5min with Julie Lewis

Julie Lewis has lived and worked in the Middle East and Asia for over twenty years, the last seven being right here in Abu Dhabi. Julie’s background is in sports science, she spent 18 years in the health and fitness industry and then took a sabbatical during which she climbed her first mountain at the tender age of 40. She experienced an epiphany at the top of the mountain ( Mount Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia ) and on her return to the UAE in 2003 she started her own adventure travel company Mountain High Me (www.mountainhighme.com). Over the last 16 years she has lead 60 expeditions and retreats around the globe to include the Arctic and Antarctica and loves inspiring others to realize their own highest potential. She loves dog-sledding in the Arctic, climbing mountains , swimming , kayaking , yin yoga, dancing , meeting new people and learning new skills.

Julie specializes in resilience and wellness programs and is a sought-after speaker and program facilitator ( www.julie-lewis.com)

She believes in the power of an integrated approach to life and work – physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. She’s an avid book reader , lover of crystals and angel cards .

Tell us about your yoga jounnery

I have always been an advocate for yoga and started attending classes when I was a university student back in Sheffield 35 years ago ! Yoga enabled me to take focused time out to stretch my body and mind- a calm space to ground and centre myself as well as make many new friends !

How did it change your life

Yoga was the perfect addition to my lifestyle which was , and still is ,very active. I am a great believer in the transformative and restorative power of yoga as an antidote to our fast and ever -changing modern day life. Yoga allows me to get out of my mind and into my body and to be more flexible!

How did it change the way you think and the way you view life?

Yoga brings me joy and peace of mind. It has taught me to live in the present and go with the flow.

What type of yoga do you practice and why

I really enjoy YIN yoga as it’s the perfect combination with all the YANG activities I do! At 57 years young I know how important it is to maintain healthy connective tissue and to juice up my joints !