Located at the heart of Phnom Penh’s business district, United Yoga Asia (UYA) inspires students, teachers, business organizations, and wellness practitioners to flow both on and off the mat.
In celebrating Wellness Month in October, ARAO goes to the Cambodian capital of Phnom Pehn to discover United Yoga Asia. Here, healing takes on the the new forms as seen through arts, community engagement and flowing beyond the mat.
United Yoga Asia (UYA) is a privately run yoga studio in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh. The space offers private and group classes at all levels and disciplines. Aside from experienced local and international teachers, UYA also hosts visiting teachers, alternative medicine and wellness practitioners at their multi-level studio or at out-of-town retreats. UYA offers regular corporate wellness programs, some of which were tapped during Covid by the local offices of conglomerates. These include multinational businesses like Prudential and Samsung.
UYA’s commitment to the local community does not start and end with paid classes. The studio lends its walls to emerging Cambodian artists who want to exhibit but do not have representation. All sales of the artworks go to the artist. UYA does not take a commission.
The studio also works with NGOs such as Save the Children and a children’s charity called @soksabayorg. The support @hopeforjustice, an organization that takes action and campaigns against human trafficking and slavery. They’ve also successfully placed some of the team @katekorpisalon.
Every Saturday, UYA conducts Yoga Off The Mat (YOM) for a select number of students from the provinces. YOM is a well-rounded and practical educational and mentoring program that provides yoga teacher training as an alternative career and guidance on entrepreneurship. The women in this program have also established their own local initiatives such as children’s book drives and tree planting.
Before its founding, UYA had strong connections to other related initiatives which they continue to support. This includes: @loveLightcambodia with a feeding and maternity program.
They’ve been involved in water projects and building an English language school in Siem Reap. UYA also contributed to a Buddhist “Bell Offering” @buathonbeing at Drikung Kagyu Jangchubling Monastery in the Indian province of Dehradun, where yoga was founded. This monastery educates 200 junior monks from 8-17 yrs old on Tibetan Buddhism, English, and the sciences.
To find out more, visit https://www.unitedyoga.asia/
