Magnolia Yang Sao Yia

Although I took yoga classes here and there as a teenager and young adult, I would say that my yoga journey officially began in 2013 when dancing with Ananya Dance Theatre – a women of color social justice contemporary dance company. I trained in Yorchhā™, a technique that draws from Vinyasa Yoga, Odissi (an Indian classical dance form from Odisha), and Chhau (an East Indian martial art form). Not only is this my lineage, but it is within this dance approach, social justice framework, and South Asian rooted context that my yoga practice was developed and nurtured, and to this day, continues to be informed by.

In 2023, I decided to take the 200-hour yoga teacher training at One Down Dog to deepen my relationship with and understanding of yoga. As a yoga instructor, I strive to make my classes equitably inclusive, to center care, and to be a sincere teacher. Off the mat, I’m a dance artist and scholar, university educator, and cat mom.