Cameron Alborzian, also known as Yogi Cameron, is an Iranian-born, British former supermodel, Ayurvedic practitioner, and wellness ambassador. He gained attention in the 1990s for his modeling work with prominent fashion brands such as Versace, Chanel, Valentino, and his starting role with Madonna in the video “Express Yourself.” Cameron eventually transitioned from the fashion industry and studied Ayurveda and Yoga in India. As an author of four books on well-being, he travels around the world speaking, coaching, and advising people on longevity and how to use Ayurvedic medicine as a part of a wellness lifestyle.

**Left:**
Shirt by ATELIER CILLIAN
**Right:**
Suit by Le Catou

Tell us about your journey from being a successful fashion model to becoming an Ayurveda and yogic practitioner? What inspired this transition?
I really had no idea about what to do next after spending twelve years immersed in the beauty world. It was all I knew at that time. I fell into yoga teacher training just to do something for six months and see where it would take me. It was during this time I read a book on Ayurvedic medicine and how it is the sister science to yoga. Ayurveda became the catalyst for me to move in the direction of health, healing, and natural medicine.

What is Ayurveda and how does it relate to overall wellness?
Ayurveda is the science of the body/mind and how to balance them with the world around us. Yoga is the science of consciousness and how to evolve beyond our thoughts and go within. These two sciences need to be used together for a person to live a fulfilling and purposeful life, which includes a healthy body and peaceful, focused mind.

**Left:**
Shirt + Pant by ATELIER CILLIAN
**Right:**
Sweater by A.Potts

Were you always interested in yoga and wellness?
Yes. I was always playing sports before I went into the fashion industry but once I moved to Paris, I had a mentor who introduced me to spiritual books and yoga. I also started going to the gym and working out for hours. From there I started to learn about wellness as a complete lifestyle and holistic path.

How did you first become interested in Ayurveda and how has it influenced your approach to the way you live your life?
I had read many books on health and started to lead a healthy lifestyle but once I read Dr Frawley’s book The Science Of Ayurveda And Yoga, it put together all the entire elements of nature and how to practice these sciences together in a daily routine. This changed everything, because once you apply the knowledge as a practice it starts to change the way you think and want to live. It influences you to want to be balanced, shifting your attention from worldly things outside to a still place inside.

**Left:**
Shirt + Pant by ATELIER CILLIAN
**Right:**
Turtleneck by ATELIER CILLIAN

How did you become a yogi?
On my first visit to India to study, I realized I had “come home.” You know that familiar inner feeling of knowing that words can’t express? That’s the feeling I had. I took to the teachings and the practice as if I had already known them my whole life. Living in Iran for the first ten years of my life was a prelude to this lifestyle, as the medicine systems are quite similar. But at some point, during the next few visits back to India (which I still do two to three times a year) I started to live the Yogic life and take on the lifestyle. I also met other Yogis on trips to the Himalayas and caves, which inspired me to want to know more. Now I have a Guru and follow a particular path with my wife Yogini Jaima.

Tell us about your experience studying Ayurveda and yoga in India.
You know how when you paint your home it feels very light and fresh, but if you gut it and totally renovate it, the house gives you a whole new experience. My experience was one of ‘renovation and transforming’ into a more soulful version of who Cameron was. Learning about the mind and body gains you valuable knowledge, and as you put them into practice, your body starts to change at a cellular level while your mind is transforming higher into a more evolved state. This study gives you the tools to live a balanced life with nature but to also know which herbal medicines and treatments to perform when the body has an ailment.

**Left:**
Shirt + Pant by ATELIER CILLIAN
**Right:**
Poncho by A.Potts
Sneakers by Florsheim Shoes

Please share some practical tips for those who are looking to incorporate mindfulness into their daily routines.
There is much confusion about how to be well in our society. This has become a complicated and over compartmentalized process. I would always recommend starting by simplifying your life: have less, do less, talk less, breathe less, eat less. The less you do, the better you will feel.

How can yoga and Ayurveda therapy change someone’s life?
It guides a person back to balance. Brings the body and mind into a state of homeostasis so the nervous system can be at ease, the digestion is strong, sleep is regulated, and, if the body and mind are suffering, in any way to allow them to come into a place of healing.

What is the most rewarding part about being a yogi and teaching people about Ayurveda?
Seeing people’s quality of life elevate as well as people managing or healing their body. Being able to live a daily routine with spiritual rituals. Being able to manage their thoughts and understand life beyond the surface level. Go deeper into the meaning of life and understand oneself.

**Left:**
Shirt + Pant by ATELIER CILLIAN
**Right:**
Suit by Le Catou

What advice do you have for those who are new to yoga and Ayurveda and want to incorporate it into their daily lives?
Treat it with reverence and always ask the Divine for guidance from within your heart. Yoga is not just physical movements but a dance of consciousness. It needs attention and your love from within so it reveals the secrets it holds.

You are the author of several books regarding wellness. How was the process of writing each book?
Writing for me is birthing ancient ideas, concepts, and philosophies from the conscious and subconscious onto paper. At times, it involves the unconscious that brings the brilliance that the mind can’t grasp. The process sometimes requires stillness and other times it needs so much energy. But the best writing comes when I mentally leave the process and a state of ‘being’ takes over and it all becomes effortless.

Share an instance where Ayurveda played a transformative role in your own life.
99% of the ailments or imbalances that I have had in the last 20 years I have used Ayurvedic medicine or Yogic practices to heal or cleanse with. Even when getting Covid I used different practices of inhaling salt water and pushing it out of the nostrils to clear the respiratory system. Or, I used an ancient formula called Triphala, which cleans out the GI and digestive tract. We actually have one you can read about at www.108.health.

Tell us about your experience of being a major fashion model in the 1990s.
It was a beautiful and creative time, meeting wonderful people and traveling around the world. There really wasn’t any other work that was so stimulating and exciting. Being in different cities working on shoots and videos, events, and galas- it was the high life and very satisfying. I really loved meeting and working with all the creative people I interacted or became friends with.

What is one of your favorite memories of working in the fashion industry in the 1990s?
Of-course, working with Madonna on her “Express Yourself” video was a big highlight as she made everything fun and creative. But also working with Versace in South Africa at Nelson Mandela’s home and doing the video with Elton John and Kate Moss to celebrate and commemorate the life of Princes Diana, were great moments. It all brings back so many good memories.

What is next for Yogi Cameron?
I launched 108 health & beauty two years ago with a line of Ayurvedic herbal formulas using Liposomal technology. This is a new and advanced way to take your supplements. It is my latest project, but there is much to do in other creative ways, such as another TV show on health and wellbeing, another book, and a documentary. As a Yogi, I’m setting my goals for a few lifetimes to come, so there is no rush or stress to do everything in this present life. It’s a way to be at peace with time so it can be your ally and not your enemy.

https://www.yogicameron.com/about
https://www.instagram.com/yogicameron/

CREW CREDITS:
PhotoBook Editor-In-Chief: Alison Hernon
PhotoBook Creative Director: Mike Ruiz + @mikeruiz.one
Photographer - Style Director: Nikko Kefalas
Supermodel, Ayurvedic & Yogic Wellness Ambassador: Cameron Alborzian
Tearsheets by Daniel López, Art Director, PhotoBook Magazine
Interview by Mariana Apostolatos, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine