Meet our yoga coach: Ayça Turan

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I've been living in Izmir for the past six years. But due to my job, I have lived in many cities in Turkey and around the world. I love animals, therefore I've adopted a vegan lifestyle. Airports are my hobby. While most people detest layovers, I enjoy exploring airports during long transfer hours, watching the hustle and bustle of fellow travellers. "I love exploring new cultures". This is what everyone says, right? But years ago during a trip in Paris, I saw people who brought tomatoes from Turkey at a hotel breakfast. I prefer immersing myself in new cultures to create a better version of myself by adopting new habits.

Can you tell us shortly about your yoga career too?

I started yoga as a practitioner in 2014. I loved it and decided to become an instructor myself. I got certified in teaching Yin Yoga first. Then, in 2016, I signed up for a Hatha Yoga teacher training in the US. The programme followed the Sivananda style. I was planning a vacation to the States that summer anyway, but I ended up quitting my job and going to the US for a yoga training programme. I left everything behind, went overseas, got certified, volunteered as a yoga teacher, and then returned to Turkey and decided to follow this career path.

You told us you lived and worked in many cities around the world as a yoga teacher. What type of experiences have you had in the course?

I have worked in the US, the Maldives, and Kuwait. I am still working in Kuwait. I guess once you start working abroad, you get used to it. Touching the lives of people from many different countries and backgrounds has made me realise that I can express myself better as an instructor in diversified societies.

You teach Hatha and Yin yoga. What are the differences between these two disciplines?

Hatha Yoga is the root of all known asana schools and includes Yin Yoga. “Ha” means sun and “tha” means moon. It is a practice that balances out your masculine and feminine aspects. It involves both lower body and upper body workouts. Yin Yoga, on the other hand, focuses more on the lower body, represents the more feminine and darker side, and is a deeper practice both physically and spiritually. The poses are held longer than they’re in Hatha Yoga, it is a more internal practice, and it focuses more on letting go.

What’s your approach to yoga? Why should people practise yoga?

Many people think yoga is just about doing exercise-like movements. However, yoga is a state of harmony and union. The yoga we practise, which is called “asana practice”, is a means to achieve this state of harmony and union. Yoga also includes principles of breath, meditation, being true and honest, and not harming any living being. However, today, it is mistakenly perceived as just doing physical movements and stretches. Everyone, including children and the elderly, can practise yoga.

What kind of class structure do you have in mind for our Zoom Yoga sessions?

I have been teaching the most traditional form of yoga, which also includes breathwork and meditation for years. Of course, I enjoy working and teaching new variations, but the main goal of our classes will be initially for our students to get to know and learn about their bodies, to stretch and strengthen, and to help them reach their own integrity on a mental and spiritual level.