“From a wellness perspective, advertising is the worst industry to be in”

SOPHIA KHAN: WHAT DOESWELLNESS MEAN TO YOu?

AMAFAH MUBASHIR: That is atough question because wellnessis so expansive. I think for me itmeans being in tune with my body – if this means sleeping a few extrahours on some days or sitting withmy girlfriends and venting, that iswellness for me. It can also meanbeing on my own and just painting – whatever makes me feel good ina healthy way.

SK: How did your wellnessjourney begin?

AM: I became a yoga instructorabout 10 years ago. When Iwas an art student, I had superunhealthy habits, meaning thatI would equate my worth to howmuch I produced. I was caughtup in a rat race, to the pointwhere I was bragging about howlittle I slept and forgetting to eatbecause I was so engrossedin my work. After graduating, Iwent into advertising, and from awellness perspective, advertisingis the worst industry to be in.Don’t get me wrong, it wasexhilarating and a lot of fun. I livedfor the adrenaline rush, but it wasextremely fast-paced and highpowered. Our entire lives wereconfined to the office, and my firstmeal of the day was a cigaretteand a coffee. After a while, thenuances of advertising started toget to me, and one day, it dawnedon me that I was really just sellingmilk to people – and I thought tomyself, “What am I doing that isof substance or actually makesa difference?” I am not tryingto purport that I’m making adifference by teaching yoga, but itis so much more fulfilling.

SK: How did you moveinto yoga?

AM: I started taking yoga classesin an effort to mend my relationshipwith my body. In those days therewere only a handful of studios.My introduction was through anInstagram ad, and it was lovefrom the first class I took. It wasamazing. I was able to switch mymind off for an hour, something Ihad never done before. My bodyfelt good, and I was sleepingbetter. Then the feeling of wantingto be at the yoga studio and notat work began to gnaw at me. Ineeded to go to my yoga classtwice a week to stay sane, and atwork I was dreaming about doingyoga in the mountains. I finallytook the plunge and quit my job, ortried to. I started working part-timeand went to Thailand for my yogatraining. When I came back, thatfeeling had only intensified. I wasmet with a lot of opposition: “Areyou crazy? You want to leave thiscareer to become a yoga teacher?”Six months later, I quit completelyand became a yoga instructor.

SK: How did your trainingaffect you?

AM: It was the first time in my lifethat I was on my own and allowedto be whoever I chose to be inthat moment. When you grow upin a place like Karachi, there isa lot of attachment to the personyou are, and it’s difficult to breakout of that personality. At theretreat, they make you examineall the different facets that mirrorwho you are: the good and thebad. And it is hard to look atyourself and say, I love this part ofmyself, but not that part – and yetI should love that part of myselfas well.

SK: How did that self-reflectionchange you?

AM: It changed the way Iperceived spirituality, religion andGod. I believe our relationshipwith faith mirrors our relationshipwith ourselves. When I was sittingby myself and allowing myself toconnect with the shadows andlight within me on a beach inThailand, I felt so connected toGod and to the idea of a higherpower – and that love was justflowing through me.

SK: What were your early daysas a yoga practitioner like?

AM: When I started, I barelyhad three people in my class,which was to be expected as Iwas new in the wellness circle.Also in those days, fitness bootcamps were the trend. However,I told myself I would persevereeven if I didn’t have enoughstudents; I would keep at thisuntil it worked out.

SK: What led you to establishAsana Wellness?

AM: I think every yoga instructordreams of having their ownspace because it becomes areflection of who you are, andyou want to create that energyfor your community. Everyonearound me thought my lovefor yoga would be a fleetingpassion and I would go back toadvertising. But in my heart, Iknew yoga was it for me. I triedto set up a studio several times,but the universe would put a haltto these plans in some way, andI took it as a sign that it was notthe right time, so I perseveredby building Amafah’s Asanason social media, and that waswhere Asana Wellness startedto bloom.

SK: What does AsanaWellness offer?

AM: We offer holistic wellness; a lotof classes, primarily yoga but alsodance, low-impact workouts, soundbowl meditation, voice meditationand breathwork, as well assensuality and couple’s workshops.However, first and foremost, myethos for this space is buildingcommunity. Apart from the yogastudio, we have a therapist’s officewith a private entrance so therapistscan rent the space and meet theirclients in complete privacy. There isalso a training room for budding yogateachers, something I wish I hadaccess to when I first started out.

SK: What are your views on thecommodification of wellness?

AM: A lot of us give our energy,our time and our space as energyhealers, yoga and fitness instructorsand Reiki practitioners. For a lot of usthis is our primary means of income.You can spend Rs 10,000 on a yogastudio membership or on an outfit –the choice is yours.

SK: What does wellness looklike for people who don’t haveaccess to it?

AM: I feel that for people who cometo the city for work, their onemonth holiday back home is theirwellness time. As I said, wellnesslooks different for everyone.However, I believe that if people aretaught basic techniques, they canincorporate those practices into theirdaily lives. Meditation requires noequipment and nothing but time.

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