About Dharma Shakti
A YOGA TEACHER – A STUDENT – A PRACTITIONER
Dharma Shakti serves as a Staff Volunteer – Karma Yogi at the Sivananda Yoga Los Angeles Center in California, where she teaches Yoga Asana and shares the Yoga philosophy with students at different levels, from beginners to more experienced practitioners, through classes such as Yoga 1, 2, and 3 and all-level classes. She works with private students in the United States, Canada, and Vietnam, supporting each person according to their individual needs and personal journey toward greater health and well-being.
Alongside her service at the Center, she is undertaking the 800-hour Yoga Health Education program, deepening her understanding and practical application of Yoga Therapy, holistic health, and the interrelationship of physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. Through coursework and practicum, she is not only learning but also applying the science and art of Yoga and Ayurveda to support and empower each individual’s journey toward greater mental health and well-being.
“A Yoga Health Educator needs to be a practitioner of Yoga first.”
Beyond the mat — I cultivate self-discipline through daily practice, observing my thoughts, actions, communication, and changes one day at a time.
My Belief: YOGA IS COMING BACK TO ONESELF
For me, Yoga is not about becoming someone else.
It is a way of coming back to yourself – learning to see what is within you with awareness, to meet each thought and feeling with consciousness, and to be fully present in the moment – You are here
Awareness:
The moment you become aware of both imperfection and perfection, suffering and happiness, doubt and faith, pain and balance. The moment you start self-discrimination.
Awareness is the first step back to yourself.
Self-responsibility:
Yoga reminds you that life is constantly changing. Your happiness, peace, and well-being are not something to seek outside yourself — they are within you.
Taking responsibility for yourself is reclaiming the power to shape your own life.
Presence:
a place where you meet yourself in every moment of life, and where transformation begins.
You are here – You are responsible for yourself. Self-transformation begins with Awareness.
Dharma Shakti
THE SEEDS
My Yoga journey began in 2014, when I explored a variety of practices, including Ashtanga Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Vinyasa Yoga, and Sivananda Yoga.
COVID-19 situation changed my perception of yoga.
During six months of lockdown in Ho Chi Minh City, Yoga gradually became much more than a physical practice that I loved. It became a daily anchor, a healing method that helped me, as an extrovert person to overcome the inner turbulence and uncertainty that affected my mental and emotional well-being.
I began to look beyond the physical practice itself.
I started to observe my body, my breath, and my thoughts frequently and more closely.
I began asking more questions. Those curious questions stayed with me and eventually became the first seeds leading me to my first 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training in Apr, 2023.
But that was only a beginning
In December 2023, I chose to step away from a career that was moving forward and opening new possibilities. I needed to seek answers to the questions and inner struggles I was carrying.
Following a friend’s recommendation, I went to Sivananda Yoga Ashram in Da Lat and joined the one-month Seva Study program.
Something inside began to shift.
The seeds I had planted seemed to have finally found the right soil, the right nourishment, the right environment, and the right direction. The experiences in Sivananda Yoga led me to make the decision to undertake the second time of the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training at International Sivananda Yoga.
… And slowly, my Yoga journey began to reveal itself...
The name Dharma Shakti carries the meaning of the divine power of righteousness and cosmic virtue — a meaning that continues to unfold through my practice, my learning, and the way I choose to live.
Dharma Shakti
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