Farah Delicia Hussain was born in Guyana, but moved to New York when she was four years old. She is a certified Kripalu yoga teacher and Thai massage therapist. Her family’s cultural and religious history, coupled with the trials of being an immigrant and a first-generation American, instilled a desire for self-exploration and healing. Her philosophy of yoga honours self-study balanced with a deep responsibility to enhance community and environmental health.
While Farah was introduced to yoga poses as a child, she started practicing meditation 14 years ago. The wisdom of the practice and its power to transform led Farah on a pilgrimage to India to study mantra and pranayama and its effects on the mind. Eventually, she found her way to the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health for formal yoga studies, where she received her certification.
She has also done additional training in various aspects of yoga, including Ayurveda (Dr. Vasant Lad and Swami Mayatitananda), Iyengar Yoga (Rodney Yee), Tantra (Yoganand Michael Carroll), yoga therapy (Gary Kraftsow and Dr. Loren Fishman), and Thai Yoga Bodywork (Lotus Palm) — resulting in over 500 hours of teacher training and 1,000 hours of teaching experience. Farah is currently continuing her education in Integrative Yoga Therapy, Ayurvedic Medicine, and Thai Yoga Massage.
With a degree in International Development & Public Affairs from Cornell, Farah has worked for over a decade in NGO development and community organising with a strong focus toward improving the health, education and economic welfare of marginalised groups. Her professional background includes providing technical support for small business owners through Alternatives Federal Credit Union, facilitating countywide youth leadership training and managing youth programs through Cooperative Extension, building capacity for a global technology cooperative, developing home permaculture gardens, and training health caregivers in rural South African clinics.
With a deep love for process-work, she spent three years in Sub-Saharan Africa working under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. She consulted with HIV/AIDS NGOs, community-based organisations, and micro-enterprises on capacity building initiatives related to strategic planning, programme design and implementation, financial systems and organizational development. She has also taught yoga in rural African villages, retreat centres, ashrams, yoga studios, and at Cornell University. Currently, she sees clients one-on-one for yoga therapy and Thai bodywork, as she prepares for graduate studies in clinical social work.
Farah is forever grateful to her family for the rich culture they have bestowed upon her and for all their sacrifices. She thanks her husband for his devotion and commitment to being on this journey with her. She bows to the wisdom that came before her and has gratitude for all her teachers both past and present, of all spiritual and religious paths.
Learn more about Farah’s work at www.farahdelicia.com (Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)
