Flight attendant, yoga instructor and health coach - Our power woman in interview
Jan 17, 2022
In the following interview, find out how Sarah moved from equestrian sports to yoga six years ago, how she became mentally and physically stronger and what a "like" on Instagram could do.
Sarah, how long have you been practising yoga and what made you start?
I discovered yoga in 2016 after a serious injury. For more than 10 years I did vaulting (gymnastics on horseback). When I was 16, I fell off my horse during training, after which I was never able to vault again. It took me almost a whole year before I could start doing sport again. Since I always enjoyed sports, I thought about how I would like to exercise from now on. A yoga studio was opened at that time in the town where I lived and I was told yoga could help me with my injury.
How would you describe yourself?
I would describe myself as a fun-loving and open person. I love challenges and growing from them. Travelling, healthy eating, sports and a small community of like-minded people inspire me in life. I am more introverted than extroverted, but I can talk for hours about topics that interest me - especially with people who are also interested. If I have the choice between city and nature, I choose nature. The "simple life" excites me.
Has yoga changed your attitude to life, your appearance or your well-being?
Definitely. I discovered yoga as a tool for my physical well-being. But I quickly realised that yoga not only embodies physical activity, but has a positive impact on all areas of life. With yoga I healed my knee injury, became stronger (physically and mentally), more self-confident, learned a lot about myself, realised where my limits are and when I cross them to grow, and much much more. For me, yoga is a tool to master life with all its facets.
What forms of yoga do you practise?
I have done my trainings in Ashtanga, Vinyasa and Yin Yoga. My favourite yoga to teach and practice is Vinyasa. I like the creative aspect of it; getting on the mat, leaving everything behind, turning on music and just "flowing".
What have you already done for schools?
After graduating from secondary school, I went to grammar school in Germany. I interrupted this after the 10th grade for a one-year high school year in America. Life abroad inspired and changed me so much that I decided to drop out of high school and instead do what I enjoy: a yoga training in India, studies to become a health coach and an apprenticeship as a flight attendant.
Was it always clear to you to do something in this field?
For a long time, it was unclear to me what direction I would like to take in my career. I have always been interested in health, but it is a huge subject area with many professional opportunities. My high school year in Texas helped me a lot to understand what is really important for me in life. Funnily enough, I came to my yoga training in India through a "like" on Instagram from an Indian yoga school. There I met a good friend who told me about an online study to become a health coach - that's how I got into it. After my stay in India, I taught yoga in several studios in Germany. One of my students knew how much I liked travelling and told me that Lufthansa was looking for flight attendants. And so I applied as a flight attendant in 2017 and have been flying around the world ever since.
How did you come to eat a vegan diet?
When I was 12 years old, my family and I went to my uncle's farm. During our stay, a pig was slaughtered there and something clicked in my head. Although I had always known where the meat on our plate came from, it wasn't until this experience that I realised that I definitely didn't want to support this any further. No one in my family ate a vegetarian diet, but for me it was the only morally right way. It wasn't until I was 18 that I asked myself why people went vegan. I thought as a vegetarian I would do anything not to harm animals. I started researching and was shocked at how animals were treated in the dairy and egg industries. So I started to eat vegan - because of the animals. Over time, more and more reasons (e.g. health) were added. In the meantime, my sister, parents, aunt, cousin and friend also live vegan - which makes it a lot easier.
