Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast Episode #97 – Breaking Stereotypes – Yoga in Tajikistan with Aziza Egamova

Welcome to Episode #97 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! My conversation with Aziza Egamova, a yoga teacher from Tajikistan, was wonderful as we discussed the challenges Aziza has faced to become a yoga teacher in Tajikistan and to bring yoga to her community. She has faced many stereotypes in her culture and community, and has persevered to bring yoga – true yoga – to her people. If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about yoga in Tajikistan then this is the conversation for you.

Tell me more about Aziza Egamova

Aziza Egamova’s is a yoga teacher from Tajikistan, who has been teaching yoga for 8 years. As an athlete and personal trainer, the world of athletics first introduced her to yoga as a crucial recovery tool. Aziza completed her yoga certification with the Russian Yoga Federation, and continued her studies in Kazakhstan. Aziza teaches Hatha Yoga, pilates, and fitness recovery. She teaches at the X-Fit Fitness Club.

What to expect in the Yoga In Tajikistan episode of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast

Aziza Egamova emphasizes that yoga is not just about physical movement but also about connecting with one’s inner self, improving breathing, and enhancing mindfulness. She shares that her passion for yoga goes beyond a hobby or a job – it’s a source of inspiration that impacts every aspect of her life. Yoga has helped her become more confident, sensitive, and peaceful.

Aziza talks about the challenges she faced as a woman in a conservative society to pursue a career as a yoga instructor. In Tajikistan, there were stereotypes that associated yoga with religion, leading to misconceptions and apprehension. However, over the years, the perception of yoga has shifted, and more people are embracing its benefits beyond physical flexibility.

She also sheds light on Tajikistan’s geographical and cultural aspects. The country is known for its picturesque mountains, sunny climate, and rich natural beauty. Tajikistan is gradually becoming more open-minded about yoga and attracting tourists interested in exploring its unique landscapes.

Aziza’s journey highlights the transformative power of yoga in her life and the challenges she’s overcome to spread its benefits in her community. Her dedication to breaking stereotypes and inspiring others to embrace yoga shines through in this podcast episode.

Favorite Quote From Aziza Egamova

“Yoga makes feel you confident and at the same time makes you feel more calm, more sensitive, more peaceful. You start to absorb your breathing, to absorb your sensations, then to feel, then understand, then to connect. All step by step. And then it makes a whole process, which we call yoga.”

Connect with Aziza Egamova

https://www.instagram.com/thesandalsun

Support the podcast:

https://www.patreon.com/wildyogatribe

Want more?

https://wildyogatribe.com/thepodcast/

Everything you need is just one click away! Check out all the resources here: https://linktr.ee/wildyogatribe

Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast Episode #97 – Yoga in Tajikistan with Aziza Egamova Transcription

[00:00:00] Lily Allen-Duenas: Namaste family and welcome back to the Wild Yoga Tribe podcast. Today I am so excited to welcome Aziza Egamova onto the show today. She’s a yoga teacher from Tajikistan who’s been teaching yoga for eight years. As an athlete and a personal trainer, the world of athletics first introduced her to yoga as a crucial recovery tool. Aziza completed her yoga certification with the Russian Yoga Federation and continued her studies in Kazakhstan. Aziza teaches Hatha yoga, Pilates, and fitness recovery at the Xfit Fitness Club in Tajikistan. Thank you so much Aziza for being with me on the show today.

[00:00:46] Aziza Egamova: Thank you.

[00:00:46] Lily Allen-Duenas: So just to get started Aziza, I would love to hear from you about how yoga came into your life. How did you first hear about yoga or start practicing?

How did yoga come into your life?

[00:00:59] Aziza Egamova: Actually, it was not well known in Tajikistan, in, I think, in Central Asia in general. Because since my childhood I had no outstanding physical skills, I had an unhealthy thin body and I always was thinking that I need to find something for myself which can help me to be more healthy. Because I was not in love with my body.

I didn’t feel well in general. [00:01:30] Since my childhood, it was after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was not so popular here like group sessions to go to fitness, and I just tried a lot of sports like swimming, kickboxing. I even ran for the national team of Tajikistan. I had many competitions. But every sportsman has a recovery part and since that time, I try to find anything which can help me to recover.

I found out that the origins, all of these stretching exercises came from yoga. Yoga in general, origins, it has a big history in common and I think it was, like, about 12 or maybe 15 years ago. When I took my first steps in yoga and gradually, day by day, many months, year by year. I collected my knowledge, my skills in this field. Then I had a proposal to work in a new fitness club.

It was one of the first, but the biggest fitness clubs in Tajikistan and in all of Central Asia in general, which was [00:03:00] XFIT. It was a branch of Russian fitness clubs and I had been studying for a personal trainer, for a fitness instructor as a stretching pilates and functional trainer. After this I had a chance, I had an opportunity to study in Almaty, Russian Yoga Federation. They held some courses in Almaty, in general they held courses in two cities, in Moscow, in Almaty, you can choose which country you prefer, and I was going to leave temporarily there to graduate yoga school. It was not too short, but yes, it was about two months of courses.

Every day, like eight hours, we practiced our yoga skills. It was for me something new because a lot of people who, around me, had been doing yoga for many years. For me it was great experience because it was something new for me, because before this, of course, I practiced yoga, but not in so serious level, let’s say so and I graduated my I graduated this yoga school and when I came back to [00:04:30] Tajikistan, it was more than eight years ago. I started to do my first yoga group classes. And it was complicated. Because here for our country it was something new, in some ways our people are not very open to something new.

But since that time, yoga became the main part of my life, the favorite part. For me, it’s not a work, it’s not job, this is even not hobby, this is my passion and this is what I love to do. I wake up every morning, start my day with yoga practice. I do love to teach my students, who’s doing yoga month by month, year by year with me.

 Actually, I don’t have work, I’m just doing yoga. Mhm. 

[00:05:26] Lily Allen-Duenas: Amazing. After hearing about how it came into your life and as you just said, year after year and students after students and they come and they go. Often in the U. S. when we teach in a gym Or in the West, when we’re teaching at a gym, it’s more fitness based, very asana, very pose based. Do you feel any challenges teaching yoga in a gym, uh, yourself? Do you feel like your students are maybe just interested in the poses instead of meditation or anything else?[00:06:00] 

Do you experience challenges teaching yoga in a gym?

[00:06:01] Aziza Egamova: Majority of people are coming for yoga group classes because of some weaknesses in their body because they have some traumas or they need to improve posture, yes, to make themselves feel more healthy. But I also have students who are going to have to relax their minds, to feel everything, to feel sensations in the body, to learn how to feel yourself, how to feel your mind, how to feel your body, and how to connect all these processes in one..

Not many people, but I have such students and in fitness clubs, yes, I think you’re right. They are coming mostly for physical improvement. This is one of the biggest stereotypes about yoga. When you’re coming for the yoga classes, you are doing only stretching.

 That’s it. No, because when people think about yoga like this, they are very surprised when they try it once and then they continue to come and improve in different ways. But for me yoga is not only about movement. If you practice yoga, it’s nothing about movement, it’s more for your inner world, about your [00:07:30] inner sensations. 

[00:07:31] Lily Allen-Duenas: Beautiful. Yeah, I agree that it is about the inner world, the inner sensations, and I love hearing that your students, even in the gym setting, are still interested in that. Am I understanding that correctly, that they’re still interested in

Even in gyms, people are curious about the layers of yoga 

[00:07:46] Aziza Egamova: yes, it’s coming gradually. When they’re doing it in a regular way, not temporary, in a regular way, like week by week, month by month, they start to feel something new about themselves and this is great because when our students come to me after class. When we finished and they asked me, now I’m feeling different. I’m not feeling the same when I’ve come first and I’m feeling that I can control my breathing, I can control my mind even for one hour, but this is like the best during whole week.

 It’s like a whole big process to learn about yourself. To learn how to breathe, how to move, and how to feel yourself doing all of this not like automatically we’re doing every day, you’re sitting, you’re standing, you’re breathing, and you’re not thinking, you’re not, breathing.

Pay enough attention to this, but during this one hour, you can think, what’s happening when you’re breathing, just sitting and you can feel your belly at the same time you’re breathing in. You can [00:09:00] feel your chest and every part, every muscle. 

[00:09:02] Lily Allen-Duenas: No matter where you are or who you are, it’s not like you show up on the yoga mat once and all of a sudden you’ve mastered every part of yourself. I wanted to ask you too, which are some of the difficulties in the Central Asian region. I know that you’ve expressed that there are some difficulties there to me, so can you expand on that? Tell us more.

The difficulties of becoming a yoga teacher in Tajikistan 

[00:09:22] Aziza Egamova: There are a few difficulties which I faced, but mainly the first which came when I did my first steps as a yoga instructor. When you are born in one of the Central Asian countries, it’s really difficult to choose the proper way because sometimes you cannot do whatever you want.

Especially when you’re a girl. It is very complicated to find a way of self expression. Since my childhood I have felt that I will not follow the majority of people. I will choose only my own direction. It was very difficult here to be an instructor because you’re a girl. You are, like, future wife, future mother, and here there is big stereotypes that you should belong to the house, to family, and to be instructor is very brave. At least that time when I started, when I began the [00:10:30] instructor, like 8, 10, years ago. Because our society is more conservative, at least that time was. Now it’s more open.

[00:10:39] Lily Allen-Duenas: It was a challenge for you to be a woman in Tajikistan to say that you want to follow your own path and do something for you with your family, with your community, but it was also a challenge for you to be a woman. It sounds like that stereotype around what women are supposed to do has been a challenge for you at every turn.

The challenges around being a yoga teacher and a woman in Tajikistan

[00:11:00] Aziza Egamova: yes, my family members were very supportive at that time. Until now my mother, my little brother, and I have a small family, like we are only three. They supported me on every step, on every stage to become a yoga instructor as I am now.

Yes because in general here in Central Asian countries sometimes you will not even graduate university, and to think about future work. I’m living in the capital of Tajikistan, and now it’s more improved, more modern.

Now it’s becoming more open-minded and everything but yoga instructor, it was something new, here and according to our very conservative traditional society, it was complicated. Now we have, we really [00:12:00] improved in this case because we have lots of group classes, like a lot of yoga instructors. For now, there is even competition between instructors.

The competition between yoga instructors

[00:12:13] Lily Allen-Duenas: There’s competitions now between yoga instructors.

[00:12:17] Aziza Egamova: Yes, because now there are a lot of places , not studios, we don’t have special studios here for yoga, but a lot of fitness clubs, a lot of places where you can find yoga classes, groups or private ones.

[00:12:33] Lily Allen-Duenas: So it’s more competitive to try to get students because there’s more and more teachers now. Is that what you’re saying? Or are there actual competitions for different yoga poses?

[00:12:45] Aziza Egamova: Yes, but in this way you know it’s very good, because you can grow, at least you have to improve your skills, you have to think about your your skills, your knowledge in this field, to improve yourself, to be the best in this field, to be the best in general yes, to to have more 

[00:13:07] Lily Allen-Duenas: More knowledge, more ability to get your students to come in to attract students and retain your students. Okay. That’s fascinating there and it’s good to hear that yoga in Tajikistan is growing and that there is more Demand for it. There’s more students who are interested in it and more students who are attending classes [00:13:30] . Was there ever any kind of talk or energy in Tajikistan around yoga like a fear of it Or was it just something they didn’t know of? 

How did your community in Tajikistan feel about yoga?

[00:13:41] Aziza Egamova: In some way, yes, because one part of people still thinks that yoga is about religion. It’s something not from our culture. It’s something weird. Sometimes, yes, they’re very scary because they don’t want to lose their religion and they’re thinking that if you’re coming to the yoga session, you’ll betray your religion, which is of course not true and I have even in an interview for a local newspaper. It was an Asia Plus newspaper about this question. I answered as a yoga instructor, is yoga about religion or not? And of course this is one of the biggest stereotypes about yoga. No, if you’re practicing yoga, it’s nothing about religion in general, and moreover some people cannot visit yoga group classes here because of the gender, not all of the women can visit mixed group classes when there are men and women together.

 Because I still have women’s yoga group classes and I have mixed.[00:15:00] For example, if you have a swimming pool in the fitness club, they usually have two swimming pools, female and mixed. And same for the group classes, they have hours for men and hours for just for women.

[00:15:17] Lily Allen-Duenas: Okay. That makes sense then that there would be some yoga classes just for women and mixed classes as well. So I was also hoping Aziza would get you to define yoga for us. I was wondering what your personal definition of yoga is.

What is your definition of yoga? 

[00:15:33] Aziza Egamova: For me yoga, it’s not a job, it’s not even a hobby. For me yoga it’s like a tool of inspiration maybe it’s the pure inspiration in general because I’m waking up because of the yoga, really. For me, it’s inspiration, every single day, each day, I start with my with yoga. Yoga helps me to… Handle with everything, yes. Not to pay too much attention on my issues. I don’t know what I would do if yoga wasn’t part of my life.

[00:16:09] Lily Allen-Duenas: Yeah, I know what you mean, because yoga is such a huge part of my life as well. My days are filled with yoga. My evenings, my, how I spend my life, right? But I loved how you said that yoga is a source of inspiration, of pure inspiration. So it’s something that inspires you, not just [00:16:30] on your mat. But off your mat as well and through your days. Aziza, too, at this point, I’d love to have you tell us more about Tajikistan. A lot of our listeners probably don’t know too much about your country. Can you tell us about maybe where you are on the map and maybe some of the things that your country is known for?

What is Tajikistan like?

[00:16:50] Aziza Egamova: As I mentioned before, Tajikistan, this is one of the countries of Central Asia, lies right in the heart of Asia, and the first which coming to the mind if you thinking about Tajikistan that there is there are mountains because more than 90% of our country covered by mountains, and moreover, this country, it’s sunny country, a lots of sun here.

We have pure nature. We have great nature, because our country is small, it’s very easy to reach some places out of buildings. For example, from the Dushanbe. This is the capital of Tajikistan. To go hiking for camping among the mountains it usually takes like two, three hours, and it’s very close, you’re always connected with nature.

 Our mountains are one of the highest mountains in the world, we have Pamir, this is one of the well known places in Tajikistan. There are a lot of high [00:18:00] mountains there, which are very popular among the tourists. Actually, our people love guests. If you’re a tourist in our country or just coming for a job they do love you because hospitality is part of our culture. 

 Let’s imagine if you’re coming here and you will not have any money, you will not have any reservation in the hotel, you will just find some people on the streets, you will meet them, you will just tell about your story and they will feed you, they will find your home.

[00:18:40] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh, that’s amazing to know because yeah, if you like to lose your wallet or something gets stolen and all of a sudden you’ll be taken? 

[00:18:46] Aziza Egamova: you can come to Tajikistan.

[00:18:48] Lily Allen-Duenas: Oh, that’s great. So Aziza, can you tell us more about how yoga has impacted your life? If there’s been any big transformation or change because of what yoga you?

How has yoga impacted your life? 

[00:18:59] Aziza Egamova: Yes. Through yoga I learned that since the time when I started to practice yoga, I feel different. It’s 15 years ago , I’m not the same Aziza as I am today.

Yoga making feel you confident and at the same time making feel more calm, more more sensitive. more peaceful, yes, I think through the yoga I’m feeling more sensitive. I don’t know how to describe it, but I started to absorb your breathing, [00:19:30] to absorb your sensations, then to feel, then understand, then to connect it step by step, and then it makes a whole process, which we call yoga.

[00:19:40] Lily Allen-Duenas: Beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that. And Aziza, besides teaching yoga at XFit, are you leading any yoga retreats or any teacher training courses?

Teaching beyond XFit in Tajikistan

[00:19:52] Aziza Egamova: Actually, I left Xfit less than one year ago. Now I’m like an independent yoga instructor. I have my private classes, group and individual ones because the majority of my students are foreigners, more than a half. Even when I had been working in XFit, about 70 years, since they were opened but at some stage in your life you want to grow, and for this you have to change and be out of your comfort zone and that’s why, I decided to leave.

How to get in touch with Aziza

[00:20:36] Lily Allen-Duenas: Aziza, for our listeners who maybe have a question for you, or maybe loved this podcast episode with you and want to follow you, I’m linking Your Instagram account in the show notes, as well as on my website, wildyogatribe. com slash yoga in Tajikistan. But here on the podcast, do you want to say the name of your Instagram?

[00:20:57] Aziza Egamova: Yes, the SandalSun[00:21:00] 

[00:21:00] Lily Allen-Duenas: Perfect. Aziza, it’s been such a joy to learn more from you about Tajikistan and about your journey with how yoga came into your life and how you’re teaching now and how you’ve progressed and grown. So I just want to extend a true thank you for what you’re doing and for taking the time to be on the show with me today.

[00:21:21] Aziza Egamova: Thank you so much dear Lily. It was for me, it was like great experience. 

[00:21:26] Lily Allen-Duenas: Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the wild yoga tribe podcast. My conversation with Aziza Egamova, a yoga teacher from Tajikistan was wonderful. As we discussed all of the challenges that Aziza has faced to become a yoga teacher in Tajikistan and to bring yoga to her community. She’s faced many stereotypes in her culture and community and has persevered to bring yoga, true yoga, to her people. If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that’s all about yoga in Tajikistan, then this is the conversation for you. Thank you for listening to the Wild Yoga Tribe podcast. Be well. 

Copyright © 2023 Wild Yoga Tribe LLC. All rights reserved. Transcripts are generated using a combination of speech recognition software and human transcribers, and may contain errors. Kindly check the corresponding audio before quoting in print to ensure accuracy.

The Wild Yoga Tribe, LLC, owns the copyright in and to all content in and transcripts of the Wild Yoga Tribe podcasts, with all rights reserved, including right of publicity.

What’s Okay

You are welcome to share an excerpt from the episode transcript (up to 500 words but not more) in media articles (e.g., The New York Times), in a non-commercial article or blog post (e.g., Elephant Journal), and/or on a personal social media account for non-commercial purposes, provided that you include proper attribution and link back to the podcast URL. For complete transparency and clarity, media outlets with advertising models are also welcome to use excerpts from the transcript per the above.

What’s Not Okay

No one is authorized to copy any portion of the podcast content or use Lily Allen-Duenas’ name, image or likeness for any commercial purpose or use, including without limitation inclusion in any books, e-books, or on a commercial website or social media site (e.g., Instagram, Facebook, etc.) that offers or promotes your or another’s products or services. Of course, media outlets are permitted to use photos of Lily Allen-Duenas from her Media Kit page or can make written requests via email to receive her headshots folder.