International Yoga Day 2024: Settled in Goa, this German content creator found solace in the ancient practice

Married to a Rajasthan man, this German fell in love with India, and ended up incorporating the ancient practice into her life.

With International Yoga Day, celebrated worldwide on June 21, indianexpress.com spoke to Sharma about her 9-year yoga journey and how it elevated her well-being in times when health has become a luxury.

“Germany has no idea about that (Yoga). So back then, I usually watched YouTube videos and eventually learned about yoga, but more in a fitness way, less in the traditional way. So, I was inspired and started doing the yoga workout, seeing it on YouTube tutorials. Eventually, I got to know about Yoga Vidya,” Sharma says.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Juli Sharma (@namastejuli)

Asked how she gets the motivation to stay consistent with her yoga practice, Sharma says, “It is difficult. To be honest, I try to practice yoga every day. So, on days when I’m not feeling that well, I will do Yin Yoga. On days when I’m full of energy, I do Ashtanga yoga. And on days when I’m not having time at all, I will do at least 20 Surya Namaskars. And I’m very proud of it because that was my New Year’s resolution.”

“Sometimes I might be stressed. So, I feel like when I’m doing yoga in the morning, my day just flows. And that feeling is what gives me the motivation. Like you take what you learn in the practice, what you experience, you carry it along through the day,” she adds.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Juli Sharma (@namastejuli)

In simpler words, Yoga is the state of being and this enlightenment does not come easy. For Sharma, the yogic practice works well with meditation. “I’m practicing mindfulness. What I noticed is that I am healing through yoga and meditation. Some traumas happened in childhood or maybe in the past. I researched about it and it’s a sign of healing. It’s like we are like the sea. We are with those thoughts and the stress of daily life. The sea is always with the wind. So you can’t see. But once it’s calm, you can see through the ground,” Sharma says.

Moving to a country as culturally rich as India was something Sharma had not planned for. Settled in South Goa now, the content creator highlighted the spiritual part of the state, which is mostly summed up as the OG party place with friends. “In the south, you will find a lot of yoga schools, like colleges, where you can do the yoga teacher training, which I have done,” she says.

When asked about cultural differences on how yoga is practiced in other countries, Sharma — who has travelled to several countries as a flight attendant — says, “It’s very Westernized. It’s all about making money. So, in the West, even the positions are slightly different. I would say what we are doing in the West is more or less like a relaxed yoga workout. It’s not proper yoga.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Juli Sharma (@namastejuli)

There is nothing better than listening to the crash of the waves while doing your regular yoga, she says. Sharing her best memory of her yogic journey, Sharma says, “Yoga on the beach. I would say yoga outside is much more connecting than doing it indoors. But in the end, it doesn’t matter. You can hear the waves. You can feel the sand on your feet. Also, it happened coincidentally that my first headstand happened on the beach.”

With over a million followers and several videos about her lifestyle, Sharma got her dues when she was nominated for the first-ever National Creators Awards 2024 under the Best International Content Creator category. “It was a big honour. I didn’t win but life is not about winning (it is) about the journey. I met a lot of content creators there and seeing Modi ji in person felt amazing.”