#85 - Women’s Rights Defender - Yoga in Afghanistan with Fakhria Momtaz

Welcome to Episode #85 of the Wild Yoga Tribe Podcast! My conversation with Fakhria Momtaz, a yoga teacher from Afghanistan, was so incredible as we took a deep dive into what it was like to open the yoga studio in Afghanistan and all the risks and challenges that presented. I hope that this conversation made you realize how yoga is so important, that it is worth the risk because it is a necessity for a community to have access to.

If you’re looking to tune into a podcast episode that is all about yoga in Afghanistan then this is the conversation for you.

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For the skimmers - What’s in the yoga in Afghanistan episode?

The enormous risk of opening a yoga studio in Afghanistan
What it meant for women in Afghanistan to have access to yoga
Yoga is science, art, culture, and a bridge to history 
Humans are born with yoga
Yoga is essential for people all over the world to help people find peace and harmony within themselves and with others

Tell me more about Fakhria Ibrahimi Momtaz

Fakhria Momtaz is the first yoga studio owner in Afghanistan. She founded Momtaz Yoga Studio in 2017, though she began studying yoga over 15 years ago. She teaches yoga to Afghan women refugees through the Yoga Alliance Foundation. Currently, she herself is a refugee in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, where she teaches to refugees and holds online yoga classes for women in the USA, Canada, and Europe. As the founder of the only Yoga Center in Afghanistan, that provides yoga and welfare services to women, Fakhria Ibrahimi Momtaz is a pillar in the global yoga community and has been of great service to the women of Afghanistan. 

Fakhria is currently working towards her Bachelor of Science of Yoga Education with SVYASA, Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samathana. She is the recipient of many awards including the “Seeds of Change Award” on International Women’s Day 2018 for the “Best Female Business Person.” Although she is now internationally celebrated, she was hunted by fundamentalists in Afghanistan in 2020 because of her yoga work and had to escape Afghanistan and move to Pakistan.

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

Fakhria Momtaz shares her journey to open a yoga studio in a country where the practice of yoga was not accepted. She faced challenges and resistance from the government, and even had to put her life at risk to open her studio, but she never gave up. Fakhria explains her definition of yoga, which includes science, health, art, beauty, culture, harmony, and bridge to history. She believes that yoga is something humans are born with, as babies naturally fall into yoga pose shapes.

Fakhria received her education and training in yoga through attending the International Yoga Festival in Rishikesh, India, and enrolling in a Bachelor's program in yoga at SVYASA University. Currently, she herself is a refugee in Islamabad, Pakistan, where she teaches yoga to refugees and conducts online yoga classes for women in the USA, Canada, and Europe. Despite the obstacles, Fakhria persevered in bringing yoga to the women of Afghanistan, making a significant contribution to the global yoga community.

Connect with Fakhria Momtaz

www.momtaz.yoga

https://www.nike.com/a/a-safe-space-for-women-to-work-out

https://assembly.malala.org/stories/fakhria-and-froohar-momtaz-afghan-yoga-studio

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