Traveling Beauties: Sanáa

Tell us about a bit about who you are and what you do.
My name is Sanaa and I am a recent PhD graduate from the University of Florida. I am currently pursuing my passion for yoga. I am taking a risk that many are afraid to do and it’s to do what I love. I have been traveling all over the world trying to inspire and motivate many to be the best versions of them. And I am more than grateful to have a platform to do so.

How long have you been practicing yoga? Is it a hobby, side job, or full-time?
I have been practicing yoga since 2013. As of now, it is my full-time job. I am trying to pursue what I love and hopefully one day I am able to live off of it. It’s hard to not use my PhD degree in engineering and have a secure career, but I believe it will be even harder to stay away from pursuing what I love. I know what yoga does for me mentally, emotionally and physically, and I would like everyone I encounter to get the same benefits.

How does yoga affect your day-to-day?
Well, yoga really helps me deal very well with what life throws at me on a daily basis. I am in a much happier place in my life. Not saying that I don’t struggle, I just deal with it better. I react to those struggles in a much more positive attitude. If I can control the situation, I will do something about it. If I can’t, then there’s no reason to stress about it because that won’t change anything.

You have some amazing yoga-inspired travel photos on Instagram. So you practice just about everywhere you go?
It is safe to say that I do. I travel a lot and yoga is part of my daily life, so yes I incorporate my practice everywhere I go.

What are your top 3 trips of all time? And what made them so special?
Hmm this is a tough one…I would love to say, South Africa, Austria and Philippines. I choose those places because of scenery. By far three of the most beautiful countries I’ve been to. The culture, the history, the mountains, the people, just everything about those countries was just so captivating.

What do you love most about travel?
I would say, the experience of meeting different people and learning about their cultures. It always excites me to learn about how people from different countries do things. It fascinates me!

What has been your most unique travel experience to date?
I believe the most unique travel experience would be my trip to South Africa. I can’t even describe in words the beauty of this country. Being able to see the animals up close, being on the mountains to look at what God has created; it just took my breath away. I would suggest everyone visit South Africa. It’s a life changing experience.

What are your dream trips?
This is a hard question to answer. I want to travel everywhere! I literally have a list of countries I must visit! I guess the top ones would be Brazil, Japan and Maldives. So hopefully I get to visit these countries soon!
