Meet Sara Syed of Ohio

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Syed.

Hi Sara, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Sara’s journey into yoga began in high school in 2008, during a time when she was navigating the depths of addiction, anxiety, depression, and disordered eating. At the edge of a personal crisis, she reached a turning point. Fortunately, she found healing through the ancient wisdom of yoga and meditation—tools that offered her a way back to herself.

Since 2012, Sara has deeply studied the chakra system through a psycho-spiritual lens, using this framework to explore and release repressed trauma. Through this work, she uncovered the root causes of her suffering and began the process of lasting transformation. Today, the chakras remain a core part of her personal and professional life, guiding her into balance and self-awareness.

In 2014, Sara completed her first 200-hour yoga teacher training in Cahuita, Costa Rica. Committed to service, she taught yoga for free to students and staff at The University of Akron for a full year. Her intention was to practice, give back, and share yoga’s healing power.

Over the years, Sara has taught tens of thousands of hours of yoga and meditation in a wide variety of settings—elementary schools, high schools, universities, fitness centers, yoga studios, festivals, juvenile detention centers, addiction treatment programs, and mental health facilities.

Sara’s love for growth and service has taken her to over 50 countries, where she has volunteered with children, taught English, supported animal sanctuaries, and—of course—shared yoga wherever possible.

In 2016, Sara embarked on a three-month solo pilgrimage to India, where she completed her 300-hour advanced yoga training in Mysore at Yoga Darshanam. She also studied at the K. Pattabhi Jois Ashtanga Yoga Institute under Saraswathi Jois. That journey deepened her devotion to spiritual practice, surrender, and cultural immersion.

In 2017, Sara discovered Vipassana meditation, studying in the lineage of S.N. Goenka. Since then, she has completed seven 10-day silent meditation retreats and has also served as a manager in two of these courses as an act of seva to help others along the spiritual path. In total, Sara has spent over 70 days in complete silence, deepening her connection to stillness, discipline, and self-inquiry.

In 2018, Sara became the owner of The Studio Cleveland, a wellness center in Downtown Cleveland. Her mission is to make it an inclusive and healing sanctuary for all who seek peace.

She began leading 200-hour yoga teacher trainings in 2019 and has since expanded to offer meditation intensives, retreats, and continuing education programs.

In 2022, she was approved to host 300-hour yoga teacher trainings through Yoga Alliance and became the proud owner of her second studio, Lakewood Yoga. She also grew the beloved Yoga for Every BODY outdoor donation-based series, offering thousands of Clevelanders accessible yoga in nature.

Most recently, in 2026, Sara lost both of her yoga studios and outdoor donation-based yoga program in a divorce. She is now focusing on returning to her personal practice, which has become one of the biggest blessings in her present day, along with the birth of her wonderful son, Wendell Raj.

Sara now focuses on helping women rebuild after experiencing tragic situations. Sara is passionate about sharing the authentic traditions of yoga as rooted in ancient Vedic philosophy. She hopes to carry the torch of traditional and authentic yoga in this modern age full of watered-down, westernized and commercialized yoga. Authentic & traditional yoga has been a lifeline for Sara since high school, now at age 35 she continues to be inspired and find vitality, happiness and peace (even amongst the storms of life) largely because of this practice; she hopes to share this life-saving intervention and ancient healing with others, especially with women who have endured many battles in life, as a means to share these ancient tools for healing, inner transformation and personal growth.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Our main challenges in life are always internal, aren’t they? *wink*
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Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I currently host international and regional yoga, meditation, wellness & adventure retreats. The retreats are typically held in high energy and spiritual locations, with an emphasis on spiritual practice throughout the retreats. We also have lots of fun on these retreats with unforgettable excursions, beautiful locations, amazing food, and just overall amazing vibes.

I also host yoga and meditation teacher trainings throughout northeast Ohio (and sometimes internationally!)

I feel so lucky and blessed to have studied and practice with some wonderful, well-respected yoga and meditation teachers throughout the years. These people have not only helped shape my practice, but in turn, they also helped to shape my life. The experiences I have had with wonderful spiritual and yogic teachers throughout the adult life have been transformational, healing, and eye-opening. The yoga and meditation teacher training I offer is a direct result of the experiences I have had while studying and practicing yoga in India over the course of several months, Nepal, Egypt, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and the US.
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My teacher trainings are rooted in the authentic teachings of yoga as passed down from my teachers (who received the lessons from their teachers. My lineages include Ashtanga Yoga as taught by Sarath Jois and Vipassana Meditation, a meditation technique passed down by Gautama Buddha.

My immersive teacher trainings teach yoga as a lifestyle rather than a practice that exists only on a yoga mat. My courses are full of yoga philosophy, spiritual insights, practical application of spiritual wisdom, spiritual growth, interpersonal growth, social growth, while also remaining deeply rooted in the ancient traditions.
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This internationally acclaimed and Yoga Alliance and American Yoga Council approved Yoga and Meditation Teacher Training is designed for the dedicated, spiritually curious, and open-hearted individual seeking to deepen their understanding of themselves, yoga, and the art of helping others.

More than just a teacher certification, this program serves as an immersive journey into personal growth, healing, and transformational expansion on every level — mind, body, and spirit.

✔ Yoga Alliance Registered School (RYS 200 & 300)
✔ American Yoga Council Approved Teacher Training Curriculum
✔ Certified through the Yoga Alliance as E-RYT 500+, YACEP, RYS 200, RYS 300
✔ Certified through the American Yoga Council as Level 3 (CYT-L3)
✔ Over 300+ Graduates in 200 Hour & 300 Hour YTTS, and 50-Hour Meditation Teacher Training
✔ Top-Rated & High Quality Authentic Yoga and Meditation Teacher Trainings since 2019
✔ Master’s in Education in Curriculum & Instruction, Bachelor’s in Psychology
✔ Practicing since 2008, teaching since 2014

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
I see the industry of wellness moving away from quick fads and returning back to timeless approaches to life. Hopefully with the influx of Ai and technology, people will get an urge to return to the slower pace of life.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sarasyedyoga.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/saranadiasyed
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/saranadiasyed