Hiba Dlewati

“

Hiba walked into her first yoga class in Beirut Lebanon in where she was working as a journalist covering the neighboring conflict in Syria her country of origin She had joined the class to regain strength and flexibility after a leg injury had her off her feet for a few months But the healing Hiba experienced in her yoga practice extended beyond the physical and she found herself frequently returning to the mat over the years to feel more rooted and grounded - and to cope with symptoms of PTSD In she completed her hour yoga teacher training with Chris Chavez in Istanbul Turkey at the Cihangir Yoga Studio  Hibas practice is dynamic adapting to the needs of the class and focused on accessible mindful and alignment-based movement Its an invitation to slow down from a hectic schedule or mind breathe deeply and move with ones body not against it  Hiba is natively bilingual in English and Arabic and a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism After a decade working in journalism and filmmaking and living across the Middle East Europe and parts of Latin America and the US she now lives in Tampa with her husband Hiba teaches weekly at the Essential You Yoga studio in New Tampa and the IMX Pialtes and Fitness Center in Carrollwood She is continuing her education in yoga at the Lotus Pond Center in Tampa and still works on the occasional documentary Hiba loves to dance write cook and is happiest by the water.