10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL: UP TO $1400 OFF >

About Zuna Yoga | Origins - Philosophy - Purpose - Passions

Zuna

{sanskrit}:

prosperity, good fortune, to thrive
Health, joy, success, and freedom

Zuna Yoga® is a systematic approach to applying the wisdom of timeless yogic traditions to modern living. Yoga is a science that is, and has always been, a discipline designed to help us achieve our greatest dreams. Our system masterfully brings together the teachings of yogic sages and modern scientific perspectives to create an unparalleled experience of personal understanding and development. The benefits of our method can be applied to nearly any aspect of your life: personal, professional, relationship, health, or the experience of spiritual splendor.

Yoga

{sanskrit}:

to connect, bring together, align
"a treasure trove of empowering technique and essential wisdom drawn from tradition and science"

Most people in the western world know yoga as physical exercise. The physical practice is important, as the body is a sacred vessel that carries us through life. Yoga postures and how they affect us energetically, psychologically and emotionally are vital to our understanding of yoga. But there’s a lot more to yoga than just the physical. We’ll share with you a treasure trove of important techniques and essential wisdom drawn from richness of tradition and science, to help you realize a grander recipe for beautiful living.

DISCOVER WHO WE ARE

A short but informative introduction to who we are and what we offer. You’ll learn about how we use yoga, meditation, its practice and philosophy to guide our students to discover the best versions of themselves

Zuna Yoga® is accredited Yoga Alliance School

Zuna Yoga® Origins

The Zuna Yoga® method was developed by founders Katherine Girling and Everett Newell.  Their desire for understanding fulfillment in this life –  true happiness, freedom from fear, love, authenticity, and professional success – has inspired their life explorations.  

Zuna Yoga® is an organic expression of their educational journeys through the fields of neuroscience, psychology, physics, anatomy, physiology, philosophy, medicine, yogic studies, martial arts and as well, many years of developmental practice.  The treasures of their discoveries form the foundation of the Zuna Yoga® system as it exists today. They are passionate about sharing these tools for better living in a way that is digestible, actionable, and inspirational.

Zuna Yoga® was first conceptualised and outlined in 2006 after many years of dedicated study and practice by its founders.  After sharing its message and methods in a variety of platforms, including yoga classes in Los Angeles and NYC, the first Zuna Yoga® training was facilitated in the US in 2009. 

The Zuna Yoga® system continued to be refined, and in 2013 they relocated their educational institution to Indonesia and eventually settled in Bali to establish a home to facilitate programs for a global community of spiritual seekers. In the years since its inception, thousands of students from around the world have experienced the magic of the Zuna Yoga® method and training program.

You are the Guru
Find your truth and let it lead

Our core philosophy is drawn from the traditions of Hatha Yoga and Tantra. We are non-dogmatic, non-hierarchical, and non-religious. Zuna Yoga® is primarily focused on self development and personal empowerment. At Zuna Yoga® we believe that within each and every one of us lives the truest source of wisdom we all seek and need.  Our aim is to awaken others to this innate inner power and tap into the wisdom, courage and inner strength it offers. We want to empower the world with a community of leaders, not followers. We believe in a deeply spiritual existence respecting all religious views, and are dedicated to:

  • The pursuit and realization of our authentic selves
  • Liberating meaningful, creative expression
  • Empowering purposeful living
  • Embodying the joy and love that exists within
  • Courageously living
  • Sharing the magic of our own unique essence
  • Inner Peace, Health and Vitality
  • The Values of Truth, Courage and Love

Our lives and work are guided by the values of Truth, Love and Courage.

Truth: to see clearly what is, untainted by expectation, need or judgment. To be fully present. Truth can only be objectively experienced in moments of selflessness, when we can let go of ego, protection or self-serving desire. Commitment to truth is a lifelong process of self-realization: revealing your authentic self and living a life guided by this knowing. Truth at its purest is anchored in love and empowered by courage.

Love: the ability to perceive and soulfully embrace the essence of a person or thing. Loving is seeing and allowing yourself to be seen, unguarded. The degree of love experienced is proportional to our capacity to be vulnerable. The highest form of love is selfless and unconditional. It is a state of being that infuses all that we create – our thought, speech and action – with soulful expression. Love expands from self, to friends, family and community, to all beings. Love is fueled by courage and liberated by truth.

Courage: the ability to confront our fears while standing firm or taking action. It is the essence of empowerment upon which we draw our fortitude when feeling vulnerable. The highest expression of courage is rooted in faith or surrender to something greater than ourselves. Courage is the key component to transformation; it is the strength to face the discomfort of letting go and the fear of the unknown. It supports growth, learning and expansion. By demonstrating courage, we inspire others to be courageous in small and big ways. Courage reveals truth and is a catalyst for love.

The foundation of the Zuna Yoga® system is built upon the oldest living tradition of Eastern Philosophy or science known. This is the Tantric tradition of Sri Vidya. Sri is often defined as the innate, blissful essence of divinity or sublime beauty, while Vidya is defined variously as knowledge, science, or philosophy. Thus, Sri Vidya can be defined as the “knowledge of that which is most beautiful”; “the science of beauty”; “the science of being”; or “the science of living the experience of sublime beauty”. This is not a reference to a force external to our own existence, rather it is the core of all living things, as well as the totality of all that exists.Sri is also defined as the primal creative force of the universe that is also part of all living things. It is itself the singular force of creation known as “Shakti”. Sri Vidya is then also described as the science of prosperity and as well self-realization. Connecting to and working with the multifaceted expressions of creativity guided by the vision and wisdom of our most authentic self is the aim of the science of Sri. The result is the ability to express and experience these powerful creative qualities in our own individual consciousness, and remain aligned, empowered and in knowledge of the laws of the One.

The structure of Zuna Yoga® is primarily drawn from the Tantric teachings of the Gheranda Samhita, Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Siva Samhita, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, and the Upanishads. Each tradition of yoga has a systematic approach to its science.

Patanjali Yoga is the yoga outlined in Patanjali’s “Yoga Sutras,” commonly referred to as Ashtanga Yoga, meaning the eight limbs of yoga (not to be confused withthe trademarked yoga established by Pattabhi Jois). It is the yoga of the mind. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika uses a four fold path; the Gheranda Samhita, seven; the Siva Samhita, five. Although the latter three books outline the steps of their systems slightly differently, they detail a very similar pranic or energetic approach to the achievement of yoga by cultivation and focus of spiritual energy and constructive intentions.

The Zuna Yoga® system includes the use of yogic tools such as asana, bandha, mudra, pranayama, mantra, and meditation. Through a systematic usage of these tools, practice is directed toward the attainment of what we refer to as the true “promise of yoga”; to live free, empowered to experience the bountiful treasures of life through the realization of self (know thyself), to awaken a sense of authentic purpose that leads to our life’s greatest success and sustainable fulfillment.

Zuna Yoga®’s roots are firmly planted in Tantric methodology. The word tantra itself has many meanings. One meaning that is important to our method is to expedite or accelerate. Another is to weave or thread. With Zuna Yoga®, we work with practices and philosophies that can meaningfully expedite our personal development and then weave this development into the fabric of our lives.

Zuna Yoga® is designed to accommodate a diverse range of perspectives for anyone seeking to deepen their understanding of themselves and the gifts of yogic tradition. We offer a variety of courses, workshops and retreats. These events are not just for yogis seeking teaching certification. Our curriculum has been carefully developed to afford everyone the opportunity to learn and grow.

Zuna Yoga® is a system open to all ages and types of people. Classes are led by well trained instructors, capable of delivering the alchemy of the Zuna Yoga® system to everyone who wants to experience their own magic.

Graduates of our program go on to teach a variety of styles, including hatha, vinyasa, hot yoga, power yoga, yin, restorative, meditation, corporate yoga, and children’s yoga. The tools we share are flexible and universal, giving you endless opportunities for your personal practice and your teaching.

For students who are inspired to teach our style of yoga, we offer an affiliate program that includes certification, mentoring and ongoing support.

The Zuna Yoga® System

The Zuna Yoga® methodology is based on the energetic (pranic) systems of the body, bio-mechanics, dynamics, neuroscience, psychology and the traditions of Hatha Yoga and Tantra. There is a myriad of tools we use such as asana (postures), bandha (energy locks), mudra (directing energy), pranayama (breathing techniques), meditation, and developmental themes, directed towards the achievement of specific intentions and goals. Utilizing these related components according to the timeless recipes of tradition, we plot a course of discovery to understand how we relate and communicate with ourselves and the world around us.  

Not every practice we engage in needs an obvious, heavy handed intention, but should instead always utilize a wise and intelligent approach that delivers us efficiently and effectively to our goal:  To be the best version of ourselves

The physical system of Zuna Yoga® was primarily developed from many years of intense experiential study in martial arts and yoga. This lived knowledge is continually refined by an applied knowledge of integral anatomy, physiology, physics and neuroscience.  We understand how the body needs to move and the structure that is necessary to find a unified sense of strength and balance, supporting a confident fluidity with graceful expression.  No other system of yoga will offer you the understanding of how to achieve this than Zuna Yoga®.

A key element in our approach to physical practice is whole body activation. Often, the muscular system of the body is sensed as a collection of individual components. Much of the time, in a natural state of movement, we activate and utilize only the muscles necessary to perform a given task.  Much of the muscular body lies dormant or inactive and can invite the muscular body to lose its natural ability to activate in a coordinated fashion, to the extent that even simple movements can challenge our confidence and balance. 

One of the primary objectives in yoga is to literally wake up, coordinate and train the systems of the body to work together cohesively and be guided consciously by our intentions.  Like a player of a sports team that might sit dormant on the bench waiting to get in the game, our muscles can be the same, and not get much attention or activity. In a Zuna Yoga® practice, we want to get all the players (muscles) off the bench and in the game. 

When we activate the ENTIRE muscular body with only a small percentage of its capacity, it awakens.  It is vitalized and ready to support your intentions. This light activation of the body will invite intuitive support in the changing environments of balance and strength as you move dynamically through your practice. It is a huge component in increasing coordination, balance and effortless strength.  

Often when confronted with an obstacle, we tend to tense up and engage our challenges with increasing force, perhaps even overusing our strengths. But by applying an unnecessary amount of power to overcome our challenges, we train ourselves to fight through our difficulties. This might seem to some rather intuitive, but what if we were to work smarter, not harder? Could we achieve our goals without compromising our sense of peaceful balance? After all, we don’t want to fight our way through the challenges of life and depreciate our ability to enjoy it.  Balance is the key.

When the body, breath and mind are coordinated and cohesively aligned, we can express our power with ease and grace while remaining fluidly adept. This is fundamental to managing our energy and, as well, helps reduces our limitations by not working against ourselves. Expressing power through coordination, conscious awareness of the challenge at hand, and knowing ourselves, our strengths and limitations, offers us more balance, and therefore strengthens all of our abilities in any situation. 

As we learn to embody this attitude during our practice, we begin to carry it forth into our daily lives, meeting the challenges of life with a sense of mastery that is strong and peaceful.  Challenges will then become opportunities to grow.

One of the most important aspects of the Zuna Yoga® system is the way we breathe. The power of breath cannot be overstated. There has never been nor ever will be a more faithful companion to our experience of life than our breath. It is our greatest ally in pursuit of self-mastery. As the animating force of life itself,  it influences everything we perceive, think and otherwise experience. When we learn to use the breath in yogic practice (which includes meditation) properly, it is empowering.

In Zuna Yoga®, working with the breath is fundamental on many levels. In postures, the breath can be directed in specific ways to embolden the energetic effect of the pose. Control over direction and rhythm of its expression can enhance our strength, balance and attitude in any pose. The duration and smoothness of the breath greatly influences and conditions the nervous system and our awareness, thereby influencing everything we experience in a pose. Our breath can also activate the release of tension within the body when directed properly.  But if the breath is left unattended during our practice, it can also have the reverse effect, such as creating more tension, anxiety etc. 

Similar to how we learn control of the body, we learn control over the breath. This developed mastery of breath and body leads us competently into the most rewarding stage of practice which is the higher states of consciousness found in meditation.The breath is our guru, more so than any person. It will always reflect to you the current condition of the mind and body if you’re capable of tuning in, and it’s always sharing with you the truth of who you are at any given moment.

Our sequencing incorporates intelligent use of  biomechanics to effectively prepare the body for the more complex postures at the physical apex of the class, with a steady non aggressive pace.  Masterfully guided cues of breath and intention draw the mind into focus on the richness of experience that is created when all of our faculties have been coordinated.  A signature accompaniment to all our classes is a delicious  savasana like you’ve never experienced before. And we almost always finish with a meditation that will leave you in a state of soulful delight. 

Each and every class we offer is designed with a specific intention or theme that efficiently and effectively guides you through a discovery of self and the important tools of yoga you need to learn.  Although it is important to have some fun with practice, our primary goal isn’t as much about entertainment as it is to leave you with a greater sense of confidence and skill.  Most importantly, we’ll leave you with a deeper connection to yourself and life.  The structure and delivery of every Zuna Yoga class has been refined to maximize your opportunities to learn and grow.    

The nervous system is a very important part of the yogic recipe.  Understanding how to strengthen, energize and coordinate the body without overworking it is a key factor in how much health benefits we receive from our yoga and mediation practice. Understanding the nervous system and its triggers is a huge part of what makes yoga work. Whether you enjoy a strong sweaty session, a relaxing restorative break or a still meditation class, you’ll love the masterful use of deep relaxation we incorporate in all Zuna Yoga® offerings. 

Meditation is an essential life skill that everyone should experience. It’s not just for spiritual seekers. Once you understand the plethora of real, scientifically supported benefits it offers, you’ll want to get on the meditation train too.  We’re sure of it.  No other single practice will offer you more. The difficulty is deciding which meditation train to board. With so many styles and associated dogma, understanding where to start can be daunting task.

All Zuna Yoga® teachers are seasoned meditators.  We share with you a variety of methods and techniques. They are simple yet powerful and come from the founders’ many years experience with different styles and methods. We’ve done the research and the work.  Let us share our discovery with you. Everyone that attends a Zuna Yoga® training will learn just how amazing mediation can be. We guarantee it.

Create an Account

Log in