om body
After a career in publishing, Nahid de Belgeonne, founder of Good Vibes
yoga and fitness studios in London, tells OM that yoga has now helped
her carve out a life that she truly loves
Nahid de Belgeonne
OM meets...
How did you first get into yoga
Everyone told me that I ought to do yoga and I tried a few teachers
at local gyms and yoga studios but it didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t
get the language and didn’t feel the vibe of the teachers. When I left a
stressful job without a plan, I wanted to give it one more go and after
searching for somewhere hot and nearby, I booked into a yoga holiday
in Turkey taught by a teacher whose language appealed to me. I was
fortunate enough for the venue to be Huzur Vadisi and the teacher
was Simon Low. I took my husband, who didn’t want to do the yoga,
but Simon gave him such a warm welcome that he and I have been
practicing since.What inspired you in those early days
Simon Low was my first inspiring teacher; up until then yoga felt a bit
mystical and exclusive. His philosophy is that yoga is for all bodies and
his articulate and inclusive teaching really resonated with me.Any favourite teachers or studios
Yes! My most inspiring teachers have been and are Judith Hanson
Lasater, Simon Low, Gary Carter, John Stirk, Michael Stone, Uma
Dinsmore-Tuli and Jean Hall. I favour teachers with a few years under
their belt! I have my own home practice but at the studio I love all of our
teachers’ classes as they are mindful but with enough of a challenge to
keep me interested.Any transformational yoga moments
That first yoga holiday transformed me completely. Over the next two
years I turned my love of fitness into a business and opened up the first
independent power plate studio in the UK. And, five years later, after
graduating from Simon Low’s Yoga Academy, I refurbed the space and
added Europe’s first Far infrared heated yoga studio as an addition
to our other classes; the room is warmed to a sunny day. So my yoga
journey has helped me to carve out a life I love.