For Saudi mother of four, Samraa Al-Abbasi, the health of her family has always been a top priority. She searched for natural remedies and avoided medications with consequent harmful side effects if her family ever needed to be treated for illnesses. This search was driven by her great interest and research in complementary medicine. Although she graduated with a degree in public administration from King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah, when she moved with her husband and children to Dubai, she followed her dream of pursuing an education in complementary medicine. After completing the required two years at the Academy of Complementary Medicine in Dubai, she graduated with a diploma in Naturopathy, which is based on healing through natural means. She credits this as being a giant step forward in her life as well as her family’s.

Dedicated to learning more even after completing her diploma and sharing her knowledge, she gives weekly health tips through her Instagram (@spoon_of_health) and Facebook (Spoon of Health). Naturopathy encourages the wellness of the body, mind, and spirit, so when Al-Abbasi was introduced to yoga, which is beneficial for overall well-being and therapeutic purposes, she was hooked. With her diploma in hand, certification as a yoga instructor as well as in Thai yoga massage, Al-Abbasi is on a mission to spread awareness and promote a healthy lifestyle in Jeddah with Fun Yoga & Meditation. Aside from instructing women and children in yoga, Al-Abbasi has written the first Arabic language yoga book for children and is preparing for the publication of her second book focused on helping women live relaxed and balanced lives. Al-Abbasi recently shared with Arab News information and updates about her yoga classes, books and how we and especially our children can benefit from yoga.

When did your interest in yoga begin?

My interest in yoga began when I was first introduced to it in Dubai while studying for my Naturopath diploma. A leading yoga instructor from Kuwait taught us yoga positions and explained their benefits to the body, mind, and spirit. She inspired me to explore yoga further and sparked the fascination I felt toward it. Consequently, I began signing up for yoga classes and enjoyed them immensely.

Has yoga helped you personally?

Yes, it’s helped me to eradicate tension from long days. It has also helped increase my fitness level, flexibility, strengthening of my muscles, focus, as well as relaxation.

What made you decide to teach and especially children?

After my family and I returned to live in Jeddah, I began searching for fun activities for my children. I was disappointed to find a lack of such activities since there are not many parks and safe open spaces friendly to children. It was then that I decided to learn and become certified in children’s yoga, as I was fully aware of the psychological, physical, and mental benefits.

Please say something about your book and where it can be purchased.

After becoming a certified yoga instructor, I was eager to write a yoga book children would enjoy, a book to teach children yoga poses in a fun and creative way. After I wrote what I called “Baba Ana Alasad, Mama Ana Alfarasha” (Baba I am a lion, Mama I am a butterfly), the creative designer Yasser Alireza helped me complete it with his imaginative illustrations. The book’s approach is to explain yoga poses to children that are derived from animal poses that children relish in imitating. It is currently the first yoga book written in Arabic for children by a Saudi author. The book is available in Jarir Bookstores kingdom wide, but I hope to expand its availability to the rest of the Arab world. Down the line, I also aim to translate it to English so it may reach a wider audience and the west.

You have classes for kids; do you offer classes for ladies?

Yes, I provide Vinyasa yoga classes for ladies. I have recently received a certificate for completing 200 hours of this type of yoga, which is a combination of yoga postures and breathing that focuses on strengthening muscles and is suitable for all ages and levels. Also, I have certification in Thai yoga massage which entails me using my strength to put the relaxed client’s body into yoga positions. This type of massage helps relieve neck and shoulder pain, headaches, lower back pain, sciatica, as well as many other afflictions.

Why should we encourage kids to do yoga?

In the first class of each month, I explain to all my new students a simplified definition of yoga and how it benefits us. I tell them it means breathing, positions, and meditation. We breathe to make sure efficient amounts of oxygen reaches our blood and brain to have a clear mind and avoid illness. We train our body to do yoga positions so we can be flexible and lessen injuries if we fall. We meditate to control the commotion in our brain so we can focus and help rid ourselves of emotions such as shame, fear, anger, sadness, and grief.

What approach do you use to teach children yoga as well as to love it?

My goal is to present the children with love, respect, and smiles. So, my approach is to make each class a mix between calm, strength, balance and relaxation in a fun, enjoyable, and exciting way. This, I believe, is the secret to success in all children’s activities.

Why should parents be encouraged to register their kids in yoga?

I encourage all parents to look into signing up their children in yoga classes particularly in this day and age with the new studies on the negative physical, mental, and behavioral impact of inactivity and video games on children.

In your experience, how much do children benefit from your classes?

According to many parents as well as my own perspective, children that practice yoga improve in a huge and noticeable way. Most importantly, I find that yoga eliminates bashfulness, helps their self-expression and in the loss of excess weight, corrects posture, and it increases muscle flexibility, self-esteem as well as their immunity (as a result of increased oxygen levels in the bloodstream from circulation activity).

Do you have anything new or updates you can share with our readers?

Soon I will be publishing my new book that is called, “Tathawaqi Alhaya” (Savor Life). It covers three spheres, which are health, relaxation, and balance, that will help women relieve themselves of anxiety and confront obstacles in life through easy and natural methods.

If you would like to register your child or children in yoga classes or if you are interested in joining Al-Abbasi’s classes for women, be sure to contact her for information and updates on Fun Yoga & Meditation by following @KidsYogaJeddah on Instagram.

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