How Sirma Found Her Place in Yoga — and Why Access Changes Everything

Sirma didn't come to yoga the way many teachers do. There was no single breakthrough moment, no retreat that changed everything. Yoga was simply always there.

"My mom is a yoga teacher," she explains, "so yoga and wellness were not completely separate from my everyday world — they were something I saw, felt, and grew up around."

Growing up in Turkey, movement and care were woven into daily life. Only later would she recognize how much that early exposure had shaped her — giving her a foundation for understanding wellness not just as physical exercise, but as a way of being with yourself.

Wellness Is Not One-Size-Fits-All

When Sirma entered the mainstream wellness world, she brought something many spaces weren't designed to hold: a different cultural frame.

"I come from a community where healing, movement, family, and care can look different from the wellness spaces we often see represented," she says. "Because of that, I am aware that wellness is not one-size-fits-all."

People arrive at the mat with different bodies, histories, access points, and relationships to movement. Sirma's response isn't to flatten those differences — it's to make space for them.

The Weight of the Teacher's Role

Teacher training shifted something in Sirma. She began to see yoga not just as movement, but as responsibility.

"Teaching yoga carries a real responsibility," she reflects. "A teacher can have a beautiful presence or a strong personal practice, but still miss important details that affect students' safety and experience."

That realization didn't intimidate her — it grounded her. It deepened her commitment to continuous study, humility, and showing up with intention every time she steps to the front of a room.

Why Access Matters

Passion and discipline are not what keeps people from teaching. Money is.

"Access is such a big part of wellness," Sirma says. "Many people have the desire to teach or practice, but financial barriers can make those opportunities feel out of reach."

That's why scholarship programs like the Breathe Foundation exist — not as charity, but as a correction. The wellness world is richer when it reflects the full range of people in it. When we fund a teacher like Sirma, we fund every student she will ever reach.

Want to help make teacher training accessible to more people like Sirma? Learn about Breathe Foundation scholarships and how your support creates more diverse, inclusive leaders in yoga and wellness.