Today we’d like to introduce you to Yara Ali.
Hi Yara; so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Hey, I’m Yara. I’m an Egyptian American born in Florida but raised in Egypt. I started working out and taking care of my health 8 years ago when I was 14. The first few years were hard for me because I had no guidance and was learning everything independently and through trial and error. For the first two years of my journey, I used to speed walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes and then do a 10 minutes abs workout by Rebecca Louise on Youtube daily. I was obsessed with that routine and might have only missed 2 weeks in the whole year. It was not healthy. Of course, my body plateaued because it got used to the same movement pattern, and I was not strength training and thought at the time all I needed was cardio; if I thought that if I would have strength trained I would have become bulky, which is a huge misconception Fast forward 6 years later, I am in a better physical and mental state, and now I am a certified Group Fitness Instructor. I like to listen to my body and move intuitively. I teach Power Pilates, a method I came up with, combining Pilates, functional, and strength training with an emphasis on stability and coordination.
My fitness journey started when I came across an AD on YouTube that took me to someone’s video about their fitness journey. It was in 2014 before fitness started trending. At the time, I was not looking to lose weight neither did I have any body image problems. I just wanted to implement some of the things said in the video, and slowly my life changed into what it is today, and my lifestyle revolves around taking care of my health. To this day, I still wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t seen that video. Would my passion be fitness? What would I be doing? For that reason, I think you must expose yourself to sources that will only help you become a better version of yourself and not sources that will set you back.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle-free, but so far would you say the journey has been smooth?
It has been a road full of bumps that, with time, became smooth. Initially, I was obsessed with comparing myself to models and fitness trainers with bodies I knew were impossible to achieve, mainly because I was not like them. Learning to only focus on me was the biggest challenge I faced because I would always fall back into the cycle of comparing myself to others. What helped me shift my focus from others and onto myself was mainly unfollowing accounts that I felt were not impacting me positively and were putting me down. Instead, I followed educational accounts and people who inspired me to discover more about the fitness industry. I later began to focus on myself completely and started to incorporate what I was learning into my daily life, and that was when I saw the greatest improvement within myself. I learned not to be too hard on myself and to journal religiously, which allowed me to understand myself the most.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I teach Power Pilates in Egypt and in Florida. This was a method I came up with in Covid 19 after I fell back in love with doing Pilates. Before Covid, I used to go to the gym, and when the gyms closed, I started doing Pilates online with Shannon Nadj, founder of Hot Pilates, and from there, I found one of my favorite instructors Alexis Fischer, founder of Move with Lex. Both of them inspired me to come up with Power Pilates; combining some of their strategies with my teachings, I came up with a diverse movement that people started loving. In-depth Power Pilates focuses on moving from the powerhouse, a.k.a the “core,” through following the 6 principles of Pilates to lengthen and tone your body while integrating classical strength and functional exercises to enhance your activities of daily living, which challenges your mind, body, and soul.
What are you most proud of?
I am most proud of the community I was able to create within my classes, we created a safe environment for everyone to escape from all the worries and responsibilities that we faced during our day. It’s an environment without judgment and one full of support and love. I remember we were stretching during one of my classes and a client who has been very committed to the classes was able to reach her toes in one of the poses for the first time in her life, it was an emotional moment and we were all so proud of her. Everyone in the class, 28 people started cheering her on and clapping for her. That moment reminded me why I love what I do and what I am most proud of, which is helping people believe in themselves and push through the limits created by their minds.
What sets you apart from others?
I think what sets me apart from others, is that my classes are always changing, you will rarely do the same sequence or segment more than 3 times, I think that is what keeps people coming. The fact that they are always up for a surprise, and that personally challenges me because it makes me go out of my way and experiment with different styles. I love experimenting with different moves and focusing on coordination because that is where you are forced to integrate your mind and breathe through movement.
Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share? We’re always looking for lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis.
1. You do not need a gym to stay active. All you need is your body and a mat or a towel.
2. Putting yourself first is above anything. If you constantly focus on helping others and never pay attention to yourself, you will eventually burn out. This is why I think it is crucial to take the time to invest in yourself, be by yourself and get comfortable being on your own because being able to enjoy your alone time mentally strengthens you and is something that takes time. Be able to depend on yourself mentally because from there, you won’t need others’ validation, and you will start to focus on what you are doing and not on what others are doing.
3. If you are an instructor or are trying to pursue a career in fitness, invest in attending other instructors’ classes. I spent two years taking online Pilates classes with different instructors and saw diverse teaching styles, which influenced my class structure today for the better. You will be surprised how it can stimulate your creativity; you will be exposed to different teaching styles, which will help you a lot when you are going through a roadblock or don’t feel like training on your own.
4. Take it easy; in today’s world, we see what others are doing but not how they truly feel. The hustle culture can take a toll on you mentally if all you are doing is being hard on yourself, which is why redefining “productivity” based on your state of mind is important. It is okay to take a break, and sometimes taking a break is you being productive because, without that break, you won’t be able to continue hustling and doing your thing.
5. You are a byproduct of who you spend the most time with, what you listen to, and what you watch and read.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: yaraa.alii
