I've dedicated my life to sharing the practice of yoga with others. I think that cultivating and sharing tools for deepening awareness helps promote dignity, self respect, and compassion and healthy relationships. My girlfriend says I'm basically a "yoga monk."

When I'm not in practice, I can be found eating vegan comfort food while watching a hilariously bad movie, in a conversation about the incomprehensible intelligence of the universe, or occasionally spinning vinyl records of psychedelic funk grooves.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Despite lots of friends who have surfed, I'm a newbie! I've got a lot of travel coming up this year, and I am excited to meet new people in new places. As a Pakistani American who has spent a lot of time in Central and South America, I know how to hang with lots of different people.

Interests

• vegan
• yoga
• philosophy
• science
• nature
• science fiction
• metaphysics
• djing
• vegan food
• veganism
• trees
• awareness
• records
• psychedelic rock
• psychedelic music
• science and technology
• vinyl records
• energy healing
• psychedelic art
• awakening
• yoga and meditation
• energy medicine
• philosophical conversations
• energy work
• philosophy of mind
• dharma yoga
• vortex healing

Music, Movies, and Books

I have thousands of vinyl records ranging from psychedelic rock to classical Indian music. I like jazz, funk, soul, and music from all over the world. Some of the music I've been listening to recently: Fela Kuti & Ginger Baker - Live, The Zombies - Odyessey and Oracale, Jorge Ben Jor - Force Bruta, The Sapphire Thinkers - From Within.

I love both really high production, beautiful, and compelling artful films, and low-budget, trashy, and horribly bad movies. I have watched entirely too much television and movies.

I read a lot of non-fiction books about philosophy, both eastern and western. I also have a big collection of yogic scriptures from various different traditions, as well as have studied and read from I-Ching and Tarot. I also recently started listening to audio-books as I travel and have enjoyed a few science fiction novels recently (Ready Player One, and The Three-Body Problem).

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

I traveled to Pakistan last year for the first time (with my mom) and visited 10 Sufi Shrines. Connecting with my own cultural heritage was something I hadn't experienced to a great degree growing up in the US. I found it really fascinating, inspiring, confusing, and challenging. I learned a great deal about myself, at almost 40 years old, that I don't know would have happened without being in my ancestral homeland.

Teach, Learn, Share

I have been teaching yoga and meditation professionally for 10 years, and sharing energy healing (vortex healing) in private and group sessions for the last 5 years. I am happy to share more information about either, if you are interested.

What I Can Share with Hosts

I am happy to share presence, conversation (light and genial or heavy and philosophical/spiritual), life experiences, insight, emotional/energetic support. I am also happy to pitch in, with clear instructions, on helping prepare food, clean, or do other kinds of fix-it work that needs to be done. I am glad to share in any way I can be of service, whether sharing tools and techniques I've learned through yoga/healing work, to things I've learned through non-violent communication/mediation experiences.

Countries I’ve Visited

Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States