My Personal Experience Training Yoga Teachers in Beirut
The call to prayer wafts through the window as a group of yogis half-slumber in savasana. The yoga space’s spectacular view reveals the juxtaposition that is Beirut. Crystalline skyscrapers, war-punctured buildings, and the Mediterranean’s famous deep-blue water abutted against the Lebanese mountains. These days, Lebanon is known less for its natural beauty and more for its location in the midst of ongoing strife. Even though this part of the world is notorious for conflicts over differences, yoga is serving to unite.
When the offer came to lead the first YogaWorks teacher training in Lebanon at Lulia Turk’s Breathe the Yoga Studio, I said yes. By their nature, teacher trainings are life-changing. But I knew this one would be particularly important. This training could influence more than the class through transforming the lives of its participants. Yoga teaches people to be in their bodies, to stand for themselves, and to stand in community.
It was only after sharing the news with family and friends when I began to experience people’s misconceptions about the Middle East. I also came to recognize some of my own. I have never had so many people wish for me to“be safe” on a trip. People shared their unease about my being a Jewish women and some suggested that I travel with my Canadian rather than US passport (I have dual citizenship). Friends asked if I would wear burka. I admit on my first trip, I tucked scarves and long sleeves into the suitcase just in case. Yet not once during my visit was I treated as less than or different. 
Yoga in Beirut, Lebanon
Lebanon is a small country bordered by Syria, Israel, and the Mediterranean along 140 miles of coastline. There is a palpable pulse to the capital coastal city of Beirut. It is a buzz of energy mixed with tension and resilience.
Yoga teaches us to find inner harmony regardless of the discord around us. Yogis in Beirut are learning to stay calm despite the very real threat that unrest could erupt at any moment. One week before the training started, there was an explosion in a Beirut suburb. And halfway into my trip the US sent out an email warning Americans of increased risk of danger and advising us to return home. On the streets, everyday life continued. Life with seemingly more determination and appreciation. Talk about a lesson in presence.
The Effects of Daily Practice
At the beginning of the training, I observed some of the telltale signs of people who have experienced high stress and trauma. These included difficulty focusing and actually being in their bodies. Throughout the first week of practice, the students would squirm in poses unable to be still, eyes darting around the room. After a month of disciplined daily practice, the trainees transformed into focused and emboldened warriors.
During savasana in the final week, a large metal bar holding open the emergency door fell over with a “BANG!” We all jumped at the sound and realization that this could have been a bomb. When living in stressful circumstances the nervous systems becomes primed for danger. The students took a deep breath, readjusted their positions to feel safe (some opted to finish in seated meditation or laying on the belly), and continued resting. They demonstrated their new ability to relax and recover even in the midst of stress and uncertainty.
We Are All Yogis
I love to travel beyond the familiarity of daily life. It is easy to be blinded by dissimilarities and the misconception that we are different, right, or better leads to conflict. While Lebanon is open-minded in many ways, disagreements over views are rooted in the daily culture. In the yoga training, a group of diverse individuals became a kind of family, a communion of strangers seldom seen in this part of the globe. Despite deeply embedded patterns of discord, the Beirut training gathered people of different religions, politics, and upbringings for a common purpose. For eight hours every day they were not Lebanese, Syrian or Saudi, Muslim, Christian, or Druze. They were yogis.
Sarah Ezrin is the author of The Yoga of Parenting: Ten Yoga-Based Practices to Help You Stay Grounded, Connect with Your Kids, and Be Kind to Yourself. She is a freelance writer, yoga educator, and content creator based in the Bay Area. Her willingness to be unabashedly honest and vulnerable along with her innate wisdom, make her writing, teaching, and social media great sources of healing and connection for many people.
Sarah brings a wide spectrum of life experiences into everything she does. She is unafraid of sharing all sides of herself. She does so in the hope of giving others permission to be their most authentic self. At this time, when honest self-awareness is so important, Sarah’s is an essential and exemplary voice.
Sarah writes extensively on the subjects of yoga, parenting, and mental health, often interweaving these themes. Her work ranges from heavily-reported assignments to personal essays to blog content for brands. She is a regular contributor for Yoga Journal Magazine, Motherly, Yoga International, Healthline, Scary Mommy, Mind Body Green, Mantra Magazine, and LA Yoga Magazine. She has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes Magazine, Bustle, LA Weekly, and NBC News.
Sarah is a well-respected yoga teacher and a leader in the wellness community. A world traveler since birth, she has led trainings, workshops, and retreats locally and across the globe.