Negeen Aram- London Yoga Teacher — The Beautiful Societies

Woman of color eyes closed in a meditative pose — Book online yoga classes with Negeen here.

Welcome to our latest series, Lifestyle Science. These are interviews we are doing with POC leaders in the health and wellness industries where we deep dive into their lifestyle. They give us their personal guide to living well so your in touch with emerging wellness trends, nutrition and self-care for glowing mental and physical health.

Negeen’s Lifestyle

Growing up

I was born in Tooting and still live in South London. My parents are from Iran so I grew up in an Iranian household. I really had the best of both, having the Iranian sense of family and really enjoying the freedom that comes with London. I’m grateful to be an Iranian woman who got to experience the freedom and diversity of living in London even though there is so much work that still needs to be done in terms of inclusivity.

How I found yoga

I started my yoga journey with Bikram when I was about 18 or 19 when I was deciding what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

My mum was an accountant and she had an accountancy office very close to my secondary school. I wasn’t enjoying A levels and really just wanted to be out there doing life. I worked at my mum’s company for a while and really didn’t want to go to uni. But when A Level results day came and everyone was going to uni, I felt like maybe this is what everyone is supposed to do! So I also went to uni to study accountancy part-time but I didn’t end up getting my degree because I found yoga! I took some time to make my decision and it was the best decision I ever made.

I had a really good friend at the time, Sury, who introduced me to yoga. He was very spiritual and into the more meditative side of yoga and he was doing other kind of energy work as well. I’ve also always been really chill and wanted to learn how to have a better handle on responding better to emotions and life happenings without being reactive. I also wanted to have a better relationship with myself. I think alot of us go through life without knowing who we are.

I just researched the nearest yoga studio to my house and found a Bikram studio. I thought it seemed really hot especially for 90 minutes and then I put it off for a while! I’m a really shy person so it took me a while to get myself to go for it.

I loved my first class and that was it for me. I knew this was the thing for me. After my first class lying down in shavasana at the end, sweaty, hot, a big mess, it just felt so right. I wanted to share that sense of stillness I experienced on that first class. I also wanted to spend my life doing what I love instead of doing an office job. I know some people love being in an office but it was just really not for me. I am so grateful for all the things that led me to yoga.

I did an intensive teacher training course at Hot Power Yoga in Clapham which was really good. I’m happy I did it in my South London hub where I live and where I grew up. It felt less about stepping out of reality and more about how do I weave yoga into my reality and let yoga shape my bit of the world. I wanted to also find a style of yoga that really worked for me and I chose Vinyasa. For me, I feel like I’m sharing rather than teaching because even though each of us are better at different things we are ultimately all the same.

My beauty journey

I went through a period of not having great skin and it was really hard. It was such a feeling of helplessness – changing my food wasn’t working and my skin products weren’t working. It took me a while to come to terms with it and yoga helped me accept myself.

I started with Bikram yoga and there’s a mirror in front of the class so you have to stand there for 90 minutes staring at yourself in that heat! You go through fluctuations between the emotions, discomfort, struggle, and just general thoughts coming and going. And you have to look at yourself the whole time while all of that is going on in your head. That changed everything for me. I’d be watching myself while practicing and I would think “your not so bad”! I just learned to accept myself.

Before that time, I did go through periods of not feeling so pretty and not wanting to go out. All of this seems so trivial and small now but at the time, especially when your are younger, it feels like such a big deal.

My beauty routine

Face

I have combination skin. In the winter my skin gets dry and I can get random breakouts.

Recently, I’ve invested in some new products from Tropic Skincare which has been amazing. They’re vegan and don’t have nasties, smell beautiful and are affordable. They feel so nourishing. Having spent years looking for products and trying products that never fit my skin, I was so happy to find Tropic.

I have the same routine for both morning and evening.

I start with the Clear Skies Cleansing Powder. It’s a water-activated cleansing powder so all you have to do is mix it with some water. It’s milky in texture and feels like cleansing milk. I wash my face with it morning and night. It feels quite hydrating and you don’t have that dry tight feeling that you get after some face washes.

I exfoliate with the Mineral Peel Face from O.R.G. Skincare. It’s so quick and easy. It’s a face spray! All you do is spray it on, let it absorb for a couple of secs and then massage using your fingers to remove your dead skin. Then just wash! It is so gentle. It’s more about removing the dirty layers off your skin and less about scrubbing the skin and being harsh. I’ll exfoliate once or twice a week if my skin is dry. In the summer, I exfoliate every other week.

Every now and then, I’ll use the Clear Skin Blemish Fighting Mask. It has bamboo charcoal, spirulina and ginger and is great for helping with blemishes. I use it quite sporadically when I feel like I want to pamper myself!

I don’t use moisturizer on my skin – I’ve never really found one that I enjoy using or works on my skin, it’s either too heavy or too watery. But I really love the serums and oils from Tropic, they aren’t greasy but they’re really hydrating.

Instead of a moisturizer, I apply the Pure Lagoon Blemish Prevention Serum which has prebiotics to ward off bacteria, blue spirulina which is anti-inflammatory and soothing and hyaluronic acid for hydration.

I follow the serum up with the Super Greens Nutrient Boost Oil which has kale, broccoli, tamanu oil and green coffee. It’s so nice under makeup as well and gives you a nice little glow. I don’t always do this oil every day, just whenever I feel I need it.

Body

I also use the Tropic Bath Pebbles to shower. They feel grainy so have bits in them, unlike soap which is smooth. You get a luxurious creamy wash and it exfoliates at the same time. You can use it in your hair as well. They have lots of flavours. The Original has a nice fresh smell and I also like the Zest Mojito which is minty-lemony and smells just like summer. I really love them, they last forever too!

I use coconut oil to moisturize my skin every day. I apply it straight out of the shower. I like the way it feels and smells. If I am wearing something sheer, I use Nuxe Body Oil and body lotion. The smell and consistency are great.

Hair

I also use the Tropic Bath Pebbles to shower. They feel grainy so have bits in them, unlike soap which is smooth. You get a luxurious creamy wash and it exfoliates at the same time. You can use it in your hair as well. They have lots of flavours. The Original has a nice fresh smell and I also like the Zest Mojito which is minty-lemony and smells just like summer. I really love them, they last forever too!

I use coconut oil to moisturize my skin every day. I apply it straight out of the shower. I like the way it feels and smells. If I am wearing something sheer, I use Nuxe Body Oil and body lotion. The smell and consistency are great.

My hair is on the dry side and its thick, wavy and curly and does what it wants to do – its different everyday!

My hair length usually fluctuates between earlobe length and shoulder length! My hairstyle is actually a complete accident. I used to have really long hair, up to my bum. I was always fearful of the hairdressers because I was afraid they would take too much off! In 2012/13, I went to the Vidal Sassoon Academy where they train their hairdressers and do cheap, high quality hair cuts. I just went in and told them I needed a bit of a change. The guy took a pair of scissors and just cut off my hair just at the ears! He then said, is that ok? And I was like, well, its got to be now that you’ve cut it off!

I don’t think I would have ever gone this short if he hadn’t done that! I felt like a bit of a mushroom top for a while but then it really grew on me when it started growing out. It feels like me now! I try to grow my hair but it never sticks, I love the bounce and feeling of a short hair style. I feel like my hair has much more life when its short!

I’ve not found products I really love for my hair as yet. I usually just go to Boots, have a look around and pick up something. I tend to use nourishing and volumising products and I like leave in conditioners.

Once a month, I’ll massage coconut oil into my hair and leave it overnight. I also massage a few drops of coconut oil into my hair ends sometimes to smooth my hair before I go out.

My wind-down routine

I love yoga (obviously) but when I’m on my own I find it hard to do a full yoga session. I really love the class setting. When I’m at home, I may have a little play with some gentle stretching like pigeon, frog and hip openers – just anything I can do lying down.

I love activities that can be done at a snail's pace lol! Reading, listening to music and meditating in bed all help me wind down.

My favourite book is Women Who Run With the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Pinkola Estés. Each chapter touches on old fairy tales and old wives’ tales to dissect archetypes related to women and how you can use these old lessons. It’s an amazing book.

My food

My family is Iranian and we eat lots of rice and meat. I love the food, so beautiful!

But I have started exploring going vegan or more vegetarian at least. For the last two months, I’ve been trying Gousto Boxes which is a delivery service that sends you ingredients and recipes. I’ve just been having vegan or vegetarian meals and it’s been great. Sometimes, I get a real craving for fast food like fried chicken but overall its been a positive change. It feels nice to not feel sluggish or heavy. I can’t say I’ve had a huge change in energy or anything but I do feel lighter and I feel like I can eat a lot more. My favourite is the Spiced Lentil Stew – green lentils, tomatoes and lots of chilli which I crave every now and then.