The Swedish pilot Instagram star who credits yoga with keeping her calm

“Doing yoga creates this calm inside of me”

(Maria the pilot)

There are plenty of people on Instagram posting pictures of their glamorous lifestyles, exciting travels or impressive yoga poses.

One woman, however, is doing all three - and has amassed a huge following as a result.

25-year-old Maria Fagerström from Lund in Sweden is an airline pilot who has 240,000 followers on Instagram.

She started posting on the social network after a colleague urged her to do so.

“My favourite thing about social media is that it connects you with people all over, making this huge world of ours seem a little bit smaller,” she said.

“I've had a love for aviation and photography for as long as I can remember, and with Instagram I'm able to combine my two favourite hobbies sharing all my adventures with the rest of the world.”

Fagerström says she was inspired to become a pilot by her father who is a captain on an Airbus 320 and used to take her sisters and her on his flights with him. She’s been flying commercially for two years now.

“For almost 20 years my dad has flown long haul across the world, always taking me and my three sisters with him on his travels,” she says.

“I couldn't think of a better way to see the world from such a young age, I fell in love with aviation and the world.”

Despite her huge following, she doesn’t seem to be suffering from too much trolling - or isn’t letting it bother her, at least.

“A little over a year ago, I decided to change my Instagram profile from private to open and I never thought I would get so many supportive and positive people following me.

“It's absolutely crazy and I love it. Together we have created this little community with positive vibes only and it gives me so much joy.”

Fagerström’s passion for what she does comes across in her posts.

“The moment when you're on the runway, just about to take off. That feeling when you're about to accelerate 75 tonnes of aircraft to 250 km/h in 30 seconds, that will always put a smile on my face,” she says.

With an exhausting, high-pressure and stressful job, she credits yoga with keeping her calm.

“I take my yoga mat with me everywhere I go. I think it's important to find time for yourself, even if it's only for five minutes of your day.

“Doing yoga creates this calm inside of me and my favourite part is after you finish your practise you now see everything with different eyes, life is then a little less stressful.”

She’s not the only Swedish pilot called Maria who’s become an Instagram star for her posts though - her best friend Maria Pettersson does the same, including yoga snaps.

One is @PilotMaria, the other is @MariaThePilot. Luckily the skies - and the Internet - are big enough.