Frankly Yoga, Vancouver, BC (2025)

07/09/2025

Took a little break from teaching + posting to focus on weeding the garden of my 💚 How have you been?

I’m aware of “somatic yoga” becoming a buzzword these days. One question I asked myself during my time off is whether I’m merely jumping on the wagon, or if it’s truly serving my body and soul.

I have created this free e-book dissecting the questions if somatic yoga is for you, and its difference with traditional yoga. I also shared 2 body based practice go help you coming back to yourself when off centre.

Claim at FranklyYoga.com or comment 💚 below and I’ll DM you.

From headspace to heartspace,
Angora

04/07/2025

“𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘴.” - 𝘙𝘶𝘱𝘪 𝘒𝘢𝘶𝘳

Did you know that time doesn’t heal wounds most of the time, but cover them with fascia?

I revamped my way of movement to trauma-informed, fascia-focused somatic yoga, which:

✔ Stops putting your body into cookie cutter yoga without belonging
✔ Discovers how fascia is the game changer
✔ Adapts this ancient practice of yoga to help process suppressed emotions & unhealed trauma

And I can’t wait sharing with you in this upcoming workshop⬇️

Date: May 17 (Saturday)
Time: 3-4 pm
Venue: The Dance Centre, 677 Davie Street
Investment: $22 (✨50% off early bird until April 16)

What to expect:
- Make better use of your upper body
- Add intuitive, non-linear, non-habitual movements
- Regulate your nervous system by slowing down
- Close the stress cycle by intuitive, non-linear, non-habitual movements to activate your innate healing capacity
- Intimate class size (10 people max)

What to bring/wear:
- Yoga mat
- Comfortable clothing in layers
- Journal & pen for integration (optional)

Ready to reclaim your freedom from trauma and feel better with age?

DM or email imfranklyyoga@gmail.com for more. 🔗 at bio

04/03/2025

When we think of yoga today, most of us think of flowing through familiar asanas like Warrior I and Warrior II, following a prescribed sequence rooted in a lineage passed down by a guru (who is, unfortunately, a male figure most of the time until today).

I practiced this version of yoga for over a decade, and I can’t speak highly enough of its positive impact on my body, mind, and overall well-being. But one day, when I found myself overwhelmed by nervous system dysregulation, dealing with a whole lot of issues as a diasporic woman of colour in the west, I realized I needed something more.

Something that placed less emphasis on repetition, discipline, and rigid forms.

Something that would help me tap into the innate healing capacity of my body, and trusting this body as an embodiment of the story of my life and the imprints of my trauma, both big and small.

Here’s my two cents of breaking down the key differences between these two approaches to yoga, highlighting how Traditional Yoga cultivates discipline and structure, while Somatic Yoga encourages intuitive exploration and embodied awareness.

In May I’ll facilitate my first ever public workshop in somatic fascia yoga. Stay tuned for more ☺️

03/17/2025

So what is fascia-focused somatic yoga?

First, let unpack somatic yoga. “Soma” comes from Greek for “body”. It’s been the past hundreds of years for humans to take it to yoga in order to tame and control the body and mind for enlightenment.

Fast forward to now, a lot of sh*t has been said about asana, the most (only?) tangible physical part of yoga.

But no, the body is not something to be TACKLED, but embraced with pure compassion.

So when I made a somatic turn in the way I move on and off mat, I discharged a lot of stress and suppressed emotions. And I wanted to help you do so.

But why fascia? Although researches about fascia is still in infancy, enough evidence showed that fascia is where the body store and manifest trauma. That’s why people complain about being stiff and painful, it’s not (solely) because they’re sitting too much, or old, but because they are trapped in this straitjacket of their own dense, dried up fascia (see second slide, credit to Jean Francois Brabant).

So in short, fascia-focused somatic yoga gets to the roots of the problem and brings in a way of moving your body that’s sustainable, pain free and actually make you feel good.

❤️if you resonate and follow for more

03/14/2025

Most people come to yoga to improve flexibiilty, but have you ever wondered what actually limits your range of motion (ROM)?

ROM is influenced by:
1. Muscle & Fascia – ~41% (the biggest piece of the puzzle!)
2. Joint Structure (Bone & Cartilage) – ~10-15%
3. Tendons & Ligaments – ~10%
4. Skin – ~2%
5. Nervous System & Stretch Reflex – ~35%

🌠What Yoga Cannot Change?
Your Joint Structure Is Set – No matter how much yoga you do, your anatomy is there when we were born. The shape of your bones and joints won’t change with stretching.

🎇Tendons & Ligaments Can’t Be Stretched – Unlike muscles, these connective tissues have minimal elasticity. Best we can is to strengthen the muscles around them to improve support and stability.

So, it left us with muscle, fascia and nervous system.

Having been really active in my younger years and engaged in Yang/athletic type of yoga, my muscles have developed memory of training harder, being pushed to exceed the previous version. My nervous system has also got used to achievement and competition.

The game changer is the alchemization of my nervous system dysregulation and multiple injuries (I talked about in previous posts) into somatic yoga- as a practice and offering.

❤️ or follow for more about my journeys + offerings: Let’s reclaim the freedom of movement and feel better with age!

03/13/2025

Part 3 of is SI Joint. Did you know SI Joint dysfunction is one of the most common yoga injuries? And the epidemic is growing.

Think of the alignment cues asking us to align heel to arch of the feet. Once I emancipated myself from this, my asymmetrical standing poses became so much more liberated + steady and easier for my low back/ SI Joint.

Think of transitioning from open hip postures to neutral (like from Warrior II to I). Such sequencing compromised pelvis stability and integrity for no obvious benefits.

Think of adding deep back bends in postures asking our pelvis to be in antagonistic relationship like splits and hip openers like king pigeon. Can the pelvis handle so much going on altogether at one time?

I committed all of the above since I used to be a sensational ju**ie - basically I used to think I had to feel something in my body to know that I was doing something. And I forgot the discernment between sensations and going past limits.

Please take this as a reminder to vary your sequence and don’t get attached to achievement of a particular pose (repetitive stress prone).

💫My 4-year battle with SI Joint dysfunction inspired me to my proud alchemization of fascia-focused ☯️ Yin Yang Yoga, which I am set out to talk more in posts going forward.

Full article at Substack

03/10/2025

Part 2 of is about headstands. Strictly speaking it’s not an injury as I pulled myself out early enough, lucky me.

My question: Is it anatomically advantageous to stand on the most delicate part of our spine?

One of the biggest myths in the yoga asana world is: practice makes perfect. During my one month at Sivananda Ashram, I diligently practiced twice headstands a day, fit my body into that cookie cutter and ignored how I felt.

At the time of writing this, I haven’t done a Sirsasana in two years. Before I stopped, I could balance away from the wall about 50% of the time, but my consistency varied. Some days, I felt more wobbly than others.

But the bigger realization?

That deep serenity and stillness that’s supposed to arise in a headstand never really came for me.

And after taking a break, my neck finally started feeling normal again. And no, my spiritual connection to the divine didn’t suffer in the slightest.

🪷Can we experience similar benefits through safer inversions, like Shoulder Stand, Viparita Karani (Legs-Up-the-Wall), or even using a Headstand Bench?

🪷Should longevity in yoga practice be a bigger priority than achieving specific postures?

Full article 🔗 at bio.

Second last slide credits to

03/08/2025

Part 1 of my recovery journey from multiple repetitive stress injuries. Wrist in Woes

You know what, I never had to “practice” to get to arm balances. I mean, I really did get right into Bakasana (crow pose) by my third try. I’d see others struggling and wonder why.

After over a decade of this kind of “naturally getting it” practice, my wrist fought back—I developed a ganglion cyst.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love arm balance. I think it’s a unique orchestration of upper body strengthening, coordinated pranayama and dhristi in modern yoga.

But I love it more when it doesn’t have to do harm to my wrists.

Sometimes all those difficult and challenging aspects in life draw and drain all our attention, blinding us to the fact that some easy paths we took may not have been the right one after all.

And remember, modern yoga asks our wrists to be in dorsiflexion more than they are designed to. So counter-stretch, lubricate the joints and take rest 💐

Link to full article at comment.

10/09/2023

Praying for peace 🕊️

And wishing everyone a bountiful Thanksgiving 🙏🏼

05/10/2023

I'm thrilled to be announcing a five-week prenatal yoga series 🎇

Each week has an individual theme: the asana (yoga postures) will focus on functional movements of the body, aiming at strengthening, grounding and gaining/maintaining mobility. Deeply grounded in Eight Limbs of Yoga of the Raja Yoga path, breathwork & meditation practices will be incorporated to help find peace and harmony at the mental & emotional level. There will be plenty of opportunities to connect with other parents-to-be for group support. The intention is to support the cultivation of compassion and unconditional love, and the journeys of pregnancy, delivery and parenthood.

Please see details below and in pictures:

Date: June 3 - July 8 (Saturdays)
🍁 No class on July 1
Time: 11:00 AM - 12:10 PM

$140 for five classes
$33 single

E-transfer to karuna.yuj@gmail.com to secure a spot. Cash or bank deposits are accepted (email for details). Link at bio.

LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE SO PLEASE REGISTER SOON💚
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03/23/2023

How many stories you were told were later found need to be untold? How long did it take before you even realized they were slowly eating your up soul?
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Sharing three from the top of my list.

Healing is a lifelong process. It's not about being better, it's about taking ownership of every piece of you and be whole.
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/Free from all old stories I've been told
I walk through the valley of my own shadow
Free from all old stories I've been told
I walk through the valley of my own shadow/

💫Lyrics of Gajumaru by Yaima💫
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This will be one of the tunes we'll be dancing to in our women's circle this coming Saturday. Getting super excited to be part of your journey. Grab your last spot: details at bio.

04/06/2022

如果可如期開班(!)，4月23日（星期六）在一木 One Wood 將有專注下三輪的工作坊，上午是瑜伽式子和呼吸法，下午是療癒工作坊。

抗疫多時加上外界動盪，的確很容易積壓很多負面情緒。獻上這小小的工作坊，希望幫助大家能打好根基，先平衡和連繫好下三輪 (底輪、臍輪、太陽神經叢)，再慢慢提升能量，接近和諧。

🌠瑜伽式子和呼吸法
時間：11:00am - 1:00pm
主持：Angora Karuna Yoga
內容：
▪︎淺淡脈輪與下三輪
▪︎針對下三輪的瑜伽式子練習
▪︎呼吸法練習
▪︎冥想
費用：$330 (如與下午場一同參與可獲$60減免)

🤍參加者不一定需要有瑜伽練習經驗
🤍小班教學，式子會因應參加者需要及情況而作調整
🤍建議攜帶一條中小型毛巾作輔助工具

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🌠脈輪療癒工作坊
時間：2:30 - 6:00pm
主持：Kaliphr 花禪心療 Zenfleurs Yoga & Wellness
內容：
▪︎認識下三輪及其對身心靈的影響
▪︎脈輪療癒冥想
▪︎連結身體感官
▪︎強化下三輪小遊戲
▪︎戲劇形式了解情緒
▪︎身體舞動
▪︎薩滿式脈輪平衡療癒
費用：$580 (如與上午場一同參與可獲$60減免)

🤍過程會有身體活動，請穿運動服或舒適衣物
🤍工作坊適合任何人士，無須任何經驗
🤍請保持開放的心，事情無分好壞對錯
🤍小班教學，確保足夠空間及社交距離

**工作坊分上、下兩節，兩節內容不一樣，參加者可以參加任何一場，或兩場皆參加。

Frankly Yoga

07/09/2025

04/07/2025

04/03/2025

03/17/2025

03/14/2025

03/13/2025

03/10/2025

03/08/2025

10/09/2023

05/10/2023

03/23/2023

04/06/2022

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