however understanding which you can simply breathe and be your self, snicker, and check out new issues.
Has your personal observe modified on account of your trainer coaching?
After I began practising yoga, it was very vinyasa-focused. I believe that’s much like many individuals in London as there’s a sense of all the time being in need of time and needing to slot in train the place you’ll be able to. The trainer coaching was the place I found a love for slower kinds of yoga resembling yin and restorative. After a few weeks of normal yin observe, I found a brand new set level of calm in my physique and thoughts which I forgot existed. It confirmed me the transformational energy of incorporating these slower kinds into my observe.
Have you ever enhanced your educating with any particular coaching or programs?
After contemplating doing a 300-hour coaching for a very long time, I made a decision to go within the path of doing shorter trainings and workshops which might be centered on my specific areas of curiosity. This has included a course with The Good Life Yoga College exploring the facility of music in yoga, methods to finest utilise it to boost a yoga observe and produce a combination for optimum breath management. I’ve additionally enhanced talent units resembling bodily changes with quick coaching classes at Mission E1. Throughout the yr, I’ve been to workshops that dive deeper into pranayama and yin yoga to deepen my understanding of those areas.
Additional coaching is necessary to proceed to develop as a trainer, nevertheless, it could usually be costly. One of many key methods to develop your studying as a trainer is to often attend yoga courses as a scholar. There’s a lot you’ll be able to study from different academics throughout a category, and having sturdy common observe as a trainer is one thing I all the time suggest.
What has been your greatest problem as a yoga trainer?
I certified as a trainer shortly earlier than the pandemic began. This meant over the previous 4 years, an enormous portion of that was throughout COVID the place we weren’t capable of be bodily near individuals or usually depart the home in any respect. One in all my greatest challenges was re-adjusting to educating in studios and holding an area in individual, after being conditioned to educating on-line for therefore lengthy.
It’s fantastic to be that one who will get to introduce yoga to somebody. How do you go about getting new individuals to strive it?
By means of my very own educating and platform, I assumed, ‘How can I attain communities who could really feel yoga isn’t for them?’. I grew up listening to reggae so it felt very pure to include this in my observe – it’s one thing that helps me really feel calm. I created an occasion referred to as Dub Backyard Yoga & Picnic the place we do yoga to reggae and have wholesome Caribbean meals after class. I educate it within the park which makes it extra accessible and inexpensive, in addition to permitting us to take pleasure in nature. We’ve got attendees of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities and talents – for many individuals it’s their first-ever yoga class. Many really feel snug coming as they resonate with the meals and music, and yoga is an extra facet they will strive. It’s relaxed and enjoyable, which I believe is so necessary for serving to individuals come again once more.
What does a day within the lifetime of Rebekah seem like?
I take pleasure in having range throughout my week so lots of my days look fairly completely different. On a hospital day, I’m at work for an 8 am handover from the night time group, then see a variety of sufferers throughout the day presenting with completely different situations. On different days I may be doing a shoot or having conferences. A few of my favorite days are spent doing laptop computer work in a restaurant, ingesting tea and having fun with a lunchtime yoga class.
What’s developing for you and Pana?
I’m actually enthusiastic about a couple of issues on the horizon. We’re heading to The Gambia in April 2024 for a retreat – exploring Africa and the Caribbean by retreats has change into a beautiful providing for the group. We even have a web-based studio opening in Autumn 2023 so you’ll be able to observe from house.
Discover Dr Rebekah
Private – @rebekahzeenajade
Web site – https://wearepana.com/
Instagram – @weare.pana
