In conversation with: Aisha Nash

Aisha Nash left her career as an award-winning pastry chef and worked in Michelin-starred restaurants after the stress of the job took hold of both her body and mind. After practicing with her mother as a child, she rediscovered yoga to rehabilitate after an injury and she hasn't looked back since. Aisha wanted the practice that helped her be completely happy with exactly who she is, but she found that she didn't feel like she fit the mold of a yoga teacher that studios were looking for and has worked hard to create a safe space for anyone who might have similar experiences in a yoag studio. Aisha now teaches classes that focus on inclusivity, diversity and self-love with what she calls her anti-diet yoga approach. We caught up with her to hear about her journey and what lies ahead.

Can you tell us a little more about your journey and what brought you to yoga?

I got off the bus at the wrong stop and found a yoga studio…

All jokes aside, I had been doing yoga since I was a child - thanks to my mother.

When I went on sick leave as a chef, I was in a cast and could barely walk a few steps without help. I needed to rehabilitate my body and since I had previously practiced yoga, I attended the gentlest yoga classes available in my area.

This made me feel better and eventually realize that I didn't want to be a chef again. It was a joyful experience – but it bored me. Three months of the same dessert menu is incredibly boring.

So I signed up for my first yoga teacher training – the rest is history.

You have left a world with a lot of stress and high pressure. Do you have any advice for someone in a similar job or situation?

Unfortunately, I'm an incredibly practical person. So if you don't have the financial means, you may not be able to just get up and quit.

If you are unable to leave the situation, I would advise you to work on setting boundaries between yourself and your work and seek mental health care as you can afford it and prioritize your health as you can.

If you can leave the situation, also learn the art of saying no, seek psychological help in every possible way, and take care of your body - it has been through a lot.

After deciding you wanted to share and teach yoga, you realized you didn't fit in studios. How was that?

Honestly, it was terrible. There were so many times I doubted myself and wished I could be a chef again.

Luckily, I had incredible people who supported me and resources in the form of The Yoga is Dead podcast - who let me know I wasn't alone in this.

I find it truly absurd that a South Asian yoga teacher would feel unwelcome and unwanted in an industry that profits from South Asian culture.

I later realized that it wasn't just that South Asian yoga teacher, but all of us.

The industry has turned our heritage, an entire philosophy full of scriptures and ancient beliefs, into a 60-minute workout filled with racist diet culture, Instagram-friendly gymnastics, and the misappropriation of the word Namaste.

If that's not a slap in the face, I don't know what is.

This led you to develop your anti-diet yoga approach. Tell us a little more about it.

Anti-diet yoga is about getting back to what it should be – removing racist diet culture, ableist gymnastics, and conventional “workout” elements and replacing them with improved awareness and respect for our own bodies. It's about teaching acceptance of the body and learning how we feel - both physically and mentally.

You've created an entire platform dedicated to supporting others who struggle with body image. How was this trip?

Long and slow but very rewarding! Trying to undo some deeply held beliefs about weight stigma, “clean eating,” and yoga as a fitness class is hard work. People have been constantly fed misinformation from the government by celebrities, their GPs and fitness professionals. Therefore, it takes a lot of research and shouting from the rooftops/Instagram to get my message across. But the payoff always comes when a person DMs me because a post caused the penny to drop in their own minds, and they realized that much of the pressure they felt to meet certain beauty standards was actually based on pseudoscience and had nothing to do with their health or worth as a human being.

What’s next for you and where can people take your courses and workshops?

Christmas dinner with my mother-in-law, may God have mercy on my soul...

I am currently teaching via Zoom. All details can be found on my website. Most days I teach a class.

I'm collaborating with Tejal, the creator of ABCDYogi, for my last workshop of the year on December 11th. However, the replay will be available for the next two weeks.

I'm planning on taking a few weeks off in January to work on a Body Acceptance Coaching subscription through Patreon. All information will be shared with those on my mailing list. So if you are interested this is the best place.

To learn more about Aisha and keep up with her class and workshop schedule, visit her website Here.