Testimonials

Yoga Naga Journal

written by: Yuko Miyahara

Hatha Yoga, Forest Yoga, Bikram Yoga, Power Yoga… You hear various yoga names all around you -- and then, Shakti’s Elements adds a new program called Yoga Naga Training, “Another yoga?”

At first, I was apprehensive about a new curriculum suddenly popping up at Shakti’s Elements. However, watching the students transform as they went through the program, I got inspired, and jumped into the second 6 week offering of this training. Now as I near the end of the Yoga Naga training, I decided to take an opportunity to share my experience with you – from a student’s perspective.

Yoga first: “It’s how we do things”
Master Zi explains “The reason this class is Yoga Naga and not Naga Yoga is because, the yoga comes first.” Yoga means “State of Union with the Divine.” It’s not about doing the movements dogmatically, but with each breath, being aware of ourselves. This has taught me to keep myself “checked in” in my daily life as well. “Am I just doing something? Or am I putting my spirit into it?”

Drill: Be fluid
A constant fundamental of the class is “drilling” the moves. This means repeating the same move over and over again…sometimes as many as 70 to 100 times. In the beginning, I felt like I was using muscles I had never used before, but after a while I found a “flow” in the movements; not muscling through the pose, but finding a balance in the body and the energy of each movement.

Anatomy and Meridians: Know your body
The first day I walked into class, I was greeted by a skeleton, a human spine model and large muscle and meridian charts. “Know your body” was almost like a mantra in the class. When some parts of the body are weak, other parts of the body will compensate for the deficiency. A dry topic of Anatomy came to life in the class when we examined each others’ body structures and movements. I was surprised to find that my lower back issue was caused by my weak upper body strength and poor balance.

Emotion: Feeling through the body
Did you know we store unreleased negative energy in our body? Often because of social and cultural conditioning, our body traps these energies in our muscles and chakras. As we open our body up in yoga poses, we enable the body to release this suppressed energy. Sometimes we don’t even know that there is anything trapped because it is ingrained in us so deeply.

Learning Sanskrit: Communication and vibration
When we get in touch with ancient language, we are getting reconnected to something timeless. Each word has a certain vibration and carries energy throughout it. As we incorporated Sanskrit into our yoga moves, I felt the effects of various sounds on my body. I started to think “ If these sounds can have this much effect on me, what about when I communicate to others?” Through the integration of voice in yoga, I have begun to awaken a new sense within in me, one of the connections between my body, spirit and spoken words.

The best way to describe Yoga Naga Traininig is “a comprehensive life toolbox”. All the knowledge and wisdom of Master Zi is packed in the training. Nisha has done a remarkable job of putting it all together into binder full of information.

It is not an easy training. But it is a rewarding one. As I head to my 6 am class, I look forward to what’s next – every day is full of discovery and growth. I encourage everyone to dive in.