Interview with Samaneh Mojaveri, also known as Sam, who left an oil & gas company to become a yogi and nomad
Interview by: Ana S. Gad
To those who don’t know you, how would you describe yourself? Who is Samaneh Mojaveri?
Samaneh, also known as Sam, was an HR/Admin Director at an oil and gas company. She left that role after losing her mom. Now, I am a yogi and nomad, coming from the Kriya Yoga lineage.
Can you tell us about your journey into yoga and what inspired you to become a certified RYT 500 yogi?
Yoga, like life, is a never-ending journey for me. I experienced the Sivananda Ashram lifestyle in Kerala, India, followed by 200 hours of teacher training with Total Yoga. I continued my learning with my mentor, Manish Pole, and was certified as a 500-hour RYT. It’s truly magical that I could spend seven years with my teacher and then be initiated, allowing my learnings to focus on yoga life in a deeper state.
How has your Persian heritage influenced your approach to yoga and wellness?
Coming from one of the most powerful heritages taught me to be strong. When you study other traditions and cultures around the world, you find many similarities, especially in the aspect of strength. The same applies to yoga, as one of the schools of thought. Strength is something you need to build mentally first, and then it will manifest physically.
What does it mean to you to be a “nomad” in both your personal and professional life?
A nomadic lifestyle may seem like heaven to some, but it can also be unrewarding and bitter. For me, this realization came when I started traveling through India to explore more with my teacher. Traveling light required me to be easygoing and adaptable, leaving no room for attachments of any kind. This mental detachment cleared the path for me. I also began to practice the belief that nothing in life is serious. Whether I succeed or fail, life will go on, so it’s better to trust what comes along my path.
What are the key elements of your yoga flow, and how do you incorporate these into your sessions?
I teach Hatha Yoga, the classical form of yoga. Pranayama (breathing techniques), Asana (postures), and Dhyana (meditation) are key elements in my classes. These elements are central to my practice and teaching, developed over years of experience. It’s not something I have to plan in advance; it comes naturally to me.
How do you balance your role as a yoga instructor with your work as an art curator and event organizer?
Being a yoga teacher actually helps me a lot in curating events, whether they are wellness or music-related. It triggers my creativity significantly, and meeting different people from various cultures provides me with so much inspiration to weave into my work.
Can you share some tips for beginners who are just starting their yoga journey?
Practice and remember that yoga is for everyone, so don’t break it down into different stages. After a certain period of practice, it will naturally become your lifestyle, something you live every day.
What is yoga in terms of spirituality?
It’s a very vast topic, so it’s hard to capture it in just a few sentences. But if I were to cut the story short, yoga is essentially a spiritual discipline based on an extremely subtle and ancient science centered on the human experience. Yogic philosophy is the only science on this matter that has remained unbroken over time. It focuses on bringing harmony between the mind and body. Yoga is both an art and science of healthy living.
What drew you to the world of art curation, and how do you integrate wellness into the art events you organize?
As a Persian Yogi, yoga is all about poetry and storytelling for me!
As mentioned, my extensive travels in India have fueled my passion for bringing together Indo-Persian culture. Yoga, inspired by poetry and story, reflects this blend.
Can you tell us more about your involvement in organizing Dubai’s best musical and wellness events?
Having been a yoga teacher for a decade, I’ve had the opportunity to run various events, such as:
– Hosting wellness cruise events with some of the most renowned yoga teachers in the region
– Leading Yoga Nidra sessions
– Serving as an ambassador for the Dubai Fitness Challenge for 5 years and receiving a certification as the Most Influential Instructor of DFC
– Teaching yoga at iconic locations in Dubai, including The Palm View, the Opera House, and the Green Planet
– Conducting over 50 sessions at EXPO 2020
– Running the TANDAV Show at EXPO, which was screened on Sama Dubai TV
– Leading meditation sessions with live music at EXPO
– Organizing the ICE BATH challenge for the first time in Dubai on a cruise
These are just some of my involvements.
What makes these events unique?
Each event and collaboration has its own story.
Read: Mysticism: Love, Lover and the Beloved
What role does art play in your personal wellness routine and in the events you curate?
Music and poetry are the most iconic practices of art for me, truly transporting me out of this world, especially when combined with meditation, storytelling, and discussions on mental health. Without a doubt, poetry and music are the best tools for connection in today’s life.
What is the story behind the founding of RUMInation, and what are its main goals and activities?
The inception of RUMInation dates back to October 1, 2021, when my master, Khalil Sheikh, and I, both deeply passionate about Eastern culture and art, felt a strong need to connect with and share this heritage. In today’s world, being connected to art and culture is essential for everyone. This led to the creation of RUMInation, born from the desire to stage folk events centered around NOMADIC UNTOLD STORIES. The aim is to showcase Persian culture to a broader audience and demonstrate how magnificently it can be interwoven with other cultures, providing a profound platform for sharing these untold stories.
How do you envision the future of RUMInation in the wellness and art community in Dubai and beyond?
RUMInation, as a concept of life and love, aims to revive the tradition of storytelling, especially focusing on untold nomadic stories. By bringing together musicians from around the world, RUMInation highlights the need for humanity to move beyond individualism and unite peacefully. This is achieved through the curation of diverse nomadic stories that foster connection and shared understanding.
In the not-too-distant future, people around the world will turn to the deep-rooted threads of culture and art to preserve themselves and their land. This is the message of RUMInation.
As Rumi says; Empathy is better than talking in one language.
Can you share some memorable experiences or success stories from your work with RUMInation?
Firstly, meeting people from around the world who come to our shows and connect with what we are performing is absolutely wonderful.
Receiving messages from people praising how well the stories and music have integrated with their own culture is incredibly rewarding. RUMInation has opened up opportunities for many musicians from Iran to perform here, allowing audiences to experience a diverse range of musical folk instruments from Morocco, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, and India. It also provides a chance to see various dances, from traditional Iranian and Indian dances to the mesmerizing whirling.
How has living in Dubai influenced your work and personal growth?
Honestly, Dubai is an amazing city for me because it allows me to explore and execute any artistic idea with ease, thanks to its ready and accessible platforms. Living in this cosmopolitan city for 16 years has made it easy to connect with different people, and it truly feels like home.
What do you find most inspiring about the wellness and art scene in Dubai?
Opportunity is the most inspiring thing for me in wellness and art.
If you could compare Dubai to some piece of art, which one would it be?
Folk and fusion music.
Read – Sufi Stories: A Calming Refuge for Mental Well-being and Moral Uplift
How do you see the wellness and art culture evolving in Dubai over the next few years?
Dubai will always be known for its proud traditions and incredibly welcoming atmosphere. With so many nationalities in this city, each has found a home to express themselves and their heritage.
As Dubai continues to evolve, this will remain unchanged. Art, culture, and language will continue to connect people from diverse backgrounds.
What has been the most rewarding part of your journey so far?
Meeting different people is incredibly rewarding for me, and I have immense gratitude for these interactions. I stay motivated and inspired in my multifaceted career through my Yoga Sadhana (Yoga Practice).
What advice would you give to others looking to combine their passions into a cohesive and fulfilling career?
It’s akin to choosing a nomadic lifestyle – it’s not easy, but as they say, “Allow your passion to become your purpose, and it will one day become your profession.”
Read – Khalil Sheikh: A Guardian of Khorasan’s Musical Heritage
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Ana S. Gad is a pen name of the Dubai-based, internationally acclaimed writer, scholar, journalist, editor and digital artist Dr. Ana Stjelja. In 2005 she graduated from the Faculty of Philology from the Turkish Language and Literature Department. In 2009 she earned a Master’s degree in Sufism. In 2012 she obtained her PhD in Serbian Literature (with the thesis on the life and work of one of the first Serbian women writers and world travelers Jelena J. Dimitrijevic). She is an award-winning poet, writer, translator, journalist, independent scientific researcher and editor. She published more than 30 books of different literary genres, and is the author of numerous research papers and essays on literature, feminism and diverse cultures (cultural heritage). She is also a digital artist (with special focus on the graphic design, digital collage art). She is the Editor-in-Chief of various online magazines: the Alia Mundi Magazine for Cultural Diversity, the Enheduana Online Literary Magazine, the Poetryzine, an online magazine for Poets and Poetry in English. She is also the founder and the editor of the Web Portal Eastern Pearl dedicated to the Eastern cultures, Sands and City Magazine, a Dubai-based online magazine on culture of the UAE and Gulf and Art&Act Magazine on art. In 2018 she founded Association Alia Mundi for Promoting Cultural Diversity. In July 2022, she successfully completed the Introduction to Psychology course at the American Yale University, where her lecturer was the university professor and world-famous (Canadian-American) psychologist Paul Bloom. Right now, she is a mentee of the Creative Spotlight Program supported by the British Council and the Thomson Foundation. She is a member of the Association of Writers of Serbia, the Association of Journalists of Serbia, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Europeana Pro.
Courtesy: Sands and City (Online Magazine – Dubai) July 2024
Photo: Samaneh Mojaveri Instagram
Video: YouTube / Khalil Sheikh
