NataRaj Yoga studio opened its doors in August 2004 to a small but dedicated group of Phnom Penh residents committed to the practice of yoga. Since its first days, the Cambodian yoga community has blossomed, and not a year after opening NataRaj upgraded to a larger venue, which is where the studio is located today.
NataRaj offers a range of group and private yoga classes; 1-on-1 yoga therapy sessions; prenatal resources; and also promotes alternative healers, therapists and health-minded businesses in Phnom Penh. The student body is mostly made up of expatriates and visitors from all over the world and it is not uncommon to hear several different languages passing between students and teachers during classes. NataRaj encourages Cambodian participation in yoga by offering special prices for locals, giving workshops outside the studio to introduce and promote the practice, 
working with NGOs, and is now training a Cambodian instructor to lead classes in Khmer and eventually in English also.
NataRaj Yoga provides a unique contribution to the Phnom Penh landscape. People from all different backgrounds, social circles and lifestyles participate in the creation of a restorative environment based on principles of compassion, nurturance and health, in the heart of a country rich with stimulus and challenge. We welcome you to our community.
In April, 2007, Nataraj was voted one of the top 25 yoga studios in the world by Travel and Leisure Magazine.
In September, Yoga + Joyful Living released a full length article on Nataraj Yoga and the advent of yoga in Cambodia. For a link to the article, click HERE.
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The clientele at NataRaj Yoga is made up largely of expatriates, with a small group of brave Cambodians who join the scantly clad foreigners to bend and stretch their way through a barrage of English technical terminology. But Cambodia as a country has been generous to NataRaj, and the studio has been seeking opportunities to reciprocate the generosity by making the practice more accessible to Cambodians, in particular those who would not be likely to venture into a foreigner-run environment.
NataRaj began it’s community outreach in 2004-5 by giving a series of workshops to the artists, dancers, acrobats and musicians affiliated with Sovannah Phum theatre, an independent art association in Phnom Penh, dedicated to promoting and preserving Khmer traditional performing arts.
See www.sovannaphum.org for more information on this unique organization.
The owners of the Boddhi Tree and Del Gusto restaurants in Phnom Penh—restaurant /guesthouses committed to principles of social responsibility and high quality, healthy food made from local ingredients—sponsored a series of private classes for their staff. For one year, 10-15 young Cambodians came to the studio every week to learn the basics of a yoga practice.
www.boddhitree.com.
NataRaj administrator and resident masseur, Yan Vannac, has developed a dedicated interest in the practice and philosophy of yoga and is committed to the goal of becoming the first Khmer yoga teacher in Cambodia. He attends group classes several times per week and private classes on asana and philosophy with Isabelle once per week. He has an established self-practice and is beginning to learn how to lead students into poses and give appropriate adjustments. Isabelle and Vannac work together to find Khmer words that best translate the names of the poses, and the specific and often unusual yoga vocabulary.
Vannac will begin teaching classes in Khmer at NataRaj when he is ready, and is already assisting Isabelle in volunteer classes outside the studio. Vannac has been offered a scholarship to study in Cairns, Australia in 2008, so that he may receive official teaching certification. He looks forward to bringing yoga to his county, and translating yoga manuals and literature into his native language.
In 2006, Isabelle and Vannac were invited to start a weekly volunteer class with Agape International Missions, an human rights NGO that houses and cares for trafficked girls under the age of 18. Yoga can be a powerful tool in mending damaged relationships to one's own body, and these classes are conducted with the intention of encouraging the girls to believe in their own strength and capabilities, as well as learning to breath fully and open up. While some of the girls come and go from class to class (and sometimes during class), many of them are dedicated, coming to every weekly class and practicing on other days with the director of the NGO who also attends classes at NataRaj.
Starting in February 2007, Isabelle and Vannac began leading classes to a small group of motivated and talented young Cambodians from a local government-run orphanage. The classes are sponsored by Mia Bergman, a New York City-based yogi, in conjunction with the international peace organization Azahar International. The young yoginis, aged 5-17, have been coming to the studio every week, and their practice has been progressing in leaps and bounds—not only are the headstands coming easier, but so are the smiles.
www.azaharint.org
NataRaj is interested in promoting more volunteer yoga in the area. A single person can only take on so many classes a week, but there are many yogis out there who are skilled and certified and who may be able to commit an hour of their time to those in need. Those who are interested in teaching—and those who are connected with organizations that might be interested in hosting a volunteer class—are encouraged to contact NataRaj. Isabelle is willing to share her experiences and knowledge of how to approach such a class; and Vannac is likely to be available as interpreter and assistant.
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#52, Street 302 Boeng Keng Kang I |
P.O. Box 401 Phnom Penh, Cambodia |
+855 12 250 817 |
natarajyoga@gmail.com |
