Today we’d like to introduce you to Nazli Takesh.
Nazli, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I have always been into working out and taking care of myself physically and was constantly looking for a work out challenge. I remember being a few years out of college and I was trying to find something to distract me and pull me out of the party scene a bit. By chance, I decided to try a yoga class for the second time (the first time I went to a class I was so bored!), and this time I LOVED it. So I started taking more classes. I noticed that I was starting to turn down parties and nights of drinking so I could go to more conscious events and classes. My mental health started to improve little by little, without me even realizing it. It sounds a little silly, but I started loving myself a little more each day and finding ways to connect with myself which was a very new concept to me.
Honestly, the world became a little bit brighter, and I started noticing the goodness in life and in people. After practicing for a few years, I was looking at graduate programs and trade schools where I could study health and wellness in a holistic way when a school counselor suggested I take a Yoga Teacher Training. I took a chance at one of my favorite studios, Spirit Yoga, and very quickly signed up for their training program. My mind was blown and my life changed dramatically (for the best!) after that. Now, six years later, I still study yoga every day! I have also since gone through an additional 300 hr Advanced Yoga Teacher Training and a 300 hr Nutrition Consultant Training (along with many other mini trainings!) to tie in my love for plant-based food with the holistic studies of the human existence 🙂
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Since taking my initial training, I really feel like I was meant to do this work because it has been a smooth road. I’ve received so many amazing opportunities, and I believe it’s because I put so much dedication and heart into what I do. I put everything I have into my classes, workshops, trainings, and retreats because the people coming to me deserve everything I have. I become more passionate for this space, study, and work every day, and know I’ll be doing this for the rest of my life. While I am excited to say it’s been smooth, that doesn’t mean it has been easy. I have never worked harder in my life! But I love it so much that I want to work harder than I ever have 🙂
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Namaste Nazli story. Tell us more about the business.
I am essentially an independent contractor offering yoga related services: I teacher weekly public and private classes mixing movement, meditation, and reiki all over San Diego, manage a yoga studio in PB, create workshops, lead/co-lead teacher trainings, and lead/co-lead retreats in the US and internationally. With everything I do, what makes me who I am, is the grounded space I can create for my students. I love teaching vinyasa yoga, but along with that, I want to share with my students a quiet and still space internally. A space to tune into YOU, and whatever is going on, and become more aware of what is happening in the energetic body. Movement and mobility and strength is so SO important, but so is caring for your mental and energetic side, so is nourishing your body with plants and natural foods, so is community and connecting with nature, and I like to create experiences that embody all of this. No matter where in life you are walking in from, we can all find a way to sit together.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
This is an interesting question .. I feel like I have been “lucky” in life, by having an amazing supportive family and partner, and meeting incredible friends throughout my years. In business, I don’t think it has been luck, but rather my constant desire for growth, and hard work I put into it.
Pricing:
- Private Yoga/Reiki: $100/hr
- Workshops: $30-50
- Trainings/Retreats/Continuing Education: $500-3500
Contact Info:
- Website: www.namastenazli.com
- Email: namastenazli@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/namastenazli/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nazli.takesh
Image Credit:
Kyle Short, Charie Juaneza, Michelle Bowen
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