Marta Sömek 

 

ISTANBUL - Despite facing many obstacles, yoga instructor Berivan Turan, who gives yoga lessons in Kurdish, is a first in this field.

 

Despite the difficulty of the pandemic conditions and social pressures in Istanbul, yoga instructor Berivan Turan, who teaches yoga in her mother tongue Kurdish with great effort, is a first in this field. Expressing that the main reason for giving yoga classes is to keep her mother tongue alive, Berivan emphasizes that there is a lot of interest.

 

‘Why shouldn’t I give a Kurdish yoga lesson!’

 

Emphasizing that when she started yoga, there were instructors who teach in all languages such as English, Persian, French, and Arabic, and she questioned why this art was not practiced in Kurdish. Based on the racist rhetoric of her trainer who said, ‘’How are you going to teach yoga in Kurdish? What do Kurds understand about yoga and art?’’ Berivan says she told her trainer, ‘’I started such a project for my grandfather, father and my mother tongue.’’

 

‘A student of mine is learning yoga just to learn Kurdish’

 

Stating that the pandemic process started when she became a yoga instructor, Berivan states that she tries to give all her classes online through a virtual field. Stating that she still gives her lessons via Zoom. She states that she has students from many places including Stockholm, Berlin, Iran, Mardin and Diyarbakır. Berivan, who gives lessons sometimes in the morning, sometimes in the evening, and sometimes at midnight, records that she sets a time for her students and works accordingly. Pointing out that the number and demand for yoga in Kurdish is very high, Berivan said: ‘’One of my students is learning yoga just to learn Kurdish. I help them as much as I can. After a semester, I want to give group lessons. Later, I want to give group meditation and yoga classes in Kurdish.’’

 

‘I do it for my mother tongue’

 

Saying, “At first I do this for my mother tongue,” Berivan underlines that she wants yoga to spread everywhere in Kurdish. Berivan says the following about the reactions he received: “There are those who support me, those who do not, and those who criticize and condemn me. There were those who said what women and Kurdish have to do with yoga. I got lynched for wearing tights and putting my feet on my head. However, there are also those who say, ‘Walk on this road, we are with you’ and give their support.’’

 

‘When I write yoga in Kurdish, I want everyone to read it’

 

Emphasizing that when she started yoga classes, her non-Kurdish friends gave a lot of support and she was happy about it, Berivan said: ‘’I got very good reactions for teaching yoga in my mother tongue and in Istanbul.’’ She stated that criticized as like ‘’You will open a Kurdish page on the internet, your name will spread over the internet and the Instagram page, you will write articles in Kurdish over the internet, who will read these articles, they will only look at your photos.’’ She said: ‘’I write articles on the internet. I talk about what yoga is and what it is not. But they do not read these articles, they just look at the photos and it makes me very sad. I want everyone to read, share and support me when I write yoga in Kurdish in my mother tongue. However, I believe there will be support slow by slow soon.’’

 

‘I attribute it to all women, especially Kurdish women’

 

While expressing that she attributes the yoga she does in her mother tongue to all women, especially Kurdish women, Berivan emphasizes that she gives the art and the unity desired to be created with all languages, with her mother tongue Kurdish. Berivan, who also specializes in astrology and studying master's degree, always prefers to speak Kurdish both while raising her children and in her work so that her mother tongue can be developed and passed on to generations. Berivan, which enables this transmission to spread together by creating a circle on women, also provides training to women through zoom using many methods such as breathing exercises and saluting the sun. Berivan said: ‘’One of my woman student managed to stay on her head in a month.’’ Berivan stated that she has reached many women with the yoga she teaches, and that she is quite happy about this.

 

Berivan finally aims to reach generations by noting that she set out with the aim of keeping her mother tongue Kurdish alive and making a difference in society within the framework of art.

 

Berivan's works can be accessed via her Instagram account here:

 

(https://www.instagram.com/berivan_yogakurdi/)